The world’s most famous road, and the highest, longest, most dangerous, straightest and curviest
- We look at record-setting roads, from Saudi Arabia’s super-straight Highway 10 to contenders for the best-known road in the world
- Then there’s Umling Pass in Ladakh, India, which at 5,798 metres is higher than Everest Base Camp, and the Dead Sea Highway, 393 metres below sea level
Roads are the lifelines of civilisation, connecting people, cultures and landscapes. Here are a few that stand out from the crowd.
1. Most famous road
Linking Chicago and Los Angeles, Route 66, also known as the Main Street of America, has been immortalised in song and on screen and is certainly a candidate for the title of world’s most famous road.
Also in the running, the stylish, stately Avenue Champs-Élysées will take centre stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Australia’s sublimely scenic Great Ocean Road tops many a bucket list.
The Silk Road merits a mention as well, even though the original caravan trail no longer exists. In fact it never did.
The fabled link between China and the West was a vast network of trade routes used by merchants hawking goods as varied as carpets and camels, glassware and gold.
2. Longest strip of straight road
The Romans were renowned for building ruler-straight roads but the country with the longest strip of straight tarmac today is Saudi Arabia. Cutting across the kingdom, Highway 10, originally built as a private road for King Fahd, doesn’t deviate for 256km (159 miles).
