Marcy MinianoMost scenic routes aren’t exactly the fastest (or even the most convenient) way to get to your destination. And yet many travellers still tend to gravitate towards these whenever their schedule permits because — hey, why not? This is especially true during summertime, when the skies are blue and we don’t have to worry about rain or snow.
Wondering where you can experience the best scenic drives in the world? Fortunately, social media has all the answers for us! With the gradual comeback for international travel this 2021, the UK-based Pentagon Motor Group analysed over seven million Instagram hashtags to find out.
Finding out the world’s most scenic roads
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The team started off by researching a list of the most popular scenic road trips in the world, along with their respective lengths and locations. Afterwards, they used Instagram hashtag data to see how many posts were associated with each route — then divided this number by the distance (in miles) of each road.
They had one goal: to find out which roads in the world have the most photos taken per mile. Taking the lead is the Great Ocean Road in Australia, which spans 157mi and had a whopping 1,321,570 hashtagged photos on Instagram! So, that’s equivalent to 8,418 pictures per mile.
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Coming in third place is Jebel Hafeet in the United Arab Emirates, which garnered 4,840 pictures per mile. Another must-visit spot in Asia is Vietnam’s Hai Van Pass that placed fourth on the list. Both of these feature spectacular mountainous scenery!
A roundup of the best scenic drives this 2021
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Below is the full list of the top 20 best roads in the world for scenic drives, along with the number of pictures per mile they have.
- Great Ocean Road, Australia – 8,418
- Big Sur, USA – 5,226
- Jebel Hafeet, United Arab Emirates – 4,840
- Hai Van Pass, Vietnam – 4,298
- Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa – 3,425
- Blue Ridge Parkway, USA – 1,148
- Going-to-the-Sun Road, USA – 940
- Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland – 853
- Olympic Peninsula Loop, USA – 798
- Icefields Parkway, Canada – 781
- Route 66, USA – 780
- Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, Austria – 677
- Pacific Highway, Australia – 657
- Tioga Pass, USA – 533
- Military Road, UK – 483
- Cabot Trail, Canada – 466
- Hana Highway, USA – 345
- The Atlantic Road, Norway – 294
- Causeway Coastal Route, Northern Ireland – 244
- North Coast 500, Scotland – 226
Also read: These Are the World’s Most-Searched “Bucket List” Travel Experiences!
Doesn’t this make you want to go on the best scenic drives for your next overseas trip? Your future travel photos could become part of valuable Instagram data. Speaking of travel pics, make sure to follow our official Instagram page for more visual inspo to keep your wanderlust alive!
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