For many, the act of driving their vehicle is a relatively boring and mundane task, simply done to get from one place to another. For the motoring enthusiast, driving can be a form of art – like painting a landscape or writing melodic music.

Granted, this isn’t usually the case when stuck in rush hour traffic, but when we are presented with a beautiful driving road, we cannot help but feel just a bit more alive. Driving roads vary in character from place to place. Some are long and take a while to traverse – not that we mind – while others are short and sweet, often resulting in us turning around and doing it again. Some driving roads, such as the Scottish North Coast 500 and Iceland’s Route 1, offer both twisty bits and extraordinarily beautiful views of the surrounding landscape which – in some cases – can take attention away from the driving part of the exercise. Regardless, they still offer all the fun any of the other roads – such as the famed Transfagarasan Highway and the Tail of the Dragon – has to offer.

So, whether driving in an expensive Ferrari 458 or a rented Chevrolet Spark, proper driving roads can make any journey fun for the motoring enthusiast. With that, here are ten of the most amazing driving roads which every enthusiast should drive - preferably using a sportier car.

10 North Coast 500, Scotland

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Via 24 Countries

Scotland is one of the most beautiful and picturesque countries in Europe and as such, the Scottish government decided to capitalize on that. They established the North Coast 500 – a 516-mile route that takes people all around the north coast, showcasing the majesty which is the North Scottish Highlands.

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Via McKinlay Kidd

The route starts and ends at Inverness Castle – in Inverness – and has been named one of the top five best coastal roads in the world. It has also been called the ‘Route 66 of Scotland’. Interestingly, adventure cyclists have made it one of the more difficult challenges, with the current record being held by one Robbie Mitchell, who completed the route in just 29 hours and 5 minutes.

Related: 10 Race Cars You Can Legally Drive On The Road

9 Stelvio Pass, Italy

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Via Trip Advisor

The Stelvio Pass is a mountain pass along the Italian side of the Eastern Alps, right along the border with Switzerland. The pass winds all up on of the massive Alps and is the second-tallest mountain road within the mountain region, coming in at 23 feet below France’s Col de l’Iseran at 9,045 feet above sea level.

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Via Ultimate Rides

The Stelvio Pass is probably most famous for Top Gear’s attempt at finding the best driving road in Europe for its 10th season. In addition, both the motorcycle brand Moto Guzzi and the automaker Alfa Romeo have named models of their vehicles after the mountain pass.

8 Amalfi Drive, Italy

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Via WOWabouts

The Amalfi Drive, also known as the Strada Statale 163, is a stretch of road which connects the Italian towns of Sorrento and Amalfi along the southern Italian Amalfi coast. Interestingly, the road was originally built by the Romans and served as a highway and trade route.

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Via Gran Turismo Events

The drive is around 50 miles of beautiful views and properly twisty road, much of which is carved out of the cliff along the water, showcasing the Tyrrhenian Sea to the South. The route also passes through the town of Positano – the famous Amalfi town built on the side of the cliff.

Related: 10 Sports Cars That Would Be Outmaneuvered By Modern Muscle Cars On A Twisty Road

7 Route 1, Iceland

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Via Planet Ride

Iceland is, without a doubt, the number one country for cinematic shots of beautiful landscapes, flowing waterfalls, and black sand beaches. Luckily for us – and the people of Iceland – the Icelandic government have built a sort of ring road going around the island, connecting the major cities and towns along the coast.

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Via Adventure Bike Rider

The route starts in the capital of Reykjavík and follows the coast around the island, taking commuters to popular tourist destinations such as the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, the beautiful Dyrhólaey cliffs, the breathtaking Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and the volcanic lake of Mývatn. While it may not be the most exciting or driving roads, it will be one of the most picturesque.

6 Schwarzwaldhochstraße (Black Forest High Road), Germany

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Via Porsche Experience

The Schwarzwaldhochstraße – also known as the Black Forest High Road, is part of the B500 federal highway road system in the Black Forest region of Germany. The specific part of the High Road stretches for around 40 miles between the towns of Baden-Baden and Freudenstadt.

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Via Bernd Riessle Photography

The location of the Schwarzwaldhochstraße is beneficial to the automakers situated in Stuttgart, particularly Porsche, which uses the road for their own testing purposes, and they offer a special ‘Porsche Experience’ drive for new owners of their sports cars. The Black Forest High Road is a beautiful piece of German road which offers a mini Nürburgring-type experience.

Related: A Fighter Jet For The Road: These Are Our Favorite Features Of The McLaren 720S

5 The Albula Pass, Switzerland

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Via Travel Switzerland

The Albula Pass is a Swiss mountain pass on the foot of the Albula Alps in the canton of Graubünden. The pass at its peak is around 7,585 feet high and features the 1.13-mile-long Albula Tunnel. The pass has multiple overlooking areas and at its highest point, spectators can see the ranges of Piz Üertsch to the North and Crasta Mora to the South.

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Via Drivescape

The Pass has many twisty bits which include tight hairpins and some faster corners, making it a brilliant piece of road to drive up and down in a sportier car. One of the most noticeable features of the Albula Pass is the Albula Railway Line, which flows and cuts alongside the road, traveling over some beautiful bridges and creating stunning vistas.

4 Col De La Bonette, French Alps

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Via Dronestagram

The Col de la Bonette is an 8,907 ft high mountain pass that winds up the Cime de la Bonette mountain on the French side of the Alps, right near the Italian Border. Interestingly, the 1.25-mile-long stretch on top of the mountain is named the ‘highest road in Europe’ – which is incorrect as there are at least three other roads that have a higher elevation.

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Via Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur Tourisme

The Col de la Bonette is a beautiful piece of road which rises around 5,400 ft in elevation from the start at either Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée in the South or Jausiers in the North. Both sides are around 15 miles from the peak. The Col de la Bonette is a special hill climb stage on the Tour de France.

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3 Chapman’s Peak, South Africa

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Via The Inside Guide

Chapman’s Peak Drive is a beautiful twisting and winding road along the Western side of the Cape Peninsula. The road stretches between the towns of Hout Bay and Noordhoek, just outside of Cape Town, South Africa.

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Via Flickr

The road was carved out of the near vertical cliffside and follows the coastline almost exactly, providing views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and a sheer cliff upwards on the other. The drive is extraordinary and is often used for automaker commercials or travel shows. Chapman’s Peak Drive also hosts two of the largest participation races in South Africa – the Cape Argus Cycle Race and the Two Oceans Marathon.

2 Transfagarasan Highway, Romania

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Via Tourism Romania

The Transfagarasan Highway is famous for its views, almost endless hairpins, and the fact that Top Gear called it the best driving road in Europe. The road – also known as DN7C – was built between 1970 and 1974 and stretches for more than 56 miles between the Romanian village of Bascov and the city of Sibiu.

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Via In Your Pocket

The route has five tunnels and climbs to a height of 6,699 ft and features various cautions such as steep descents and long S-curves, making it quite a dangerous road. Due to the location, the pass is usually closed between October and June due to the heavy snowfall of the winter months. A section of the road is also used for Romania’s version of the Tour de France.

1 Tail Of The Dragon, USA

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via Visit My Smokies

Even though most of the celebrated driving roads are in Europe, the US has its fair share of brilliant back roads. One of these is Deals Gap – also known as The Dragon and Tail of the Dragon. The road is a mountain pass along the Great Smokey Mountains and spans around 11 miles – with 318 corners.

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Via Rennsport Dragon Rally

The road runs along the North Carolina – Tennessee border and features corner names such as Hog Pen Bend, Shade Tree Corner, Gravity Cavity, and Wheelie Hell – mostly due to incidents that have happened there. The road has frequent car and motorcycle accidents, so the Blane County Rescue Squad is almost a permanent feature along the road. Interestingly, CGP Grey of YouTube fame has taken a Tesla Model 3 on Autopilot up and down Tail of the Dragon without incident.