Famously called “the best road in the world” by a popular motoring show, the Transfăgărășan is a 90-kilometer serpentine highway that carves through the highest sections of Romania’s Southern Carpathians, reaching an altitude of 2,042 meters at the Bâlea Lake tunnel. Built in the early 1970s as a strategic military route, the road features dramatic hairpin turns, steep gradients, and tunnels blasted through solid rock, all set against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks, glacial lakes, and dense Alpine forests.

The drive from either the northern (Sibiu) or southern (Curtea de Argeș) approach is spectacular, with highlights including the Bâlea Waterfall, the glacial Bâlea Lake at the summit, and the ruins of Poenari Fortress — the real castle of Vlad the Impaler, perched atop a remote cliff and reached by climbing 1,480 steps.

Pro tip: Start from the southern (Curtea de Argeș) side early in the morning for the most dramatic ascent and fewer oncoming vehicles. Stop at Bâlea Waterfall for a short hike, then have lunch at the chalet by Bâlea Lake at the summit before descending the northern side toward Sibiu. Allow a full day for the complete drive with stops.