Cliffside switchbacks and sea-level cruises worth the detour.
Ninety kilometres of coast road link two of the Adriatic's grandest harbours, but the short stretch in the middle crosses a full external EU border. Here is how to time it, cross it, and use the extra day well.
Hāʻena State Park now runs on advance reservations only, day hikers stop at the two-mile mark, and the coast itself looks completely different depending on the season you choose.
Madeira's water-channel paths and ridge trails reward careful planning: book your permits ahead, pick one route a day, and read the mountain forecast separately from the coast.
Half the old coastal trail is shut for safety works and ticket prices swing by time of day, so the choices you make before you arrive shape the whole visit.
From a living Dutch fort to surf breaks, whale harbours and empty sands, the drive east from Galle is Sri Lanka's most rewarding coastal run — culture, adventure and slow afternoons in a single unbroken line of ocean.
The Cyclades' most photographed island is also its most misunderstood. Beyond the sunset scrum lies a landscape shaped by catastrophe, a wine unlike any other, and a way of eating that repays those who leave the caldera rim.
There is exactly one highway that circles Iceland, and it strings together nearly everything the island is famous for — waterfalls, black beaches, a lagoon full of icebergs, and a capital learning to cook the North.
Portugal rewards the traveler who refuses the motorway. Between the tiled hills of the capital and the golden coves of the south lies a coast of rice fields, fishing towns, and the last headland in Europe.
From a mountain that rises straight out of the Atlantic to a ribbon of coast strung with lagoons, forests and whale-haunted bays — this is South Africa at its most cinematic.
From Big Sur's crumbling cliffs to a Norwegian road that seems to launch cars into the sea, these are the shorelines where the driving is the destination.
The South Island packs glaciers, fjords, and empty beaches into a space you can drive in a week — but shouldn’t. Give it two.
California’s Pacific Coast Highway is a bucket-list drive that most people rush. The trick to loving it is to plan for half the distance and twice the stops.
Italy’s SS163 is only 50 kilometres long, but it holds a lifetime of switchbacks, lemon groves, and sea-view lunches. Here is how to do it without white knuckles.
