DN7C · Făgăraș Mountains · Romania

Transfăgărășan

Romania’s mountain road over the Făgăraș range: a long valley run, then a staircase of switchbacks up to Bâlea Lake. Here is the north ramp as Turini calls it.

Where is the Transfăgărășan?

In the Southern Carpathians in central Romania, on the DN7C across the Făgăraș Mountains. The route on this page is the north ramp, from the foot of the mountains up to Bâlea Lake near the top of the road.

Why the Transfăgărășan is famous

It was built in the early 1970s as a strategic route over the mountains, and its north side ends in the stacked switchbacks that appear in almost every photo of it. Top Gear called it the best road in the world.

The first 9 km are quiet: crests, bridges and long fast bends through the valley. Then the hairpins start, and the tightest stack comes in the last few kilometres below Bâlea Lake.

Transfăgărășan hairpins

Over 32.3 km Turini calls 29 hairpins and 167 corners graded 1 to 6, plus 8 crests and 4 dips. That is 235 calls in all, one every 138 metres on average. Grade 1 is the tightest, 6 is nearly straight (how to read pace notes).

Elevation profile

From 755 m at the start to 2,022 m at the finish, with a highest point of about 2,050 m. Red marks are the hairpins.

Transfăgărășan pace notes, first few km

The first 25 calls, exactly as Turini reads them, with the distance from the start.

That takes you to 4.17 km. 210 more calls follow over the remaining 28.2 km.

Before you go

The high section is open only in summer, normally from early July to the end of October, and can close at short notice for snow or rockfall. Check the current status before you go.

Bears are often seen near the road on the lower slopes. Don’t stop to feed them. On summer weekends the top gets crowded, so go early.

How to drive the Transfăgărășan with Turini

Set the route before you leave and Turini saves its notes on the phone, so it works with the screen off and no signal. On the road it reads each call about 4.5 seconds before the corner, timed to your speed, and you never touch the phone. It also works through Android Auto. If pace notes are new to you, start in Simple mode (Easy, Medium, Hard) and switch to the 1–6 scale once it feels natural.

Always drive within the law, the conditions and what you can see. Turini tells you what the map says; the road is what counts.

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