Prislop Pass, at 1,416 m altitude, is the highest pass in the Eastern Carpathians and the road linking Borșa to Bucovina. It sits about 20 km from Borșa, on national road DN18, on the boundary between the Rodnei Mountains to the south and the Maramureș Mountains to the north. Beyond the scenery, the pass has its own history and is the starting point for a separate day trip into the villages and resort towns of Suceava County.
Location and Altitude
Prislop Pass connects the Maramureș Depression to the west with the Bistrița Aurie valley in Bucovina to the east. On the western side, the road starts in Borșa; on the eastern side, it descends toward the village of Șesuri, in Cârlibaba commune, Suceava County. As the highest pass in the Eastern Carpathians, it offers wide views over both of the ranges it separates.
History and the Preluca Tătarilor Monument
The pass area has its own history. At Preluca Tătarilor, a monument commemorates a victory by the people of Borșa, led by parish priest Șandor Lupu, over a Tatar raiding party retreating from a last incursion into Maramureș in 1717. The area also holds a military cemetery with 136 soldiers from the First and Second World Wars, and around 1915 the Austro-Hungarian army built a military railway here, used during World War I.
Hora la Prislop
The pass is also where Hora la Prislop is held, the area's oldest inter-county folklore festival — started around 1968 by teacher Nicoară Timiș from Borșa and usually held toward the end of August, with ensembles from Maramureș, Suceava and Bistrița-Năsăud. If your visit overlaps with the festival, keep in mind that traffic on DN18 can back up for a few kilometers in both directions until the crowd disperses.
Beyond the Pass: Toward Bucovina
Crossing Prislop eastward takes you straight into Bucovina, Suceava County — an area distinct from the Rodnei Mountains and Rodnei Mountains National Park, but reachable by car in the same day for anyone looking to extend their trip.
Cârlibaba is the first town on the Bucovina side, right at the base of the pass. It has its own small ski area, with two medium-difficulty slopes, and makes a good stop or orientation point before continuing on to Vatra Dornei.
Vatra Dornei, roughly 60 km from Borșa via Prislop Pass — check the exact distance and road conditions in a navigation app before you go — is a spa town known since the 19th century for its thermal and mineral waters. The Cazinoul Băilor, a historic late-19th-century building, and the 50-hectare Municipal Park are among the town's landmarks.
Ciocănești, about 20 km from Vatra Dornei, is a village unlike any other in Romania: every house is painted with traditional folk motifs, a tradition started in the 1970s at the initiative of the then-mayor. The village also has a Decorated Egg Museum and was named by Lonely Planet among Europe's most colorful destinations.
These three towns aren't part of the Rodnei Mountains — they're a natural extension of the drive over Prislop, well suited as a second day of a trip for anyone who already has a car and time to spare, not as a quick stop on the way to somewhere else.
Getting There from Borșa
From Borșa, DN18 runs straight to the pass, on a winding mountain road — plan for 20-30 minutes by car up to Prislop. The road stays open year-round, but in winter, ice or snow can appear on the surface, especially in the morning and evening — drive carefully and check the forecast before setting out, as with any other mountain road in the area.
For accommodation in Borșa before or after a trip to Prislop and Bucovina, see our accommodation guide.