It is the kind of road you drive slowly not because you have to, but because you want to look up. At Gâtul Iadului the rock walls rise over 300 metres on either side, so close together that the sun barely reaches the tarmac. Bicaz Gorge is short by car — about 8 km — but it stays among the most spectacular drives in the country.
The road is DN12C, a trans-Carpathian route linking Moldavia to Transylvania across the Hășmaș mountains. It is not hard to drive, but it asks for attention and, above all, a few stops on foot. Here is how to get there, which side to come from and what not to miss.
The route: DN12C, between Bicaz and Gheorgheni
DN12C runs about 54 km and links Bicaz (Neamț) to Gheorgheni (Harghita). The spectacular stretch — the gorge itself — covers roughly 8 km, between Lacul Roșu and the village of Bicaz-Chei.
You can come from two directions. From Moldavia, follow DN15 from Piatra Neamț towards Bicaz, then turn onto DN12C and climb through the gorge to Lacul Roșu. From Transylvania, drop down from Gheorgheni on DN12C, pass Lacul Roșu and the 155 m tunnel, and the gorge opens up right after. Either way, at some point the road narrows between the rocks and turns memorable.
Gâtul Iadului: stop and walk
The narrowest, most dramatic section is called Gâtul Iadului ("the throat of hell"), about 800 m long. Here is the classic mistake: people drive through, take two bends and think they have "seen the gorge". They have seen nothing.
Leave the car somewhere safe — there is free parking at Podul Ungurului — and walk for at least 15–20 minutes. Only from down there, head tilted back, does the scale of the place register. Along the edge you will find souvenir stalls; to be honest most of it is imported, but the Corund ceramics are the real thing and worth a look.
Lacul Roșu, a few km further up
At the Transylvanian end of the gorge, about 3 km on, lies Lacul Roșu — a lake formed naturally in 1837, when a landslide blocked the river. Fir trunks still rise out of the water like masts. It is a short, lovely stop, with terraces and a viewing balcony above if you fancy a 20-minute climb.
The area has guesthouses and hotels, so you can make Lacul Roșu your base for a night if you want to catch the gorge in the morning too, when it is emptier.
Where to start from: it is a long way from Bucharest
Let us be direct: from Bucharest, Bicaz Gorge is far — over 350 km and a good stretch of mountain road, so it is not a there-and-back day trip. It fits far better into a tour of Moldavia or Bucovina.
The most convenient starting point is Piatra Neamț, only ~65 km (1.5 hours) from the gorge, with the dam and Lake Bicaz (Izvorul Muntelui) on the way. From Transylvania you come via Gheorgheni, and there is more nearby: the Praid salt mine, the Borsec resort, the Bicăjel gorge. The gorge is really the centrepiece of a whole region to explore, not an isolated destination.
Which car, and how much caution
The road is paved and manageable in any normal car. What matters is how you drive it: tight bends, shaded sections and, in season, bumper-to-bumper traffic through the narrow part. Go slowly, keep your distance and do not stop dead in the middle of the road for a photo — pull over where there is room. In winter the area needs winter tyres and care on ice in the sections the sun never reaches.
In short
- Route: DN12C, ~54 km, Bicaz–Gheorgheni; the gorge itself ~8 km.
- Do not miss: Gâtul Iadului (walk it!) and Lacul Roșu, ~3 km on.
- Handiest base: Piatra Neamț (~65 km / 1.5h) or Lacul Roșu itself.
- From Bucharest: over 350 km — pair it with a tour of Moldavia or Bucovina.
- Caution: tight bends, traffic in season; winter tyres in winter.
Since this is a region to explore at leisure, it deserves a car you can roam the north of the country with for a few days. With our fleet you get unlimited mileage and full insurance included, so you can string Bicaz Gorge together with everything around it without doing sums.
