The Transalpina, Romania's DN67C, is a 148 km national road through the Parâng mountain group, and it is the highest road in the country — its high point is the Urdele Pass at 2,145 m (7,038 ft), above the 2,042 m of the better-known Transfăgărășan. It connects Novaci in the south to Sebeș in the north, crossing four counties: Gorj, Vâlcea, Sibiu and Alba. The high section runs on an annual schedule with restricted hours, typically opening around late May and closing in autumn, and the alpine stretch is genuinely open terrain — bare ridge with barely a tree, which is what makes it feel unlike anything else in Romania.
Higher, emptier and less famous
If you only ride one Romanian mountain road, most people will tell you to ride the Transfăgărășan. The Transalpina is the better motorcycle road for a specific reason: it spends far longer above the treeline. The highest altitude is held across a segment of about 20 km (12 miles) in Vâlcea County, running close to the peaks of Dengheru (2,084 m), Păpușa (2,136 m), Urdele (2,228 m), Iezer (2,157 m) and Muntinu (2,062 m). Twenty kilometres of continuous open ridge riding at over 2,000 m is not something the Alps hand out easily either.
It is also older than it looks. The route has ancient origins as a mountain crossing, restoration works took place between 1934 and 1939, and King Carol II attended the inauguration in 1939. The modern road is largely the product of a rebuilding programme begun in 2008–2009 that turned it into a proper single-carriageway road along its full 148 km at a cost of around 385 million euros. That programme is why the surface is good on the high section — and why some of the lower stretches still show older construction.
Route at a glance
| Road number | DN67C |
| Length | 148 km (92 miles), Novaci to Sebeș |
| Highest point | Urdele Pass, 2,145 m (7,038 ft), highest road in Romania |
| High-altitude segment | About 20 km (12 miles) in Vâlcea County |
| Counties crossed | Gorj, Vâlcea, Sibiu, Alba |
| Modern rebuild | Begun 2008–2009; earlier restoration 1934–1939 |
| Typical season | Around late May to autumn, daylight hours only |
Open the Novaci to Sebeș crossing in Google Maps — the full DN67C south to north, ready to send to your navigation.
South to north, Novaci to Rânca
Novaci in Gorj County is the southern gateway and the last town of real size before the mountains. The climb from Novaci to Rânca is the first serious section: a fast, well-surfaced ascent through forest that gains height quickly and delivers you to Rânca, a small ski and summer resort at around 1,600 m that functions as the practical base for the road. Fuel, food and beds are all here, and it is the sensible place to start a morning crossing.
Above Rânca the trees stop. The road runs up onto the ridge and stays there, threading between the Parâng summits with long open curves and views in every direction. There are almost no barriers, very few buildings and, in the middle of the day in August, sheep. Shepherd flocks use these slopes and cross the road without ceremony.
Urdele, Obârșia Lotrului and the northern half
The Urdele Pass at 2,145 m is the high point and the natural stop. From there the road descends to Obârșia Lotrului, a road junction at around 1,400 m in the middle of nowhere that is the hub for this whole mountain area — the DN7A branches off here towards the Lotru valley, and there are cabins and food.
North of Obârșia Lotrului the DN67C follows the Sebeș valley down through Oașa and Tău reservoirs towards Sebeș in Alba County. This half is lower, more wooded and much less photographed, but it is a good road in its own right and the reservoir sections are attractive. It is also the half you will be riding late in the day if you start from Novaci, which is worth planning around given the daylight restriction.
Which direction, and how to base yourself
Both directions work, but they give you different days. South to north from Novaci puts the spectacular part — the climb to Rânca and the 20 km ridge section — in your morning, when the light is good and the cloud has usually not yet built, and leaves the easier Sebeș valley descent for the afternoon. North to south from Sebeș reverses that and means you arrive at the Urdele Pass in the afternoon, which is when the Parâng most often has cloud sitting on it.
For an overnight, Rânca is the obvious base. It is on the road at around 1,600 m, has beds, food and fuel, and puts you twenty minutes from the high section, which means you can be at Urdele shortly after the barrier opens. Sibiu is the better cultural base and the natural link if you are combining the Transalpina with the Transfăgărășan, but it costs you an hour and a half of approach in each direction.
Riders who have done both Romanian roads generally report the same thing: the Transfăgărășan is the more dramatic photograph, the Transalpina is the better ride. If you have only one clear-weather day, the choice depends on which of those you came for.
Season, hours and practical detail
Season and hours. The high section operates on an annual schedule set by CNAIR and the road is open in daylight only. Wikipedia's summary is mid-May to mid-October with traffic permitted 08:00–20:00. The 2026 season is a good illustration of how the detail moves: CNAIR reopened the Rânca to Curpăt section on Friday 29 May 2026, with traffic allowed 09:00–20:00 until 30 June and 07:00–21:00 from 1 July to 31 August. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes remain prohibited. As of August 2026 those are the published terms — they change every season, and the road closes temporarily in bad weather, so check CNAIR's announcements before you go rather than relying on last year's dates.
Night closure and speed. The overnight closure is not arbitrary. Fog on the high ridge is frequent and thick, and the road has sharp curves with minimal protective barriers over long stretches. Low posted limits apply on the mountain section; in past seasons a 30 km/h limit has been signed on parts of it. Ride to the signs and to the visibility.
Weather. At over 2,000 m on an open ridge, weather is the main variable. Cloud can arrive in minutes, and a summer afternoon on the Urdele Pass can be fifteen degrees colder than Novaci. Wind is more of a factor here than on a sheltered alpine pass because there is nothing to break it.
Livestock. Sheep flocks and their dogs are on and beside the road throughout the summer grazing season. The dogs are working animals and will approach a slow-moving motorcycle. Slow right down, do not rev, and keep moving through.
Vignette. Romania requires a rovinietă road vignette for national roads. Buy it online or at a border crossing or fuel station, and check the current category rules for motorcycles on the official Romanian roads portal, since these are revised periodically.
Fuel. Novaci in the south, Sebeș in the north, and Rânca for a smaller top-up. There is nothing between Rânca and Obârșia Lotrului. Treat the crossing as a full tank job.
Gear notes for an exposed ridge road
The Transalpina rewards preparation for a simple reason: the daylight window is fixed, the crossing is 148 km at low average speed, and the middle of it has no services and unreliable mobile coverage. Working out the day properly in advance with a route planning process that accounts for real average speeds, and carrying it offline on a handlebar riding system display, is what keeps you from finishing the northern half in the dark on a road that is supposed to be closed by then.
The other one is the cold-to-warm cycle. You will climb 1,500 m out of Novaci in under an hour, sit at 2,145 m in wind, then descend the same amount to the Sebeș valley — and repeat the whole thing in reverse if you ride it as an out-and-back from Rânca. Our piece on how temperature moves tyre pressure covers what that does to a cold-set number, and a live-reading TPMS means you are working from data at the top of the pass instead of a guess. Riders on the JADO S6 get pressure, offline maps and dual cameras on one screen, which on an unbarriered ridge road with livestock is worth having running.
For a long day away from sockets, a bi-directional 100 W charger keeps the phone alive off the bike and doubles as a power bank at a mountain cabin.
The natural pairing is the Transfăgărășan two hours east — ride one each day and you have covered both of Romania's great mountain crossings.
FAQ
Is the Transalpina higher than the Transfăgărășan?
Yes. The Transalpina reaches 2,145 m at the Urdele Pass, making it the highest road in Romania; the Transfăgărășan tops out at 2,042 m.
When is the Transalpina open?
Roughly mid-May to mid-October, daylight hours only. In 2026 CNAIR reopened the Rânca to Curpăt section on 29 May with hours of 09:00–20:00 to the end of June and 07:00–21:00 from 1 July. Dates and hours are set each season, so check CNAIR before travelling.
Why does it close at night?
Fog on the high ridge and long unbarriered sections with sharp curves. The overnight closure is a safety measure, and low posted speed limits apply on the mountain section during the day.
How long does the full DN67C take?
Allow the best part of a day for the 148 km between Novaci and Sebeș with stops. The high section is slow riding by design, and the daylight window makes an early start the right call.
Do you need a vignette?
Yes, Romania operates the rovinietă road vignette for national roads. Buy it online or at a border point or fuel station and check the current motorcycle category rules on the official portal.
