Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, being on the coast of Norfolk, are consequently limited in the number of access routes from outside the area. There are two main routes into the towns, two lesser routes and a few minor ones.

The two main routes come to the town from the South and West. From the South, Gorleston is served by the A12 from Lowestoft, which brings its traffic into Great Yarmouth via the Gorleston Inner Relief Road, which was completed in late 1993 and runs along the line of the old railway route.

Arriving from Norwich and the West is the A47, the last stretch known as the "Acle Straight" due to its route across the marshes from the town of Acle. This 8 mile section is one of the few remaining stretches of single-carriageway road on the route from London to Great Yarmouth via Norwich.

The two lesser routes come to the town from the South-West and the North. From the South-West the A143 connects the town with Beccles and Bury St. Edmunds whilst the A149 links it with North Walsham, the Norfolk Broads and the North Norfolk Coast, a busy route, especially during the holiday season.

Both Gorleston and Great Yarmouth have a prominent seafront road, both called Marine Parade. The one in Great Yarmouth is home to the large crowds in the summer, whilst Gorleston's is a quieter affair, without the plethora of attractions that draw visitors from their holiday homes. The main commercial roads in Great Yarmouth are King Street, the marketplace (now pedestrianised), Regent Street and Hall Quay, home of most of the main banks. Holidaymakers are catered for by the large number of shops and restaurants on Regent Road which links the market area with the seafront. Northgate Street, to the north of the town centre, also has a number of smaller shops. Gorleston has as its centre the High Street, leading into High Road with Bells Road also home to many shops.

The route connecting Great Yarmouth and Gorleston along the western side of the River Yare is Southtown Road, along which are a number of warehouses and small industrial units. This was effectively the only route between the towns prior to the opening of the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Inner Relief Road which linked Pasteur Road to the southern end of Southtown Road as well as going all the way through to Lowestoft Road near the James Paget Hospital.