Ten most spectacular roads in the Carpathians: How they were built and the dreamlike places they traverse

The Carpathian Mountains in Romania are crisscrossed by spectacular roads that draw an increasing number of tourists, especially during the summer months. While the Transfăgărășan and Transalpina remain the most popular, several other mountain routes rival them in terms of scenic appeal and driving experience.

The Transfăgărășan (DN7C) is Romania's emblematic road, linking the Argeș and Sibiu counties. It traverses the Făgăraș Mountains at altitudes exceeding 2,000 meters. Construction, involving thousands of workers, miners, and soldiers, took place between 1970 and 1974, with the asphalt completed in 1977. The mountainous segment, nearly 100 kilometers long, presented significant engineering challenges due to the alpine terrain, avalanche risks, and unstable ground. Engineers had to devise ingenious solutions to overcome these difficulties and prevent avalanches.

Stretching over 150 kilometers, the Transfăgărășan reaches its highest point at 2,042 meters near Bâlea Lake. The route from Cârțișoara to Argeș Valley passes through the Bâlea glacial cirque, the Bâlea–Capra Tunnel, and descends towards Vidraru Lake. The road is fully open only from June to October. Key attractions include Bâlea Waterfall, Bâlea Lake, the Bâlea–Capra Tunnel (884 meters long), Vidraru Lake, Poenari Citadel, and the Curtea de Argeș Monastery.

Transalpina (DN 67C), also known as the "King's Road," is considered the most spectacular road built in the interwar period. This route, nearly 150 kilometers long, connects Novaci in Gorj county with Sebeș in Alba county. It was inaugurated in the summer of 1935 by King Carol II, who traveled the road with his son, Mihai I. Before its inauguration, the Urdele Pass was primarily used by shepherds during their seasonal migrations and occasionally by military troops. After its opening, the road became a challenge for the few drivers who ventured into the mountains, known for its steep inclines and curves along precipitous edges.

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The difficulty was not only that of the design and layout conditions, but perhaps to an even greater extent, that we had to look for ingenious solutions that would avoid the major construction difficulties and then the exploitation of the future road, to avoid the areas of major avalanches as much as possible or to design systems for prevention and stopping of avalanches or defense against them.