The 11 Best Transfagarasan Road Trips

1.Top Gear Road Transfagarasan Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 293 reviews · from $56Our pick

Review of Bucharest’s Transfagarasan day trip, with bears, Balea Lake, Vidraru Dam, practical tips, costs, and honest advice.

“I really enjoyed this trip. It was a long day, with a long time spent in the van. However, it did not feel so bad as there were stops along the way and the van was large and comfortable. Our guide, Bogdan, was really good too. Seeing the Brown Bears in the forested areas was a real treat and something that you will never forget. Overall, it was a good trip to go on with some incredbile scenery, and offered a chance to get out of the city and to see more of Romania.”

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2.Small group Bears ‘Safari’ on Transfăgărășan -max 7 tourists

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 159 reviews · from $101

Explore Romania’s Transfăgărășan with a small group, spotting bears, Poenari Fortress, Vidraru Dam, Capra Waterfall, and Bâlea Lake.

“The best thing I have done in Romania. An unforgettable experience, our guide went above and beyond. Thank you so much”

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3.Brasov Private Tour: Transfagarasan road & Poienari Fortress

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $223Top rated

Review of the Brasov Transfagarasan tour, Balea Lake, Vidraru Dam, and Poienari Fortress, with route, costs, stairs, timing, and key warnings.

“The experience was really good, the guide ( Charlie ) was very nice, always asking preferences to adapt the trip. Despite of a really bad weather we enjoyed a lot. 100 % recommended!”

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4.Top Gear Road – Transfăgărășan Highway Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 68 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $58

Review the Transfăgărășan day trip from Bucharest, with mountain views, Bâlea Lake, bears, practical tips, weather advice, and honest value notes.

“I really enjoyed the destination of this tour, though the bus trip was fairly long there and back at approximately eight hours. It was difficult to see the road once we arrived due to fog and snow, but I enjoyed it all the same.”

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5.Small group max 7, Transfăgărășan the Top Gear Road

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $130

Ride Romania’s Transfăgărășan Road in a small group, see Poenari Fortress, Vidraru Dam, mountain bears, and Bâlea Lake.

“The 4 star rating does not apply to our guide Victor, who would deserve a 10. He was so knowledgeable and attentive he really made the tour interesting. The reason for not giving a 5 star rating is because we were not able to go sledding as the snow had started to melt, then froze solid into sheet ice which made it impossible to sled. We were meant to take a ski mobile trip that day but the guide cancelled so we took this trip instead. It was for my husband’s birthday and whilst Victor made the day as enjoyable as possible we were very disappointed with the outcome. Maybe…”

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6.Transfăgărășan Highway & Balea Lake – Private Tour from Bucharest

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 33 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $215

Review the private Transfăgărășan tour from Bucharest, with Balea Lake, Vidraru Dam, mountain views, Vlad lore, bears, and practical tips.

“This is a long day but made so much more enjoyable by the company of Vlad! We saw and learned so much about Romania and its people during the long drive. The countryside is stunning and the view over the Transfagarasan highway is spectacular! Note, you don't get to drive on it but do get a great view of it. We found the Dam stop interesting too. Great communications from both Vlad and HQ, collected and returned to our apartment with ease. Good to travel off season, as it could get busy along the single lane entrance to the mountain top in peak season. A lot of enclosed twisty turns…”

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7.Transfagarasan Highway, Balea Lake & Carta Monastery

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 29 reviews · 8 hours · from $147

Ride Romania’s Transfagarasan Highway from Brasov to Balea Lake, visit Carta Monastery, and enjoy mountain views in a small group.

“Our guide Claudio was very disappointing. The minibus door broke so we were transported in 2 x 4 seater cars. Therefore one couple was split up. This was not his fault. However, he was very abrupt to the point of rudeness, did not like anyone else having an opinion and the phrase ‘ I already told you’ came up several times which is not acceptable. He is obviously not suited to this occupation. He would have missed out the monastery if we had not reminded him and his response when we mentioned that we had not been was - ok if you want to.”

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8.SB09-Transfăgărășan Wonders:Journey through Bâlea Lake,Avrig

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 27 reviews · 1 day · from $159

Review of a private Sibiu day trip along the Transfagarasan to Balea Lake, Carta Abbey, and Avrig Palace, with practical tips and value advice.

“Ein super Guide auf einer tollen Tour. Es hat sich wirklich gelohnt.”

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9.Transfagarasan Road Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 25 reviews · 12 hours · from $152

Review of Bucharest’s 12-hour Transfagarasan tour, with Balea Lake, Poenari Castle, Vidraru Dam, pricing, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“awful experience. I booked 2 says prior to going. the guide that showed up was not the guide who was booked and messaged the group. he smelled bad, drove 90mph in a 60 zone with one of the seatbelt broken, he was rude and didn't try to give us a good experience. he messaged us all day before staying we won't see bears..yet that's what advertised. he didn't show/till us where we were or answer any questions.. he just snapped the entire time..apparently his name was Sebastian.. we don't think it was. I want a refund!”

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10.Private Transfagarasan Highway Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 23 reviews · 10 hours · from $203

Review the private Transfagarasan tour from Bucharest, with Poenari Castle, Vidraru Dam, Balea Lake, scenic roads, guides, and practical tips.

“We spent an amazing day with Andrei. Nothing was too much trouble for him and every time we spotted a bear, he would pull over so we could get pictures. We also got amazing pictures at the dam and of Poenari castle and also stopped at the top of the Transfagarason Road where it started snowing again We also had a great lunch and Andrei was great company and very knowledgeable. Couldn’t have asked for a better guide Thanks Andrei!”

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11.Transfagarasan Road – Small Group max 7 Tourists

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · from $170

Review of Bucharest’s 12-hour Transfagarasan tour, with Poenari Castle, Vidraru Dam, Bâlea Lake, waterfalls, bears, and a seven-person van.

“Alin did an outstanding job with this tour. He took us directly to the mountain to avoid traffic which ended up being an amazing decision. We had plenty of photo stops as he knows the secret spots. Additionally, we saw plenty of Brown bears along the way. He would take his time and ensure we were able to see them up close and safely, and even got some amazing cool photos for us to take home. He made this experience extremely enjoyable. To top it off, he dropped us off at an amazing water fountain show celebrating the Olympics. The whole day from start to finish was perfect. Alin constantly…”

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