Guide to Hiking in Romania & the Carpathian Mountains
Trails Around the World presents this Guide to Hiking in Romania. In this guest post by Marius Iliescu, a native of Romania and founder of Romanian Friend, you’ll learn how to plan your Romania hiking trip. As well as what to see and where to go to experience the great outdoors in this lesser-known destination!
From virgin forests, picturesque views of traditional villages, amazing waterfalls to 2,500m high peaks the Carpathian Mountains of Romania have it all! Located in South-Eastern Europe, the Carpathians stretch across 1,500 kilometres through 7 countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania. But the highest concentration of the Carpathian range lies in Romania where they occupy 55% of our country’s surface, creating a rich geographical diversity with many hiking trails, natural attractions and mountain adventures!
Romania is largely an unexplored – or protected from mass tourism – tourist destination. Besides major cities such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca or Timisoara with a young, vibrant and mostly alternative culture, the traditional, simple and peaceful rural life found in the countryside and mountainous areas fascinates travellers from all over the world. The food is mostly organic and home-made and the medieval cities of Brasov, Sighisoara and Sibiu or castles such as Bran, Peles or Rasnov will make exploring much more interesting!
Planning your Romania Hiking Trip: The Essentials
For hiking in Romania, the season starts in April for mountains and trails below 2,000 metres altitude. And in early summer for anything above that, since there might still be snow until then. By the end of October the weather becomes cold, rainy and with early signs of snow to enjoy a trip. But for those who don’t care about difficult weather conditions, hiking in Romania during the winter and snowshoeing is possible and very enjoyable!
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Trails are well marked and signage corresponds to the usual system found in Europe. A red line marks trails to the ridge, a blue triangle shows an alternative route to the top of the mountain, whilst a red circle is used for circuit trails. In popular ranges such as Piatra Craiului, Bucegi or Fagaras you can find maps and get help from other hikers if you’re on your own. But other ranges such as Retezat, Parang or Calimani are so wild and with few signs of life that you will need to plan your trip very well. Hiring a mountain guide is highly recommended in both cases as there are many spots, viewpoints and local attractions you might not be able to find on your own.
While planning your trip, you should think of good locations to set up a base. Besides being Romania’s most beautiful medieval city, Brasov is situated in the heart of the Carpathians and is a great location if you want to hike in the Central and Eastern Carpathians. Sinaia or Busteni are also good bases to go into Bucegi Mountains. For Apuseni National Park in the Western Carpathians, Cluj-Napoca, the unofficial capital of Transylvania, is the closest city with an airport. Timisoara is also a good alternative for that and the best for those going into the wild Retezat Mountains.
As you hike your way through small villages you will find accommodation in the form of guesthouses called “pensiune” which cost between 20 to 30 Euro/night with meals included. As you go higher and reach the wilder areas of the Carpathians you will only find mountain refuges and cabins to rest and spend the night. Make sure to always have Romanian Lei with you as card payments are not usually accepted in the mountains.
The highest peak in Romania is Moldoveanu at 2,544m in Fagaras Mountains. And there are 47 other peaks above 2,400 metres. The difficulty of hiking in Romania’s mountains should not be underestimated and if you run into any trouble you should call Salvamont, the Romanian mountain rescue team. You should also know that Romania is known as Europe’s last wilderness reserve: besides hosting the largest population of brown bears, numerous wild animals such as boars, wolves, lynx or deer roam our lands.
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Where to go Hiking in Romania
Now that you have a better view of what to expect from the hiking in Romania’s Carpathians Mountains and how to plan your trip, it’s time to see which are the most popular and beautiful ranges and areas to put on your hiking bucket list.
First on our list is the Făgăraș Mountain range located in the heart of the country between Brasov and Sibiu. Also called Transylvania’s Alps, most peaks and ridges here go well above 2,200 metres altitude. Due to weather conditions, they are most suitable for hikers with endurance and proper hiking gear, although the trails themselves are not too difficult. The most adventurous of you can ascend to Moldoveanu Peak in 2-3 days from Balea Lake and enjoy breathtaking views from Romania’s highest point. Fagaras Mountains are also home to the Transfagarasan Highway, one of Romania’s top attractions and named ‘the greatest driving road in the world’ by Top Gear.
Make sure you have all the day hiking must-haves before you head out for your hike!
Next on our list is Piatra Craiului range, close to Brasov. Distinctive for a sharp limestone ridge that scratches the sky, they offer a huge variety of trails for every difficulty level and you can also explore the beautiful Zarnesti Gorge. You may be lucky to come across a shepherd and his herd so don’t miss the chance to buy some cheese from him – it will make your lunch snack much better! In the same area, there are also several mountain villages renowned for their traditional lifestyle and picturesque landscapes: Măgura, Sirnea, Moeciu and Peștera. And in the distance you might see the famous Bran Castle!
Closer to Bucharest are the Bucegi Mountains. Most trails start from Busteni or Sinaia, home of the beautiful Peleș Castle. Make your way up to Heroes’ Cross on Caraiman Peak where a 36 metre iron monument at 2,291 metres overlooks the valley and commemorates Romania’s WWI heroes. Another attraction you shouldn’t miss in the area is Urlătoarea Waterfall. The trail for it starts in Bușteni, home of another beautiful castle: Cantacuzino Palace.
Moving on to Western Romania, the most famous range here is the Apuseni Mountains with its beautiful natural park. Though lower in altitude at 1,800m, they are home to numerous attractions such as Bear Cave, Scărișoara Cave which hosts a 3,000 years old glacier, and Ponorului Fortress, a breathtakingly beautiful area where plants that only grow in Northern Europe can be found. Due to many karst rock formations, the area is a great place for those interested in mountaineering and rock climbing adventures such as via ferrata trails or escalade.
Marius Iliescu is the founder of Romanian Friend – a local project promoting handpicked tours in Romania with the best local guides so travellers can discover the authentic beauty of Romania while supporting responsible travel. Plan your trip with help from a Romanian Friend and follow us on Facebook to see what you can visit!
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