Shake, rattle and woah: the world’s most beautiful bus rides

Unlike their revered, rail-bound cousins, long-distance buses are considered more of a necessary evil than rewarding travel experience. These unsightly, lumbering machines have a reputation for being uncomfortable, unpleasant and tireless champions of the very worst in musical radio.

But, when plying the right route, traversing a country by bus can be a genuine delight, offering penny-pinching travellers a front-row view of the world’s scenic byways and lesser-seen landscapes, as well as granting opportunities to meet memorable characters and tuck in to local delicacies en route.

So strap yourself in and leave your preconceived notions behind, as we embark on a whistle-stop tour of the world’s most beautiful bus rides.

The journey from Marrakesh to Er Rachidia winds through the magnificent High Atlas mountains © Péter Mocsonoky / 500px

Morocco: Marrakesh to Er Rachidia

• Distance: 308 miles (496km)
• Estimated duration: 11 hours

The landscapes rolling past the windows along this 300-mile journey tend to transfix travellers in a style usually reserved for mobile phones and film screens; a phenomenon that is fitting given these desert vistas, hemmed by the dramatic Atlas Mountains, have provided the backdrop to countless cinematic encounters, from Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator to Game of Thrones.

The story of this great voyage begins in the dizzying souks of atmospheric Marrakesh, quickly ramping up in tension as it approaches the High Atlas via the tortuous Tizi n’Tichka pass (2260m). Having meandered along heady mountain trails, the route passes an arid landscape of mudbrick kasbahs and palm groves to Ouarzazate, nicknamed ‘Ouallywood’ for its film studio, where a troop of Berbers, sporting colourful traditional turbans, may join your roving cast. The grand finale is Er Rachidia, a former French garrison town on the fringe of the Sahara, where sandboarding, camel treks and adventures in the great desert await.

Top tip: For additional comfort, grab a seat on one of the premium bus lines running this route, such as CTM or Supratours.

This mammoth coast-to-coast journey starts in New York and ends in San Francisco © IM_photo / Shutterstock

USA: New York City to San Francisco

• Distance: 2902 miles (4670km)
• Estimated duration: 75 hours

‘Heading out west’ has been the maxim that’s shaped millions of US journeys, from the Dust Bowl migrants to the pleasure-seeking Beat Generation; the iconic image of its favoured son Jack Kerouac pointing his headlights west to the beatnik scene of San Francisco still entices generations of travellers to pack a bag and cross the American heartland in search of adventure.

After leaving the bright lights of the Big Apple, this coast-to-coast pilgrimage can take many forms, but following Kerouac’s trail to ‘Frisco’ requires a stop – and fittingly wild night out – in Denver, the journey’s rough halfway point, where passengers can also stretch stiff limbs hiking in the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. The mammoth three-day Greyhound route, which rolls through the cornfields of Nebraska and deserts of Nevada, also offers optional stop-offs in intriguing, lesser-visited cities such as Pittsburgh, home to avant-garde art museums in former mattress warehouses, and Salt Lake City, where you can hear the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform – this overland odyssey really has it all.

Top tip: Long-distance aficionados looking for a meatier prospect should consider following this ride up with the once-a-week 100+ hour bus ride from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil to Lima in Peru, reputedly the longest single bus journey in the world.

The UK's rarest bus services rolls through the pristine countryside of Dartmoor National Park © Jed Langdon / 500px

England: Tavistock to Dawlish

• Distance: 37 miles (60km)
• Estimated duration: two hours

It has been called the UK’s rarest bus service: the 112 from Tavistock to Dawlish, which crosses the middle of Devon’s stunning Dartmoor National Park, only runs on the fifth Saturday of the month… between April and September. This means that most years committed coach-connoisseurs only have two or three chances to make this journey, which owes its infrequency to being volunteer-run and competition from more popular routes.

Passengers who are organised or just downright lucky enough to catch the 112 can look forward to an up-close view of Devon’s rolling moorland punctuated by granite tors and herds of Dartmoor ponies. The route passes a string of historic market towns before hitting the coast and trundling into Dawlish, where passengers will have just enough time for a traditional English Sunday roast dinner (roasted meat, potatoes and vegetables with gravy) overlooking the South Devon Coast before catching the equally rare return bus three and a half hours later.

Top tip: The small bus only has 16 seats, so get there early to guarantee your spot – you don’t want to wait for the next service.

Though once the norm, you can still occasionally spy passengers sitting on the roof of buses in Nepal © Christopher Cullen / 500px

Nepal: Kathmandu to Pokhara

• Distance: 127 miles (205km)
• Estimated duration: eight hours

Anyone who considers the Everest Base Camp Trek Nepal’s greatest challenge should try making this winding route west from the Nepalese capital without seeing their breakfast reappear. The sick bags are handed out at the beginning of this legendary hippy-trail journey, where travellers once rode with their luggage on the roof, a joint clasped tightly between fingers.

At one end of the line is Kathmandu, with its rickshaw-jammed alleyways leading to temple-cluttered Durbar Square, and at the other is the serene alpine lakeside town of Pokhara. It’s only 200km (124 miles) as the danphe flies, but this is the realm of the Himalayas and the rickety bus spends the day spectacularly climbing mountain passes with aqua-blue rivers running far below. Though the views are mesmerising, you’ll be thankful for the occasional rest stop, where – for those who can beat motion-sickness with a monk-like inner-focus – hefty portions of delicious dhal bhat (a selection of curries with boiled rice) are served in rustic restaurants perched on picturesque precipices.

Top tip: Book your lakeside accommodation in Pokhara in advance, and ask your lodge to send someone to guide you through the scrum of hotel touts.

Australia's Great Ocean Road is arguably the most beautiful coastal route in the world © Yunsun_Kim / Shutterstock

Australia: Geelong to Apollo Bay

• Distance: 70 miles (112km)
• Estimated duration: two hours and 30 minutes

There’s no need to cough up for a hire car to experience Victoria’s sublime Great Ocean Road, one of the world’s most beautiful coastal journeys. Bus 101 departs from the historical port city of Geelong, just around the bay from Melbourne, and totters along almost half of the famed scenic route, stopping regularly to pick up wide-eyed backpackers and salty-maned surfers – the combination of which often results in a convivial in-vehicle atmosphere.

Sit on the left of the bus to eyeball the stunning coastal scenery, and on the right to marvel at the forested mountains. Along the way you can hop off at glorious stretches of sand such as Bells Beach for a revitalising dip or take a short detour inland to Kennett River to spot koalas and glow worms. Final destination Apollo Bay is well located for further Great Ocean Road explorations, including the iconic Twelve Apostlesrock formations.

Top tip: There’s tons of great detours along this route, but foodies should consider heading 30 minutes inland from Lorne to splash out on dinner at Brae, an eatery in a lovely cottage amid 30 acres of gardens that’s consistently voted the best restaurant in Australia.

Argentina is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes © Migel / Shutterstock

Argentina: Rio Gallegos to Ushuaia

• Distance: 360 miles (580km)
• Estimated duration: 11 hours

It’s a trip to the end of the world; that’s the civic motto of Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, and this poetic title sets the tone of this grand journey that’ll have passengers feeling like pioneering explorers as they cross land, sea and international borders on a meandering voyage along the toe of Argentina.

Starting in the busy port town of Rio Gallegos, this bus route crosses the Chilean border, before boarding a ferry to cross the tempestuous Strait of Magellan, where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet. While watching the hulking glacial landscapes glide past from the ship’s deck, it’s easy to envisage yourself as a modern Magellan, the strait’s Portuguese namesake, who passed through in 1520. After making port in Patagonia, hop back on the bus to cross the romantically-named Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire), a windswept archipelago that’s home to storied shipwrecks and snow-scuffed mountain ranges, before arriving in Ushuaia, where the adventures continue with skiing, scuba diving and trips to Antarctica.