Top 10 Spectacular Roads to Drive Before You Die
10. Transfagaran highway, Romania
The Transfăgără falan or DN7C is a paved mountain road that crosses Romania’s Carpathian Mountains’ southern portion. It has national-road ranking and is the country’s second-highest paved road after the Transalpina. It begins near the village of Bascov, near Pitequel, and stretches 90 kilometers (56 mi) to the crossroads between DN1 and Sibiu, between the country’s highest peaks, Moldovanu and Negoiu. The road, developed as a strategic military route in the early 1970s, connects the historic Transylvanian and Wallachian regions.
The road climbs to 2,042 meters (6,699 ft ) above sea level, making it the second highest mountain pass in Romania after the Transalpina. It is a winding road with steep turns of hairpin, long S-curves, and sharp descents. For hikers, cyclists, drivers and motorcycle enthusiasts it is both an attraction and a obstacle. The average speed is around 40 km / h (25 mph) owing to the topography. The path also leads to Bâlea Lake and Bâlea Waterfall.
9. Col De Turini, France
The Col de Turini (el. 1607 m) is a high mountain pass in France’s Alpes-Maritimes department in the Alps, located entirely in the Nice region. The road connects Lantosque in La Bollène-Vésubie commune, with Sospel in Moulinet municipality. This is the main road link between the Vésubie river valley and the Val Bévéra. It’s renowned for its various hairpins and breathtaking landscapes.
8. Stelvio pass, Italy
The Stelvio Pass is a mountain pass bordering Switzerland in northern Italy at an altitude of 2,757 m (9,045 ft ) above sea level. It is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps and the second highest in the Alps, 7 m (23 ft) below Col de l’Iseran (2,764 m (9,068 ft)) in France. The pass is situated in the Italian Ortler Alps between Stilfs in South Tyrol and Bormio in Sondrio province. It is approximately 75 km (47 mi) from Bolzano and only 200 m from the Swiss frontier. The Umbrail Pass runs north from the western ramp of the Stelvio, and the “Three Languages Hill” above the pass is so named because this is where the languages of Italian, German and Romanesque cross.
7. Chapman’s peak drive, South Africa
Chapman’s peak drive is the most impressive maritime route in the world that links Capetown towns in the noordhoeak and hout bay. The drive through the height of Chapman described as ‘9 km of paradise road.’ Chapman peak at an elevation of 1945 ft features 114 curves. Chapman’s rugged peak coastline provides breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and spectacular beaches. Chapman’s peak coastal area is also popular for mountain biking, horseback riding, paragliding, and climbing.
6. Tianmen Mountain Road, China
The 6.8 mile long, twisted S road is one of Tianmen mountain’s main attractions, located in China’s Hunan province. The Tianmen mountain roads rise from 200 to 1300 meters above sea level. This beautiful path contains 99 hairpin bends as well. It offers tourists and drivers a panoramic view of surrounding places.
5. Seven Mile Bridge, Florida, United States
The Seven Mile Bridge is a bridge in Monroe County, Florida, United States, at the Florida Keys. It connects Knight ‘s Key in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys (part of the city of Marathon, Florida). It is part of the Overseas Highway in the Keys, which is part of the 2,369-mile (3,813 km) US, among the longest bridges in existence when it was completed. Move 1.
There are two bridges at the site. The new bridge is open to road traffic; the older bridge is open to pedestrians and cyclists only. The older bridge, originally known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Canal-Pacet Canal Bridge, was designed from 1909 to 1912 as part of the Key West Extension of Florida East Coast Railway, also known as the Overseas Railroad, under the leadership of Henry Flagler and Clarence S. Coe.
4. White Rim Road, Utah, United States
The White Rim Road is a four-wheel drive 71.2-mile (114.6 km) unpaved road that crosses the top of the White Rim Sandstone formation below the Island in the Canyonlands National Park Sky mesa in southern Utah, United States. The road was constructed by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s to provide access during the Cold War to individual prospectors planning to min uranium reserves for use in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Large deposits had been found throughout the region in similar areas; however, very little uranium was produced by the mines along the White Rim Route, and all mines were abandoned.
3. The Atlantic road, Norway
Atlantic road is seen as Norway’s most spectacular building. In 2005 it was also selected as the century building. The 4.9 mile long road links Norwegian cities of Kritiannund and Molde. The road connects numbers of small coastal communities within the region. Several Bridge sections have a zigzang pattern. To visitors and passengers, the Atlantic ocean path provides a stunning view of the Atlantic ocean, abundant bird life, seals and even whales.
2. Furka Pass, Switzerland
Furka Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps linking Gletsch, Valais and Realp, Uri, with an elevation of 2,429 metres. The Furka Oberalp Bahn line passes the pass by via the Furka Tunnel. The base tunnel opened in 1982 and replaced a 2100 m tunnel. The zingzang-shaped route with hills and sharp curves offers excellent mountain driving experience. Glaciers, rock formations and ice lakes are the main sights to see when traveling through the furka pass.
1. Highway 1, California, United States
The 123 mile long path connects the nation of Orange and the California state of Mendocino. A trip on highway 1 takes more than 5 hours to complete. This route is also known as State Road of California 1. Highway 1 connects several coastlines and cliffs together. It’s also one of the most scenic drive in the U.S. The highway is considered an all-American highway. In addition to providing a scenic path to several of the coastal attractions, the path also serves as a major thoroughfare in the Greater Los Angeles Area, the San Francisco Bay Area and many other urban coastal areas.
