Timiș-Cerna Gap, mountain pass, southwestern Romania, located in the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians). The pass links the Tisza River plain and the city of Timișoara (northwest) with the Danubian Plain (southeast). The Banat Mountains, including the Almaj and Semenic ranges, lie west of the Timiș-Cerna Gap. The mountain ranges of Vâlcan, Retezat, Tarcul, Cernei, and Mehedinți are situated east of the gap. The Timiș River flows northwestward, and the Cerna River drains southward through the pass. A highway and railway connection between Timișoara and Bucharest also runs through the pass. Towns situated in the Timiș-Cerna Gap include Caransebes, Slatina, and Orșova.