Transfăgărășan Road - Romania

Hello travellers!

Welcome to our first post! Today we will be discovering the long and tangled road of Transfăgărășan, filled with magic landscapes. From lakes and dams to donkeys and bears, this place provides a full experience for nature and landscapes lovers. Fill your gas tanks and let’s go!

With more than 150 driveable kilometres, this road is situated between the city of Bascov and the Cârțișoara village, close to the city of Sibiu. It is the second-highest mountain road in Romania, its top point being situated at 2042 m. Moreover, the Transfăgărășan was featured in a segment of the British TV show Top Gear, in November 2009. Host Jeremy Clarkson proclaimed that the Transfăgărășan was "the best road in the world”. Its initial purpose was to provide quick military access across the mountains in case of a Soviet attack. The road has been open since 1974 and has welcomed hundreds of thousands of tourists.

This road is open from June to October, due to the weather conditions that make it inaccessible the rest of the year. But if you are lucky enough to visit it on a sunny day, you will get unforgettable sceneries…and amazing pictures. Realistically speaking, all you need is some water, snacks, a camera, and some good music, as the road provides restaurants only close to the top, and there are several areas with no phone signal.

Near the highest point of the road, you will find the Bâlea Waterfall, the Bâlea tunnel (the longest tunnel in Romania – almost one kilometre long) and Bâlea Lake, where you can park your car and enjoy a short walk across the shops, the Bâlea Cabin, the restaurants and the Transfăgărășan panoramic viewpoint. From the shops you can buy souvenirs or romanian local products like cheese, alcohol, ham or sweets.

Being on a mountain road, there is a big chance of meeting animals. Through our way, we found really friendly donkeys and a cute baby bear that was watching tourists while scratching its foot. Here is a cute picture that was taken while trying (and succeeding!) to feed the donkeys. They are interesting, as you don't get to see live donkeys and bears on a daily basis, but be careful and respect their environment.

After an hour and a half of driving from Bâlea Lake, you will find the Vidraru Dam, a nice spot to get pictures and some spring water from the local supply. Apart from the dam, you can see the monument of electricity, an iron statue picturing God Prometheus holding two thunderbolts. After climbing around 300 steps, you can get to a point where you are closer to the statue and at the same time have a nice panoramic view over the Vidraru lake and the dam. 

Driving the full road and visiting the attractions require around 6 hours, but if you want to have a one-night stay, there are plenty of hotels and boarding houses with accessible prices available around the road.

This was our first destination. We hope that you enjoyed driving around the Transfăgărășan road and its attractions. Follow us on Instagram @travelteria in order to be up to date with our posts and suggest other nice places you would like to read about.

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