The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drives

Even during a season of high gas prices, these remarkable roads beckon summer travelers. Grab the keys, top off the tank and be prepared to pull over at every opportunity to drink in the sights on these impossibly scenic highways.

California State Route 1 twists and turns dramatically — sometimes seeming to teeter right at cliff’s edge — especially between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Drivers have their choice of views: on one side, the sparkling Pacific and peaceful beaches; on the other, redwood forests and fantastic homes and mansions.



The Overseas Highway (U.S. 1) is aptly named: It hopscotches 150 miles from mainland Florida near Miami through the Florida Keys (a chain of 1,700 islands) until it reaches Key West. South of Marathon, drivers can cruise over historic Seven Mile Bridge, one of the world’s longest bridges, which cuts between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.



Driving the Seward Highway from Anchorage to Seward is 127 miles of pure Alaska. How long it takes to drive the highway depends entirely on how often you brake for the scenery. You’ll skirt the Chugach Mountains and the cold, blue waters of Turnagain Arm while cruising past glaciers, alpine meadows, mountains and fjords. Keep an eye out for waterfalls and beluga whales.



The 56-mile drive from Rockport to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas is a great choice for birders, who can spot whooping cranes and pelicans, just two of the nearly 350 bird species at the refuge. Most of Texas' Gulf Coast is treeless, but live oaks grow on the shore near Rockport; the state’s largest live oak, the Goose Island Oak, can be seen near St. Charles Bay.



Maui’s Hana Highway is blessed with 600 hairpin turns and 54 one-lane bridges that force day trippers to slow down and enjoy the unparalleled scenery. Follow the sinuous path along the coast at sunrise for awe-inspiring views. Along the way, you’ll have a chance to see waterfalls, a cavern system created by an ancient lava flow and, of course, stunning ocean views.



No matter your choice among the three parallel highways rising from the French Riviera, you will be rewarded with vibrant views. These are corniches ( a French word meaning “a road built along a coast and especially along the face of a cliff”), where forest green gives way to golden limestone, which bows to the blue of the sea and sky.



Ireland’s Ring of Kerry is an area where Gaelic is still spoken, ancient crosses and Stone Age ruins still stand and the relentless Atlantic still crashes and foams against the black rocks of the shoreline. Be sure to look inland for the small Kerry Bog ponies.



The Old Harbor U.S. Life Saving Station, circa 1897, in Provincetown is but one special attraction on the Cape Cod Scenic Drive in Massachusetts. The peninsula boasts 585 miles of shoreline — 310 miles of it sandy beaches. Every drive is as different as the fleeting sculptures in the sand dunes that are formed by the wind and the ocean.