Trip at a glance
Distance~170km from Bucharest
DurationFull day (12–14h)
Best SeasonJuly – October
Road openLate June – Late October
From PriceFrom €130 / car
MinivanFrom €160
Payment💳 Card · 💵 Cash · 🏦 Transfer
About this trip
Romania's greatest drive — the road that defies mountains
The Transfăgărășan (DN7C) was built between 1970 and 1974 under Nicolae Ceaușescu as a military strategic road crossing the Fagaras Mountains. Today it is Romania's most iconic road and one of the most spectacular driving routes in the world, famously called "the best road in the world" by Top Gear.
The road climbs from 450m to 2,042m in a series of dramatic hairpin bends, tunnels and viaducts, culminating at the glacial Bâlea Lake sitting among snow-dusted peaks. On the southern side, the ruins of Poienari Fortress — the real castle of Vlad the Impaler — cling dramatically to a rocky cliff.
- 90km of hairpin bends through the Fagaras Mountains
- Bâlea Lake at 2,042m — stunning glacial lake
- Bâlea Waterfall — impressive cascade on the northern side
- Poienari Fortress — Vlad the Impaler's real castle (1,480 steps)
- Curtea de Argeș Monastery — UNESCO heritage site
- Vidraru Dam — one of Europe's largest arch dams
- Spectacular alpine scenery year-round
- Road open approximately late June to late October