Among the many, many, so very many brainless, monumental, money pit projects hatched by former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, only one remains useful and even admired. I speak of the Transfagarasan Road, Romania’s highest asphalt road, winding over the Fagaras Mountains, connecting Transylvania to Wallachia.
The Transfagarasan Road was born, not surprisingly, out of one of Ceausescu’s many paranoid episodes, wanting to secure a Carpathian crossing in case of Russian invasion (as had happened in Czechoslovakia in 1968). Ceausescu sent in the army to tackle job, which they did in just four and a half years (38 fall-down exhausted soldiers reportedly died in mishaps during construction), opening in September 1974.
Due to the high altitude weather, the road is only open (roughly) from June through October. The north (Transylvania) side is indisputably the highlight, cinematically twisting and climbing, passing little waterfalls and remote lodges while providing stupefying views. Soon after the tree-line starts to thin, Bâlea Cascada (Bâlea Waterfall) appears – or not, as it is often enshrouded in a fog so thick and creamy you could mix in parmesan and poured it over pasta.
At the road’s peak is Lake Bâlea (2,034 meters/6,671 feet) which is also often lost in fog. Keep an eye out for (pathetic) signage signaling your arrival or just pull over when you see a lot of parked cars and roadside vendors selling corn on the cob. The walk from the road to the lake is about 15 minutes. Or drive it, though with all the people wandering around driving is about as slow as walking and you run the risk of finding nowhere to park once you reach the busy lakeside chalet/restaurant. Lake Bâlea is also the site of the Ice Hotel.
An instant after passing the Lake Bâlea turnoff, you’ll plunge into a nearly one kilometer long tunnel, emerging on the south side of the mountain, which is less striking to look at, but the upshot is that it’s rarely foggy on this side. The drive down the mountain and through the twisting, deteriorating forest road at the bottom takes about 90 minutes all told, before you suddenly come upon Lake Vidraru Dam and Poienari Citadel (the real Dracula’s castle) soon after.
This is such an unforgettable experience behind the wheel that it was declared “the best road in the world” by the Top Gear boys when they visited in 2009, tearing up and down the mountain in an Aston Marton, a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. (I’ve driven it four times, each behind the wheel of a Daewoo Matiz – not quite the same thrill.)
Id love to take my bicycle on this road!
“Weather restricts access to the road to roughly May through October.”
Don’t you mean the other way around?? :P
When are you going to lead a Lamborghini tour of the Transfagarasan Road? Soon, please! Next week??
thanks for the article – looking for tips like these to help my holiday plans in those regions :-)
On leif’s recommendation, I included this route in a motorcycle tour of East Europe and the Balkans last summer.
Having previously ridden along the Stelvio pass, Great Ocean road, Highway 1 and other renowned routes around the world…this is definitely one of the best!
This looks a bit like the desert road in Jordan – same principle, just not as much desert / Dead Sea. I love roads like this, winding, with the best view ever and seeming like you’ll never get anywhere, until, suddenly, you reach your destination!
Ooo! Lambo tours of Romania! Aw, there’s no company in the world that would insure it. Not with the white knuckle, dangerously distracted driving that still persists in Rom.
I’m happy to have found your blog. I’m trying to find all sorts of info for traveling to Romania this summer and there is little I can find online. I will soon be sending a email your way!
Is it safe to cycle, or would you be run flat by a tourist bus?
@Maria – well, a good start is to check out my online travel guide: http://romaniaandmoldova.com
@Zach – not many tour buses on the road, but a fair amount of trucks hauling materials up and down the mountain. I’m sure going down on a bike would be amazing, but going up would be suicide.
You went there in a Daewoo Matiz? You, sir, are a brave man! :)
Can you believe i’m Romanian and never been on Transfagarasan? Each time we went to Bucharest we chose either DN7 (Oltului Valley) or DN1 (Prahova Valley).
“Weather restricts access to the road to roughly May through October.” — actually it’s the other way around. it closes by end of October (or whenever the first snow falls) and opens at the beginning of June or so
Sarah/Cristina, I see that, while grammatically correct, that sentence is confusing. I’ve rephrased it.
Video has been blocked
@Lucas – Drat! And I can’t find a replacement. Not on Youtube anyway. Oh well.
You’ve got some great and thorough info on Romania here! Thanks for this great resource. I’m be using it soon I’m sure. It’s good to see reviews of hostels and restaurants that may not be listed elsewhere.