The Transfăgărășan Is Open Again — 2026
As of 12 June 2026, the legendary DN 7C is open daily between 07:00 and 21:00 on the Bâlea Cascadă – Piscul Negru section — and that means it is time to start planning your Carpathian adventure.
Good news, road lovers — the Transfăgărășan is back. Since 12 June 2026, the section between Bâlea Cascadă and Piscul Negru is open every day from 07:00 to 21:00, confirmed by the official CNAIR announcement. Mark your calendars, because this window does not stay open forever — the road typically closes again in late October or November once the first serious snow arrives at altitude.
Built in the early 1970s under extraordinary conditions, the DN 7C climbs through a sequence of tight hairpin bends and dramatic tunnels to reach Bâlea Lake at 2,042 metres above sea level. The views from up there — glacier-carved ridges, cloud shadows rolling across the valley — are the kind that stay with you long after the drive is over.
A few things worth keeping in mind before you go. Mountain weather changes with almost no warning at this elevation, so pack a waterproof layer even if you leave the valley in sunshine. Bears are a genuine and wonderful part of the landscape along this route, but please resist the urge to stop and feed them — it is illegal, and it is genuinely harmful to the animals. If you spot one, enjoy the moment from inside your car.
Our strongest piece of advice: go early. Arriving at or just after 07:00 means you will have the hairpins largely to yourself, the morning light will be extraordinary, and you will avoid the peak-hour queues that build up through mid-morning. Late afternoon visits can be magical too, but allow yourself enough time to descend before the 21:00 closure.
The Transfăgărășan is one of those roads that genuinely earns every superlative thrown at it. This summer, go see for yourself.
