Here’s our selection of some of the great drives that you can do in this wide world…
This road is officially the third highest in the Alps, crossing over the border between Italy and Switzerland. What makes it remarkable is the huge number of switchbacks – 48 in all, marching up the side of the pass. Your best bet is to tackle the pass not during July and August when it’s popularity is clear (in the amount of traffic on the road). The road before/after the switchbacks is also beautiful, travelling through Stelvio National Park with its stretches of alpine forest.
The 232km journey from Banff to Jasper offers the most incredible scenery. Traversing the Rockies, the trip passes mountain lakes, ancient glaciers and sweeping valleys, and crosses through two national parks. Apart from the jaw-dropping scenery, there’s also a chance to spot big horn sheep, deer, black bears and coyotes, as well as the very occasional wolf, grizzly bear or goat.
The road from Queenstown to Gormanston in Tasmania is both beautifully scenic and exciting to drive, with over 90 bends along a spiralling road. This section of the highway is used in the Targa Tasmania, so you can taste a little of what the rally car drivers experience, albeit at a much safer speed. Queenstown was once the world’s richest mining town and the industry created the rocky ‘moonscape’ that the road winds its way through.
