Coastal Drives

(All information and images in this post were extracted from the article 7 Great Coastal Drives on MSN; Everything that is posted here is for my personal use)

1. Sweden's Western Coast Route

Gothenburg to Strömstad - 105 miles
More than 8,000 islands are sprinkled along Sweden's rugged western coast route. The drive takes you past orderly fishing villages where you can sample mackerel, herring, smoked eel, and the region's other delicacies.


2. Spain's Costa del Garraf

Barcelona to Sitges - 25 miles
Those heading south of Barcelona in a hurry take the main highway, which winds around—and sometimes tunnels through—the dry, craggy landscape. But the slower C-31 offers the better views. The narrow road clings to the rocky cliffsides, offering up a new spectacle around every curve.

3. Norway's Atlantic Road
Averøy to Vevang - 5 miles
The short-but-impressive Atlanterhavsveien route in Norway's western fjords opened in 1989—and is a marvel of creative engineering. Called Norway's "Construction of the Century," the route includes eight bridges that hopscotch from one island to the next, sometimes curving midway through a span in ways that make them seem to defy gravity.

4. Northern Ireland's Causeway Coastal Route

Carrickfergus to Portrush - 68 miles

Often considered the most scenic stretch of road in the British Isles, the Causeway Coastal Route (also called the Antrim Coast Road) meanders almost the entire length of Northern Ireland's coast.



5. Easter Island's South Coast
Round trip from Hanga RoaAbout 25 miles.
Peeling off from the main road that bisects Easter Island is an easy-to-overlook spur to the south. The island's south coastal road skirts the Pacific Ocean, taking you past the best of the moai, mysterious stone heads that stand up to 40 feet tall and still baffle anthropologists.

6. Hawaii's Hana Highway

Kahului to Hana - 52 miles

Maui's spectacular coastal route isn't for the squeamish—the narrow, zigzagging road has more than 600 curves, many of them turn-on-a-dime switchbacks, and most of the 54 bridges along the route are single lane.


7. Iceland Ring Road

Iceland's Ring Road—the island-circling, 830-mile Highway 1. From the capital city of Reykjavík, head southeast on Highway 1 toward Dyrhólaey. The road turns away from the coast at Vík, but if you have a sturdy vehicle, it's worth continuing on another 80 miles to Skaftafell National Park for a glimpse of Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajökull.
Reykjavík to Vík - 80 miles