There’s nothing quite like driving in the city. Whether you crave the bright lights of a huge metropolis like London, New York or Hong Kong, or you prefer a destination with stunning coastal or mountain views, travelling and exploring new cities has become easier than ever – all you need to do is book a flight, hire a car and go.

List of the best destinations to visit on four-wheels

New research from DiscoverCar Hire, revealed the best cities for scenic drives across the globe. They have asked over 2,500 tourists and visitors to rate driving in different cities around the world to help come up with a comprehensive list of the best destinations to visit on four wheels, from tranquil seaside views to bustling urban centres – and some of the destinations you may never have even heard of!

If you’re looking for inspiration for your next trip, many of the top world city drives are peppered around the Aegean Sea – perhaps unsurprising when you consider the abundance of unspoiled beaches and rolling hills in Turkey and Greece. Take Izmir, for example. Turkey’s third biggest city is less well known by tourists but has been voted one of the top city drives in the world.

Hire a car here and you can enjoy historic monuments, bustling streets and great roads, all framed by the azure-blue Bay of Izmir. If you’ve made the trip, why not extend your stay and visit Dalaman, Antalya or even Istanbul – also highly rated as great city driving experiences.

The overall favourite was Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, followed by Izmir in Turkey, Cairns in Australia, Kefalonia in Greece and Split in Croatia.

So, as well as stunning scenery and plenty of things to see, what makes a city a good place to drive?

Roads play a huge role. If there’s a solid motorway infrastructure to get drivers from an airport to the city quickly and easily, that’s a real plus for potential tourists. Despite GPS making travelling so convenient, if a city is well signposted, it can really take away the stress of city driving. The condition of the road matters too – think how much nicer it is to drive on a smooth, well-maintained surface compared to one full of potholes. And if a city has plenty of parking options that are easy to find, research shows travellers love it even more.

But one thing tourists around the world are wary about is the ‘local’ driver – the impatient, vocal and often unpredictable driver who knows the local roads better than you and isn’t afraid to tell you about it!

Research also showed the cities that are least popular with tourist drivers. On top of the list is Dubrovnik, followed by three UK cities: London, Glasgow, and Belfast.