
Calle Monroy is one of the steepest streets in the world
Spain, europe
N/A
N/A
hard
Year-round
# Calle Monroy: Tenerife's Jaw-Dropping Steep Street
Nestled in the charming coastal town of Santa Úrsula on Tenerife's north shore, Calle Monroy is absolutely bonkers – and we mean that in the best way possible. This street holds serious bragging rights as one of the steepest in the entire world.
Here's where it gets wild: this 740-meter stretch plummets from 638 meters down to 430 meters elevation, averaging a mind-bending 28.1% gradient. But that's just the average – the steepest sections hit a whopping 40%! That's steeper than most ski slopes, and you're supposed to drive on it.
The entire road is paved, but the architects clearly knew what they were doing. The upper section ditches traditional asphalt for heavy-duty concrete, which can actually handle the punishment. Plus, there's this rad chevron pattern grooved right into the concrete to give your tires something to grip.
Fair warning: there are absolutely zero flat sections on this thing, and the bottom part gets seriously narrow. Stopping is genuinely sketchy – even with quality brakes, you're fighting gravity. There's actually a small shrine along the roadside marking a tragic reminder of what can go wrong here.
Smart visitors? They tend to start at the top and cruise downhill instead. Can you blame them?
Where is it?
Calle Monroy is one of the steepest streets in the world is located in Spain (europe). Coordinates: 39.7071, -4.3156
Road Details
- Country
- Spain
- Continent
- europe
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 39.7071, -4.3156
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