Transfagarasan Highway Tour: The Best Road in the World!
What you need to know about this Transfagarasan Road Tour
- This tour starts from Sibiu and lasts 7 hours. Runs all year round: driving on the road in July-Oct, by cable car the rest of the year.
- Included: transport by car, local tour guide. Cable car ticket NOT included
- The main part of Tranfagarasan Highway opens for driving only between July - October. Outside this period, if weather permits, we can do the tour using the cable car which runs right above the road (extra fee of about 30 Euro/person for tickets)
- You will see a 800 year old abbey, the Tranfagarasan highway and the Balea glacier lake at the top of the mountains.
- If you want, we can stop for lunch on our route - I know some good spots :)
- Unless you specifically mention that you want a private tour, there might be other travelers joining you on this trip
- If you want we can also do a short (3h) hike up in Fagaras Mountains. Please mention this when booking.
Additional information
The weather changes a lot in the mountains so, we suggest proper equipment: sun hat, umbrella, rain coat, sport shoes or trekking shoes.
Between November and July the road is closed due to weather conditions. We can reach Balea Lake by taking a cable car (extra 16 Euro/ person). In case of extremely windy and snowy weather, the acces is totally forbidden.
Apart from the spectacular drive on the Transfagarasan winding road and the visit at the Carta Abbey you can choose a visit at the Cisnadioara fortress.
Moments to expect in the Transfagarasan Road Trip
The Cistercian Monks' Abbey
Built in the 13th century by the Cistercian monks, the Carta fortified abbey is one of the earliest gothic constructions in Transylvania. During our visit you will discover its well-preserved ruins and learn about the 800 year old history of this attraction.
The Transfagarasan Road
Built by the communists as an access road across the Carpathian Mts. to link Transylvania with the Southern province of Wallachia, the Transfagarasan Highway is a spectacular scenic road situated in a mountain valley at 2,000m high. Enjoy a ride on the road that Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson called "the best road in the world."
*runs all year round
Glacier Balea Lake
At the top of Transfagarasan Highway there is a small glacier lake hidden between the rough edges of Fagaras Mts. With its emerald green waters, there is something special and relaxing about this lake and you will have the chance to admire it and the splendid surrounding views!
Balea Ice Hotel (only in winter time)
From December to April the glacier lake gets frozen and becomes... a hotel! Built from the ice of the lake, this hotel is the second biggest ice hotel in Europe. Every year it has a different theme which makes it spectacular and unique. The hotel of ice and the ice church are "a must" on our visit list!
Cisnadioara Fortress (optional)
Cisnadioara fortress is one of the oldest in Transylvania (12th century). We'll climb up the hill and enjoy a great view towards the village and the mountains around
Short hike in Fagaras Mountains
If you're fit and well equipped (hiking boots, wind + water proof jacket), we can do a short circuit hike up in Fagaras Mts for 3h. Just let me know when booking.
Drive to Poenari Citadel
Between 15 June - 31 October you can customise this tour and include a drive to Poenari Castle, 1h South of Balea Lake. This is the 'real Dracula Castle' because, unlike Bran Castle, Vlad Dracula actually lived here. The ruins of the castle have lots of stories and legends to share if you're willing to find out!
[extra cost 75 Euro]
Guide
Other guides for this tour
Cancelation & refund policy
EasySends us or the guide an email 24h before the tour informing us you can't make it and you'll get a full refund of your payment, no questions asked.
Location details
- Starting point: Sibiu
- Nearest airport: Sibiu or Cluj International
- Nearest train station: Sibiu Train Station
- Landscape: Mountains & countryside
Reviews from travellers
We had a great trip with Adela on the Transfagarasan! She is a very friendly, open-minded and reliable person and made sure we had a great day. We did a beautiful hike around Balea lac. We highly recommend!
Romanian Friend was easy to work with—communication was clear, and their responses were quick. We enjoyed the Transfăgărășan Highway Tour, especially the cable car ride, which gave us a great view of the surrounding area. When the weather turned rainy and cold, our guide adjusted the plans smoothly and still managed to make the day enjoyable with alternative activities. Overall, a well-organized and flexible experience.
Excellent tour, we saw a lot of nice things, even bear cubs on the side of the road. The scenery is incredible, and the guide is very friendly and gave us a lot of information! That was really nice!
Adela took us to the Transfăgărășan Highway tour from Sibiu. Highly recommended and simply perfect. The weather was stunning—Bâlea Lac was bathed in sunshine, a rare winter treat. Adela’s passion for showcasing the best of Sibiu truly shone through, driving us through traditional villages was both scenic and fascinating, and she even took us to the serene Mănăstirea Cisterciană, a beautiful, peaceful hidden gem. Everything was seamless, from the pickup near Lumos Cafe to the drop-off at Lidl upon our request. A highly personalized, enriching experience.
Great small tour to some fantastic locations. Adela was a flexible, friendly, and very knowledgeable guide who made it a great day.
Our tour with Peter, Adela's husband, was a multi faceted delight. His knowledge of where to be when, in order to highlight each view made for great photo opportunities. He is a wealth of information about Romanian history and culture. His patience with our many questions was boundless. We were greatly enriched and enjoyed ourselves so much! We were so fortunate to share a day with him and recommend him highly.
My tour with Peter - the husband of Adela - was just amazing. He has so much knowledge about this breathtaking part of Roumania, the Carpathian mountains. You feel the love he has for his home region! I was lucky to have him as a personal guide, so I could ask everything and got a perfect answer to all. Peter was very friendly and the whole day in a good mood. I recommend him absolutely for this tour and I hope to be able to do the tour again with friends I'm going to inspire to come to Transylvania and to do this tour.
Adela couldn't be with us so we had the chance to be guided by her husband Peter :) Amazing tour and we had a wonderful time! We highly recommend!!!! Thanks again :)
I couldn't have asked for a better guide! Everything was perfect, we had a beautiful, interesting and scenic hike through the traditional villages, and Adela is such an amazing and interesting person. Highly recommend!
We went with Petre, Adela's husband, and he was a great guide! He knew everything and we trusted him! Thank you Petre!
The tour was absolutely fantastic. The sights were stunning. Adela was responsive beforehand and an excellent guide during. Adela is great.
Adela was very knowledgeable, informative, friendly and professional. We had a wonderful day on this tour and highly recommend it.
Nach meiner Anfrage für eine Tour kam schnell eine Antwort mit Bestätigung und Zusage für unsere Tour. Es war sehr schon. I requested a tour and an answer came quickly with confirmation and commitment for our tour. It was very nice, thank you.
The tour was good and the views were amazing. Booking was easy and communication was smooth. Our guide brought us to the transfagarasan highway early and we manage to avoid the crowds! Recommended.
The tour went perfect, our guide Peter was on time, very friendly and knowledgeable. He showed us some more spots on the Transfagarasan Highway which was great! I highly recommend booking a tour with Romanian Friend, everything was organised well, and communication was easy.
My husband and I did the Transfagarasan Highway Tour. It was amazing! I was really worried as it was the only day that wasn't clear and sunny and as we started up the road there was very little visability due to the fog and clouds. But once we were a little over halfway up we got above the clouds and could see the road from the view point as well as the clouds as they crept up the mountain. It was a very cool sight, my husband especially loved it. It was clear at the top as well as on the other side. The whole day was great, getting to see the Abbey and Clay Castle were bonuses. Lunch was fantastic and our guide, Peter, was friendly and charming. Highly recommend.
Wow! Quelle belle expérience pour nous. Nous recommandons fortement ce tour. Nous avons fait la route transfagarasan, vu le lac et avons fait une magnifique randonnée. Adèle, do. Conjoint et Marius ont été très généreux. Ce fut la meilleure journée de notre voyage en Roumanie!
Everything was very well organized and adjusted to our needs. We had safe ride and nice conversation during that time. All the views were amazing and it was definitely worth going there. Our guide was helpful and really took care about us. I can highly recommend this tour on Romanian Friend with Adela :)
Fantastic day and great value for money! The road trip would have been enough on its own, but the visit to Carta monastery and the clay house were icing on the cake. Our guide Adela was friendly, chatty and knowledgable. She took us at a pace we felt comfortable with and gave us a real tour. Highly recommend!
Adela was informative , attentive and she added greatly to my experience of this part of Romania. This tour was excellent - thank you Adela and Romanian Friend.
We had a great day with Adela who was helpful, enthusiastic and really awesome as a guide. Everything went well and as planned and we found out a lot about Sibiu area and Transfagarasan, which was the highlight of our trip. Thanks Romanian Friend!
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