10 Classic Coastal Drives
Hire an Alfa Romeo, pop some dramamine, and gas it — cautiously — through the hairpin-heavy route, about 40 miles’ worth of cliff-hugging highway that John Steinbeck famously described as "carefully designed to be a little narrower than two cars side by side."
The adjacent Kerry and Dingle peninsulas are home to the most famous drives in Ireland. Irish-speakers, Stone Age ruins -- and thousands of sheep -- dot the 30-mile Dingle loop. At the Westernmost point, Slea Head, the icy Atlantic crashes against black-rock cliffs.
Maine’s Mid Coast, Coastal Route 1 
Huge glaciers carved out coves, bays and river channels here long ago. Today you can traverse the granite-edged shores a little more quickly than our ice-behemoth predecessors. Along the mid-coast of Maine, US Highway 1 winds through charming towns with quaint cottages and stately mansions where sea captains of yore rested their ocean-wary bones. Towns like Rockport and Camden offer arts-and-crafts nooks to explore and historical windjammer fleets to inspect. Whales and puffins patrol the waters beyond. Time your drive for fall to catch the stunning seasonal foliage. For more information: www.visitmaine.com/
A 185-mile loop on the island of Cape Breton, this rugged mountain/coastal highway affords jaw-dropping views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and earns consistently hyperbolic reviews from travelers. This is wild northern wilderness at its best: Bald eagles soar overhead, whales linger offshore, and salmon navigate the icy Margaree River, which the trail parallels on the southwest turn. If you need a roadside phone, the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic site offers a vintage array. Visit in summer 2007 and enjoy the Cabot Trail’s 75th-annniversary celebration of seafaring and seafood: Lobsterpalooza! For more information: www.novascotia.com and www.lobsterpalooza.ca
Grande Route, French Riviera, France 
Corniche is a French-derived word for “a road built along a coast and especially along the face of a cliff.” On the French Riviera we find a cornucopia of corniches: three parallel highways, low, middle and high, that offer varying experiences of the spectacular coast between Nice and Menton. This is where Grace Kelly and Cary Grant sped along in To Catch a Thief (and where Kelly met her real-life end). Frenchman Didier Jamot, who has traversed the corniches a time or two, says the the Grande route, which overhangs monaco, offers especially “arresting views.” Jamot cautions that July and August can be hazy, and spring is a better season for soaking up the vibrant colors: “the blue sea and sky, the green forests, the white limestone.”For more information: www.francetourism.com/practicalinfo/regionssoutheasternriviera.htm
Seward Highway, Anchorage to Seward, Alaska 
This 127-mile route links Anchorage with Seward and travels through a varied landscape that includes glaciers, valleys, fjords and alpine meadows. Highlights include the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, where sights may include dall sheep and bald eagles. Farther down the road is Beluga Point, named after the denizens of the deep that can sometimes be spotted there. The Seward has been designated an All-American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation, so gas it up and put some patriotic pedal to the medal. For more information: www.alaska.org/driving/turnagain-arm-drive.htm
Top 10 drives
1. Pacific Coast Highway: LA to San Francisco
You won’t regret splashing out on a sleek and shiny convertible for a drive that takes in some of the snazziest locales and most beautiful scenery in North America. The route from LA to San Francisco will send you cruising down Rodeo Drive, meandering through ranch and wine country around the Santa Ynez Mountains and drifting slowly along the stunning Big Sur coastline with one eye on the road and one eye on the whales.
2. Garden Route: South Africa
Easily accessible from Cape Town, the lush, green and aptly named Garden Route incorporates the dramatic stretch of coastline between Mossel Bay and Nature's Valley taking in the vast Tsitsikamma Forest. Options for stopping off and wandering through the Fynbos are plentiful. With its stunning beaches, amazing flora and fauna and excellent golf courses, the Garden route should keep even the most diverse travelling companions happy.
3. New England in the autumn
Pick up your car in Boston and get ready for a short stint as a “leaf peeper”. At the right time of year, the drive through the Berkshires in Massachusetts via the Mohawk trail and into Vermont will give you an unparalleled 360 display of intense autumn colours. Enjoy a taste of old Americana by staying in one of the many historic inns that pepper the fall trail and have at least one huge breakfast in a vintage diner.
4. Great Ocean Road Australia
The Great Ocean Road is truly one of the great drives in the world and what’s more, it’s less than a day from Melbourne. The 125-mile long road cuts through southeast Australia, a land of dense rainforests, perfect beaches and arches of ocean-carved rock. So, roll down the windows, feel the wind in your hair and breathe in the heady combination of eucalyptus from one side and fresh salt air of the ocean on the other.
5. Northern Lakes Italy
The romantic Lake Orta, in the foothills of the Alps is an ideal starting point for a stunning drive around some of the most beautiful lakes in Italy. From Orta, wind along the Borromean Gulf on Lake Maggiore where the scenery shifts radically from gently sloping shores scattered with villas and magnificent gardens, to sheer cliffs that plunge dramatically into the water. More sumptuous villas and beautiful views await you at Lake Como. Then from Como, it’s a wonderful drive through mountains, vineyards and olive groves to Lake Garda.
6. San Juan Skyway (Colorado) – Over the Rocky Mountains: USA
The 232 mile long San Juan Skyway forms a highly varied scenic loop through one of North America’s most famous natural barriers. The route covers five passes over the Rocky Mountains with many magnificent views of the San Juan range. The route is circular and starts and finishes in Cortez. It passes by the entrance to the Mesa Verde National Park, covers the "Million Dollar Highway" (US550) over Coal Bank Summit and the Molas Divide. Other highlights include the Silverton, Red Mountain Pass, Ouray (dupped the ‘Switzerland of America’) Lizard Head Pass, Telluride and the Dolores River valley.
7. Florida Keys from Miami: USA
A drive of startling beauty, this road trip ranks among the most scenic in the United States. From the up thrust architecture of Miami, to the horizontal sweep of the Everglades and the limpid aquamarine reefs of the Florida Keys, the drive keeps you awestruck. Hire a convertible to get the real experience of driving in the sunshine on US highway.
8. Grossglockner – Highest Mountain in Austria: Austria
The Grossglockner Road is one of the most famous roads in the world featured on countless car adverts and films. It is the longest and most splendid alpine highway in Europe and one of the best drives in the world. The hairpin turns and bends are a challenge even for professional drivers. It's believed that this was the same route through the Alps used by the Romans and remains of a Roman Road were uncovered in the 1930s.
9. Furka and Grimsel Pass: Switzerland
The Furka and Grimsel Pass is another famous Alpine road. The road weaves and climbs up to Furka over 2000 metres high. It gives views over the Reuss Valley and Gletsch below. The road then descends steeply into Gletsch on the other side of mountain and climbs through steep switchbacks up the Grimsel Pass then swoops by a deep blue manmade lake and on through the Hasli Valley to Meiringen, where meringues were invented. The whole route is one of contrast of sound colour; from the cool ice-blue glaciers, to the bright green meadows exploding with colour. This is all set to the sound of cowbells clanging and the wind whistling on top of the mountains. Furka and Grimsel Pass is simply spectacular.
10. Dolomites – Through Cortina d’Ampezzo: Italy
The highlight of any visit to the Dolomites should be the Great Dolomites Road. The 210 km route from Bolzano to Cortina d'Ampezzo dates back to the Renaissance. The present day road is an Austro-Hungarian project that began in Bolzano in 1891 and didn't reach Cortina until 1909. Climbing up the side of mountains to a height of over 2000 metres, the road is one of the world's great drives. Although it is possible to drive the road in three hours, ideally you should allow two days to appreciate the road and its detours.