About Transursoaia
Transursoaia is the name by which the DN1R is known: the 80 km national road linking Huedin, in Cluj county, with Albac, in Alba county, across the Apuseni Mountains. The name comes from the Ursoaia Pass, the highest point of the route at about 1,320 m, a saddle on the watershed between the Someșul Cald and the Arieșul Mare rivers, between the Bihor and Gilău Mountains. It is not a ridge road like the Transalpina, but a quiet mountain road through spruce forest, hay meadows with haystacks and farmsteads scattered over the hills.
For a long time the mountain section was a gravel road, and the villages at its end were hard to reach. After it was paved, and after the rehabilitation carried out by the national roads authority in 2020–2021, tourist traffic grew, and many houses in Beliș, Poiana Horea and Horea have become guesthouses.
What you can see
From the north, the road leaves Huedin heading south, through Sâncraiu and Călata, and climbs to Beliș, where it passes the Fântânele dam and runs by the Beliș-Fântânele reservoir, surrounded by forest. Next comes the village of Poiana Horea, with houses scattered over the meadows, then the climb through the forest to the Ursoaia Pass. From the pass the road winds down in hairpins to Mătișești and along the Albac valley, through Horea, to Albac, where it meets the DN75 in the Arieș valley.
The most spectacular part is the mountain section between Poiana Horea and Mătișești, with the pass in the middle; the best light is in the morning, when the mist lifts from the valleys, or in the evening, towards sunset.
Good to know
The Poiana Horea – Mătișești section (km 58–62), over the pass, closes every winter because the snow cannot be cleared safely; it reopens in spring, once the snow has melted. The Cluj county part has been rebuilt recently and is in good condition, but the Alba county part, between the pass and Albac, is narrow in places, without guardrails and with potholes.
- The Ursoaia Pass, at about 1,320 m, with the Ursoaia spring by the road and the spruce forest all around.
- Lake Beliș-Fântânele, seen from the Fântânele dam, which the road passes.
- The village of Poiana Horea, with houses and haystacks scattered over the meadows, just before the climb to the pass.
- The descent in hairpins from the pass to Mătișești and the Albac valley.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: from the north, from Cluj-Napoca on the DN1 to Huedin (~50 km, ~1h), then the DN1R south, through Beliș (~30 km), to the pass (~59 km from Huedin, ~1h20). From the south, the road starts at Albac, on the DN75: it is ~16 km from Câmpeni and ~23 km from Arieșeni to Albac; from Alba Iulia it is ~95 km to Albac (~2h). The full crossing, Huedin – Albac, takes almost 2 hours without stops; the Alba county part is narrow and in poor condition in places.
Public transport: Huedin has a railway station on the Cluj-Napoca – Oradea line; there are no known scheduled services over the Ursoaia Pass, so in practice the road can only be driven by car, motorbike or bicycle.
- Where to park
There are no proper car parks on the mountain section: you stop on the roadside, in the wider spots, without blocking the carriageway, which is narrow in places. In Beliș, Poiana Horea and Albac you can park at the guesthouses and in the village centres.
- Fees & discounts
The road is public and free, with no toll or parking charge. The road vignette (rovinieta) is compulsory on the DN1R, as on any national road outside built-up areas.
- Rules
Do not try to cross the pass in winter: the Poiana Horea – Mătișești section is closed. In season, drive slowly on the Alba county part, where guardrails are missing and there are potholes, and watch out for timber lorries, animals on the road and cyclists. Do not stop on the carriageway on bends for photos. You are in the mountains: fog and rain come quickly, and the pass is colder than Huedin or Albac.
- Facilities
Guesthouses in Beliș, Poiana Horea, Horea and Albac · shops and petrol stations in Huedin; best to fill up before the climb · no facilities at the pass
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