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Transfăgărășan

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Transfăgărășan Road
Photo: Paul Bica, CC BY, Flickr

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Romania's hinterland offers spectacular mountain landscapes with great views. The country's second highest mountain pass promises varied landscapes and impressive panoramic views.

Distance 96 km

1:36 h

3,183 m

3,357 m

2,274 m

439 m

Far from the tourist hotspots, Romania offers many original and idyllic rural areas. Whether it is the sparsely populated mountain landscape of Transylvania or the rugged mountain massifs of the Carpathians and Transylvanian Alps – especially at higher altitudes visitors can expect largely undeveloped terrain. One of the absolute highlights of the country is the Transfăgărășan, a mountain road between Greater Wallachia and Transylvania. It is part of the national road DN7C and was built in the 1970s. The mountain pass is considered the second highest road in Romania. Since Jeremy Clarkson praised it in 2009 in the series "Top Gear" as the best road in the world, long-distance drivers regularly come here to see the terrain. They can overlook the surrounding countryside at dizzying heights of up to 2042 m. However, you first have to earn this view: before that, numerous tunnels, demanding climbs, and hairpin bends must be overcome.

Author’s recommendation

At Bâlea Lake, the highest point of the route, you can refresh yourself in a hotel and buy souvenirs.

Author

Wolfgang Paulus

Responsible for this content
Outdooractive Editors

Experience

Landscape

Highest point

2,274 m

Lowest point

439 m

Best time of year

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Track types

Asphalt

94.1 km

Forested/wild trail

988 m

Unknown

915 m

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Safety information

Due to steep and winding sections, a head for heights and good driving skills are required. Since the route is mostly exposed, it should not be driven in critical weather conditions.

Tips and suggestions

The route is generally closed due to weather from November to June. However, this period may vary depending on the winter onset.

Roadbook

The national road DN 7C begins in the village of Căpățânenii Ungureni in the Argeș district in the middle of the Wallachia region in central Romania. After about 2 km, it passes the hydroelectric power station of the Vidraru dam and goes through two tunnels to the Vidraru Reservoir. The route then runs for about 18 km along the eastern shore of the reservoir through the Capra Valley (Valea Caprei). It passes through the Bâlea Tunnel through Mount Paltinu directly to the Bâlea Lake. The Transfăgărășan then winds its way through a nature reserve to Transylvania and through the rock gates "Poarta Întâlnirii" (Gate of Meeting) and "Poarta Geniștilor" (Gate of the Pioneers) to the village of Cârțișoara in Sibiu district, before joining the European route E 68 after another 4 km.

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Vidraru Lake
Tunnel of Bâlea
Bâlea Lake

Public transport

The Transfăgărășan (DN 7C) is not accessible by public transport. Alternatively, a rental car is recommended.

Get Timetable to destination

Transfăgărășan

Directions

From Sibiu Airport (SBZ) via national roads DN 1 and DN 7 to the Transfăgărășan (DN 7C) (total distance: about 180 km; total duration: about 3.5 hours).

Parking

In the towns along the route, there are designated parking spaces.

Coordinates

45.334759, 24.636149

DMS

45°20'05.1"N 24°38'10.1"E

UTM

35T 314780 5022857

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Get there by train, car, bike, or on foot!

Equipment

For the stops, we recommend well-broken-in shoes with tread.

Localization

Parts of this content were machine translated from German.

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Distance

96 km

Duration

1:36 h

Ascent

3,183 m

Descent

3,357 m

Highest point

2,274 m

Lowest point

439 m

Scenic Geological highlights Linear route

Weather at the starting point

10-day forecast

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3 Waypoints

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