Road Spotlight: The Transfăgărășan Has No Fixed Closing Date This Year

Most of the high Alpine passes are shut or about to be. The Transfăgărășan in Romania is still open, and this year there is no set date on which it has to close. Last week the regional roads authority in Brașov said the decision will depend on the weather, not the calendar.

What has changed

Robert Elekes, spokesperson for DRDP Brașov, told Ora de Sibiu that there is no longer a fixed date. The road will close when heavy snow means the crews can no longer keep it clear and safe. Until then, traffic is running normally.

Under the current rules, reported by Știrile ProTV, the mountain section between Piscu Negru on the Argeș side and Bâlea Cascadă on the Sibiu side may be closed at any point between 20 October and 30 June. In 2025 the road closed on 20 October, the first day it could. In 2024 the restrictions did not come in until November.

So the honest answer to “is it open next weekend?” is that nobody knows yet. Snow has already fallen at Bâlea Lac this month.

If you are going now

• Check the day before, and again in the morning. Closures are announced by the authorities at short notice. The visitor information site and local Romanian news are the quickest sources.
• Mind the hours. While the high section is open, it can only be crossed between 07:00 and 21:00. In late October that means part of the drive may be in the dark, so plan to be over the top by mid-afternoon.
• Expect cold, wet tarmac at altitude. The summit tunnel is at 2,042 m. Shaded hairpins on the northern ramp can hold frost long after the valley has warmed up, and summer tyres will be close to the bottom of their working range.
• Have a way round. If the top is shut, you cannot cross the range on DN7C. Know your alternative before you set off, and fuel up in Cârțișoara or Curtea de Argeș.

Is it worth it in a Lotus this late?

On a clear, dry day, yes. The northern climb out of the forest and up the bare Bâlea valley is the part people come for. The southern side past Lake Vidraru is bumpy and patched, which matters more in a low car such as an Exige S2 than in an Emira.

What it is not is a road to commit to weeks ahead. Treat it as a bonus on a wider trip, and read our road trip preparation guide before you load the car.

When it shuts

Once the high section closes, expect it to stay closed until early summer. This year it reopened on 12 June. If you want mountain roads through the winter, look south instead: Sa Calobra in Mallorca is at its best in the colder months.