Summer road trips: Scenic drives to try in Romania
It’s not so much of a secret that the rather poor road infrastructure can turn driving into an unpleasant experience in Romania. However, when it comes to road trips, the country has some aces up its sleeve: high-altitude roads that offer…
Irina Marica · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
It’s not so much of a secret that the rather poor road infrastructure can turn driving into an unpleasant experience in Romania. However, when it comes to road trips, the country has some aces up its sleeve: high-altitude roads that offer breathtaking views in addition to unique driving experiences. For those looking for some inspiration this summer, we’ve listed below four mountain roads to try in Romania.
Transalpina (DN67C) climbs to an altitude of 2,145 meters (at Urdele Pass), which makes it the highest road in Romania and one of the highest in the Carpathian Mountains. It is nicknamed King’s Road, as King Carol II inaugurated it more than 80 years ago, together with other members of the royal family.
Today, the road is one of Romania’s main tourist spots, and some say it is even more beautiful than the (probably) better-known Transfagarasan. It crosses the Parang Mountains from north to south, connecting Novaci in Gorj county and Sebes in Alba county.
The winding road takes drivers up to the clouds, offering spectacular and even quite wild landscapes. A drive on Transalpina can take about 3-4 hours.
Keep in mind that, due to its altitude, the road is not open all year. This year, the authorities opened Transalpina in early June, and they will most probably close it once the weather gets bad (in autumn). It snows a lot up there, and driving on it is no longer possible during cold months. However, regardless of the season, visitors should always have some warm clothes in their luggage, as it gets windy and cold on the top.
While in the area, tourists can also visit the Polovragi Cave, Oltetului Gorge, or the Icoana and Polovragi monasteries. An upside down house is also located nearby.
Transfagarasan (DN7C) is by far the best-known road in Romania. A project of late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the spectacular road that crosses the Carpathian Mountains has been a setting for drive tests, photo shootings, movies, and auto commercials for sports cars and motorcycles. Its popularity kind of spiked in 2009 when the famous British auto show Top Gear shot one of its episodes on Transfagarasan, naming it “the best road in the world.” Some also call it “The Road to the Sky.”
