Between Bran and Rucăr, the road climbs over the saddle that separates the Bucegi mountains from Piatra Craiului, through a landscape of high meadows, hay barns, scattered farms and limestone peaks. The name Drumul Carului, the cart road, recalls the old route across this pass, which has linked Transylvania and Wallachia for centuries, and archaeologists have recorded a Roman-era site here, part of the network of frontier and road posts in Dacia. Fundata, at the top, is one of the highest villages in Romania, at around 1,350 metres, and the scattered houses of Moieciu, Peștera and Șirnea spread across the hills around it.
The Bran-Rucăr corridor is one of the most beautiful areas in Romania. Piatra Craiului, a long, sharp limestone ridge, rises to the west, home to chamois, bears and rare flowers, and the Bucegi plateau, with its strange rock formations, rises to the east. In summer, shepherds take their flocks to the high pastures, and in autumn, the forests turn gold and red. The villages are known for their cheese, especially the smoked cheese wrapped in fir bark.
Bran Castle, nine kilometres away, is famous worldwide as Dracula's castle, though its connection with Vlad the Impaler is tenuous. It was a customs fortress guarding the pass, and later a royal residence of Queen Marie of Romania. It is very busy in summer, with crowds and souvenir stalls.
The road over the pass, the DN73, is a good ride, with curves and views, but it is busy with trucks and tourists, especially at weekends. The side roads into the villages are narrow, steep and sometimes unpaved, and the weather can change quickly, with fog, rain and snow. Bran has fuel, shops and accommodation, and Brașov, a larger city with a medieval centre, is about thirty kilometres north. Try the local cheeses, polenta and soups in the mountain guesthouses.