What are the longest roads in the world?

A road trip is one of the best ways to explore a new country. It gives you the freedom to explore and go wherever you want, allowing you to create adventure filled holidays.

What are the longest roads in the world? It’s a question that many drivers and passengers will have asked on a long journey.

To answer this common road trip question, we’ve created this holidays abroad guide to profile the top 10 longest roads in the world.

Longest roads in the world

These are the longest roads in the world – spanning across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, and South America.

10. National Highway 219, China – around 6,200 miles

Although it is still partially under construction, China’s longest highway, spanning from Xinjiang to Guangxi, in part runs alongside the border of neighbouring Vietnam.

It passes through the more remote and mountainous areas of China, including Tibet.

In China, it is known for passing through the extremes of deserts, and snow-covered mountains on some of the country’s highest peaks.

9. Cairo–Cape Town Highway – around 6,400 miles

Spreading through the spine of the continent, this is a fully traversable route crossing Africa from Egypt in the north, to South Africa.

It runs through several other African countries including Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

After beginning construction in the 19^th Century, it was original planned to be made up of road and railway. Today, it’s one of the world’s longest roads.

8. Asian Highway 5 – around 6,450 miles

This motorway connects Shanghai in China to Kapikule on the Turkey–Bulgaria border and is part of the Asian Highway Network.

The route passes through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran.

It is an important link between East Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

7. Asian Highway 6 – around 6,500 miles

This part of the Asian Highway runs from South Korea to the Russian/Belarussian border, spanning diverse Eurasian terrain and nations.

Beginning in Busan and ending in Krasnoye – it connects Eastern Asia, Central Asia, and the start of Eastern Europe.

It travels through some of the largest countries in the world, including China, Kazakhstan, India, and Pakistan.

6. Tripoli–Cape Town Highway – around 6,700 miles

This is one of the major African highway network routes between Libya and South Africa. However, some sections remain under construction.

The highway passes through Chad, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Namibia.

It is a major trade route that is being developed to connect some of the more remote areas of the continent and provides another major link between the north and the south of Africa.

5. Trans‑Siberian Highway, Russia – around 6,800 miles

One of the world’s most famous roads, this is a massive cross‑Russia route from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok, making it the longest non‑loop intranational road.

It links many of the major Russian towns and cities across the largest country in the world.

Interestingly, it travels through vastly different terrains, from deserts to mountainous areas, and connects the Eastern European part of the country to its areas in the Far East.

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4. Asian Highway 2 – around 8,200 miles

This motorway runs from Indonesia to Iran and has several maritime interruptions that require boats and bridges to complete the route.

The highway connects Southeast Asia to South Asia and the Middle East – and travels through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, and Bangladesh.

3. Highway 1, Australia – around 9,000 miles

This road encircles the entire Australian continent, connecting major cities and remote regions.

Completed in 1955, it travels through Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin – and travels along coastal and inland areas of the country.

Despite is vast length, it is crucial for trade and tourism in Australia.

2. Asian Highway 1 – around 12,800 miles

A trans‑Eurasian route running from the Turkish border to Tokyo, Japan, and stretches from the borders of Europe to the Far East.

As well as linking major nations like South Korea, India, China, and Thailand, this highway also has stops at some of the world’s major ports.

1. Pan‑American Highway — ~48,000 km (30,000 miles)

Officially the longest road network in the world, the Pan-American Highway stretches from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, USA to Ushuaia, Argentina.

This travels through North, Central, and South America – covering 14 countries – the USA, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and finally in Argentina.

Despite being named the longest road, it does have 100-mile stretch between Panama and Colombia that is not connected (known as the Darién Gap). This means you need to organise a ferry crossing to connect with the southern section. 

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