5 Wild and Magnificent Road Trip Around the World

Fresh air, great scenery and a wide open road are the Holy Trinity of freedom -- and it's there for anyone with a set of wheels. But with about 64 million kilometers of roads girdling the globe, where's the best place to open up the throttle and chew up the miles?

From a morning's jaunt to clear out the cylinders to epic road trips of sun, sea and sand, here's a fast countdown of the best 5 road tours worldwide:

# NC500, Scotland

While you can complete Britain's latest coast road in a long weekend, you'll want to linger along some of the most scenic roads in the Northern Hemisphere. Only opened in 2015, the North Coast 500 (NC500 for short) is part of an initiative set up by Prince Charles to showcase the craggy grandeur of Scotland's coast, both east and west, and already it's won plaudits as one of the world's best road trips.

# La Route Des Grandes Alpes, France

Wild and magnificent, this spectacular road trip winds its way north from the French Riviera to Lake Geneva through the French Alps, one dramatic mountain pass after another (17 if you care to count). Snowbound in winter, it's a midsummer drive on some of the highest roads in Europe.

# Jebel Hafeet, United Arab Emirates

Built so that rich residents can get their kicks in their million-dollar toy cars, this road doesn't take you anywhere -- except to a private palace and an exclusive hotel. Carved into the desert, the road is worth the journey up and back for the smooth surfaces and 60 race-track-worthy corners that snake around the Hafeet mountain.

# The Atlantic Road, Norway

Belly-flips and bridges make up this high-octane drive along the Norwegian coastline. The overpass dips during this journey can be experienced between Kristiansund and Molde, and regular vicious storms in the area intensify the ride.

# Transfagarasan Road, Romania

Spooky dark tunnels (the longest is more than 800 meters and pitch black), plus endless twists and turns make for a thrilling ride through Dracula territory. The winding road from Cartisoara goes south to Curtea de Arges then zigzags from Transylvania into Muntenia, and later ascends to 2,034 meters, to the highest peak in Romania (Moldoveanu Peak).