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Sometimes it's the journey, sometimes it's the destination—and sometimes, it's both. National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get directions, quizzes, photos, and more.
The Amalfi Coast
Sorrento Peninsula, Italy
The Costiera Amalfitana, or Amalfi Coast, is widely considered Italy's most scenic stretch of coastline, a landscape of towering bluffs, pastel-hued villages terraced into hillsides, precipitous corniche roads, luxuriant gardens, and expansive vistas over turquoise waters and green-swathed mountains. Deemed by UNESCO "an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape, with exceptional cultural and natural scenic values," the coast was awarded a coveted spot on the World Heritage list in 1997.
Overview
The Amalfi Coast lies along the southern flanks of the Sorrento Peninsula, a cliff-edged promontory that wanders out from the mainland at the southern end of the Bay of Naples. Its most famous towns—Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello—have captivated and inspired artists for centuries, from 14th-century writer Giovanni Boccaccio to 19th-century composer Richard Wagner and 20th-century playwright Tennessee Williams.
Begin in Salerno
The coast's most convenient access point is Salerno, a busy port best known as one of the main Allied beachheads during the 1943 invasion of Italy. From Autostrada A3, you pick up the SS163 at Vietri sul Mare, a village celebrated for its ceramics, and one that offers sweeping views of the dramatic coastline. The road weaves past viewpoint after viewpoint—the one at Capo d'Orso may be the best—and skirts the villages of Maiori (sandy beach) and Minori (ruins of a first-century A.D. Roman villa) before a junction close to Atrani (two tempting churches) whisks you inland to Ravello.
Ravello
Ravello is considered one of the most romantic and beautiful small towns in southern Italy. Perched on steep, terraced slopes—closer to the sky than the sea, according to French novelist André Gide—it is a place blessed with lush gardens, quiet lanes, sleepy, sun-drenched corners, and a lofty setting—1,198 feet (365 meters)—that provides unforgettable views over the azure coast below. At its heart lie an 11th-century cathedral and the Villa Rufolo (Piazza del Vescovado; tel. +089 857 657), the latter one of two villas for which the town is famous. Built in the 13th century, the villa's guests have included popes and kings, as well as Richard Wagner, who composed part of his opera Parsifal here in 1880. Views from its idyllic gardens are magnificent, as are those from the nearby Villa Cimbrone (tel. +089 857 459).
Amalfi
Dropping back to the coast from Ravello, the corniche road brings you to Amalfi, in its day one of Italy's four powerful maritime republics (with Venice, Pisa, and Genoa). All sea trade in the Mediterranean was once governed by the 12th-century Tavole Amalfitane, one of the world's oldest maritime codes. Today, the town's scenic seafront setting, many cafes and shops, and mild climate make it a hugely popular resort, so steel yourself for high prices and high-season crowds.
Duomo di Sant'Andrea
Pride of place in Amalfi goes to the Duomo di Sant'Andrea, fronted by an intricately patterned façade, redone in the 19th century. Founded in the ninth century, the cathedral's subsequent alterations have spared its principal glory, the main portal's 11th-century Byzantine bronze doors. Next to the church lies the Chiostro del Paradiso (1268), or Cloister of Paradise, whose somber Romanesque tone is enlivened by the Arab elements in its sinuous columns.
Valle dei Mulini
To escape the bustle of Amalfi, hike into the hills above town. Consult the visitor center for more details (tel. +089 871 107)—or take the popular walk along the Valle dei Mulini, a steep-sided ravine dotted with ruined watermills—mulini—once used to make paper, an industry for which Amalfi was, and still is, famous. The small Museo della Carta (Via delle Cartiere 24; tel. +089 830 4561) offers displays related to the industry.
Praiano and Positano
Continuing west from Amalfi, the increasingly spectacular corniche road passes Grotta dello Smeraldo, a marine cave of luminous emerald waters that you can visit by boat, elevator, or rock-cut steps. Just beyond it, the road passes the Vallone di Furore, one of the coast's most impressive gorges (worth exploring on foot), before arriving at the villages of Praiano and Positano, two more scenic and majestically situated coastal villages. From here the road runs around the tip of the peninsula to Sorrento, a popular package tour resort, although none the worse for that. Other roads to Sorrento and the peninsula's northern coast—notably the SS366 from Vettica Minore near Amalfi—provide firsthand views of the interior's beautiful Lattari Mountains.
Road Kit
The roads along the Amalfi Coast are famously winding, narrow, and challenging to drive. Add in drop-dead views and daring Italian drivers, known for their behind-the-wheel bravado, and this road trip offers one of the more exciting driving experiences in Europe. The popular Amalfi Coast route follows the shoreline from Sorrento south to Salerno. Locals recommend planning a drive of the Amalfi Coast during the shoulder tourist seasons, mid-September to October and May, when the road is less crowded and lumbering tour buses are fewer. See Positano, Italy Forecast : Weather Underground for local weather conditions. For more information on the Amalfi Coast, visit Amalfi Coast Italy Travel and Leisure - Booking Hotels, Villas and Accommodation in AmalfiCoast Positano and Amalfi Coast Web Guide - Divine Coast - Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano, Furore.. To telephone the Amalfi Coast area from the U.S., dial the international access code 011, the country code 39, the area code 089, and the number.
The Belt Road
Big Island of Hawaii
The best way to see Hawaii's Big Island is to drive around it. You'll soon be immersed in a varied landscape unlike any other in the United States. You'll encounter lava desert, jungle, farmland, active lava flows, warm beaches, cool highlands, and views of soaring mountains and plunging valleys. And everywhere, you'll feel the aura of the mysterious Polynesians who landed here more than a thousand years ago and named the island Hawaii.
Overview
"The Big Island has it all," says Corky Bryan, a career paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, who's now a vice president at the island's 150,000-acre (607-sqaure kilometer) Parker Ranch. He's right. This island is larger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined; it's the only one still volcanically active; and it has rich evidence of native culture. The Big Island, where Kamehameha the Great established his kingdom, was the first Hawaii. To many, it's still the real Hawaii.
Begin in Kailua-Kona
In Kailua-Kona, American missionaries started the first Christian church in Hawaii in 1820. Today, the Mokuaikaua Church (75-5713 Alii Dr.; 329-0655; www.mokuaikaua.org), which was rebuilt in 1837 of crushed coral and lava rock, is still a quiet sanctuary. Step across the street to the two-story, palm-shaded 1838 Hulihee Palace (75-5718 Alii Dr.; 329-1877; Daughters of Hawai`i), now a museum. Check out the enormous koa wood chair specially built to accommodate Princess Ruth, who measured over six feet tall and weighed over 400 pounds (181 kilograms).
Ahuena Heiau
Nearby, along the shore, is the reconstructed Ahuena Heiau (75-5660 Palani Rd.; 327-0123; Kulana Huli Honua :: Ahu'ena Heiau - Hawaii's Sacred Heiau!). Heiaus are ceremonial stone structures usually built on a platform (as in this case). Using Ahuena as his headquarters, Kamehameha conquered and unified the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century. The surrounding village remained the capital of all the Hawaiian Islands until 1821. "For some of us, it still is the capital," says Kaleookalani Nakoa, a native Hawaiian and one of the official guardians of the heiau.
Kona Coffee Living History Farm
Continuing south along the scenic two-laner, you're soon high above the ocean, fields of bushes and berries indicating that this is coffee country. For a taste of the plantation lifestyle established over the past century, pull into the Kona Coffee Living History Farm just before the village of Captain Cook (mile marker 110; 323-2006; Kona Historical Society). You'll learn not just about locally grown coffee but also sample the luscious fruits that abound in Hawaii, such as Kona oranges, passion fruit, and guavas, among others.
Kealakekua Bay
A side road leads to Kealakekua Bay, from which you can see a monument marking the place where British explorer James Cook was stabbed to death by the natives in 1779. This happened just a year after he and his crew became the first Europeans to set foot on what he dubbed the "Sandwich Islands."
Coffee Shack
Back on the main road, stop at the mountainside Coffee Shack (after mile marker 108; 328-9555; The Coffee Shack, 100% Kona Coffee), built on a coffee plantation. Besides Kona coffee, lunch, and breakfast—try the eggs Benedict—the lanai, or porch, has views of 26 miles (41 kilometers) of coastline far below.
St. Benedict's
In the same area, don't miss St. Benedict's, better known as the Painted Church (84-5140 Painted Church Rd., Captain Cook; 328-2227; Painted Church - St. Benedict's Roman Catholic Church, Captain Cook, Hawaii). To give his congregants the illusion of being in a European cathedral, its Belgian priest painted the interior with a simple trompe l'oeil technique in the early 1900s. Also nearby, look for the 180-acre (0.7-square kilometer) Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, preserving what's left of an ancient Hawaiian royal residence, a sacred place of refuge, and a heiau. Among the original artifacts on the site are petroglyphs and a 16th-century wall.
Lava Fields and Forests
For the next 40 miles (64 kilometers), the road traverses, alternately, old lava fields and Eden-like forests with flowering multicolored bougainvillea and hibiscus along the side of the road. Also look for tropical trees like the wide-spreading monkeypod and ohia trees with feathery red blossoms.
Naalehu
At Naalehu, stop at the Punalu'u Bake Shop (95-3642 Hamalahoa Hwy.; 929-7343; Punaluu Bake Shop - Hawaiian Sweetbread), famed for Portuguese sweet bread and malasadas (doughnuts). Box up an assortment to eat later in the car.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Soon the Belt Road rises in altitude and lowers in temperature until reaching Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (985-6000; Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service)). Stop at Kilauea Visitor Center to get maps and current advice on how to safely view active lava flows in the park. A good bet is a ranger-led hike.
Hilo
Consider overnighting on the rim of the park's Kilauea Caldera at the Volcano House (1 Crater Rim Dr.; 967-7321; <b>Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Volcano House - Offical Site</b>). Another lodging, in the town of Hilo, is the 1899 Shipman House (131 Kaiulani St.; 934-8002; Hilo Hawaii Luxury Bed and Breakfast, Historic Shipman House, Big Island of Hawaii), a Victorian mansion where author Jack London and his wife, Charmian, stayed during their 1907 visit.
Honomu
North from Hilo, take a turnoff to the old village of Honomu, whose funky false-front businesses include an antique bottle shop. Honomu exists mainly because it's on the way to Akaka Falls State Park (974-6200; http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/hawaii/Index.cfm?park_id=2), known for its 442-foot falls and lush rain forest surroundings.
Honokaa
Leave the main highway again at Honokaa to reach the viewpoint overlooking the nearly deserted Waipio Valley, 850 feet (250 meter) below. It's one of the premier panoramas in the state. Only four-wheel-drive vehicles are allowed to drive down the steep road to the valley floor and its black-sand beach.
More here:
link
The Amalfi Coast
Sorrento Peninsula, Italy
The Costiera Amalfitana, or Amalfi Coast, is widely considered Italy's most scenic stretch of coastline, a landscape of towering bluffs, pastel-hued villages terraced into hillsides, precipitous corniche roads, luxuriant gardens, and expansive vistas over turquoise waters and green-swathed mountains. Deemed by UNESCO "an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape, with exceptional cultural and natural scenic values," the coast was awarded a coveted spot on the World Heritage list in 1997.
Overview
The Amalfi Coast lies along the southern flanks of the Sorrento Peninsula, a cliff-edged promontory that wanders out from the mainland at the southern end of the Bay of Naples. Its most famous towns—Amalfi, Positano, and Ravello—have captivated and inspired artists for centuries, from 14th-century writer Giovanni Boccaccio to 19th-century composer Richard Wagner and 20th-century playwright Tennessee Williams.
Begin in Salerno
The coast's most convenient access point is Salerno, a busy port best known as one of the main Allied beachheads during the 1943 invasion of Italy. From Autostrada A3, you pick up the SS163 at Vietri sul Mare, a village celebrated for its ceramics, and one that offers sweeping views of the dramatic coastline. The road weaves past viewpoint after viewpoint—the one at Capo d'Orso may be the best—and skirts the villages of Maiori (sandy beach) and Minori (ruins of a first-century A.D. Roman villa) before a junction close to Atrani (two tempting churches) whisks you inland to Ravello.
Ravello
Ravello is considered one of the most romantic and beautiful small towns in southern Italy. Perched on steep, terraced slopes—closer to the sky than the sea, according to French novelist André Gide—it is a place blessed with lush gardens, quiet lanes, sleepy, sun-drenched corners, and a lofty setting—1,198 feet (365 meters)—that provides unforgettable views over the azure coast below. At its heart lie an 11th-century cathedral and the Villa Rufolo (Piazza del Vescovado; tel. +089 857 657), the latter one of two villas for which the town is famous. Built in the 13th century, the villa's guests have included popes and kings, as well as Richard Wagner, who composed part of his opera Parsifal here in 1880. Views from its idyllic gardens are magnificent, as are those from the nearby Villa Cimbrone (tel. +089 857 459).
Amalfi
Dropping back to the coast from Ravello, the corniche road brings you to Amalfi, in its day one of Italy's four powerful maritime republics (with Venice, Pisa, and Genoa). All sea trade in the Mediterranean was once governed by the 12th-century Tavole Amalfitane, one of the world's oldest maritime codes. Today, the town's scenic seafront setting, many cafes and shops, and mild climate make it a hugely popular resort, so steel yourself for high prices and high-season crowds.
Duomo di Sant'Andrea
Pride of place in Amalfi goes to the Duomo di Sant'Andrea, fronted by an intricately patterned façade, redone in the 19th century. Founded in the ninth century, the cathedral's subsequent alterations have spared its principal glory, the main portal's 11th-century Byzantine bronze doors. Next to the church lies the Chiostro del Paradiso (1268), or Cloister of Paradise, whose somber Romanesque tone is enlivened by the Arab elements in its sinuous columns.
Valle dei Mulini
To escape the bustle of Amalfi, hike into the hills above town. Consult the visitor center for more details (tel. +089 871 107)—or take the popular walk along the Valle dei Mulini, a steep-sided ravine dotted with ruined watermills—mulini—once used to make paper, an industry for which Amalfi was, and still is, famous. The small Museo della Carta (Via delle Cartiere 24; tel. +089 830 4561) offers displays related to the industry.
Praiano and Positano
Continuing west from Amalfi, the increasingly spectacular corniche road passes Grotta dello Smeraldo, a marine cave of luminous emerald waters that you can visit by boat, elevator, or rock-cut steps. Just beyond it, the road passes the Vallone di Furore, one of the coast's most impressive gorges (worth exploring on foot), before arriving at the villages of Praiano and Positano, two more scenic and majestically situated coastal villages. From here the road runs around the tip of the peninsula to Sorrento, a popular package tour resort, although none the worse for that. Other roads to Sorrento and the peninsula's northern coast—notably the SS366 from Vettica Minore near Amalfi—provide firsthand views of the interior's beautiful Lattari Mountains.
Road Kit
The roads along the Amalfi Coast are famously winding, narrow, and challenging to drive. Add in drop-dead views and daring Italian drivers, known for their behind-the-wheel bravado, and this road trip offers one of the more exciting driving experiences in Europe. The popular Amalfi Coast route follows the shoreline from Sorrento south to Salerno. Locals recommend planning a drive of the Amalfi Coast during the shoulder tourist seasons, mid-September to October and May, when the road is less crowded and lumbering tour buses are fewer. See Positano, Italy Forecast : Weather Underground for local weather conditions. For more information on the Amalfi Coast, visit Amalfi Coast Italy Travel and Leisure - Booking Hotels, Villas and Accommodation in AmalfiCoast Positano and Amalfi Coast Web Guide - Divine Coast - Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano, Furore.. To telephone the Amalfi Coast area from the U.S., dial the international access code 011, the country code 39, the area code 089, and the number.
The Belt Road
Big Island of Hawaii
The best way to see Hawaii's Big Island is to drive around it. You'll soon be immersed in a varied landscape unlike any other in the United States. You'll encounter lava desert, jungle, farmland, active lava flows, warm beaches, cool highlands, and views of soaring mountains and plunging valleys. And everywhere, you'll feel the aura of the mysterious Polynesians who landed here more than a thousand years ago and named the island Hawaii.
Overview
"The Big Island has it all," says Corky Bryan, a career paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, who's now a vice president at the island's 150,000-acre (607-sqaure kilometer) Parker Ranch. He's right. This island is larger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined; it's the only one still volcanically active; and it has rich evidence of native culture. The Big Island, where Kamehameha the Great established his kingdom, was the first Hawaii. To many, it's still the real Hawaii.
Begin in Kailua-Kona
In Kailua-Kona, American missionaries started the first Christian church in Hawaii in 1820. Today, the Mokuaikaua Church (75-5713 Alii Dr.; 329-0655; www.mokuaikaua.org), which was rebuilt in 1837 of crushed coral and lava rock, is still a quiet sanctuary. Step across the street to the two-story, palm-shaded 1838 Hulihee Palace (75-5718 Alii Dr.; 329-1877; Daughters of Hawai`i), now a museum. Check out the enormous koa wood chair specially built to accommodate Princess Ruth, who measured over six feet tall and weighed over 400 pounds (181 kilograms).
Ahuena Heiau
Nearby, along the shore, is the reconstructed Ahuena Heiau (75-5660 Palani Rd.; 327-0123; Kulana Huli Honua :: Ahu'ena Heiau - Hawaii's Sacred Heiau!). Heiaus are ceremonial stone structures usually built on a platform (as in this case). Using Ahuena as his headquarters, Kamehameha conquered and unified the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century. The surrounding village remained the capital of all the Hawaiian Islands until 1821. "For some of us, it still is the capital," says Kaleookalani Nakoa, a native Hawaiian and one of the official guardians of the heiau.
Kona Coffee Living History Farm
Continuing south along the scenic two-laner, you're soon high above the ocean, fields of bushes and berries indicating that this is coffee country. For a taste of the plantation lifestyle established over the past century, pull into the Kona Coffee Living History Farm just before the village of Captain Cook (mile marker 110; 323-2006; Kona Historical Society). You'll learn not just about locally grown coffee but also sample the luscious fruits that abound in Hawaii, such as Kona oranges, passion fruit, and guavas, among others.
Kealakekua Bay
A side road leads to Kealakekua Bay, from which you can see a monument marking the place where British explorer James Cook was stabbed to death by the natives in 1779. This happened just a year after he and his crew became the first Europeans to set foot on what he dubbed the "Sandwich Islands."
Coffee Shack
Back on the main road, stop at the mountainside Coffee Shack (after mile marker 108; 328-9555; The Coffee Shack, 100% Kona Coffee), built on a coffee plantation. Besides Kona coffee, lunch, and breakfast—try the eggs Benedict—the lanai, or porch, has views of 26 miles (41 kilometers) of coastline far below.
St. Benedict's
In the same area, don't miss St. Benedict's, better known as the Painted Church (84-5140 Painted Church Rd., Captain Cook; 328-2227; Painted Church - St. Benedict's Roman Catholic Church, Captain Cook, Hawaii). To give his congregants the illusion of being in a European cathedral, its Belgian priest painted the interior with a simple trompe l'oeil technique in the early 1900s. Also nearby, look for the 180-acre (0.7-square kilometer) Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, preserving what's left of an ancient Hawaiian royal residence, a sacred place of refuge, and a heiau. Among the original artifacts on the site are petroglyphs and a 16th-century wall.
Lava Fields and Forests
For the next 40 miles (64 kilometers), the road traverses, alternately, old lava fields and Eden-like forests with flowering multicolored bougainvillea and hibiscus along the side of the road. Also look for tropical trees like the wide-spreading monkeypod and ohia trees with feathery red blossoms.
Naalehu
At Naalehu, stop at the Punalu'u Bake Shop (95-3642 Hamalahoa Hwy.; 929-7343; Punaluu Bake Shop - Hawaiian Sweetbread), famed for Portuguese sweet bread and malasadas (doughnuts). Box up an assortment to eat later in the car.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Soon the Belt Road rises in altitude and lowers in temperature until reaching Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (985-6000; Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (U.S. National Park Service)). Stop at Kilauea Visitor Center to get maps and current advice on how to safely view active lava flows in the park. A good bet is a ranger-led hike.
Hilo
Consider overnighting on the rim of the park's Kilauea Caldera at the Volcano House (1 Crater Rim Dr.; 967-7321; <b>Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Volcano House - Offical Site</b>). Another lodging, in the town of Hilo, is the 1899 Shipman House (131 Kaiulani St.; 934-8002; Hilo Hawaii Luxury Bed and Breakfast, Historic Shipman House, Big Island of Hawaii), a Victorian mansion where author Jack London and his wife, Charmian, stayed during their 1907 visit.
Honomu
North from Hilo, take a turnoff to the old village of Honomu, whose funky false-front businesses include an antique bottle shop. Honomu exists mainly because it's on the way to Akaka Falls State Park (974-6200; http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/hawaii/Index.cfm?park_id=2), known for its 442-foot falls and lush rain forest surroundings.
Honokaa
Leave the main highway again at Honokaa to reach the viewpoint overlooking the nearly deserted Waipio Valley, 850 feet (250 meter) below. It's one of the premier panoramas in the state. Only four-wheel-drive vehicles are allowed to drive down the steep road to the valley floor and its black-sand beach.
More here:
link
