Transfagarasan Highway Balea Lake and Carta Monastery from Brasov
Overview
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You will be taken from your hotel in Basov by a professional guide and you will go to the most spectacular road in Europe - Transfagarasan. We will stop first and visit the Carta Monastery built in the late Gothic style, by the Cistercian monks who came to Transylvania from Burgundy - France.
Transfagarasan Highway is the most spectacular and beautiful mountain road in Europe, enough to feature on the UK motor show Top Gear, Transfagarasan Highway might just be “the best road in the world” as Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson claimed.
It's a road going up in the mountains and unites Transylvania with Valachia. Great scenes, noisy waterfalls, Glaciar Balea lake, will make you feel great up there and forget about the stress of the city.
During the winter, between the months of November and July, we will go up by van to the hotel Balea Cascada 1446, from where we will take the cable car (from here up the road is closed due to snow). The price of the cable car is not included .
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Between November 1st and July 1st, after 1460 the road is closed, here at Hotel Balea Cascada we will climb our car and then we will take the cable car to Lake Balea. The tickets from the cable car are not included in the ticket price. Cost of about 12 euros up and down
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Transfagarasan Highway
It is the most spectacular and beautiful mountain road in Europe, enough to feature on the UK motor show Top Gear, Transfagarasan Highway might just be “the best road in the world” as Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson claimed. It's a road going up in the mountains and unites Transylvania with Valachia. Great scenes, noisy waterfalls, Glaciar Balea lake, will make you feel great up there and forget about the stress of the city
Le Lac Balea
It is a glacial glacial lake situated at an altitude of 2034 m in the Fagaras mountain .Surrounded by mountains offers a miraculous view around it .It has a maximum depth of 11 m and its peels can be seen, how to swim trout.In winter, near the lake, you are building the ice hotel, an ice church and an igloo. we can visit them and try rooms and cool ice beds.
What‘s Included
Professional guide
Transport with luxury van mercedes or similar cars
Pickup and drop-off at your hotel from Brasov
Lunch
Tickets at the cable car (20euro round trip) ( November 1th to July 1th))
Entrance fee at the Monastery
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Transfagarasan Highway Balea Lake and Carta Monastery from Brasov
Pickup included
Reviews
20 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
T. Highway tour in the snow
bethan c,,Dec 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Our driver picked us up in a very comfortable car, with heated seats, which is great for the time of year we were visiting. December is cold, and there was a lot of snow, so make sure you have appropriate clothing! You don’t need hiking or snow boots unless you want to do a little climbing for views and pictures. In December, you won’t see bears lining up at the side of the road like you might at other times of the year and the views are very dependable on the weather. In extreme weather or wind the cable car is unlikely to run. We were very lucky and although it was super misty, the cable car was in operation. We didn’t get to enjoy full views on the cable car due to the mist, but when we reached the lake the sun came out and it was very beautiful. Sunglasses are recommended as the glare of the snow made it really hard to open our eyes for pictures 😆 Our guide was very knowledgeable and told us lots about the history of the places we drove through or stopped at. Make sure you fully understand the pros and cons of the time of year you visit - all seasons will have very different things to offer! We would like to come back in the summer to get full benefit of the views, see the bears, and see the lake when it is not frozen over. That said, seeing this area in the snow was a very unique experience and it was a really breathtaking view. And whilst you may not get bears, there are lots of friendly dogs around the cable car 🚠 Top stars for the guide who was great and took lots of pictures of us 🤣
Must do!! Incredible!
Patrick K,,Aug 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Such an incredible experience! Way better experience than if we would have journeyed ourselves. We enjoyed the road, a short hike, the monastery, and got tons of incredible pictures! It was also great to just relax with my wife while our guide navigated the traffic.
Tour to Transfagarasan road
Elena S,,Jul 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The trip on Transfagarasan road to the glacial lake was absolutely amazing! Our tour guide Viorel was great, very friendly, knowledgeable and one of a kind driver. He did everything to make our day the most enjoyable and memorable. We would highly recommend Viorel and this tour.
Excellent transfagarasan tour experience
MARIA P,,May 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00it was a great experience, great explanations, excellent tour, very complete, everything on time, we really enjoyed it
Amazing views. I highly recommend this tour company.
59steliani,,Jan 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a great time during this trip. Guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. We went with car until Balea Waterfall, but unfortunately cable car was closed due to severe wind. Since we couldn‘t take cable car to Balea Lake, guide offered us an alternative trip and on top of Carta Monastery, we visited also Sighișoara Fortress and Viscri village.
Lovely day!
Amanda S,,Nov 6, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00Our guide Claudiu is very knowledgeable and gave great information and time with options of activities at stops. He provided a prompt and safe drive up and down the mountain. He even gave a recommendation for dinner near where we stay. It was a great day and recommend those who can to see these sights. The pictures just don't do it justice.
Transfagarasan day tour
Roshni2011,,Oct 8, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Transfagarasan Road, Balea lake Carta Monastery with Discovery Transylvania. An exhilarating experience blessed with perfect. Traian did a perfect job. Lunch at a trout farm was the icing on the cake.
Great experience
ALFREDO HORACIO D,,Oct 8, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The Transfagarasan road is spectacular. The views are amazing. You have to drive with caution but it is not dangerous. It's very well marked. And you see bears in their natural habitat. Lake Bakea is nice, it's on the top
Beautiful scenery - amazing road
886duncanb,,Aug 20, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We really enjoyed this trip. We started quite early as the Highway can get really busy and were rewarded with lots of easy stops to take in the stunning views as the road climbed ahead of us. Truly an amazing place and we enjoyed wandering around by Lake Balea at the top once we’d left the various stalls behind. The peace, tranquility and quite different beauty of the Monastery on the way back only added to our day. Claudiu was a super driver for the trip. He was knowledgeable, kind and helped make this a trip to remember. Thank you.
Would highly recommend this tour company
Vetgirl2004,,Jun 30, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great communication during booking process. Fun day. Hotel pick up and drop off, comfy transport. Traian was an excellent guide, full of knowledge so I learnt a lot about the area. Great views. We even got to see a bear too!
Related Experiences
Operated by Discovery Transylvania