Private Road Trip to Transfagarasan Highway

Your tour will begin early in the morning when your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in order to start your journey through Făgăraș, the tallest mountains in Romania.

Curtea de Arges Monastery 

The first destination of the tour is the Curtea de Arges Monastery. According to the legend, the secret behind one of the most beautiful monasteries in Romania is the human sacrifice that made it possible. The master Manole cemented his wife, Ana, into the foundation of the building, as a gift to God.  The monastery was completed in 1517, after 5 years of work, and today it serves as the necropolis of the Romanian Royal Family.

Poenari Castle

Next, you will take a road trip through a magnificent highway that crosses the Carpathian Mountains. On top of an isolated cliff, located 850 meters above the ground, sits the Poenari Castle.

Poenari Castle was built between the 13th and 14th centuries, but it was shortly abandoned. When he came to power in Targoviste, Vlad the Impaler seized many of his enemies and political opponents and force them to work on expanding the Castle. After months of slaved labor, many of those who constructed the castle died, and in the end, those that were still alive were impaled.

Vidraru Dam

Close to the castle is one of the tallest dams in Europe, Vidraru Dam, with a height of more than 160 meters. You will stop to enjoy the beautiful scenery, and you can use this opportunity to take some great pictures of the surrounding area.

The last part of the tour is the long-awaited road trip on Transfagarasan Highway, the most beautiful road in the world. 

The first to award it this title was the Top Gear team, who drove on this road in 2009. That year, the Transfagarasan road took the top spot as "the best road in the world". It took 20 tons of dynamite to forge the path of the Transfagarasan, and now as it sits between Curtea de Arges and Cartisoara as the most majestic piece of road in the known world.

The road was built between 1970 and 1974, with the army's logistical support, the aim being to connect the historical provinces of Transylvania and Walachia on a previously inaccessible route. The construction has involved great sacrifice, and only Ceausescu's immeasurable ambition made the task possible. The project's cost to the country was high, especially that many lives were lost during its achievement.

No matter whether you're a petrolhead, photography enthusiast, or nature lover, you will be amazed by the spectacular Transfagarasan road. 

Balea Lake

Descending from the Transfagarasan, you will reach the northernmost point of the tour, Balea Lake. After a short hike near the lake, you will head back to Bucharest.

You will be back in Bucharest in the evening.