Top 12 One-Way Road Trips by Rental Car

Want to rent a car for a nice long trip, but don’t feel like driving the rental car back to where you started? That’s not necessary at all, because you can opt for one-way car rental. That way, you pick up the car in one place and drop it off somewhere else. You’ll usually (but not always!) pay a surcharge for this, but it’s a great way to take the most beautiful road trips.

It’s very easy: in our search form, uncheck the box next to “return to the same location” and enter your desired final destination. We’ll then show you only rental cars for which one-way rental is available.

There are plenty of routes that are perfect for one-way car rentals, but need some inspiration? Read about the 12 most beautiful one-way road trips worldwide here!

1. The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland

We’ll start with the longest route in our top 12. The Wild Atlantic Way is a whopping 2,600 kilometers long. Its length is due to the rugged coastline in western Ireland, and as the name suggests, this one-way route follows the Atlantic coast. Almost no one covers the entire distance in one go, so the route is divided into 14 stages. Choose your own starting and ending points, for example, between Galway and Limerick or from Limerick to Cork. During your road trip in a rental car along the Irish west coast, you’ll enjoy centuries-old history, sweeping views, and that typical Irish hospitality and warmth. Since you’ve rented a car, you can easily take other trips from the coastal route, such as the world-famous Ring of Kerry or the lesser-known but equally beautiful Ring of Beara.

2. Pacific Coast Highway, United States

Driving along the California coast, between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is a fantastic experience. It’s no wonder this trip is on so many people’s bucket lists. The scenery is breathtaking, with the stretch through Big Sur being the highlight. You’ll drive your rental car across impressive bridges and enjoy spectacular views along the way, an abundance of natural beauty, sandy beaches, and small towns where you can still feel the Spanish heritage. Plus, of course, the glitz and glamour of Santa Monica and Malibu. We describe this route in detail in a separate blog post about the Pacific Coast Highway. You can complete this one-way trip in four days, but if you really want to enjoy it to the fullest, we recommend taking plenty of time—at least a week.

3. Romantic Road, Germany

According to legend, this is a medieval trade route, but the name was coined in the 1950s to promote tourism in the region. The Romantic Road runs from Würzburg (just over an hour’s drive by rental car from Frankfurt Airport) to Füssen, near the Austrian border. The route winds past vineyards and fairytale palaces and castles, through traditional Bavarian towns, and ends at the foothills of the Alps. The vineyards are at their most beautiful in late summer when the grapes are ripe, but if you rent a car in December to drive this route, many towns host charming winter markets.
Füssen is also a stop on another beautiful one-way route: the Deutsche Alpenstrasse, which runs through the mountains from Lindau to Königssee.

4. Icefields Parkway, Canada

Between Jasper and Lake Louise in Canada, a breathtaking road winds past glaciers, rocky mountain peaks, waterfalls, vast valleys, ice fields, and emerald-green lakes. You’ll drive your rental car through the unspoiled wilderness of Jasper National Park and Banff National Park. Along the way, be sure to stop occasionally for a scenic hike—for example, along the glacial lake Peyto Lake—or to enjoy the stunning natural scenery from a lookout point. You can drive to the Icefields Parkway from Edmonton and return your rental car in Calgary. But we think it’s more fun to take a longer one-way trip from Edmonton to Vancouver. From Lake Louise, you’ll drive through the Canadian Rockies and Similkameen Valley to British Columbia’s largest city. A fantastic journey! And you know what’s best? With a little luck, you won’t have to pay a one-way surcharge when renting a car for this trip!

5. Norwegian Coast: Bergen – Trondheim, Norway

Here we describe a one-way road trip along the Norwegian coast between Bergen and Trondheim (about 700 kilometers, depending on the exact route), but you can make this trip longer, for example by starting from Oslo, Kristiansand, or Stavanger in southern Norway; Bodø in the north; or—even further north— Tromsø. If you rent a car in the winter, keep in mind that smaller roads may be closed.

During this road trip, you’ll enjoy the most beautiful fjords, including the Sognefjord (which borders the Fjordkysten protected nature reserve), the Nordfjord, and the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From Geiranger, you’ll drive steeply uphill in your rental car: no fewer than eleven hairpin turns will take you to an altitude of over 600 meters. A little further on, you’ll encounter even more hairpin turns on the so-called Trollstigen (Troll Ladder). Further north, near the coastal village of Vevang, another spectacular road begins—but one of a completely different order: the Atlanterhavsveien. This Atlantic Road winds through small islands and features no fewer than eight bridges. A little further on, you’ll pass through the Atlanterhavstunnelen, traveling deep underwater. The deepest point of this tunnel lies 250 meters below the Bremsnesfjord.

6. Great Ocean Road, Australia

Most visitors to Australia want to drive the Great Ocean Road at least once. It’s one of the world’s most famous driving routes. Many people rent a car and do this as a day trip from Melbourne, but why not drive a longer stretch along the rugged southern coastline, all the way to Adelaide? From Melbourne, drive via Geelong to Torquay, where the Great Ocean Road officially begins. If you enjoy surfing, you can stop there right away. Take it easy on this nearly 1,000-kilometer route and enjoy the breathtaking views.

Take your rental car off the beaten path every now and then, because inland you’ll discover densely forested mountains, small lakes, and waterfalls—for example, in Grampians National Park. Just past Princetown, you must see the 12 Apostles, towering limestone pillars rising from the sea. Along the way, you’ll pass through charming coastal towns like Port Fairy. Near Mount Gambier, you’ll find (extinct) volcanoes with bright blue crater lakes.

7. Lisbon – Porto, Portugal

This one-way route connects two of Portugal’s most beautiful cities, so you should spend at least a few days at both the starting point and the destination. On this road trip, it’s not just about the journey—it’s definitely about the destination, too! Porto and Lisbon are both fantastic cities, and there’s plenty to see and do along the route between them. If you drive directly from one city to the other in a rental car, the distance is only 300 kilometers, but the region invites you to take side roads and enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace. We’ve written a blog post about the eight highlights you’ll encounter along the way.

You can complete this road trip in three days, but you’ll miss a lot. Central Portugal is incredibly rich in natural landscapes, historic cities, charming coastal towns, and small villages. Plus, there are impressive roads, such as the various routes through the mountains south of Coimbra. We therefore recommend renting a car for at least a week to complete this one-way trip, though you’re welcome to stay longer, of course.

8. Garden Route, South Africa

South Africa has many beautiful driving routes, but the Garden Route is one of the most popular, and it’s not hard to see why. This nearly 300-kilometer road runs along the country’s stunning southern coast. From your rental car, you’ll see lush, densely forested mountains on one side and bays, rugged rocky coastlines, sheltered lagoons, and golden sandy beaches on the other. Everywhere you look, you’ll see vibrantly colored wildflowers, and along the way, you’ll stop at charming coastal towns. The Garden Route passes through three national parks (Tsitsikamma, Knysna, and Wilderness). What’s more, you can enjoy all kinds of sports during your road trip: diving, rappelling, kayaking, surfing, mountain biking, fishing, hiking, and paragliding. And we haven’t even listed all the adventurous activities yet.

The Garden Route lies between Mossel Bay and Jeffreys Bay, but most people rent a car in Cape Town and return it in Port Elizabeth (now known as Gqeberha). Or the other way around, since you can, of course, take this unforgettable road trip in either direction.

9. Pula – Dubrovnik, Croatia

Tourism in Croatia is mainly concentrated along the Adriatic coast, but many people stay in one place or, at most, take a few day trips in a rental car. But why not explore the entire coast by taking a long road trip from Pula on the Istrian Peninsula to Dubrovnik? On this journey of over 700 kilometers, enjoy the unspoiled natural beauty, fishing villages that make you feel as if you’ve stepped back in time, and the fascinating history and cultural richness of towns like Rijeka, Zadar, and Split. The final stretch of the route toward Dubrovnik, right along the coast, is particularly spectacular.

You can also take a slightly different route on this one-way trip by renting a car in Zagreb. If you drive from the Croatian capital toward the coast, you can easily visit Plitvice Lakes National Park: stunning waterfalls and emerald-green lakes nestled among forests and mountains.

10. Southern Scenic Route, New Zealand

Take a spectacular road trip through the southern part of New Zealand. The Southern Scenic Route offers everything you could hope to experience on a road trip in a rental car: well-maintained roads winding past rugged cliffs and mountain peaks, crystal-clear lakes, unique flora and fauna, interesting museums, and picturesque villages. The route begins in Dunedin and officially runs via Invercargill to Te Anau, the gateway to the exceptionally impressive Fiordland National Park. Most people continue on to Queenstown, if only because that’s where you can return your rental car. Plus, the town is beautifully situated on serene Lake Wakatipu, a wonderful place to relax for a few days at the end of your trip.

The route passes through the virtually deserted nature reserve known as The Catlins. Set aside a few days just for this, because it’s absolutely stunning. Nature photographers will be in heaven here.

11. Three countries in one road trip: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

It is by no means always possible to rent a car in one country and return it in another. The Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) are an exception to this rule. Many car rental companies in those countries offer the option to pick up a rental car in, for example, the Estonian capital of Tallinn and return it in Riga or Vilnius. As always, you’ll pay a surcharge when booking a rental car for this type of one-way trip, but the cost in the Baltic states is surprisingly reasonable.

These countries don’t have particularly spectacular roads, but that’s more than made up for by the culture, history, and—last but not least—the people. During your road trip in a rental car, you’ll be amazed by the variety of sights and landscapes: from fairytale-like cities and medieval fortresses to poignant war memorials, and from beautiful, wide beaches to seemingly endless forests. The castles in these countries are exceptionally well-preserved and thus offer a fascinating glimpse into history.

Of course, you can also travel the route in the opposite direction, as is the case with all one-way trips. If you end your trip in Tallinn, you can add yet another country to your vacation—though you won’t be able to take the rental car with you. Hop on the ferry there, and in about two hours you’ll arrive in Finland’s capital, Helsinki.

12. Japanese Alps, Tokyo – Kyoto, Japan

We wrap up our Top 12 with a one-way trip that not many people think of: driving a rental car from Tokyo to Kyoto (or vice versa), right through the Japanese Alps. There’s a Shinkansen (bullet train) that runs between the two cities—which is also quite an experience!—but you’ll discover the real Japan by renting a car.

As soon as you leave Tokyo, you’ll be driving through the mountains and can visit Chichibu-Tama-Kai, a vast national park with impressive mountain ranges, valleys, and streams. Further west, you’ll drive along the Venus Line, a scenic mountain road between Ueda and Chino with unexpected landscapes around every bend: stunning highlands, wetlands, plateaus, rivers, and waterfalls. You can spend the night at one of the onsen hotels in the area. Onsen are natural hot springs and the perfect way to relax after a day of traveling in your rental car. In the city of Takayama, the narrow streets of the historic center are lined with beautiful old wooden merchant houses. You’ll also find pagodas and temples from the Edo period. You’ll find unique wooden architecture in the village of Shirakawa: cottages with thick, pointed roofs designed to bear the heavy snow load in winter. The final leg of the route to Kyoto follows Route 161 along the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. Beautiful views guaranteed!

Inspired? Rent a car for a one-way trip!

Of course, there are many more beautiful one-way road trips, but we hope our selection has inspired you to give this type of car rental a try. So what are you waiting for? Choose a starting point and a destination, and discover the most beautiful spots along the route with your own rental car!