Transfagarasan Road: Scenic Mountain Adventure

Embark on a small group day trip from Bucharest to the Transfagarasan Road, one of the highest roads in Romania. Experience breathtaking landscapes, rural life, and the country’s rich history.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Triumph Arch (Arcul de Triumf) - The journey begins early in the morning in Bucharest, heading north.
  • Vidraru Dam - Vidraru Dam is one of Romania’s largest hydroelectric dams. Located at the start of the Argeș River, it was constructed between 1960 and 1965 and stands 166 meters (545 feet) tall. The dam creates a lake with an average capacity…
What's Included
  • Transport by air-conditioned vehicle
  • Professional English Speaking Guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Enter the realm of one of Europe’s most scenic mountain roads on a day trip to Transfagarasan Road. Along the way, delve into meeting the Wild Brown Bears of Romania. Set the scene for fantastic pictures by passing Poenari fortress original Dracula’s fortress. Reach top of the Carpathians and breathe in the fresh mountain air while admiring views from…

Location
Volo Hotel
Bulevardul Schitu Măgureanu
Volo Hotel on Boulevard Schitu Magureanu no 6 Departure time 7:30 am Look for a vehicle with One Excellence Tours sign
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(68 Ratings)
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Justean_w
Dec 9, 2025
I love Bucharest. Romania 🇷🇴 - I love Bucharest : Romania 🇷🇴 This is an excellent trip . Driver is amazing. His knowledge is phenomenal . The places . The stops and the people. Loves it all .
Review provided by Viator
Shikha_s
Nov 15, 2025
Stunning Views and an Excellent Guide! - This tour was one of the highlights of our trip! The Transfăgărășan Highway is every bit as stunning as shown on Top Gear, with incredible mountain views and unforgettable stops along the way. Our guide “Emmanuel” was fantastic professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about Romania. He made the whole experience smooth, fun, and informative. We felt well taken care of throughout the day. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Bucharest. A perfect mix of scenery, history, and great guiding. Would definitely book again!
Review provided by Viator
Mark_s
Oct 4, 2025
Dress for snow if traveling outside of summer! - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Colin_p
Oct 5, 2025
Worth doing. - Worth doing, great drive, scenic views, lakes, dams, waterfalls and tbe Transfagarsan. Unfortunately no bears. That's nature.
Review provided by Viator
Lily_l
Oct 14, 2025
Greedy tour agency. Took the money instead of canceling. - This is a summer activity for sure. Even he tour says roads may close October through winter. However, early October was available to book so we booked second week of October hoping the weather wouldn’t get cold yet to enjoy the drive. The driver told us bears probably went hibernating, which is fine. Bear sighting wasn’t my top priority. I went for the top view of hairpin turns and Lake Balea but left disappointed seeing nothing due to poor weather. My complaint is that the tour agency and guides knew that the weather has already changed a week ago and did not proactively cancel the trip. Most shops at lake balea were closed too.
Review provided by Viator
Kay
Sep 28, 2025
HIGHLY OVERRATED. - The scenery was spectacular in places boring in others and the same ground was. covered in each direction. The driver was good but the host wasn't. Didn't give any information unless asked a question. It was advertised as a wildlife trip to see bears and as expected none were seen. The only significant stops were a gas station in each direction for toilet stop and an hour and a half at a freezing iake with nothing to do surrounded by pop up food stalls and tacky souvenir shops. The promised visits to a waterfall and a dam were a joke and never have I seen suclh disorganised chaos in all the car parks. An utter disgrace.for everyone , locals . Don't go if you have poor bladder control 4 hrs at one stage with no toilet and a possibility of those being closed too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zenobiab691
Oct 3, 2025
Would not recommend - The guide Bogdan, tried to change the programme and not take us up the mountain as planned and made all kinds of excuses initially till a few people who spoke to him and complained and pointed out that there were big vehicles coming down and the temp at the current time of 1 pm had increased from the pic he was showing us from 9am. Him and the driver seemed to be in a big hurry all the time and repeatedly asked for tips on our way back. Could have been much better. Not much history given and very hard to understand his English.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Global32411445430
Oct 1, 2025
AVOID AT ALL COSTS! - Terrible experience and likely a scam! We arrived at 7:29 at the meeting point, waited on the other side of the intersection because there was no bus at the hotel entrance. The phone number given wasn’t working. At 7:33 we messaged, but the operator replied he had already left, claiming he took a photo that nobody was there. In reality, he was across the road in the wrong spot. We had passed that point earlier, and there was no bus at all — he just waited to snap a fake photo and drive off. I seriously doubt the photo was even taken at that time. They didn’t even bother to call us, and afterwards they simply ignored our messages. We wasted 65 RON on taxis to get there and back, stood in the freezing cold for 20 minutes, and had to wake up early after a late arrival the night before — all for nothing. This company is unprofessional and destroys the reputation of the service. We demand a refund and compensation. Avoid them at all costs!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamie_w
Sep 30, 2025
I waited at the pick up... - I waited at the pick up point on the Viator voucher for two hours and was not picked up. Later contacted tour operator and was advised the pick up point on the voucher was incorrect. Viator repeatedly refused a refund. Their 'customer service' is a disgrace. Cannot recommend One Excellence Tours and will never use Viator again.
Review provided by Viator
N1633bssabrina
Sep 29, 2025
Not worth it - Travel too long, on 12 hours of travel a 15 minute stop halfway to drink and go to the bathroom and then headed to the top of the mountain where we stopped for an hour and a half. Then stop for 15 minutes to see a waterfall.. There was no stop at the dam and the lake below. We haven't seen the bears, but I don't think that's up to them. But for a 12-hour trip, we were practically off the bus not even two hours.. It's not worth it. I thought it was a minibus, but it was actually a big bus and I think that was also why it was so long because the road went to smaller vehicles.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $58
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).