Cheile Bicazului (Gâtul Iadului)

The Bicaz Gorge is one of Romania's most spectacular canyons, carved by the Bicaz river through the limestone of the Hășmaș massif, on the border between Neamț and Harghita. The road winds at the foot of sheer walls hundreds of metres high, so close in the stretch known as the ‘Hell's Throat' that the sky appears only as a narrow ribbon between the cliffs. The route links Transylvania and Moldavia and passes the Red Lake, formed in 1837 by a landslide, with fir trunks still visible beneath the surface.

The gorge lies within the Bicaz–Hășmaș National Park and is a paradise for climbers, hikers and photographers, with craft stalls at the base of the walls. It can be driven, but it is worth stopping to walk and feel the true scale of the place. Check road conditions in winter, when it may close due to ice and rockfall.