There is a particular magic to the road trip, where the journey itself, not the destination, is the whole point: the freedom of the open road, the landscape unspooling through the windscreen, the sense that the next bend might reveal something extraordinary. A handful of drives on earth elevate this to an art form, threading through some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. Here are the greatest road trips in the world, and what makes each one a journey of a lifetime.
Iceland's Ring Road, for raw natural drama
The Iceland Ring Road is perhaps the ultimate road trip, a single highway looping the entire island past a relentless parade of natural wonders. Waterfalls, glaciers, black-sand beaches, volcanic fields, geothermal pools, and, in season, the northern lights, all within a day's drive of each other, with the road itself running through an ever-changing, otherworldly landscape. Nowhere else packs so much raw natural spectacle into a single, drivable loop. It is the road trip against which others are measured.
Norway's fjords, for jaw-dropping beauty
Driving through Norway is a constant, almost absurd series of beautiful views: roads that hug the edges of deep blue fjords, climb over mountain passes, cross dramatic bridges, and pass thundering waterfalls, with the famous scenic routes deliberately engineered to show off the country's staggering landscapes. In the long days of summer, with the light lingering past midnight, a Norwegian road trip is one of the most breathtaking drives on earth, beauty around every single bend.
On the great road trips, you stop checking how far to the destination, because the windscreen is already showing you something you will remember for the rest of your life.
On the open road
The Himalayan high roads, for adventure
Closer to home, India holds some of the most thrilling drives in the world. The high mountain roads through Spiti and Ladakh climb to some of the highest motorable passes on earth, through a stark, ochre, high-altitude desert of ancient monasteries and impossible switchbacks. And the Pamir Highway in Central Asia, one of the highest roads anywhere, is the stuff of overlanding legend. These are road trips as genuine adventure, demanding, remote, and unforgettable.
How to do a great road trip
- Build in time to stop. The whole point is the journey. Do not over-schedule; leave room to pull over for the view that stops you cold.
- Respect the conditions. Mountain and remote roads demand the right vehicle, caution, and weather awareness. Safety first, always.
- Time it for the season. High roads open only in summer; Iceland's interior and Himalayan passes have short windows.
- Travel light and flexible. The joy of a road trip is the freedom to change plans, linger, or detour on a whim.
- Let someone else drive the hardest stretches. On remote, high, or unfamiliar roads, an experienced driver lets you actually enjoy the view.
The verdict
The best road trip depends on what you want the road to give you. For the most concentrated natural drama, Iceland's Ring Road is unmatched. For relentless, jaw-dropping beauty, Norway's fjords. And for genuine high-altitude adventure, the mountain roads of Spiti, Ladakh, and the Pamir. What they share is the essential truth of the great drive: that sometimes the most extraordinary destination is the journey itself, and the best way to see a landscape is to let it unfold, mile by mile, through the windscreen.
Flights take you over the world. Road trips take you through it, and on the greatest of them, the drive is the thing you remember long after you have forgotten the destination.
On the OJ Iceland road trip the journey is the destination, the Ring Road looping past waterfalls, glaciers, and black-sand beaches, the landscape changing with every hour behind the wheel. Because some places are best not flown to but driven through, slowly, with time to stop, and Iceland, where every bend reveals another natural wonder, is the road trip that shows you exactly why the journey can be the greatest part of the trip.
Frequently asked
What is the best road trip in the world?
Iceland's Ring Road is often considered the ultimate, a single highway looping the island past waterfalls, glaciers, black-sand beaches, and volcanic fields, with the northern lights in season. Norway's fjord drives offer relentless beauty, and the Himalayan high roads through Spiti, Ladakh, and the Pamir Highway offer genuine high-altitude adventure. Each is a journey of a lifetime.
When is the best time for a road trip in Iceland or Norway?
Summer is ideal for both, with long daylight hours, mild weather, and open roads including the interior highlands of Iceland and the high passes of Norway. June offers the magic of the midnight sun in the far north. Winter road trips are possible but more challenging, with limited daylight and roads affected by snow and ice.
Are the Himalayan road trips safe?
The high mountain roads of Spiti, Ladakh, and the Pamir are thrilling but demanding, with high altitude, remote stretches, and challenging conditions, so they require the right vehicle, caution, weather awareness, and ideally an experienced driver. They open only in the summer season. Done sensibly and with proper support, they are among the most rewarding and unforgettable drives on earth.