Having driven the Transfagarasan several times, I recommend the following: - I suggest driving the Transfagarasan from Sibiu to Bucharest, which is the opposite direction of what you’ve driven. - Plan your trip on a weekday, preferably in the early morning. During this time, you'll encounter a maximum of 2-3 cars on your way to the top. It's the perfect opportunity to fully enjoy the experience. While the section from Bucharest to the top can be quite rough, it's the other side that truly offers an amazing driving experience. And going uphill you can really really rip it.
Agree . I always drive from that direction . Its much better . I was driving there from 1995 to 2019 last time . I m from Romania but i live in Germany . For me is disipointing the amount of shops up there . Before was without shops and it was a lot better amd cleaner
Yes, but that goes the same for Transalpina (The Obarsia Lotrului -> Ranca part). Going the other way around (south to north) doesn't feel that spectacular and you use your breaks more than your engine on the best parts.
@@Shmee150 Tank you Tim for visiting Romania (i also enjoy your tour in Tiriac colection ) happy to see you enjoy the wild life, wild nature.. Transalpina was the road build by king Carol of Romania, but the country also has another phenomenal road if someone want to try it out is on south right on Danube going from west to the border with Serbia going toward east to Black-sea or backward (from east to west) that road is also very good for tourists who can do plenty stops along to admire the views.. Welcome to Romania whoever want to visit enjoy popular traditions and taste traditional food also there are few very good castles to visit : Corvinus, Bran & Peles !!!
Do you live in England ? I’m a Bulgarian who lives in Scotland and spend few years in England. Bulgaria and Romania are beautiful countries but Scotland has amazing roads up north too. Sadly England is boring as hell 😢
@@stón_1Can you go swimming and sunbathing in Scotpand mate? No, you sure can't because your nuts will be freezing off from the cold. Do you have cool mountains with a swimmable beachside? Nope. Romania better. God made Romania the richest country with all resources once. That's why we got raided so many times by turks, romans, hungarians. Because we were had resources others would've killed for.😂❤
Last year I fullfiled my childhood dream of visiting Transfagarasan, and also ended up driving Transalpina and Transfagarasan in my then 33 years old (now 34) Mercedes W124... This year, I am going again, but in my, new to me, Mercedes W204, and will make sure to take photo of the sticker!!!! Romania is beautiful, with beautiful roads and people!
the tiny bit of road at 29:45 onwards, is the most memorable road I have ever been on. I stopped somewhere along that stretch and when I got out of my car, the size of the whole panorama took me by surprised and got me emotional. It was the best thing ever. Absolutely Transalpina over the Transfagarasan, but both are worth driving.
21:37 it is quite difficult to restore the asphalt on Transfagarasan because there is a very intense traffic the whole time it is open, and when it closes, in October, the snow and the weather conditions are already very cold and snowy :)
Yes, well people have built bridges connecting 2 continents, built tunnels and roads that go under the sea, built roads in permanently frozen lands and the list goes on. They should be able to patch up and fix that bit of road just fine...
@@ChrisKsanyou are stupid??? This place is open 4-5 months ,and very turistic atraction when cannot work very much ,and in the other months ,the wether is so bad to working...
Interesting thing about the long tunnel at the top: more often than not, whatever the weather is like on one side, it will be the complete opposite on the other side. So you were really lucky you caught good weather on both sides
The best approach the Transfagarasan would be the opposite. From the North to South. Climbing the part of the road where you were heading down is amazing. Transalpina is so beautiful.
Tonight, The GT Black Series looks good in the sunshine. Shmee drives on the Transfăgărășan Highway. And a bear and her cubs sit by the side of the road.
This is quickly becoming one of the most iconic cars not just in your collection but I would dare to say in the whole world. I can't imagine many cars and owners can compare to GT BS and to the two of you. Congrats and thank you for sharing these amazing experiences with us.
Pentru romanii mei: omul asta a venit sa faca un vlog si a surprins in aceeasi zi o parte din esenta Romaniei : caruta, ursi, hotii de lemne si ciobani cu oi
Shmee ive been to sibiu. Long way from New Zealand but those mountains have some of the most amazing water. Would of been awesome to see your car there. Sibiu is beautiful, with awesome food and vibes.. Love watching your videos
Imagine that I cycled both of these passes some years ago with my good friend, in the year when it was turned the tarmac for first time, with my own built recumbent bike. We had just one bear encounter on Transafagarasan, near our tent just next to the road, but face to face in the dark of the late evening, so terrifying, but without any problems. Transalpina from south is more steeper than the north side, very different from Transfagarasan, but both spectacular and worth to visit. This video brings me those special moments back, thank you!
@@shannacollins4741 i nearly said something that google would black list me from, but please don’t ever say something dumb like this again, it makes you petty, at almost 3million subs and given his level of wealth, this must better inform you about Shmee..
Hello Shmee! I'm glad you came back to Romania! I have been following you for a very long time and I love your videos! I also made this trip a few years ago and I was fascinated by the beauty of the landscape and the road, being passionate about racing cars, although it is not the first time I go on these roads. You're probably bored with such lines, but I'm telling you from the bottom of my heart... much respect and congratulations for everything you do! You really are the best! Sincerely, Andrei!
These are the two roads I go when i need to go for a drive. I live in Bucharest and we tend to somehow underappreciate the beauty of these roads and hearing you legend comparing them with the top roads in the world just makes me want to go there again in the weekend!
Very small correction: at 8:40, you're talking about the Poienari Castle. It was Vlad the Impaler who lived in it, and not Ivan the Impaler. Congrats for your baggage of knowledge tho'. You came very well prepared for this video and it was impressive to see that you know about Pitesti/Dacia and about many other places! Hope you'll be returning to Romania for more fun on Transfagarasan/Transalpina! Keep the good work coming!
@@danascully6698 E posibil sa fie 'acel om' care traieste in filme si nu stie nimic de Romania dar stie de barfa din alte tari 24/7, e si asta o probabilitate.
Wow, Tim, what a great drive on a great road. Hats off to you for being so respectful to the wildlife. Many road users simply do not realise how privileged we are to share our planet with such beautiful creatures. Top, top video!
Piata constitutiei (the parking lot at the beginning) is mental on friday night, an improptu car show with with great builds and supercars. If you ever get to experience it, its a great representation of the car scene in Romania.
Tim, your reaction to the views makes this all worth while! Thank you so much for taking us along on these amazing journeys. Most of us sitting at home will never see the places you go. Your videos are a great gift you've given to the automotive world. 😀👍❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
Hello, you should also drive from transylvania to moldova from "Cheile Bicazului". That's actually one of my favorites roads from romania, very breath taking driving through big mountains
Ahahahahahahahahh you are always welcome , but try to go Istanbul , and you will see a big difference . If you are from uk , big difference . Uk it’s more discipline than Europe lol
@@emiledisjonyou say that but I live in the UK and I once was in a taxi where the driver was doing close to 100mph the whole journey and I literally feared for my life not one police car stopped us
I live and drive everyday in Bucharest and I assure you that Taxi drivers usually drive the slowest compared to the rest of the traffic in the city😂😂 but that s because thte majority of the time the city is congested so when people find light traffic, they want to make the best of it
bears there are less dangerous than you think. They hang around there because often people feed them (they shouldn't!) but it's not really dangerous. There are not really any cases of bear attacks even though they live close to humans even in some cities like Brasov. Mountain rescuers even say you should be more afraid of lightning and thunderstorms when you're out hiking than bears
What a home ball and what a choice of locations! Amazing that you guys got to enjoy the roads! Looking forward to the rest of the journey and then what Shmartin has produced back at the Shmuseum. Epic as always! 👍
Nice to see that you liked these two roads. Transalpina is not so busy, i am going every year in the summer at least one time, i love that road and the mountains
Hi Shmee, I am Romanian and my grandparents live exactly near Transpina and even if I have been there basically every year, I think that it is better than Transfăgărășan and it is for sure one of the best roads in the word
Hello Shmee, I'm so happy that you liked Romania roads, I live in Curtea de Arges witch is the city at the start at Transfagarasan, I have done those roads a lot and never disappoints me. I wish the next time you I will have the opportunity to meet you or at least see your car. Beautiful video!
Hi Shmee, it would be awesome if you could do more videos going to places that Clarkson, Hammond and May have been to from both Top Gear and The Grand Tour!!
After watching this video 2 months ago, this planted some serious ideas to finally go and drive those passes. I have been aware of them even before the Top Gear episode, but this video inspired me to finally do it. So I planned, and I executed the same way as you. First day going north through Transfagarasan, spend the night in Sibiu and then on the second day going south through Transalpina. It was awesome and exceeded my expectations by far. Had no luck with the weather on Transalpina as it was heavily raining, but that couldn't remove the smile from my face. I drove 1370km in 2 days, coming from Sofia, Bulgaria. Long exhausting driving, but it was worth it! I will go back there again sometime for sure! Thank you Shmee for inspiring me and gave the needed push to finally do this trip! :)
put into perspective, the parliament building looks even bigger. btw, this is one of the best videos i've seen in Shmee history! thank you for the journey on this amazing road. it triggers me to think this was totally off-limits to civilians no that time long ago
I literally cried seeing you how much you enjoyed your driving experience in my country!! Thank you so much for this great video you made here❤️ I love you
What a drive ! 👍, for me, after driving on 5 continents and after a motorbike roadtrip of 4 months and 20k km, the best roads in the world are in south America: Peru, Argentina, Chile & Bolivia : deserted, perfect tarmac, incredible views and sometimes going to 5000m +, there is no match anywhere else 🤩, New zealand, Canada, Scotland , the Alpes are also great, still to go to Norway 😊
Good choice on the Transfagarasan and Transalpina. There are some cool roads and small cities to be discovered in the Carpathians between Transilvania and Moldova as well, as hidden gems for everybody coming this way. Cheers!
I see you had the full Romanian experience, gravel, wildlife and all. Usually you can see one or two bears on that section but you had the full lot. I really like both roads, I'm glad you enjoyed them. I will be looking for that sticker soon :)
Shmee you have experienced the true Romanian road experience with the cracked windshield (I'm at my 3rd), drivers that go over continuous line, animals on the road, big contrast in vehicles that you encounter. Great journey!
You should try the route from Kladovo to Radosevac i Serbia @Shmee150, it is utterly amazing and you have the right car, and the best is you can enter that route to Serbia via Turnu Severin in Romania.
I wrote this msg when you are in Sibiu. Transfăgărășan was a path made by romans to conquer Dacian Lands about 2000years but Transalpina is the heart of pilots :)
Amazing roads. Thanks to share with these amazing experience! Hats off to both of you. Now you have to try the portuguese road called N222, i bet you'll love it. Cheers. ;)
I’ve driven the transfargarrassen. It’s an incredible road. When I went, one of the hairpins had no warning and the cliff beneath it had eroded and collapsed the road. There’s a parking area at the top but it was capitalised on by the locals and €50 per hour to park with a few gift stalls. Regret not stopping to get a token fridge magnet and sticker 😂. When you go you realise that the top gear episode was filmed in reverse. They drove from Bucharest and would have driven the southern side first (the bit with the long sweeping bends). The steeper more rugged northern side (the bit where Clarkson says it’s the most amazing road) they would have got to after driving the southern bit. There’s also a hotel at the top of the dam they supposedly slept under. Once you complete the southern section it must about 50km of 2nd/3rd gear driving until you get to normal stretches of road. Constantly getting stuck behind tourists. The transalpina road is just as good and way more quiet.
From a native romanian who passed the transfagarasan 5 times in 5 years, literary I don't know how you guys managed to find so many bears because I have not seen even one. The only time a saw a bear was in the transalpina section. Man this is crazy :D
Dam! That was a SUPER AWESOME episode if I may call it that lol. Thank you for sharing the journey with us... Looking forward to the next🤸🏻🤸🏻🤸🏻 #Shteam150
8:35 -No "Ivan" ever lived and ruled this country. You meant "Vlad". Even "Vlad" is not the same with the similar Russian name, their Vlad mostly come from "Vladimir", whereby this Vlad comes from local and south slavic "Vladislav".
Im sitting in Ploiesti, about 3hr from Transfagarasan, wishing I had an AMG to hit the road in. Unfortunately only the father in law's 2002 Skoda Fabia😂 G'day from Australia
what is that guy thinking in the puma, I grew up in the mountains of Vancouver BC Canada, the last thing you ever wanna do is try to get the attention of a Mother bear with her cubs , especially a brown bear, that mother bear is lightining fast and could be in your window before you know it, in fact theres a law in canada you have to stay 20 feet away from a bear in the wild, but yes a 900 LB bear can run as fast if not quicker tahn you and can break a window like a twig, please please always respect their natural habitat, yes they are cool to look at, but repsect them as well
The bears on the first leg of the trip were hair raising spectacular to watch. Crashing in to one - a nightmare. But a spectacular trip with some nice impressions of Hermannstadt.
Beautiful car, road and trip! Im not a big Merc guy but it fits the trip well. Wish we had similar stuff in the US (outside the west cost mostly at least) We have to go to maybe South America for anything similar lol. Id love to take a Miata or GR86, or an old S2000, MR2 or something through hills like that! (Or a Honda CBR650R or somethin!!)
You should have stopped at the top after that big tunnel and go to the right, there is a lake there with a cabin where you can eat and the food (eggs, cheese, meat etc) is bought from the shepherds that you just passed by and other farmers around the area so it`s as fresh as it gets. The views are also delicious.
There quite a few very nice roads in the world. So far, I've been lucky enough to have experienced a few great roads in Europe. Some of my favourite have been the mountain roads around the Grossglockner, the road from Pula to Labin or the Jadranska Magistrala in Croatia and some even in my home country such as the road from Rýmařov to Velké Losiny up in the northeast of the Czech Republic. There many others out there and I hope experience as many as I can either in my own car or at least through one of your videos, Tim. Looking forward to the next one.
Jebel Jais in the UAE still the best road I’ve ever driven , smooth , well sighted and two lanes on the way up so can blast past slower cars…outstanding!
Been waiting for this video and it didn't disappoint, awesome Tim! 👌👍 In terms of Transfăgărășan or Transalpina being the best driving road, that is absolute exaggeration. Scenery is amazing in Romanian Carpathians, those two roads are great, but it simply can't compare to famous Alpine passes like Stelvio or Grossglockner strasse and so on. Just remember all those amazing passes in Dolomites. But yeah, would love to go there one day!
Bikers know the best roads, they do so many miles in the mountains, well worth chatting to them for some gems. You should do a video of the best and also do the full trans alpine route like the bikers
Me being romanian living in the UK for the last 7 years: 🫨🫨🫨 Actually i never was on Transalpina and on Transfăgărășan i was like 10 years ago. At least i get a diversion through Luton last night and last week i had a delivery in Bradford. 😅 That’s the maximum of adventure you can get here. 😂
Congratulations, thank you for visiting our country, especially the superb Transfagarasan, after Gumbal 3000 in Budapest I saw you in our country as well
Having driven the Transfagarasan several times, I recommend the following:
- I suggest driving the Transfagarasan from Sibiu to Bucharest, which is the opposite direction of what you’ve driven.
- Plan your trip on a weekday, preferably in the early morning. During this time, you'll encounter a maximum of 2-3 cars on your way to the top. It's the perfect opportunity to fully enjoy the experience.
While the section from Bucharest to the top can be quite rough, it's the other side that truly offers an amazing driving experience. And going uphill you can really really rip it.
Agree . I always drive from that direction . Its much better . I was driving there from 1995 to 2019 last time . I m from Romania but i live in Germany .
For me is disipointing the amount of shops up there . Before was without shops and it was a lot better amd cleaner
Yes, but that goes the same for Transalpina (The Obarsia Lotrului -> Ranca part). Going the other way around (south to north) doesn't feel that spectacular and you use your breaks more than your engine on the best parts.
RapMafia 100% pointed it out !
That‘s the difference.
The irony of Tim saying that you don’t know what’s around the corner and immediately encountering a bear in the road 😂😂
That was quite funny wasn't it! In an ironic way of course
@@Shmee150 Tank you Tim for visiting Romania (i also enjoy your tour in Tiriac colection ) happy to see you enjoy the wild life, wild nature.. Transalpina was the road build by king Carol of Romania, but the country also has another phenomenal road if someone want to try it out is on south right on Danube going from west to the border with Serbia going toward east to Black-sea or backward (from east to west) that road is also very good for tourists who can do plenty stops along to admire the views.. Welcome to Romania whoever want to visit enjoy popular traditions and taste traditional food also there are few very good castles to visit : Corvinus, Bran & Peles !!!
@@Shmee150 😂
@@poplaurentiu4148That was an epic collection.
@@Shmee150 Waze: “in 100m, bear right” 🤣
Tim , you did a great justice to these two roads and for the country of Romania. Great to see you enjoying this experience !
As a romanian who lives in UK, i am really glad you made it to Romania to see the best roads and i hope you enjoyed it.
Do you live in England ? I’m a Bulgarian who lives in Scotland and spend few years in England. Bulgaria and Romania are beautiful countries but Scotland has amazing roads up north too. Sadly England is boring as hell 😢
Romania is one of the most beautiful country in europe, Wildest landscape, mountains, black sea and some bears 🚀
you said this because you didnt see europe :)
@@alexmoise8996 si strainii spun acelasi lucru despre tara noastra. e una dintre cele mai frumoase din lume, nu din europa
You probably never left Romania then, it is nice for sure but you should visit Scotland
@@stón_1 :))) you could have chosen any other country in Europe...not Scotland mate :)))
@@stón_1Can you go swimming and sunbathing in Scotpand mate? No, you sure can't because your nuts will be freezing off from the cold. Do you have cool mountains with a swimmable beachside? Nope. Romania better. God made Romania the richest country with all resources once. That's why we got raided so many times by turks, romans, hungarians. Because we were had resources others would've killed for.😂❤
Last year I fullfiled my childhood dream of visiting Transfagarasan, and also ended up driving Transalpina and Transfagarasan in my then 33 years old (now 34) Mercedes W124... This year, I am going again, but in my, new to me, Mercedes W204, and will make sure to take photo of the sticker!!!!
Romania is beautiful, with beautiful roads and people!
the tiny bit of road at 29:45 onwards, is the most memorable road I have ever been on. I stopped somewhere along that stretch and when I got out of my car, the size of the whole panorama took me by surprised and got me emotional. It was the best thing ever. Absolutely Transalpina over the Transfagarasan, but both are worth driving.
21:37 it is quite difficult to restore the asphalt on Transfagarasan because there is a very intense traffic the whole time it is open, and when it closes, in October, the snow and the weather conditions are already very cold and snowy :)
Yes, well people have built bridges connecting 2 continents, built tunnels and roads that go under the sea, built roads in permanently frozen lands and the list goes on. They should be able to patch up and fix that bit of road just fine...
That road is way better maintained than most British roads, maybe except Scotland
@@ChrisKsanyou are stupid??? This place is open 4-5 months ,and very turistic atraction when cannot work very much ,and in the other months ,the wether is so bad to working...
Yes finally Romania getting the acknowledge for the amazing road that they have !!!
Interesting thing about the long tunnel at the top: more often than not, whatever the weather is like on one side, it will be the complete opposite on the other side. So you were really lucky you caught good weather on both sides
Thank you for taking your time and visit and drive our roads and thank you for being a promoter of Romania and Transfagarasan and Transalpina.
The best approach the Transfagarasan would be the opposite. From the North to South. Climbing the part of the road where you were heading down is amazing.
Transalpina is so beautiful.
Tonight,
The GT Black Series looks good in the sunshine.
Shmee drives on the Transfăgărășan Highway.
And a bear and her cubs sit by the side of the road.
Watch again... :P
Funny, I instantly read that in my head in Jeremy’s voice.
There we go! You can’t be in Romania without driving the Transfăgărășan! 😎👍🏽 🇷🇴
What’s the DN7?
@@TheDamonsta is DN7c
Drum Național 7c =național road 7c
I like how you pronounced "Transfăgărășan" , like a real Romanian guy . Thanks for promoting our country 🥰
This is quickly becoming one of the most iconic cars not just in your collection but I would dare to say in the whole world.
I can't imagine many cars and owners can compare to GT BS and to the two of you. Congrats and thank you for sharing these amazing experiences with us.
Pentru romanii mei: omul asta a venit sa faca un vlog si a surprins in aceeasi zi o parte din esenta Romaniei : caruta, ursi, hotii de lemne si ciobani cu oi
=))
Esenta Romaniei este mult mai bogata de atat, dar fiecare cu valorile lui
🤣🤣🤣🤣
degeaba daca nu s-a intalnit cu bombardierii
Da e adevă rat
I drove on the Transfagarasan literally the same day I bought my first car, a mk7 Golf GTI.
This unreal place holds a very special place in my heart.
Shmee ive been to sibiu. Long way from New Zealand but those mountains have some of the most amazing water. Would of been awesome to see your car there. Sibiu is beautiful, with awesome food and vibes.. Love watching your videos
Imagine that I cycled both of these passes some years ago with my good friend, in the year when it was turned the tarmac for first time, with my own built recumbent bike. We had just one bear encounter on Transafagarasan, near our tent just next to the road, but face to face in the dark of the late evening, so terrifying, but without any problems. Transalpina from south is more steeper than the north side, very different from Transfagarasan, but both spectacular and worth to visit. This video brings me those special moments back, thank you!
Gorgeous scenery !!! So good that some places are still kept authentic.
I'd like to take a moment of appreciation for Shmee, to use Clarkson, Hammond & May's Trio with the name of Top Gear 😂😂😂
it was those 3 that drove the road on the show, who else would he mention
No one likes the new Top Gear.
@@intheplums Facts
Shmee is genius!!
@@shannacollins4741 i nearly said something that google would black list me from, but please don’t ever say something dumb like this again, it makes you petty, at almost 3million subs and given his level of wealth, this must better inform you about Shmee..
Hello Shmee! I'm glad you came back to Romania! I have been following you for a very long time and I love your videos!
I also made this trip a few years ago and I was fascinated by the beauty of the landscape and the road, being passionate about racing cars, although it is not the first time I go on these roads.
You're probably bored with such lines, but I'm telling you from the bottom of my heart... much respect and congratulations for everything you do! You really are the best!
Sincerely, Andrei!
These are the two roads I go when i need to go for a drive. I live in Bucharest and we tend to somehow underappreciate the beauty of these roads and hearing you legend comparing them with the top roads in the world just makes me want to go there again in the weekend!
The Transfagarasan will be repaved soon with new tarmac and lots of parking spaces at all the panoramic views for best shots with ur cars !!!
Absolutely amazing roads... now on my bucket list...
It may be the best driving road in the world but you definitely have one of the best driving experiences in the world with the GT Black Series
Yes going with it around the world has to be one of the coolest experiences.
Very small correction: at 8:40, you're talking about the Poienari Castle. It was Vlad the Impaler who lived in it, and not Ivan the Impaler. Congrats for your baggage of knowledge tho'. You came very well prepared for this video and it was impressive to see that you know about Pitesti/Dacia and about many other places! Hope you'll be returning to Romania for more fun on Transfagarasan/Transalpina! Keep the good work coming!
Cheers mate, you're doing a better job than our ministry of "tourism" which I didn't even know existed lmao
Vrei ca ministrul sa apara in reclame, sau cum vrei tu sa stii ca exista?
@@danascully6698 E doar un hater.
@@senaris Mai grav ar fi să fie doar un pr0st, așa cum mă gândesc eu.
@@danascully6698 E posibil sa fie 'acel om' care traieste in filme si nu stie nimic de Romania dar stie de barfa din alte tari 24/7, e si asta o probabilitate.
@@senaris Si tu ce problema ai tovarase?
Thank you for visiting Romania and putting up with the crap roads generally to enjoy a really nice one 😅 hope you liked it ❤
😂 Well obviously uk has many crap roads just like Romania if not worse. In the outskirts of London there are loads of potholes.
I feel it dayli...
Wow, Tim, what a great drive on a great road. Hats off to you for being so respectful to the wildlife. Many road users simply do not realise how privileged we are to share our planet with such beautiful creatures. Top, top video!
This road really looks like heaven! ❤️ It looks narrower than I thought, but it is undoubtedly one of the greatest roads ever! ❤️
A phenomenal insight into a drive through Romania. A great video Tim.
Piata constitutiei (the parking lot at the beginning) is mental on friday night, an improptu car show with with great builds and supercars. If you ever get to experience it, its a great representation of the car scene in Romania.
Tim, your reaction to the views makes this all worth while! Thank you so much for taking us along on these amazing journeys. Most of us sitting at home will never see the places you go. Your videos are a great gift you've given to the automotive world. 😀👍❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
Hello, you should also drive from transylvania to moldova from "Cheile Bicazului". That's actually one of my favorites roads from romania, very breath taking driving through big mountains
Thanks for visiting 🇷🇴 hope you enjoyed ❤️
I was in Bucharest in March and experienced the scariest taxi ride in my life! Speed limits appear to be just a suggestion...
And lane markings, seatbelts, brakes etc😂
Ahahahahahahahahh you are always welcome , but try to go Istanbul , and you will see a big difference . If you are from uk , big difference . Uk it’s more discipline than Europe lol
@@emiledisjonyou say that but I live in the UK and I once was in a taxi where the driver was doing close to 100mph the whole journey and I literally feared for my life not one police car stopped us
As long as you are not ripped off by taxi drivers everything is alright
I live and drive everyday in Bucharest and I assure you that Taxi drivers usually drive the slowest compared to the rest of the traffic in the city😂😂 but that s because thte majority of the time the city is congested so when people find light traffic, they want to make the best of it
Beautiful views from breathtaking mountain ranges. So far from what we experience in South Florida. I throughly enjoyed this video.
bears there are less dangerous than you think. They hang around there because often people feed them (they shouldn't!) but it's not really dangerous. There are not really any cases of bear attacks even though they live close to humans even in some cities like Brasov. Mountain rescuers even say you should be more afraid of lightning and thunderstorms when you're out hiking than bears
What a home ball and what a choice of locations! Amazing that you guys got to enjoy the roads! Looking forward to the rest of the journey and then what Shmartin has produced back at the Shmuseum. Epic as always! 👍
Nice to see that you liked these two roads. Transalpina is not so busy, i am going every year in the summer at least one time, i love that road and the mountains
The Transfagarasan is great but the scenery on Transalpina is something else, you’ll get what I’m trying to say when you’ve seen both
Didn't realise they had such a big trans community in Romania
I did that trip in 2017 both roads
@@JFz44 yes but we got the good kind of trans. like transylvania, transalpina, transfagarasan, etc.
not the gay kind😂😂
@@JFz44 I know it's a joke but trans* means a pass basically (a road or route that goes from one region to another)
Hi Shmee, I am Romanian and my grandparents live exactly near Transpina and even if I have been there basically every year, I think that it is better than Transfăgărășan and it is for sure one of the best roads in the word
Hello Shmee, I'm so happy that you liked Romania roads, I live in Curtea de Arges witch is the city at the start at Transfagarasan, I have done those roads a lot and never disappoints me. I wish the next time you I will have the opportunity to meet you or at least see your car. Beautiful video!
I made a joke about the Gumball movie being a nature documentary because of the bug splatters, but this is a very nature packed episode!
Literally!
Hi Shmee, it would be awesome if you could do more videos going to places that Clarkson, Hammond and May have been to from both Top Gear and The Grand Tour!!
After watching this video 2 months ago, this planted some serious ideas to finally go and drive those passes. I have been aware of them even before the Top Gear episode, but this video inspired me to finally do it. So I planned, and I executed the same way as you. First day going north through Transfagarasan, spend the night in Sibiu and then on the second day going south through Transalpina. It was awesome and exceeded my expectations by far. Had no luck with the weather on Transalpina as it was heavily raining, but that couldn't remove the smile from my face. I drove 1370km in 2 days, coming from Sofia, Bulgaria. Long exhausting driving, but it was worth it! I will go back there again sometime for sure! Thank you Shmee for inspiring me and gave the needed push to finally do this trip! :)
Good to see someone using a GT Black Series the way it was intended to be driven. Thanks for bringing us along...CHEERS!!!
Loving the Homeball content, can I just say your lovely lady is one awesome camera person 🎥 every video you do her camera work is flawless
She's brilliant!
Cheers mate. Thanks for talking so nice about our country 😊
Greetings from Transylvania ❤
You have much more vim & vigour today Tim, rest well, hydrate and get some quality nourishment after your Epic drive!
Finally catching up on some sleep, it helps!
Hi Tim, I drove this way last year both parts of Transalpina on the way to Bulgaria where I live now. Great road!!✌
put into perspective, the parliament building looks even bigger. btw, this is one of the best videos i've seen in Shmee history! thank you for the journey on this amazing road. it triggers me to think this was totally off-limits to civilians no that time long ago
I literally cried seeing you how much you enjoyed your driving experience in my country!! Thank you so much for this great video you made here❤️ I love you
What a drive ! 👍, for me, after driving on 5 continents and after a motorbike roadtrip of 4 months and 20k km, the best roads in the world are in south America: Peru, Argentina, Chile & Bolivia : deserted, perfect tarmac, incredible views and sometimes going to 5000m +, there is no match anywhere else 🤩, New zealand, Canada, Scotland , the Alpes are also great, still to go to Norway 😊
This was epic!!! Unforgettable!! Well done Tim 👏👏
Good choice on the Transfagarasan and Transalpina. There are some cool roads and small cities to be discovered in the Carpathians between Transilvania and Moldova as well, as hidden gems for everybody coming this way. Cheers!
I see you had the full Romanian experience, gravel, wildlife and all. Usually you can see one or two bears on that section but you had the full lot. I really like both roads, I'm glad you enjoyed them. I will be looking for that sticker soon :)
those stories are my favourites on your channel. thank you for sharing those with us! such incredibly views...
Shmee always delivers! 🔥
Shmee you have experienced the true Romanian road experience with the cracked windshield (I'm at my 3rd), drivers that go over continuous line, animals on the road, big contrast in vehicles that you encounter. Great journey!
what a drive amazing video enjoyed every second of it
These are my favourite videos, watching shmee explore and seeing new country’s for myself.. awesome !
You should try the route from Kladovo to Radosevac i Serbia @Shmee150, it is utterly amazing and you have the right car, and the best is you can enter that route to Serbia via Turnu Severin in Romania.
I wrote this msg when you are in Sibiu. Transfăgărășan was a path made by romans to conquer Dacian Lands about 2000years but Transalpina is the heart of pilots :)
Amazing roads. Thanks to share with these amazing experience! Hats off to both of you. Now you have to try the portuguese road called N222, i bet you'll love it. Cheers. ;)
It was well worth the wait! Brilliant trip! Thanks Tim ! Cheers, Tom
What a journey, man! Congratulations!
I’ve driven the transfargarrassen. It’s an incredible road. When I went, one of the hairpins had no warning and the cliff beneath it had eroded and collapsed the road. There’s a parking area at the top but it was capitalised on by the locals and €50 per hour to park with a few gift stalls. Regret not stopping to get a token fridge magnet and sticker 😂. When you go you realise that the top gear episode was filmed in reverse. They drove from Bucharest and would have driven the southern side first (the bit with the long sweeping bends). The steeper more rugged northern side (the bit where Clarkson says it’s the most amazing road) they would have got to after driving the southern bit. There’s also a hotel at the top of the dam they supposedly slept under. Once you complete the southern section it must about 50km of 2nd/3rd gear driving until you get to normal stretches of road. Constantly getting stuck behind tourists. The transalpina road is just as good and way more quiet.
That road looks amazing man, Im happy for you bro
From a native romanian who passed the transfagarasan 5 times in 5 years, literary I don't know how you guys managed to find so many bears because I have not seen even one. The only time a saw a bear was in the transalpina section. Man this is crazy :D
Dam! That was a SUPER AWESOME episode if I may call it that lol. Thank you for sharing the journey with us... Looking forward to the next🤸🏻🤸🏻🤸🏻 #Shteam150
Thank you for visit us! 👍
Romania it's a really beautiful country, I love it
8:35 -No "Ivan" ever lived and ruled this country. You meant "Vlad". Even "Vlad" is not the same with the similar Russian name, their Vlad mostly come from "Vladimir", whereby this Vlad comes from local and south slavic "Vladislav".
Im sitting in Ploiesti, about 3hr from Transfagarasan, wishing I had an AMG to hit the road in. Unfortunately only the father in law's 2002 Skoda Fabia😂 G'day from Australia
Glad you made it! I have family
Romanian Bears: _”Shmee!! Shmee!! Shmee!!”_ 👋🏼
Tim: _”Wa-wait. Wha?”_
Yay! what a fun drive, thank you!!!
what is that guy thinking in the puma, I grew up in the mountains of Vancouver BC Canada, the last thing you ever wanna do is try to get the attention of a Mother bear with her cubs , especially a brown bear, that mother bear is lightining fast and could be in your window before you know it, in fact theres a law in canada you have to stay 20 feet away from a bear in the wild, but yes a 900 LB bear can run as fast if not quicker tahn you and can break a window like a twig, please please always respect their natural habitat, yes they are cool to look at, but repsect them as well
Wow welcome to my country! hope you had a good time on our roads! (posting this excited before watching the video)
Very cool part of the world 👍 thanks for sharing it Tim 🙏
The bears on the first leg of the trip were hair raising spectacular to watch. Crashing in to one - a nightmare. But a spectacular trip with some nice impressions of Hermannstadt.
I wouldn't want to crash into a bear in any car let alone an AMG GT
Beautiful car, road and trip! Im not a big Merc guy but it fits the trip well. Wish we had similar stuff in the US (outside the west cost mostly at least) We have to go to maybe South America for anything similar lol. Id love to take a Miata or GR86, or an old S2000, MR2 or something through hills like that! (Or a Honda CBR650R or somethin!!)
You should have stopped at the top after that big tunnel and go to the right, there is a lake there with a cabin where you can eat and the food (eggs, cheese, meat etc) is bought from the shepherds that you just passed by and other farmers around the area so it`s as fresh as it gets. The views are also delicious.
There quite a few very nice roads in the world. So far, I've been lucky enough to have experienced a few great roads in Europe. Some of my favourite have been the mountain roads around the Grossglockner, the road from Pula to Labin or the Jadranska Magistrala in Croatia and some even in my home country such as the road from Rýmařov to Velké Losiny up in the northeast of the Czech Republic.
There many others out there and I hope experience as many as I can either in my own car or at least through one of your videos, Tim. Looking forward to the next one.
Jadranska Magistrala all day!
Vancouver to Calgary. Banff to Jasper or aka the Icefields Highway in Alberta. Highway 40 in Alberta. I drove Grossglockner last spring.
Jebel Jais in the UAE still the best road I’ve ever driven , smooth , well sighted and two lanes on the way up so can blast past slower cars…outstanding!
The bears were thinking ahhh a big giant yellow pot of honey driving past 😂😂
Bear content 100% today 👍🏻
You can get the hole filled with a solution to stop it expanding. It’s quite inexpensive and may save you issues.
I think that the road TransAlpina DN67C much better than Transfăgărășan
Keep watching then 😉
@@Shmee150 yeah DN67C is more scenic
Been waiting for this video and it didn't disappoint, awesome Tim! 👌👍 In terms of Transfăgărășan or Transalpina being the best driving road, that is absolute exaggeration. Scenery is amazing in Romanian Carpathians, those two roads are great, but it simply can't compare to famous Alpine passes like Stelvio or Grossglockner strasse and so on. Just remember all those amazing passes in Dolomites. But yeah, would love to go there one day!
Bikers know the best roads, they do so many miles in the mountains, well worth chatting to them for some gems.
You should do a video of the best and also do the full trans alpine route like the bikers
Vlad the impaler not Ivan the impaler...
Me being romanian living in the UK for the last 7 years: 🫨🫨🫨 Actually i never was on Transalpina and on Transfăgărășan i was like 10 years ago. At least i get a diversion through Luton last night and last week i had a delivery in Bradford. 😅 That’s the maximum of adventure you can get here. 😂
Keep up the good work Tim, and not even waste a minute for some individuals negativity recently.
Always keep it positive!
@@Shmee150 exactly👌🏻
Seen the dog with the sheep? You should be afraid of that, not the bear. That dog messes with bears 😂
Visit Top G😂
Congratulations, thank you for visiting our country, especially the superb Transfagarasan, after Gumbal 3000 in Budapest I saw you in our country as well