Road trips are an increasingly popular way of discovering and experiencing new countries, and how good your trip looks ‘on the gram’ is very important in an age where everything has to be captured.
This led Click4reg.co.uk to consider what is the ‘most Instagrammed’ road trip in the world, by collecting 15 of the best-known roads and journeys around the world and then judging which is the most Instagrammed by analysing the number of hashtags for each road trip with #name and #name + road trip.
USA’s famous Route 66 was found to be the most Instagrammed road trip with 1,708,620 hashtags, and it was closely followed by the Great Ocean Road in Australia which had 1,292,178 hashtags.
The top two were the only road trips to have over a million tags, while the Pacific Coast Highway placed third in the list with 325,917 tags.
Europe has been revealed as the continent with the most Instagrammable road trips – it claims seven of the top 15 within the list. South Africa’s Route 62 was the 13th most popular on Instagram with 28,234 tags.
England’s Snake Pass was the lowest tagged road trip with just 12,343 hashtags.
1. Route 66, USA
‘Get your kicks on Route 66’ are the famous lines from the 1946 song that goes by that title. The USA’s most famous 3,860km cross-country route – which crosses eight states and three time zones– begins in Chicago, Illinois and runs all the way to the Pacific Coast in Santa Monica, California. Iconic points on the route include Jackrabbit Trading Post, near Joseph City, Arizona and Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas.
2. Great Ocean Road, Australia
The Great Ocean Road is about a 90-minute drive from Melbourne and runs along the wild southern coast of Austalia for 400km between the towns of Torquay and Nelson. It passes the Twelve Apostles which unlike Cape Town’s 12 are rocky formations in the ocean, which makes a perfect Instagram backdrop.
3. Pacific Coast Highway, USA
This 1,055km road is the major north–south state highway in California, which runs along the coast. Some stops along the route include San Francisco with its iconic Golden Gate Bridge and further north you’ll find the picturesque Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in Monterey Bay, which is a great spot for whale watching.
4. Valley of Fire, USA
The Valley of Fire route runs through the Valley of Fire State Park about an hour’s drive north of Las Vegas. From Las Vegas drivers will need to head north on the I-15 highway and then after about 53km, take the Valley of Fire highway exit. The Valley of Fire highway route is about 29km long and meanders a through spectacular rocky Nevada landscape.
5. Ring Road, Iceland
Ring Road, as its name suggests, runs in a ring around the circumference (mostly, with some deviation from the coast in the north) of Iceland over a distance of 1,332 km. The island nation is known for its dramatic, volcanic scenery and places like the Blue Lagoon and Diamond Beach.
Also read: Road tripping Iceland
6. Ruta 40, Argentina
The Ruta 40 (RN40) is 5,194 km long route in the west of Argentina which runs parallels to the Andes mountains from north to south. It is the longest route in Argentina and one of the longest in the world, passing 20 national parks and at its highest point is 5,061m above sea level – making it the highest point on a national road in the world.
7. North Coast 500, Scotland
Scotland’s North Coast 500 is a 500 mile (805km) scenic route that runs along the coast of northern Scotland linking many of the highlights of the north Highlands. It begins in the northern city of Inverness, weaves along its way along the west coast to Applecross, then north towards the town of Ullapool. It then makes its way past some of the most northerly coastal points in Scotland, before heading back to Inverness.
8. Trollstigen, Norway
Trollstigen forms part of the Norwegian County Road 63 and features 11 hairpin bends through a beautiful valley, which connects the town of Åndalsnes and Valldal.
9. Cabot Trail, Canada
The 298 km Cabot Trail which loops around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Trail passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park in the north of the island, while the eastern and western sections hug the rugged coastline, overlooking the ocean. The southern part of the route makes its way through the Margaree River valley and on to Bras d’Or Lake.
10. Death Road, Bolivia
The North Yungas Road also known as Death Road in Bolvia connects the city of La Paz to Yungas in low-lying the Amazon rainforest. Most of the road is only 3.5 meters wide and has become a popular route for cyclists, especially mountain bikers. It was built in the 1930s however these days its not the only way to get from La Paz to Yungas, a two-lane road ‘with smooth tarmac’ has been built, so only the adventurous need to explore this route.
11. Causeway Coastal Route, Northern Ireland
The Causeway Coast was voted the best region in the world to visit in 2018 by Lonely Planet, which praised its ‘timeless beauty and high-grade distractions – golf, whiskey and some of the world’s most famous rocks’. The route takes visitors to Northern Ireland’s only World Heritage Site, Giant’s Causeway, as well as magnificent places like Dunluce Castle and St.Gobban’s Church (one of the smallest in Ireland) in Whitepark Bay.
12. Romantic Road, Germany
Southern Germany’s Romantic Road is a popular tourist route which passes through the Tauber Valley briefly, in the Baden-Württemberg province and also through Bavaria. Popular stops in this valley include the splendid Renaissance palace of Weikersheim, the Rococo church in the town of Bad Mergentheim and the Fingerhut (Thimble) Museum with its display of thimbles and other sewing-related paraphernalia from across the world.
13. Route 62, South Africa
Route 62 links Paarl, Wellington, Tulbagh, Ceres and the Breede River Valley (fruit and wine-producing regions) with the Klein Karoo towns of Ladismith, Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn. It snakes through some beautiful mountain passes including Cogmans Pass, Nuwekloof Pass, Prince Alfred Pass, Garcia Pass, Tradouw Pass and the Swartberg Pass and should form part of every South African’s road trip destinations.
Also read: Route 62: Ladismith to Calitzdorp
14. Atlantic Road, Norway
Norway’s Atlantic Road connects the mainland to the island of Averøy via small islands which are in turn joined by eight bridges over a total distance of 8,3 km. The dramatic landscape provides some great photo opportunities.
15. Snake Pass, England
The winding Snake Pass was opened in 1821 and gets its name ‘from the emblem of the Snake Inn, one of the few buildings on the high stretch’. Popular with tourists and motorbikers, Snake Pass is often closed in winter because of snowfall.
| Road Trip | Location | Tags |
| Route 66 | USA | 1,708,620 |
| Great Ocean Road | Australia | 1,291,178 |
| Pacific Coast Highway | USA | 325,917 |
| Valley of Fire | USA | 219,333 |
| Ring Road | Iceland | 154,230 |
| Ruta 40 | Argentina | 108,666 |
| North Coast 500 | Scotland | 88,315 |
| Trollstigen | Norway | 85,933 |
| Cabot Trail | Canada | 76,840 |
| Death Road | Bolivia | 44,587 |
| Causeway Coastal Route | Northern Ireland | 35,423 |
| Romantic Road | Germany | 28,369 |
| Route 62 | South Africa | 28,234 |
| Atlantic Road | Norway | 28,008 |
| Snake Pass | England | 12,343 |
Image credit: Justin Fox
