Drive The Transfagarasan Highway
Still to do
Ninety kilometres of hairpin bends snaking over the Carpathians, once called the best road in the world by Top Gear.
The adventure
The road climbs out of the forest in a ribbon of switchbacks that fold back on themselves again and again up a bare green mountainside. From the viewpoints near the top, you look down on it coiled below like a dropped rope, often with a sea of cloud lying in the valley beyond.
At the top sits Bâlea Lake, a glacial tarn at 2,034 metres where shepherds sell smoked cheese from huts, before a tunnel punches through the ridge. On the southern side the road plunges through beech woods, past the towering Vidraru Dam and below Poenari Castle, the cliff-top fortress of Vlad the Impaler, reached by around 1,480 steps. Watch the verges, too: brown bears regularly wander out looking for handouts.
Why it’s epic
- Built between 1970 and 1974 on Ceaușescu's orders as a military route over the mountains.
- The road peaks at 2,042 metres, and its tunnel under the ridge runs for nearly 900 metres.
- Vidraru Dam is 166 metres high, holding back a long reservoir in the valley.
- Poenari Castle was a real fortress of Vlad III, the prince who inspired Dracula.
What it is
The Transfăgărășan is a winding mountain road climbing to 2,042 metres.
How to do it
The high section is only open in summer. Drive from Sibiu or Curtea de Argeș, stopping at Bâlea Lake and Poenari Castle.
Top tip
Check opening dates; snow can close it.
Need to know
- The high section usually opens from early July to the end of October, depending on snow.
- Never feed the bears, and stay in your car if you see one; it's dangerous and can bring heavy fines.
- Summer weekends bring heavy traffic, so drive it early or on a weekday.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £750 to £2,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- 1 day
- Best time to go
- July to October
- Fly into
- SBZ airport
Flights to Sibiu and a hire car are the main costs; Romania is good value for food and places to stay.
Make it happen
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Why it’s on my list
Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.
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