Transalpina Pass
DN67C · Novaci → Sebeș · Romania
- Length
- 92 miles
- Drive time
- 3–4 h
- Type
- Mountain pass
- Region
- Europe
Before you go: High section closed roughly Nov–May (snow)
Romania's highest paved road, cresting 2,145 m at Pasul Urdele. Quieter than the famous Transfăgărășan but just as spectacular — endless above-the-treeline sweepers across the Parâng Mountains.
DN67C from Novaci toward Sebeș: Romania's highest paved road, 2,145 m at Pasul Urdele, quieter than the Transfăgărășan, long above-the-treeline sweepers across the Parâng. Ninety-two miles, three to four hours. High section closed roughly November to May. Rânca is the resort stop (Taverna Olteanului); Urdele is the summit photograph; Stâna Ștefanu is food on the ridge. Fuel at Socar Novaci and Rompetrol Șugag; treat the top as dry.
Surface is more mixed than a Swiss pass — good stretches, broken stretches, livestock. Fog. If you only do one Romanian high road, clubs argue; if you do two, this is the second day after the Transfăgărășan, which is already how the Transylvania trip is built.
Do not assume a restaurant at every kilometre post. Start with a full tank in Novaci and a time buffer for cows. Novaci to Rânca is the first climb and the first weather check; if Rânca is in cloud, Urdele will not be better. Sebeș is the motorway end — an abrupt return to ordinary Romania. Livestock lie on the warm tarmac. Compared with the Transfăgărășan this is longer, higher, and less of a circus, which is the reason to give it its own day rather than a tired add-on. The summit at Urdele is a wide, windy pull-off — that is the photograph, above the treeline, not a forest lay-by on the way up. Fog can sit on the ridge in summer as easily as in October; if you cannot see the next sweeper, you are not driving it.
Highlights of the Transalpina Pass
- Pasul Urdele (2,145 m)
- Rânca resort viewpoints
- Above-the-clouds sweepers
Where to stop on the Transalpina Pass
- Socar Novaci fuel — Last fuel before the alpine section — nothing until Șugag; daytime hours only.
- Taverna Olteanului, Rânca food — Oltenian kitchen on DN67C through Rânca, just before the road breaks above the trees.
- Pasul Urdele viewpoint — Romania's highest tarmac at 2,145 m on the bald Parâng ridge; typically closed Nov–May.
- Stâna Ștefanu food — Seasonal sheepfold on the north side of Urdele, serving polenta and stew at about 1,800 m.
- Rompetrol Șugag fuel — First pumps after the high section on the Sebeș descent — fill if you started from Novaci.
Drive the Transalpina Pass
Open Transalpina Pass on the map → ⬇ Download GPX
GPX works with Garmin, TomTom, Beeline and most bike sat-navs. Free, no sign-up — these are indicative waypoints, so follow the road signs, not the arrow.
Plot it, add it to a club run with a meeting point and pit stops, then share the whole trip as one link. Free, no account, works offline.
Route research: Ultimate Drives
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