Transfăgărășan — the 90-kilometre Romanian switchback

The Transfăgărășan (officially DN7C) runs for 90 km across the spine of the Făgăraș mountains, the tallest range of the southern Carpathians. At 2,042 metres it is not the highest pass in Europe, but with a 5 km tunnel at the top and over forty hairpins on the northern descent, it is arguably the most theatrical.

History

The road was built between 1970 and 1974 on the orders of Nicolae Ceaușescu, who wanted a strategic military route across the mountains after watching the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. It cost a reported forty lives to build. The road saw almost no traffic for decades. Then, in 2009, Jeremy Clarkson drove it on Top Gear and called it "the best road in the world", and it has never been quiet since.

Riding it

The northern side from Cârțișoara climbs 40 km to Bâlea Lake, switchbacking visibly for the last 10 km. The southern side from Curtea de Argeș is longer but gentler. The Bâlea tunnel at the top is unlit and one-way in places; bring a light. The road closes from roughly November to late June; check the Romanian roads authority before you travel.

Along the way

• Bâlea Lake — A glacial lake at 2,034 m just below the summit tunnel, ringed by alpine meadows and home to an ice hotel in winter.
• Vidraru Dam — A 166-metre-high arch dam on the southern approach, holding back a deep turquoise reservoir in the Argeș valley.
• Poienari Fortress — The real castle of Vlad the Impaler, perched on a cliff above the Argeș river and reached by 1,480 concrete steps from the road.
• Bâlea Waterfall — A 60-metre cascade visible from the northern switchbacks, fed by snowmelt from the Făgăraș ridge above.
• Transalpina — The quieter Carpathian crossing one range west, the natural pairing for a multi-day Romanian tour.
• Carpathian Crossing — The loop that strings the two together across the Southern Carpathians.