"TRANSFAGARASAN ROAD" Fagaras by Nemoa

Fagaras Travel Guide: 2 reviews and 11 photos

Across the mountains.

My favourite route in Romania has to be the Transfagarasan road.
This is the country's highest road and it runs from the E68 to Curtea de Arges.

The road was built in the 70's by dictator Ceaucescu after he heard of the invasion of Prague by Soviet tanks. He thought that it would be a practical defence strategy to create a road linking the North of the country with the depot where he kept his tanks and army ( the town of Pitesti) in case the roads were taken by a hostile army.

The result is the impressive road that crosses the Fagaras mountains and was built in 4 years (working only in summer, as the mountain gets snow in winter!) at a great social and economic cost.

On top of its historical interest the touristic appeal of the road is fantastic.In your way you will find the most beautiful landscapes, lakes, forest and cliffs!!

It is most worthy to do this route, although I would recommend you to be confident and skilled when it comes to driving! The road can be very narrow at times and you have to be quite adventurous sometimes when it comes to overtake Romanian Dacias....

Anyway, if you like driving you will have lots of fun here, as we did.

Lake Balea

Balea is a glacial lake. Even in summer you can see bits of snow in the landscape.

The lake itself is a beautiful mirror-like extension of water. Even if it is sunny and warm in the valley the mountains are pretty chilly and at you will feel your nose and fingertips freezing as you stand by the lake admiring the landscape.

I recommend you to stay a few minutes and recreate youself in the view and the purity of the air.

Only Con: the peace is a bit disturbed and the landscape a bit spoilt by some souvenir-selling caravans, parked card and its unavoidable fumes right by the edge of the road.

And now,,, down the Road

Reservoirs

Lake Balea is the climax of the Transfagarasan route.
Careful when you leave the lake! there is a tunnel you have to pass and most likely you will find yourself face to face with some Dacia without lights, or even worse, as it happened to us,an scaffolding that takes 3/4 of the road! :-) Driving in Romania has got some beauties!

The final ride is not, in my opinion, as nice as the way up to Lake Balea. Instead of forest you will have longs stretches of cliff and rocks and a couple of reservoirs that, although nice, do not have the natural beauty of the lakes.

Be extremely careful with kamikaze hikers (as if the road was not dangerous enough...), not less suicidal Dacia drivers, and all sorts of rocks, animals etc,,, you can find on the road.

Pros and Cons

Pros:All! Beautiful landscapes, and lots of driving excitement!
Cons:Crazy Dacias on your way.
In a nutshell:Must do! don't miss this one if you go to Romania

Last visit to Fagaras: Aug 2004
Intro Updated Oct 24, 2004
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xray99 May 15, 2011 at 1:06 PM

Hello Nemoa: I am considering the Transfagaran drive myself, in a few weeks. Did you rent a car? If so, where? What else did you like in Romania? Thank you, - Peter
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codrutz Feb 24, 2005 at 3:57 AM

Transfagarasan is probably the best mountain road in Romania .. I like it also
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zizu Oct 22, 2004 at 2:38 AM

Crazy Dacias! the drivers are crazy in dacialand :-)