Firstly, a caveat. We're explicitly avoiding Alpine roads for the purposes of this list. Including them might have made the whole thing look very similar to the Top Ten Alpine Passes we've already published. There's a link to that at the bottom of this article.

We don't just make these lists so you can stare at fantastic photography and wistfully gaze at road descriptions. Any of these roads can be used in your very own road trip builder: The Trip Planner. Get inspired and plan your next trip now for free.

Route 63, Trollstigen
Mountains, Valleys, Huge Views
 

Location: Åndalsnes, Norway
Length: 115km
View: 5/5
Surface: 4/5
Pleasure: 4/5

Norway's Trollstigen, or 'Trolls Road' in English, is a long and impressive ride on any motorcycle. It's famous, however, for this one pretty spectacular viewpoint looking north over Route 63's switchbacks and the Stigfossen waterfall. To see this view yourself, park at the Trollstigen Senter and walk out to the Plattingen, or platform. The glass, steel and iron of the balcony platform itself warrants the short walk.

See the road here.

The Mparos Pass
Hidden, Adventurous, Unnamed Roads

Location: Tzoumerka National Park, Greece
Length: 77km
View: 5/5
Surface: 3/5
Pleasure: 5/5

Hidden in a maze of unnamed roads that criss-cross and hairpin their way through the Tzoumerka, Peristeri and Arachthos Gorge National Park, lies this gem of a pass. It's a ride through deepest rural Greece, complete with sleepy villages, river valleys, steep cliffs, and snowy peaks. Cracked and crazy road surfaces do their utmost to increase the overall sense of adventure. Stop off at La Verliga café for refreshments, or overnight in its village of Chaliki to hear some local music.

See the road here.

999, Rossfeldstrasse
Curves, Forest, Distant Peaks

Location: Berchtesgaden, Germany
Length: 4km
View: 4/5
Surface: 2/5
Pleasure: 4/5

It's a short blast of a scenic road, winding through forest and bursting out to reveal the sleepy valleys and alpine peaks of Upper Bavaria. Visit the Kehlsteinhaus, or Hitler's Eagle's Nest in English, now a restaurant and beer garden situated on a ridge 1,834 metres up the Hoher Göll mountain. The panoramas over the town of Berchtesgaden are surprisingly impressive.

See the road here.

A82, Tyndrum – Glencoe
Lakes, Heather, Dramatic Weather

Location: Ballachulish, United Kingdom
Length: 48km
View: 5/5
Surface: 4/5
Pleasure: 5/5

Scotland's most famous and dramatic landscape is on par with scenes from New Zealand. Wild mountains arch to the sky from Loch Tulla westwards, and the road slowly curves higher and higher until inevitably falling into the River Coe's valley, past The Meeting of the Three Waters. Stop and look back as you pass Loch Achtriochtan for a spectacular view back up the glen. The impressively-named Achnambeithach Cottage sits in whitewashed solitude to your right. Ride in spring for snow-capped peaks.

See the road here.

D952/D23, Route des Crêtes
Gorges, Cliffsides, Switchbacks

Location: Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, France
Length: 63km
View: 5/5
Surface: 4/5
Pleasure: 3/5

France's Verdon gorge cuts deeply into a limestone bluff that rises from the famous Côte d'Azur to the south. Ride the Route des Crêtes, a selection of roads that delivers an experience heavy on spectacle, but light on road quality. The D23, for example, gives you flabbergasting views but you've got to brave the shoddy road surface to reach them. Enjoy the viewpoints by stopping, and then looking. At times, the Verdon river has dug itself into a 700-metre deep ravine. Now that's deep.

See the road here.

MA-2210, Cap de Formentor
Romantic, Coastal, Goats

Location: Pollença, Mallorca
Length: 22km
View: 5/5
Surface: 4/5
Pleasure: 5/5

Thanks to user Bosy for this Spanish island ride. This well-surfaced road twists over the mountainous north-east of Mallorca to Cap Formentor. Look out for the Cala Figuera, a small beach with turquoise water that's accessible via a short walk.  Sunrise at the Talaia d'Albercutx watchtower is beautiful to watch, and sunset on the hidden Cala Murta El Castellet promontory is possibly the most romantic thing you can do on Mallorca. Take a pillion.

See the road here.

The Meteora Road
Monoliths, Monasteries, Magical

Location: Kastraki, Greece
Length: 4km
View: 4/5
Surface: 3/5
Pleasure: 4/5

Be under no false illusions that these rock pillars aren't impressive. Built from standstone conglomerate, they're on average a staggering 300 metres high. And winding beneath them is a little road, curving under at least one of the six Eastern Orthodox monasteries that famously occupy their precipitous positions. Summer will see an deluge of tourist cars and buses on this tarmac, so ride it in the shoulder seasons for cooler weather and fewer four-wheelers.

See the road here.

R1, Cetinje – Kotor
Single Track, Bay Views, Switchbacks

Location: Kotor, Montenegro
Length: 33km
View: 5/5
Surface: 3/5
Pleasure: 4/5

Montenegro's Bay of Kotor has been the region's strategic jewel since antiquity. Two mountain ranges of the Dinaric Alps spar with each other to create a bay with not one, but two mouths leading to the sea beyond. The whole place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and is best seen from the Kotor Serpentine, sixteen hairpin turns that lead up the cliffs to Kotor's east.

See the road here.

D76, Combe Laval
Tunnels, Cliffs, Steep Drops

Location: Saint-Jean-en-Royans, France
Length: 16km
View: 5/5
Surface: 2/5
Pleasure: 4/5

Scared of heights? Then don't look down: the drop from France's D76 is a breezy 300-metre free-fall. Add to that an untrustworthy road surface, and the whole experience tugs at even the hardiest biker's nerves. From the Hôtel du col de la Machine, ride north through a short tunnel and pop out at the start of vertigo-inducing territory. Very soon, any pretence at a centre-line is forgotten, as the available space for road surface reduces to a width of a few metres and the only thing between the tarmac and a long fall is a knee-height stone wall. Terrifying.

See the road here.

7C, Transfagarasan
Famous, Curvaceous, Tremendous

Location: Comuna Cârta, Romania
Length: 113km
View: 4/5
Surface: 4/5
Pleasure: 5/5

Curve after curve after curve for no apparent reason – that's why this road more than anything else resembles a motorcycling paradise. It was built between 1970 and 1974 at significant cost of resources. Over five million kilograms of dynamite were exploded in its construction. Local legend tells that it was built explicitly to surpass the impressive Transalpina, a road that encompasses the 2,145 metre high Urdele Pass. So it must be good to ride! Be careful when you visit: harsh weather forces closure between October and June.

See the road here.

Where are the Alpine passes?

Motorcycle Diaries is all about discovering and riding amazing roads throughout Europe. Including the Alps in this list of Europe's great scenic drives would have made the whole thing a little one-sided. But fear not! We've already published our list of the Best Alpine Passes out there, all of them complete with breath-taking views. Go read.

Check out our Top Ten Alpine Passes here.

Do you know a great scenic road?

Share your favourite scenic roads with the Motorcycle Diaries community by adding them to our road atlas. Upload inspirational photos and a short description and you could be in with a chance of winning our monthly competition.

Each month we give away Arai helmets or sets of Bridgestone tyres to the users who submitted the best two roads that month. The author of each road wins either a set of Bridgestone tyres matching their bike, or a brand-new Arai helmet. This competition happens each and every month, so every month you have a new chance to win.

Get started here!