Road trip on the Pacific Coast Highway

The Pacific Coast Highway runs along the central California coast and offers an exhilarating driving experience. The twisting, cliff-hugging, 123-mile (198-kilometer) road threads through Big Sur, where mountains plunge into the Pacific. In some places, the road has sharp drop-offs and narrow turns, so stay alert. This route can be difficult to drive with RVs or other oversize vehicles.

Pacific coast highway

Sicily by oldtimer

We are in Sicily, Italy, for a special kind of road trip. We land at the Catania airport where we rent an old Alfa Romeo Giulia to discover the eastern part of the island. At the coffee corner we meet Ben, the owner of the old timer road trip company Sicily by classic. He takes us to Linguaglossa, the start point of our trip. Like a real Italian he races trough the busy airport traffic while using the horn and hand gesticulations very often. We are in Italy, so much is clear.

oldtimers Sicily
The three old timers used for tour trips

The German Alpine road or Alpenstrasse

The German Alpenstrasse (Alpine road) is an exhilarating route full of twists and turns that runs for a distance of over 450 km between Lindau and Berchtesgaden. The stunning Alpine landscapes offers the visitor a varied and magnificent panorama. The route takes you past numerous mountain lakes, Alpine meadows, magnificent castles and guys in lederhosen (we promise you’ll see one at least). This is a German road, not a French one, so the lanes are wide and the speed limits generous.

alpenstrasse

Blue Ridge Parkway road trip

Running for 469 miles (755 km) along the famous Blue Ridge mountain chain, Blue Ridge Parkway connects the Shenandoah National Park in the north to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the south. Starting at Rockfish Gap, this road trip picks us up where Skyline drive ends. The Parkway itself is not a National Park, but is a National Scenic Byway. Around every bend you’ll find another surprise for the eye, whether it’s a hawk’s-eye view of a river valley, a tree-covered peak or a peaceful pasture crowded with cows.

Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway

Small trip trough Kiev

If you are going to visit Kiev this summer (if you are a soccer fan - we think you should, because Ukraine and Kiev host the EURO 2012 championship) we will take you on a small trip through the Ukrainian capitol. The best way to explore this marvelous city is, of course, by car.

Kiev Old Town
View on Kiev’s Old Town

With a population of more than 4 million citizens, Kiev is a pretty big city. The Ukrainian capitol has a long history and is more than 1500 years old. Obviously it has many sights to see and we will take a closer look at some of them.

Road trip to Scotland

Scotland, located in the northern part of Great Britain, seems to be made for road trips. The stunning landscapes, great roads and charming villages are waiting here to be explored. You have to be a bit lucky with the weather (it often rains here), but during summer you can discover the land of whiskey and the monster of Loch Ness at its best.

The Borders Scotland
The Borders, Scotland

China’s Guoliang tunnel road

Located in the Taihang Mountains of China, the small village of Guoliang is sitting on a mountaintop and was isolated from the rest of the world. The only way to reach it was to walk through a valley surrounded by steep cliffs, and then climb a series of cut out stone steps. Cut off from the rest of the world, the village was doomed to become a ghost town, unless a road could be constructed trough the cliffs.

Guoliang tunnel

This all changed in 1972. When the Chinese government decided it wasn’t worth to invest several millions into a road that would only be used by 300 people, the villagers decided to dig the tunnel road themselves. It was their only hope to get connected to the rest of the world.

Leh-Manali Highway, almost the highest road in the world

The Leh-Manali Highway is one of the highest roads in the world. Running between the Indian cities of Leh and Manali, it opens up an inhospitable part of the Himalaya Mountains. Be well prepared before you start, as you will cross several high mountain passes up to 5,325 m (17,470 ft). Many travelers suffer from mountain sickness due to the high altitudes and the low-oxygen air.

leh-manali highway
Leh-Manali Highway

Road information

The highway was built and maintained by the Indian Army and is capable of supporting the heaviest of their vehicles. The road is the only route to the Ladakh region and is vital to feed military supplies into that sector.

A Skyline Drive road trip

Winding trough the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, Skyline Drive is a scenic road trip that is particularly popular in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. The road takes us along the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although there is a small entry fee to drive the road, it’s more than worth it.

Skyline Drive
Skyline Drive

Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway

Seldom dropping below 9,000 feet, the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway is one of the highest roads in the USA. This road trip crosses the continental divide twice and traces the Arkansas River nearly to its source near Fremont Pass. We drive trough the scenic peaks of the Rocky Mountains and visit the highest incorporated city in America.

Maroon Lake near Aspen
Maroon lake near Aspen, Colorado

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