Most people picture Switzerland or Austria when they think of mountain roads in Europe. Romania deserves a place on that list. The Transfăgărășan Highway (DN7C) climbs through the Făgăraș Mountains to 2,042 meters at Bâlea Lake, and on my day trip from Bucharest in early September we spotted seven wild brown bears along the way.

You can drive it yourself or join a guided day trip from Bucharest. Either way, the high mountain section only opens in summer and early fall, the day is long, and the bears you meet by the road are wild animals you watch from inside the vehicle. Below is how my day went, when to go and what to plan for.

Looking down the valley from a viewpoint on the Transfăgărășan. Photo: Nancy Sevilla

What Is the Transfăgărășan Highway?

The Transfăgărășan, officially DN7C, runs about 151 km across the Southern Carpathians and links Wallachia in the south with Transylvania in the north. The part everyone comes for is the roughly 90 km mountain stretch between Vidraru Dam and Cârțișoara: hairpin bends, viaducts and short tunnels that top out at 2,042 meters in the tunnel next to Bâlea Lake.

It was built between 1970 and 1974 under Nicolae Ceaușescu as a strategic route across the mountains. Top Gear filmed there in 2009, and the road has drawn drivers from all over Europe ever since. Like Bolivia’s Death Road, it’s a road people travel to for the road itself. It’s also only Romania’s second-highest paved road, behind the Transalpina at 2,145 meters.

Getting to the Transfăgărășan Highway From Bucharest

The mountain road starts near Curtea de Argeș, about 155 km northwest of Bucharest, so a day trip from…

Read Full Article Source