Two of the most famous mountain roads in Romania have entered a ranking of the most spectacular and winding roads in Europe. Romania holds two consecutive positions in the Top 10 and is the only country with two roads in the top six places.
We are talking about Transalpina, ranked 5th, and Transfăgărășan, immediately following it, in 6th place.
The ranking was conducted by the international car rental company Avis, which analyzed the length of the routes, altitude, and the number of curves. The popularity of each road on Instagram and the average number of Google searches were also taken into account. Specialized maps and artificial intelligence tools were used to count the curves.
Interest in such journeys is on the rise: globally, searches for "scenic routes" have increased by 170% in the last year, according to Euronews.
Transalpina, in Top 5 European
The highest-ranked road in Romania is Transalpina (DN67C), which scored 73 out of 100 and ranks 5th in Europe.
With a length of 148 kilometers, Transalpina is also the longest among the top five roads in the ranking. The route reaches an altitude of 2,145 meters and, according to the analysis, has 682 curves, which is approximately five per kilometer.
The road is very popular online: it has approximately 89,400 mentions through hashtags on Instagram and generates an average of 60,500 Google searches each month.
Euronews also highlights what tourists find along the route: mountain villages, local food, and numerous starting points for hikes through mountains and valleys.
Immediately after Transalpina is Transfăgărășan, which ranks 6th in the European ranking.
Which are the most spectacular roads in Europe
The first place is occupied by Stelvio Pass in Italy, which scored 88 out of 100. On only 35 kilometers, the road has no less than 685 curves, which is almost 20 per kilometer.
In second place is Furka Pass in Switzerland, famous for its appearance in the James Bond film "Goldfinger." The podium is completed by Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria.
Next are Trollstigen in Norway, Transalpina, and Transfăgărășan.
Top 10:
- Stelvio Pass – Italy
- Furka Pass – Switzerland
- Grossglockner High Alpine Road – Austria
- Trollstigen – Norway
- Transalpina – Romania
- Transfăgărășan – Romania
- Susten Pass – Switzerland
- Route des Grandes Alpes – France
- Col du Tourmalet – France
- Grimsel Pass – Switzerland
G.P.