Scenic Drive in Romania: DN7 on River Olt Valley
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009There are several possible routes to get to Bucharest by car, from the western part of Romania. Three of them are absolutely gorgeous and it’s rather hard to decide which one to take.
The Transfagarasan is the highest and most dramatic national road (DN7C) in Romania, connecting Sibiu to Pitesti (Transylvania to Wallachia). The road climbs to 2,034 meters altitude, with its most spectacular part being in the North section, but the road is only open between late June and early October, because the rest of the time there’s always snow in the area.
So many people end up taking DN7, the shortest route connecting Transylvania to Bucharest. One scenic part of the drive crosses the Southern Carpathians along the River Olt Valley. The area is dotted with monasteries, spas, lakes, hotels and places to stop and take photos (and trust me, you need a lot of space on your card!).
Close to Calimanesti (a well-known spa destination), there’s Cozia Monastery, erected by Mircea cel Batran (ruler of Wallachia between 1386 and 1418). The monastery is one of the most valuable monuments of medieval architecture in Romania. Although it is possible to pray in the monastery, it also doubles as a museum, featuring old manuscripts and prints, objects of worship, embroidery and Mircea cel Batran’s tomb. Behind the monastery, there’s river Olt, an incredible site for taking photos of the valley and the mountains.
The entire section which passes through the mountains is spectacular, with S-curves and sudden climbs and drops. You are really tempted to stop every couple of km to take photos and enjoy the mountain air.
The third route passes through Brasov, along the famous ski resorts. This (DN1) is the most crowded route all year round.
>>read more about the Most Scenic Drives in Europe