Weekend Trip from Bucharest - Transfagarasan Highway/Road

Top Gear calls it the World's Best Road possibly, World's Best Road Trip. That is how the Transfăgărășan Road is described on google.

Transfăgărășan (known as the National Road 7C) is a road across the Făgăraș Moutains linking Transylvania to the rest of Romania which climbs to an altitude of 2,042 metres (6,699 ft) and it is a scenic and beautiful and also a very difficult drive.

Upon realizing that this is only two hours away from Bucharest, we decided one October morning to take advantage of the a few days beautiful fall weather and go there for the weekend, especially since it was a good opportunity to see the mesmerizing colors of the fall foliage.

Keep in mind that the road is closed from November 1st to June the 30th each year, and for the rest of the year from 20:00 to 8:00 o'clock every day, as the driving conditions become dangerous at night.

This weekend trip was a combo, because there are a few other places to see on the way just right for spending a relaxing weekend with familty and/or friends:

• The Transfăgărășan Road itself (the southern portion to be more specific) is a winding road with scenic views of forests, mountain tops and glacial valleys. 
• The Vidraru Dam - artificial dam built in the 1960s is right on the Transfăgărășan Road and a good firt stop
• Bâlea Lake - is the top point of the Transfăgărășan Road, and the beginning of the descent into Transylvania. Very nice glacial lake here with lots of touristy amenities.
• Poenari Castle - (one) of the true residences of Vlad the Impaler a.k.a. Dracula. Located right before the ascent to the Vidraru Dam, but a 30 minute hike on the top of a hill (thunder sounds and evil laughs not included :-) ).
• Curtea de Argeș Monastery - could as well be the first stop on the way to Bâlea Lake or the last stop on the drive back to Bucharest. It is the a monastery buildt in the 1600s, which houses the Royal graves of the first two kings of Romania.

The drive is an easy one - 1 hour tops from Bucharest to Pitești via the A1 highway and then another hour from Pitești to the Vidraru Dam, the first stop on the weekend trip.

Beware that from the Vidraru Dam to the Bâlea Lake the drive is about 1 1/2 hours.

First Stop of the Day -  Vidraru Dam

About 1 hour and 30 minutes into the trip will reach the village of Arefu.

As as side note, Arefu is a place where there are a few good options for staying overnight, with decent quality and affordable prices. The higher up on Transfăgărășan you go the more expensive the accommodations.

The drive up the moutain begins here. After a 15 minute scenic steep drive through canyons and viaducts you will reach Vidraru Dam (the Transfăgărășan crosses it).

You can park on eiher sides of the dam. Plenty of things to admire here: the view towards the lake, the view of the dam looking downstream as well as the statue of Prometheus (the Greek god who stole the fire). 

I tried looking down the dam, but I was so terrified that afterwards I walked on the dam on the center divide of the road :-) lol.

There is a viewing deck which allows for even better views. I will spend an hour maximum here.

Transfăgărășan Road - Vidraru Dam

Transfăgărășan Road - Vidraru Dam - Looking 166 meters down (gotta have the stocmatch for this)

Transfăgărășan Road - Vidraru Dam

Transfăgărășan Road - Vidraru Dam - the Observation Deck to the Right

Transfăgărășan Road - Vidraru Dam - Statue of Prometheus

Ascent to Bâlea Lake

From Vidraru Dam, the drive to the Bâlea Lake is another hour and 30 minutes. The road is winding with lots of curves whcih turn into hairpin turns after the road goes past the edge of the Vidraru Lake.

Keep in mind that past Piscu Negru (20 minutes from the edge of the Vidraru Lake) the road is closed from November 1st to June the 30th each year, and for the rest of the year from 20:00 to 8:00 o'clock every day, as the driving conditions become dangerous at night especially since there are no fences on the edge of the road.

Piscu Negru is the midway between Vidraru Dam and the Bâlea Lake. It is the starting point for a few medium/difficult, but awesome as I heard, hiking trails including the one leading up the Negoiu Peak, Romania's second tallest peak at 2.535 meters.

Past Piscu Negru the driving scenery get beautiful - you driving at an altitude of around 2.000 meters with mountain peak surrounding you - and the driving gets difficult - easy to get caught into admiring the views, no road fences for the most part, and a very steep ascent.

The ascent ends with the 800 meters tunnel to Bâlea Lake at an altidtude of 2.000 meters.

Transfăgărășan Road - Valea Caprei glacial valley ahead

Transfăgărășan Road - the uppermost portion with the entry into the tunnel

Transfăgărășan Road - the uppermost portion

Transfăgărășan Road - the uppermost portion - no fence on the road 

Bâlea Lake

Once out of the Bâlea tunnel the road leads into the Bâlea glacial caldera. It is surrounded by peaks 2.400+ meters high and in the middle of it lies the Bâlea Lake, a glacial lake. 

The lake crystal clear and worth admiring for a few minutes. Also, the quiet is deafening. I haven't been to such a quiet place since I have been to the Monument Valley in Arizona long long time ago.

The are two cabins open year roud here and an ice hotel open during the winter. There are also plenty of food and souvernir stalls.

Keep in mind that this place is touristy, plenty of people, but given the sheer size, it will not feel crowded.

Transfăgărășan Road - the old Bâlea Cabin

Transfăgărășan Road - Bâlea Lake

Transfăgărășan Road - the old Bâlea Cabin

Transfăgărășan Road - Bâlea Lake

Transfăgărășan Road - Bâlea Lake

There also plenty hiking trails starting here, leading to the mountain peaks around the Bâlea Lake, so it is a good starting point for planning full weekend hikes.

Transfăgărășan Road - Bâlea Lake an the surrounding peaks 

Poenari Castle

I saved this for last, but it definitely last but not least.

Poenari Castle is located in the village of Arefu, perched high up on a hill and accessible from the Transfăgărășan Road via 1.480 concrete steps.

Buildt around 1453,  right around the time when the Spaniards were setting foot in the Americas, it was one of the actual residences for Vlad the Impaler a.k.a. Count Dracula, and it is the location the inspired the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker.

The hike up was spectacular for us given the fall season with all the red, yellow, orange and green typical of this season. It only took us about 30 minutes, with two kids, so without kids and good physical condition it can probably be done in 15 minutes.

Transfăgărășan Road - Stairs leading up the Poenari Castle

Once up you can admire the beautiful scenery and the ruins of the castle, a portion of which collapsed into the valley at the north. While the size of this former fortress is not necessarily impressive, its location is. It is only accessible by foot, which got me wondering how difficult it would have been to build and access it in the past.

Transfăgărășan Road - Poenari Castle

Transfăgărășan Road - Inside the ruins of the Poenari Castle

Transfăgărășan Road - Poenari Castle - some kitschy stuff

Transfăgărășan Road - Inside the ruins of the Poenari Castle

Transfăgărășan Road - Poenari Castle - looking down towards the Vidraru Dam

Curtea de Argeș Monastery

When travelling on the Transfăgărășan from Bucharest, one must stop to see the Curtea de Argeș Monastery. It resembles a very large and elaborate mausoleum, and was built in the Byzantine architectural style, with Moorish arabesques finalized in 1517.

It is the burial place of the first two kings of modern Romania (Carol I and Ferdinand I) and their spouses.

There is even a legend about this place, Legend of Manole, the builder of the mondastery, who allegedly had to bury his wife Ana alive into the building for it to stop falling apart every night.

Worth speding a hour here.

Curtea de Argeș Monastery

Curtea de Argeș Monastery 

Curtea de Argeș Monastery - the tumbs of the Ferdinand I and Queen Mary - the second king of Romania

We have definitely enjoyed our combo trip to Bâlea Lake via the Transfăgărășan and I hope you will too.

On the Roof of Romania - Moldoveanu Peak/Făgăraș Mountains Through Stana Lui Burnei

This is a hike I have been planning this hike for at least a year or so. I read about it on a lot of Romanaian language blogs. For the most part they are correct, but the estimates for this round trip hike from Stâna lui Burnei, Argeș county are very optimistic.

Moldoveanu Peak (at 2.544 meters) is the highest peak in Romania, located in the Făgăraș Mountains. Făgăraș Mountains are per se located about two hours away from Bucharest, but trails in these mountains are less accessible compared to other mountains (for example Bucegi, Tâmpa, Piatra Mare or Ciucaș).

The hike starts at a place called Stâna lui Burnei, which is seasonally used as sheepfold (see the location below).


The hike up takes about 4 hours, for a average hiker with plenty of breakes on the route and a lunch break at the peak, might take longer for new hikers or people that have not hiked in a while. The quickest ascent route is through Valea Rea (Bad Valley).

On the return route, there are two options: Valea Rea or Lacul Galbena (Yellow Lake), both taking about 4 hours.



Below you can see the full hike from my Strava account made with my latest acquisition - the Huami Amazfit smart watch.

The Drive to Stâna lui Burnei

... is bad ... baaad.

The drive is about 4 hours - 1 hour to Pitești via highway, 1 hour on paved road to the Slatina commune, and 2 hours on the 40 km of unpaved road to Stâna lui Burnei.

The unpaved road is not the worst, even by Romanian standards, but there are a lot of wholes, so unless you want to wreck your car, the drive on this section is really slow with zig zaging around the numerous wholes.

Once the road ends you get to Stâna lui Burnei (picture below).

Moldovanu Peak Hike - Stâna lui Burnei

Stâna lui Burnei to the Făgăraș Ridge Trail

This leg of the hike is the most challenging one I have ever hiked (I have not hiked a lot really). It is very very steep on two portions and will take about 3 hours easily (breaks included).

Going past Stâna lui Burnei, the ascent on the Hârtopul Ursului Mountain starts with a short walk through the forest and then on to the mountain. It is very steep and it will take about one hour. It is a short distance, but it will test one's endurance because of the 500 meters in elevation difference.
We made plenty of stops on the way, and got to admire the Valea Rea Valley and Stâna lui Burnei below.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Trail on the edge of the Hârtopul Ursului Mountain

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Steep uphill portion of the trail on the edge of the Hârtopul Ursului Mountain

Moldovanu Peak Hike - Stâna lui Burnei from above

This first ascent ends at the Valea Rea Glacial Valley. The valley itself is very swampy, so it is best to follow the trail if you do no want to get covered in mud.
Getting to the bottom of the trail leading up to Viștea Mare should not take longer than 30 minutes, and it is a relaxes hike (definitely compared to the previous ascent).

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Valea Rea Glacial Bucket/Găleata Văii Rele (Moldoveanu Peak and Viștea Mare Peak can be seen in the background)

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - View of the Moldoveanu Peak from Valea Rea Glacial Bucket/Găleata Văii Rele 

Iezerul Tringhiular is a glacial mini-lake, which is ... triangular. The water is very clear and clean (I assume) and if you feel like it you can even take dip in it.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Iezerul Triunghiular

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Valea Rea Glacial Bucket/Găleata Văii Rele seen from Iezerul Triunghiular

Red Triangle Trail To Viștea Mare

A short walk up the mountain past the Iezerul Triunghiular lake, the red traingle trail will end when it meets the Făgăraș Mountains Ridge Trail. This last one is a very long trail (100+ kilometers crossing the ridge of the Făgăraș Moutains from West to East).

We followed only the portion of it leading up close to the Viștea Mare Peak, which was the second biggest uphill leg of this day hike (with an elevation difference of about 400 meters).

The views are stunning. Looking down you can see the full view from above of the Valea Rea Valley and on the other side ... Trrransylvania (the towns of Victoria and Făgăraș).

Expect for the very short distane to take about another 45 minutes to an hour up to Viștea Mare Peak.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - View of the Viștea Mare Peak from the base of the trail

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - View of the Hârtopu Ursului Peak from the trail to Viștea Mare Peak (with Transylvania in the far background)

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - View of Transylvania with the town of Victoria in the background

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Ucișoara Ridge

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - View of the Moldoveanu Peak from the base of the Viștea Mare Peak

Viștea Mare Peak to Moldoveanu Peak

I did not quite get to the Viștea Mare Peak as there is the option to bypass it, by turning left on a small trail that goes right below it.

Shortly afterwards you will get to the ridge between Viștea Mare and the Moldoveanu Peak. As we went there on a Saturday morning it was really busy and on some of the portions we had to wait for our turn.

The portion in the picture below is where the bottle neck happens and it is somewhat difficult as you need to use the chains to cross to the other side (with the steep exposed rocky mountain sides on each side).

It is the point where I almost had an urde to return, but fortunately did not. Once past this obstacle, the ridge trail is a lot easier and in 15 minutes you will get to the Moldoveanu Peak.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - last leg of the trail between Viștea Mare and Moldovanu Peak (with Moldoveanu Peak in the background)

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - 100 meters/10 minutes away

If doing this trail on any given weekend in August expect crowds of people when you get to Moldoveanu. I actually was barely able to take a decent photo because of the sheer number of people (about 30-40).

Now is the time to have a well deserved lunch break and enjoy the all around scenery.

Moldoveanu Peak

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Group Photo

Moldoveanu Peak Hike 

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Viștea Mare as seen from the Moldoveanu Peak

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Iezerul Triunghiular as seen from the Moldoveanu Peak

At this point there are two options, both taking about 4 hours.

Option 1 - go back using the exact same route

Option 2 - return on the Galbena Valley trail (longer, but again takes about the same)

I wound up being conviced to take the Option 2, which was the best option - less boring to take the same route and also the scenery and the views were worth it.

Descent to the Galbena Peak

Well, as they say, it is all downhill from here.

Looking south you will se the trail zig zagging down, to the Piscu Roșu Peak (Red Peak in Romanian), and then a quick ascent - the only one of the return path fortunately to the Galbena Peak.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Looking South from the Moldoveanu Peak - Piscu Roșu Peak to the left, and Galbena Peak right after

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - View of the Moldoveanu Peak from the ridge trail leading to the Piscu Roșu Peak

Descent to Stâna lui Burnei via the Galbena Glacial Valley

Watch out for the blue cross mark once on the Galbena Peak. It is a marker added very recently (the Summer of 2018).

From the Galbena Peak you will get a fabulous view of the Galbena Glacial Valley, which has two big glacial lakes and a few small one.

If you loose sight of the trail marks, onțt worry, just follow the people or head towards the lakes, there is a small one at first and then you will see a bigger one once you get close to the first.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Galbena Glacial Valley as seen from the Galbena Peak

I recommend enjoying the Galbena Lake for 30 minutes. Most likely you will get there in the afternoon, at which time the lake will have a turqoise glow. 2 die 4.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Galbena Glacial Lake as seen from the descent from the Galbena Peak

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - glacial lake in the Galbena Glacial Valley on the descent to the Stâna lui Burnei

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - glacial lake in the Galbena Glacial Valley on the descent to the Stâna lui Burnei

Once at the edge of the lakes, a steep descnet will start, first through dwarf pine trees and then through the forest.

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Valea Rea Valley from a different angle (Stâna lui Burnei is right at the bottom)

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - Valea Rea Valley from a different angle (Stâna lui Burnei is right at the bottom)

Moldoveanu Peak Hike - the last glacial caldera on the trail back to Stâna lui Burnei

... and four hour later ... tah tah ... back to the starting point.

In retrospect, it was one of the most beautiful hikes I have made more challenging than other hikes, but also more scenic.

I warmly recommend.