What directions had Europeans traders normally gone to get Asia?

Europeans traders had traditionally gone east via the Mediterranean Sea and the Levant, then overland through the Middle East and Central Asia, and finally across the Indian Ocean to reach Asia. This was known as the Silk Road. Another route, known as the Spice Route, went southwest from Europe through the Atlantic Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, and then northeast across the Indian Ocean to reach Asia.