Private Tour

Transfagarasan Road & Balea Lake - Private Tour from Bucharest

Overview

Available languages

English

12 hours

Mobile ticket

We pick you up in the morning and drive one and a half hours to the former capital of Wallachia, city of Curtea de Argeș. Here we stop for coffee .

Then we go to the real castle of Dracula - Vlad the Impaler, Poienari Fortress which stand high at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Our professional guide will tell you why prince Vlad the Impaler is associated with the fictional character Dracula.

. Our next piece of road is also our destination. The Transfagarasan road, build by Ceausescu, with the help of the army is breathtaking and takes us all the way up to the summit of the mountain where we discover the astonishing glacial lake of Balea. From here we start our long but beautiful drive back home.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

This tour/activity is private , only your group will participate.

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Pick-up and drop-off from your accommodation

Transport by air-conditioned cars or mini-vans

We offer flexibility around the pace and itinerary

Free Wi-Fi

Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Poienari Castle

The ruins of Poienari Fortress stand high on a cliff overlooking the Arges River, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Built at the beginning of the 13th century by the first Walachian rulers, the castle changed names and residents a few times over the decades; eventually, it was abandoned and left in ruins. Vlad Tepes ( Vlad the Impaler) recognized the potential of the location and upon taking over the throne, he ordered that the structure be repaired and consolidated, turning it into one of his main fortresses. When the Turks attacked and captured the castle in 1462, Vlad escaped via a secret passageway leading north through the mountains. Although the castle was used for many years after Vlad's death in 1476, it was eventually abandoned again in the first half of the 16th century and left to the ravages of time and weather. In 1888, a major landslide brought down a portion of the castle which crashed into the river far below.

15 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Vidraru Dam

Vidraru Lake and Dam - built between 1960 to 1966, for the production of electricity, irrigation and flood prevention, being now an excellent place also for recreation, tourism and sports, eg Bungee jumping extreme sport. The dam stood at its completion, measured at height, in 8th place in Europe and ranks 20th in the world. Thousands were drilled underground galleries of 42 km long, was excavated one million cubic meters of underground rock, was poured nearly one million cubic meters of concrete, and human sacrifices have cost over eighty lives. Between Fruntii Mountains and Ghitu Massif, in lake waters gather rivers Capra, Buda and several direct tributaries - Raul Doamnei, Cernatul and Valsan, Topologul, Valea lui Stan and Limpedea River, which have a total flow of about 5.5 m3 / s . The lake surface is 893 ha, length of 10.3 km, the maximum width is 2.2 km inValea Lupului - Călugărița zone and it has a circumference of 28 km and water depth is 155 m high near curved dam of 166 m, with a crest length of 307 meters. The volume of water is 465 million m³., the normal retention level beong of 830.00 meters above sea level.

30 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Private Tour

Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

8 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Alin was fantastic! He...
Kathy W,
Oct 2, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Alin was fantastic! He was very knowledgeable, a great driver on the unexpectedly snowy roads and was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with.
Great View with good friends
rushengc,
Jul 30, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had great time the whole day. Wonderful scenery and friendly atmosphere along the way to transfagarasan and back to bucharest. We learned about some interesting things too from Aliin ^^
Wonderful Trip
yennipatmawati,
Jul 30, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The trip to Transfagarasan was very memorable for us. Beautiful scenery along the way and together with a very friendly tour guide
Very nice experience
adrianapY304CL,
Jan 2, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The road is wow, the landscapes and panorama are beautiful. A tour everyone needs to experience themselves, so I recommend with an open heart.
Fantastic tour
AlizzeCo,
Jan 2, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We are very satisfied about your service for Transfagarasan trip. The our guide was very professional and bravo. He is very nice. Thanks you for fantastic tour.
Perfect trip!
510laurm,
Jan 1, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A very interesting trip, since you get to know different areas of the Region and you are filled with history and culture. Alin, the guide is a super interesting person who gladly shares opinions and history of Romania with you.
Amazing!
Martha M,
Oct 20, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The private tour to Transfagarasan with Alin, was the highlight of my trip to Romania. He arrived to pick me up on time, paced the day for breaks, gave details about what we would see and shared information about the history and culture of Romania that was fascinating. We stopped at the Cathedrals where the Romanian royalty are buried that have hand painted interiors that are breathtaking. Lunch was in a restaurant on the lake at the summit, and delicious. He was attentive to all that would make this a memorable day and had a sense of humor that also made it fun. An all around wonderful experience and guide.
Holiday
L7879SDalexandrac,
Feb 17, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Did a day trip today with a guide called Alin. It was an amazing day from start and finish. The guide was informative and full of entuziasm. Beautiful scenery and stunning castel. Many things to photograph. Recommend.