14 Roads You Need To Drive In Your Lifetime

Just a friendly reminder that there’s a whole world waiting to be explored. Let your inner explorer run wild and take to some of the world’s most renowned roads with the CLA, the ground-breaking new luxury vehicle from Mercedes-Benz.

1. The Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway

Marino Olivieri / Via Flickr: 12291004@N08

Norway’s iconic Atlantic Ocean Road stretches about 5.2 miles, its beautiful Hulvågen bridges rising over the titular ocean and dipping back down into eight small islands and skerries.

2. Furka Pass in Switzerland

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Elevated 7,969 feet and stretching through the breathtaking, ice-capped greenery of the Swiss Alps, Switzerland's Furka Pass peaks with a perfect view over the Saint-Gotthard Massif mountain range and the Urseren Valley.

3. Chapman's Peak Drive in Cape Town, South Africa

martie1swart / Via Flickr: martie1swart

Hugging the winding Cape Granite rock of the Peak itself, Chapman's Peak Drive extends 9 kilometers across the Atlantic Coast, its swoops and stretches twice a year overtaken for two of Cape Town's most popular marathons, the Cape Argus Cycle Race and the Two Oceans Marathon.

4. Yungas Road in Bolivia

imatty35 / Via Flickr: imatty35

Not-so-subtly dubbed “Death Road” by the locals, the North Yungas Road is a dangerous, if undoubtedly stunning journey that begins in Bolivias hilltops before descending down into the rich rainforest.

5. The Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys

Sean Arbabi / Via Getty

Running for an ever-so-slightly misleading 6.8 miles, Florida’s famous overseas highway is a straight-shot over the Moser Channel, connecting Knight’s Key to Little Duck Key near the islands’ end.

6. The Autobahn in Germany

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One of the world’s most historically rich motorways, Germany’s autobahn network ranks as the fourth longest highway system in the world. Spanning a staggering 7,982 miles, its sweeping streets connect almost all of contemporary Germany.

7. The Karakoram Highway in China and Pakistan

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The highest paved international road in the world, the Karakoram Highway peaks at 15,397 feet above sea level. Roughly 800 miles long, the Highway links China's Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Gilgit–Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions.

8. Lombard Street in San Francisco, CA

Wikimedia Commons / Via commons.wikimedia.org

Although it spans the bulk of San Francisco’s dips and hills, Lombard Street is best known for a brisk, block-long stretch of twisty, turvy terrain, peppered with eight tight hairpin turns.

9. The Nikkō Irohazaka in Japan

Koichi Kumagaya / Via Getty

A Tokyo drifter’s dream, the Tochigi prefecture’s Irohazaka is a steep, switchback-laden country road — each of its 48 turns decorared with a character of the Japanese alphabet — that connects scenic Lake Chūzenji with the town of Nikko below.

10. The Col de Turini in France

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Famous for its role in both the Monte Carlo Rally and Tour de France, this high mountain pass is largely regarded as one of the best driving roads in the world. And with that view, who could possibly argue otherwise?

11. The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the United Arab Emirates

SM Rafiq Photography / Via Getty

Spanning 7.3 miles, this mountain road scales its namesake — the landmark Jebel Hafeet mountain range — rising 1249 meters above the Garden City of Al Ain and dead-ending, quite fittingly, at an oasis hotel.

12. Serra do Rio do Rastro’s SC-438 in Santa Catarina, Brazil

Wikimedia Commons / Via commons.wikimedia.org

With roots planted in both Lauro Müller and Bom Jardim da Serra, the SC-438 winds its way through Santa Catarina’s remarkable mountain range, offering an unmatched view of the vivid Brazilian landscape.

13. The Millau Viaduct in France

flissphil / Via Flickr: flissphil

Extending 1.5 miles across the valley of the River Tarn, the Millau Viaduct ranks as the world’s tallest bridge, its summit a breezy 1,125 feet above the luxuriant grassland below.

14. The Transfăgărășan in Romania

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The second-highest paved road in Romania, the Transfăgărășan is probably more fun to drive than it is to pronounce. Stretching 60 miles across the Southern Carpathian Mountains, this road sits neatly between the regions’ two tallest peaks, Moldoveanu (8,346 feet) and Negoiu (8,317 ft).

Explore the world's most iconic roads with the Mercedes-Benz CLA.

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