Transfăgărășan (poarta montană)
≈90 km · ≈1h30 by car (seasonal)
A road blasted through the rock with 6,520 tonnes of dynamite
Few roads in the world were born with as much force as the Transfăgărășan. To carve a way over the ridge of the Făgăraș Mountains, the engineering troops of the Romanian Army shifted several million tonnes of rock using, according to period records, around 6,520 tonnes of dynamite. The result is a 151-kilometre route that climbs in dizzying switchbacks up to about 2,042 metres of altitude, at the mouth of the tunnel between Capra and Bâlea, the longest road tunnel in Romania, at 887 metres.
A road ordered out of fear of invasion
The road was built between 1970 and 1974 and officially inaugurated on 20 September 1974, at the command of Nicolae Ceaușescu. The reason was not tourism but fear: after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the communist leadership wanted a strategic military route that could quickly cross the Carpathians, from Muntenia towards Transylvania. The extremely harsh works officially claimed around 40 lives, and the full paving was only completed in 1980.
What you see as you climb
The high point of the road is Lake Bâlea, a glacial lake set at around 2,034 metres, a clear mirror caught between walls of stone. Lower down, to the north, the waters descend in steps through the Bâlea Waterfall, one of the most spectacular in the country. Towards the southern end, in Argeș County, the road passes by the Vidraru dam and beneath Poenari Citadel, the ruin linked to the figure of Vlad Țepeș. The route connects Sibiu County, to the north, with Argeș, to the south.
In winter, when the road sleeps under the snow
The alpine section is open only in the warm months, usually from the end of June until around the end of October, and in winter it closes because of the snow and the risk of avalanches. Then, at Bâlea Lake, the famous ice hotel has risen since 2006, built year after year in the shape of an igloo and reached by cable car. Check the traffic schedule, the state of the road and the fares on the official sources before you visit.
How to get there from Râșnov
From Râșnov, where MAX International awaits you, the most convenient way is westwards, through Brașov and Țara Făgărașului, towards the northern entrance at Cârțișoara, in Sibiu County. Even though it is a full-day excursion, the views from the "road among the clouds" are worth every kilometre. Set off early in the morning, dress in layers and check the mountain weather before you leave.