The Transfagarasan Highway

The Transfagarasan is one of the most spectacular mountain roads in the world, a dramatic highway built as a strategic route that snakes its way over the high Fagaras Carpathians in a dizzying series of hairpin bends, tunnels and viaducts. Climbing to over 2,000 metres, it passes soaring peaks, waterfalls, forests and the beautiful glacial Balea Lake near its summit, and its breathtaking scenery and thrilling driving have made it a legendary route, open only in the warmer months when the high pass is clear of snow.

History

The road was built between 1970 and 1974, mainly by army units, using roughly six million kilograms of dynamite at heights of up to 2,000 metres, and it was opened on 20 September 1974, though paving went on until 1980. It runs 90 kilometres from near Bascov to the junction with the DN1 near Sibiu, between the highest peaks in the country, and is the second-highest paved road in Romania after the Transalpina (Wikipedia, Transfăgărășan).

The landscape

• The hairpin bends - the dramatic switchbacks up the mountainside.
• Balea Lake - the glacial lake near the summit.
• The waterfalls and viaducts - the cascades and dramatic road engineering.
• The mountain panoramas - the sweeping Carpathian views.

When to go

The high pass is open only in the warmer months, usually from around late June or July to October, and is closed by snow the rest of the year, so timing is essential; a clear summer day gives the best driving and views. It is busy on summer weekends.

Practical notes

It is open only for a few months in summer, closed by snow the rest of the year, so timing is crucial, and even in season the summit can be cold, cloudy or foggy. It is very popular on summer weekends, so the road and the lake can be busy and slow with traffic. A clear day, though, makes it one of the great drives, and it pairs with the equally scenic Transalpina.

Nearby

The city of Sibiu, the Poenari fortress and the Carpathians are within reach.

Key facts