us state highway one - a californian coastal dream

US state highway one, which undulates along the pacific coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles is one of my favourite drives. Dense chilly mist gives way to intense heat as you drive through Santa Cruz, Carmel, San Simeon and Santa Babara to sunny Las. stopping off at diners along the way, you could be in your very own movie.
ian mc currach, freelance travel writer.

southern venice

Holidaying in Bavaria i had to get down to Venice and so hired a car to drive south. The sheer scale of the alps above us as we entered Austria was stunning and the tiny schlosses clinging to the cliffside were delightful. There was also much fun watching as the domestic architecture became more Italian the closer we got to the great plain of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It was too much to do in one day but to swim at lido that evening was heavenly and made it all worthwhile.
adrian mourby, international correspondent of opera and now magazine

the kimberley region of australia

The Gibb river road in the Kimberley region of Australia is one of the wildest car journeys i have every taken . Accessible only in the dry season and with 4wd, this earth road leads from Derby to the Timor sea for 267km. It feels like true wilderness, with romantic creeks and gorges cutting green swathes through the barren blood red landscape . In an ordinary car, the northern highway which also ends up at Kununurra is tarmacked and easier driving, although you are more likely to be sharing your picnic spot with a coach load of enthusiastic octogenarians than you could ever be on the Gibb river.
catherine fairweather, travel editor of harpers and queen

tunisia - from sousse to el jem

"A lot of holidaymakers to Tunisia never venture further than the swimming pool or beach which is a great pity. Renting a car adds a whole new dimension to a trip. This scenic drive makes a wonderful day's outing from either Sousse or the nearby purpose-built resort of Port el Kantaoui.
From Sousse, you head south on a long straight road flanked by row upon row of olive trees. It is impossible to miss El Jem's star attraction - a magnificently-preserved 3rd century roman amphitheatre. Drive back via Monastir, the country's showpiece tourist town with its elaborate, golden-domed mausoleum, the final resting place of the founder and first president of modern-day Tunisia.
peter lilley travel writer and author of "essential tunisia"

draa valley drive - southern morocco

"Exotic, yet stress-less, this drive from Arabia into Africa takes you from relative civilisation (the dusty market town of Ouarzazate) to the first sands of the sahara. You follow the Draa valley, where crocodiles once lurked, through thick palm oases and crumbling red clay villages that seem to grow from the earth. You can do it all in a day, but I recommend overnighting in Zagora at the hotel Kasbah asma with its sunken swimming pool. At sunrise climb the majestic 100 ft sand dune at Tinfou, before continuing south along the single lane p31 to the end of the road and the village of M'hamid. Here the hotel Sahara offers tea and shade and the services of M'barak - owner and local guide. for a small fee he will show you around town, and the sand dunes that extend towards Mali and beyond."
jim keeble. travel writer/author

west cork to co. kerry

"One of my favourite drives is from west Cork to Kerry, skirting the edge of Bantry bay with its grand house looking out to sea, crossing the neck of the Beara peninsula and climbing up the range of hills which separates the two counties. When I get through the tunnel at the top I always have to stop - partly to retune my radio, but mainly because the great bowl of rocks and pasture always takes my breath away. The weather is completely different. I usually drop down and drive along the south side of the Iveragh peninsula, next to a sea which will be in a foul grey mood or glittering blue in the sun, and end up at Derrynane. A grand place to be.
sophie campbell. freelance travel journalist

tenerife in the canary islands

"My favourite drive… is in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Most visitors stay at the southern resorts of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos, and few of them realise what spectacular scenery can be found just a short drive inland. Tenerife is dominated by a massive volcano, Teide, which rises to 12,402 feet and is the highest mountain in Spain. Take the C822 towards Arona and Vilaflor and you soon find yourself climbing into cool pine forests with terrific views back along the coast. At Boca del Tauce you cross into the Teide national park, a huge crater full of chocolate-coloured lava fields where there is a parador (government-run hotel) and a cable car that takes visitors up Teide. If you continue east to el Portillo, you can turn right to take the C824 that runs along the mountainous spine of the island. There are panoramic views over both sides of the island, and several miradores (viewpoints) where you can pull in to take pictures or have a picnic. To return south, take the winding road down to guimar, where you can visit ancient step pyramids that the explorer thor heyerdahl believes are evidence of pre-Columban settlements on the island. From here it is an easy drive home along the autopista."
nigel tisdall. freelance travel writer and regular contributor to the sunday telegraph

geneva to val d'lsere

"My favourite drive in the world is from geneva airport in Switzerland to the French ski resort of Val D'Isere. I know Geneva like the back of my hand, having lived there for three months, so I always do a quick detour to look at the lake, no matter what time of day or night I arrive. From there I meander through tiny little villages on my way to the slopes. I never cease to be stunned by the sheer beauty and breadth of the lake at Annecy which remains, for me, one of the wonders of this part of the world. Look carefully in summer and you will see hundreds of brightly coloured paragliders hovering around the peaks that surround the lake. It's enough to take your eyes off the road. as I head towards the mountains my stomach fills with anticipation as I look up at the mountain tops, covered in snow, that frame my view. I can't wait to get out there. I feel as though I'm coming home."
cathy wood. travel editor daily mail

prague to london

"The best long-distance drive I've ever done was in 1991 from Prague to London. I'm sure you can do the journey in a proper car in a matter of a day, but with a friend I bought a vintage 1968 Skoda (racing green with lots of shiny chrome bits) for £50 and went on a meandering route across europe to get it home. It was deepest winter and we went over the Alps through Austria and Switzerland to northern Italy. Ican remember stopping in the dead of night in a mountain pass near Gstaad and looking up to see these great craggy peaks, a whole sky full of stars, breathing in the sharp alpine air, and not wanting to ever go home. I had to eventually, but since it was by Skoda it took another couple of weeks to get there."
carole cadwalladr. daily telegraph travel news editor

whistler to vancouver

"This must be the only drive which can dull the pain of ending a snowboard trip. Fast and winding, route 99 drops down through spectacular mountain passes, curving along the fast-flowing Cheakamus river, a favourite hang-out for bald eagles. When the river opens into the Howe sound, the enormous scale of the Pacific coast hits home, and then you round the last bend and catch sight of the gorgeous skyscrapers of downtown Vancouver."
stuart millar. the observer scotland editor

vancouver to portland

"My most recent favourite drive was by accident. Driving through the rugged evergreens of the Pacific north west from Vancouver across the border to Portland, Oregon, the light started to go and I was too exhausted to continue. Ipulled off the highway and discovered a little town called Canon Beach. It was an oasis: an artist community of white picket houses, nourished by a microbrewery and gourmet pizzeria, bordered by a long lick of soft white sand staring out to the Pacific ocean. You enjoy a drive best when you're parked somewhere unexpectedly wonderful."
jennifer cox. publicity and promotions manager
uk lonely planet publications