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Forested hills above Zărnești split by the limestone cleft of the Zărnești Gorge, with the bare grey Piatra Craiului ridge in the distance and a guesthouse on a gravel road in the foreground
The gorge and the Piatra Craiului ridge from the village of Măgura, above the gorge
Town brief · 45.5694°N 25.3403°E

Zărnești

Give Zărnești two nights, not a day trip from Brașov: the rescued bears in the morning, the gorge and the Curmătura hut in the afternoon, and a summit on the second day.

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Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Zărnești

How long
Two nightsone for the bears and the gorge, one for a summit
Getting around
Train in, then a car or taxithe sanctuary and the trailheads are up gravel roads
When
June to Octoberridge in settled weather only; no bear tours on Mondays
Language
Romaniantrails are marked by coloured stripes, not words
Money
The Romanian leucarry cash for the mountain huts
Airports
Brașov GHVabout 30 km by road; Bucharest OTP is under 200 km
How long

How many days do you need in Zărnești?

Two nights. The first day covers a morning tour of the bear sanctuary and an afternoon walk through the gorge to the Curmătura hut. The second is for a summit: Piatra Mică above the hut, or for experienced walkers in settled weather, the main ridge to La Om, which takes a long day.

Getting around

Do you need a car in Zărnești?

Not to arrive, but it helps once there. Regional trains run from Brașov through the day. The bear sanctuary sits at the end of a dirt track above town, and taxis do not wait there, so a car or a booked taxi is needed for the return. The main trailhead at Fântâna lui Botorog is reached on a gravel road.

When

When is the best time to visit Zărnești?

June to October. The park charges its entry ticket from 1 May to 31 October, and the high ridge is walked from May to November in good weather only. September and October bring autumn colour and fewer walkers.

Language

What language is spoken in Zărnești?

Romanian. Mountain trails in the Piatra Craiului are waymarked with painted symbols, colour-coded stripes, dots, crosses and triangles, so route-finding does not depend on reading Romanian. Sanctuary tours are guided.

Money

What currency is used in Zărnești?

The Romanian leu, RON. Romania has not adopted the euro. Cards are taken in town, but the mountain huts and the park's entry points are safer paid in cash, so it is worth drawing some in Brașov or Zărnești before setting off.

Airports

Which airport is closest to Zărnești?

Brașov-Ghimbav, GHV, which opened in 2023 and lies about 30 km away by road, with mostly low-cost flights to Western Europe. Bucharest Otopeni, OTP, under 200 km away, has the widest choice of flights. From Brașov, regional trains reach Zărnești in under an hour.

Book the bear sanctuary online before you travel. Tours run in the morning, Tuesday to Sunday, last about an hour and a quarter, and are closed to children under five. No ride-hail cars come up the dirt track to collect you, so book your lift back before you go.

Give the afternoon to the gorge. Drive the gravel road to the spring at Fântâna lui Botorog, leave the car at the roadside and walk on between the limestone walls. Past the narrows the blue stripe climbs to the Curmătura hut, and the yellow stripe brings you back down past Zănoaga meadow to the car.

On a second day, climb higher. Piatra Mică, straight above the hut, is the summit to aim for on a first visit. The main ridge to La Om is a different undertaking: a long scramble with chains on the steep pitches and no water anywhere on the crest.

Leave the ridge for clear, settled days between May and November, and turn back if cloud comes down. Summer weekends crowd the gorge path, so start early or come on a weekday. Bears live in these forests: walk in company, talk as you go and never leave food out at a campsite.

If you come by train, sleep at the south-west edge of town, on the road towards the gorge, so you can walk to where the marked path starts. With a car, a guesthouse in Măgura, a hillside village inside the park, puts you above the gorge with the ridge in view. Before your first walk, stop at the park visitor centre, a kilometre out on the road to Plaiul Foii.

Things to do

7
  1. Libearty Bear Sanctuary

    Libearty Bear Sanctuary

    Park · 2 hr

    Book one of the two morning tours, because they are the only way in. For the rest of the day the bears are left undisturbed.

    View more →
  2. Piatra Craiului National Park

    Piatra Craiului National Park

    Park · 6 hr

    Choose your walk before you book a room: the gorge and the Curmătura hut make an easy half day, while the main ridge is a long scramble with no water on top. Talk as you walk in the forest, because bears live there.

    View more →
  3. Piatra Craiului Visitor Centre

    Piatra Craiului Visitor Centre

    Museum · 30 min

    The national park's centre, about a kilometre out of town on the road towards Plaiul Foii, with an interactive exhibition on the massif's landscapes and wildlife, a reconstructed shepherds' hut and an artificial cave. It is closed on Mondays and opens Tuesday to Saturday, with short hours on Friday and Saturday.

  4. Piatra Mică

    Piatra Mică

    Viewpoint · 6 hr

    The 1,816 metre summit of the small limestone block at the northern end of the massif, reached on a steep marked path from the Curmătura hut. The view from the top runs across the saddle to the main ridge and down over Zărnești and the plain. It is the easiest summit in the park to reach from the hut, and it turns the gorge and hut loop into a full day.

  5. Cabana Curmătura

    Landmark · 5 hr

    A mountain hut at 1,470 metres on a grassy saddle below the northern summits of the Piatra Craiului, with a kitchen serving hot meals, bunk rooms and space for tents beside it. It is the turning point of the classic loop from Fântâna lui Botorog: up through the gorge on the blue stripe, down past Zănoaga meadow on the yellow, about ten kilometres and five hours on foot.

  6. La Om Peak

    Viewpoint · 8 hr

    Start at first light and carry three litres of water each, because there is none on the ridge and the scramble to the top and back fills a long summer day.

  7. Zărnești Gorge

    Canyon · 2.5 hr

    Come early on a summer weekend, before the roadside parking at Fântâna lui Botorog fills, then keep going up the blue-marked path to the Curmătura hut for lunch.

Basemap Meridian · data © OpenStreetMap

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