1Sights
Bran CastleCASTLE
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-237 700; www.bran-castle.com; Str General Traian Moşoiu 24; adult/student/child 35/20/7 lei; h9am-6pm Tue-Sun, noon-6pm Mon Apr-Sep, same hours to 4pm Oct-Mar)
Rising above the town on a rocky promontory, Bran Castle holds visitors in thrall. An entire industry has sprouted around describing it as ‘Dracula’s Castle’. The liberties taken with Bran’s reputation are quickly forgotten on a visit: you’ll climb up its conical towers, admiring views over thick forest, and stroll through creaky-floored rooms furnished with bearskin rugs and 19th-century antiques.
Noting Bran Pass’ strategic location, Teutonic knights built a citadel here in the 13th century. The structure was destroyed in battle, but fears of Turkish invasion led to a new citadel being built in the same place in 1382, as part of a 14th-century boom in castle-building. Bran Castle languished as an administrative building during the 18th century. The town of Bran was offered to Queen Maria of Romania in 1920, as a thank you for her efforts in uniting the country.
Indeed, you’ll learn rather more about Queen Maria than Dracula. One room exhibits a half-hearted account of Romanian vampire lore, and rather infuriatingly shoehorns together some displays on Vlad Ţepeş – popularly, ‘the Impaler’ – and author Bram Stoker.
Several displays are devoted to Maria, the castle’s former royal resident, and her belongings are lovingly displayed alongside video footage. One of the finest rooms is her husband King Ferdinand’s former bedroom, with decorated furniture and ceramic fireplaces.
Bran Castle hosts atmospheric events around Halloween; check the castle's website for details. It also hosts a late-summer Jazz Festival (www.bran-castle.com; hlate Aug).
Bran Village MuseumMUSEUM
(Muzeul Satului Brănean; GOOGLE MAP ; adult/student 8/2 lei; h9am-6pm Tue-Sun & noon-6pm Mon summer, 9am-4pm Tue-Sun winter)
Just east of Bran Castle, this museum displays original items found in the castle, with open-air displays of traditional architectural styles of the region.
4Sleeping & Eating
Bran’s coven of villas and pensiunes grows every year, though most visitors day trip from Braşov. Browse agrotourism and homestay listings on www.ruraltourism.ro.
Vampire CampingCAMPGROUND$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-238 430; www.vampirecamping.com; Str Cavaler Ioan de Puscariu 68; per adult/child/tent €4.50/2/3; hApr-Oct; p)
This standard, rather than spooky, campground is 1.5km north of Bran Castle. There's a pizzeria in high summer, bike hire, laundry facilities (€4 per load) and wi-fi around the reception area.
The GuestHousePENSION$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0744-306 062; www.guesthouse.ro; Str General Traian Moşoiu 7; d 135-165 lei, tr 170 lei; pW)
Six trim rooms, where modern fittings mingle with rustic touches like wooden beams, offer terrific views of Bran Castle. It's clean, friendly, and has perks for families including a kids playground and communal lounge and dining room.
Hanul BranHOTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-236 556; www.hanulbran.ro; Str General Traian Moşoiu 4; s/d/apt €35/40/65; pW)
Rooms are a little old-fashioned at Hanul Bran, but it's a comfortable option and only 10 minutes on foot from Bran Castle. The attached Transylvanian restaurant, with tables beneath elegant archways, has an agreeable lost-in-time feeling.
Popasul RegineiPENSION$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-236 834; www.popasulreginei.ro; Str Aurel Stoian 398; d/tr/ste 156/178/312 lei; pWs)
Just across the park and down the street from Bran Castle, this seven-room place has homely rooms nicely removed from the touristic bedlam of the castle. There's also a decent restaurant serving traditional Romanian fare.
The small pool is summer only.
8Getting There & Away
Bran is an easy DIY day trip from Braşov. Buses marked ‘Bran-Moieciu’ (7 lei, 45 minutes, half-hourly) depart Braşov’s Bus Station 2 (Autogara 2), stopping in Râşnov.
From Zărneşti (5 lei, 40 minutes), travel via Moieciu de Jos. One daily bus reaches Pitesţi (30 lei, 3½ hours).
Poiana Braşov
Pop 400
With a dusting of snow, the little mountain resort of Poiana Braşov makes a sparkling day trip from Braşov (12km down the road). Carving up its 20km of pistes, many of them wide and tree-lined, is time well spent. But dedicated skiers and snowboarders won’t find enough to keep them for longer than a couple of days.
Locals make much of Jude Law and Nicole Kidman’s glamorous visit to Poiana Braşov during the filming of Cold Mountain (2003), but in reality this is a small, though lively and family-friendly, winter sports area. Aside from a few hikers, Poiana Braşov goes quiet outside the December to March ski season.
1Sights
Sf Ioan Botezătorul ChurchCHURCH
( GOOGLE MAP ; Str Poiana Soarelui; hhours variable)
This ornate church shaped like a witch's hat, built in Maramureş style entirely out of wood, has a stunning mountain backdrop.
2Activities
Hiking
The Postăvaru Massif nestles between the Cheii Valley, Timişului Valley and Poiana Braşov, and has dozens of trails of varying levels of difficulty to choose from. Leave details of your intended route with your guesthouse, wear layers and bring water.
A two-hour circuit, beginning and ending in Poiana Braşov, begins at Poiana Ursului following blue circles via Poiana Drester before descending to Pârtia Bradul.
From Poiana Braşov you can hike to Cabana Postăvaru (two to 2½ hours, marked with red crosses) for stunning mountain views. From Cabana Postăvaru, you can follow a trail marked with yellow bars to Pietrele lui Solomon (three hours). Or you can hike down to Timişu de Jos from Cabana Postăvaru in four hours: the trail is marked from the cabana with blue stripes, then blue crosses. Instead of following the blue-cross trail where the path diverges, you can continue following the blue-stripe trail, which eventually takes you over the top of Mt Tâmpa to Braşov. This trail (1½ to two hours) follows the old Braşov road. All are medium difficulty.
From Poiana Braşov you can also hike to Râşnov (three hours, yellow crosses, then left on the road to the trail marked with blue stripes) or tackle the more strenuous hike to Predeal (five to seven hours, yellow stripes).
Skiing
The ski season runs from December to March, sometimes later. It's a small, family-friendly winter sports area best suited to beginner and intermediate skiers and boarders.
Among its 20km of pistes, across a 775m elevation difference, are a few gentle nursery slopes and three red (intermediate) runs, plus a couple of blacks (difficult). They are accessed by two cable-car lifts, plus two chairlifts and five drag lifts. Lift passes start at 140/80 lei per adult/child. The main cable car, a 15-minute walk up the road southwest from the bus stop (past Sf Ioan Botezătorul Church), operates all year. Another is next to AnaHotel Sport.
Several hotels can arrange lessons and gear hire. Club Rossignol ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0722-794 162; www.clubrossignol.ro), across from the main lift, also hires skis or snowboards from 45 lei per day.
4Sleeping & Eating
Choose from a good range of Alpine-style lodges and midrange to luxe ski hotels, or stay down the road in Braşov town. Room rates vary wildly according to demand: prices rise during high season (December to mid-March) and drop by 25% or more at other times.
Hotel CrisalpinHOTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0757-050 833; www.hotelcrisalpin.ro; Str Poiana Ursului; d/ste from 220/265 lei; pW)
Less than 500m from the ski lifts, welcoming three-star Crisalpin offers rooms with comfortable beds, fridges and underfloor heating. Ask for a balconied room with mountain views. There's a sauna and ski storage.
Vila ZorileCHALET$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-262 286; www.vila-zorile.ro; Str Poiana Ruia 6; d/ste from 220/270 lei; pW)
Jude Law and Nicole Kidman stayed at this cosy chalet while filming Cold Mountain. Some doubles aren't h
uge, but everything is furnished with an eye for rustic mountain chic, with polished wood, decorative rugs and a soothing powder-blue-and-white colour scheme.
Poiana UrsuluiCHALET$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-262 216; www.poianaursului.ro; Str Poiana Ursului 1; s/d/apt from €40/45/70; pW)
Forty-two rooms and suites, in bright primary colours and crisp monochrome, fill this amicable guesthouse. It's a 10-minute walk from the ski lift.
oAnaHotel SportHOTEL$$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-407 330; www.anahotels.ro/sporthotel; Str Valea Dragă; d from 420 lei; pWs)
This swish, four-star complex with spacious modern rooms and flower-filled balconies acts as a luxurious one-stop shop for stays in Poiana Braşov. Multilingual staff can arrange ski passes, gear rental and even massages. There are fabulous indoor and outdoor (summer only) pools, a gym, and ski storage.
8Information
The www.poiana-brasov.ro and www.poianabrasovinfoturist.ro websites are useful sources of info on Poiana Braşov. The former has accommodation finders and booking tools; the latter has ski, bike and walking trails.
8Getting There & Away
From Braşov, bus 20 (5 lei, 20 minutes, every 30 minutes) runs from the Livada Poştei bus stop, at the western end of B-dul Eroilor, to Poiana Braşov. A 10-trip bus card costs 20 lei.
WORTH A TRIP
RâşNOV FORTRESS
Commonly paired with Bran Castle on day-trips from Braşov, Râşnov Fortress (Cetatea Râşnov; GOOGLE MAP ; adult/child 12/6 lei; h9am-6pm) might just be the more enchanting of the two. The medieval citadel, built by Teutonic knights to guard against Tatar and Turkish invasion, roosts on a hilltop 19km southwest of Braşov by road. Visitors are free to stroll between sturdy watchtowers, browse medieval-themed souvenir and craft stalls, and admire views of rolling hills from the fortress’ highest point. Walk from the village or take the lift ( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Str Ion Luca Caragiale & Str Cetății; adult/child 12/6 lei; h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat & Sun).
A Dacian settlement perched on this hilltop around the 1st century BC, but was abandoned after Roman conquest. The stocky-walled fortification today was built and rebuilt between the 14th and 17th centuries, passing between Hungarian and Saxon ownership, eventually losing its military significance in the 18th century. Today it’s emblazoned with a Hollywood-style ‘Râşnov’ sign.
Audioguides are available (10 lei) for a more detailed romp through Râşnov’s history. Tourist information booths operate just outside the citadel, following its opening hours.
From Braşov, frequent Bran-bound buses stop in Râşnov (4 lei, 25 minutes).
Zărnesţi
Pop 21,680
Though it's perched on the eastern edge of craggy Piatra Craiului National Park, Zărnesţi shares none of its drama. This low-key little town is a useful base for day-hikes into the park, or to circle your wagons before a longer trek; otherwise there's no reason to hang around. Some 7km east is Libearty Bear Sanctuary, though this is just as easy to visit on an excursion from Braşov or Bran (plus transfers and guided tours are easier to find from there than Zărnesţi).
1Sights
Libearty Bear SanctuaryNATURE RESERVE
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.ampbears.ro/en/bear-sanctuary; Zărnesţi; adult/child 40/10 lei; htours 9am, 10am & 11am Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am, 11am & 12pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar)
Not enough time to join a bear hide excursion to see these impressive carnivores lumbering through their natural habitat? Libearty Sanctuary is the next best thing. This 69-hectare enclosure is the leafy retirement home of former captive bears, most of whom endured horrific confinement (and sometimes torture) at the hands of circuses, zoos and private owners. Visits are by guided tour, at times when bears approach the fences for some of the tasty entrails thrown their way by staff. It's 7km east of Zărnesţi.
Romania outlawed the keeping of wild bears in 2005. Most of the bears at the sanctuary are Romanian, but some have been rescued from as far afield as Albania and Texas. The giant of the sanctuary, at 400 kilos, hails from Armenia. It's impressive to see these enormous mammals but undeniably sad to see scars of what they endured: some pace in circles, despite the abundant space. You may also spot tiny deer or the nine wolves who also make their home here.
Many local hostels and guesthouses offer tours, sometimes combined with Bran Castle; otherwise it's a 45-minute drive from Braşov (the last few minutes along an exceedingly bumpy gravel road). Call ahead outside high season as the sanctuary requires 10 visitors to guarantee a tour.
4Sleeping
A couple of plain pensions in central Zărnesţi offer adequate rooms for the night, if you want to pause before a long hike, but consider sleeping in Măgura, which has options within the park itself.
Cabana Gura RauluiHOSTEL$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0744-307 978; http://cabanaguraraului.ro; Str Râului 86; r 65-80 lei)
With comfortable accommodation in two- and four-bed dorm rooms, and well positioned at the foot of Piatra Craiului National Park, this simple hiker's lodge is perfectly placed if you want to start trekking early in the morning. Breakfast not included.
8Information
Piatra Craiului National Park Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0268-223 165; www.pcrai.ro; Str Topliţei 150; h8am-4.30pm Mon-Thu, to 2pm Fri) In a building shaped like a mountain range, about 2km west of Zărnești towards the park, this excellent information centre sells maps (20 lei) and can arrange mountain guides with a week's notice (225 lei per day).
Tourist Information Centre ( GOOGLE MAP ; Str Tiberiu Spârchez; h10am-4pm Tue-Thu & Sat, to 2pm Fri & Sun) Helpful tourist office on the roundabout, open year-round.
8Getting There & Away
Buses stop at a roundabout near the post office, about 100m past the city hall and centre along Str Metropolit Ion Meţianu. The train station is about 1km east of (before) the city hall.
Trains connect Zărneşti with Braşov (5 lei, 40 minutes, nine daily); there are also several daily buses between Braşov's Bus Station 2 (Autogara 2) and Zărneşti, but the journey takes longer (one hour). About five or six daily buses head to Bran (5 lei, 40 minutes). If you're headed to stay in Măgura village, you'll need to organise a lift from up there, take a taxi (%0726-223 111, 0742-223 111) for roughly 50 lei, or hike.
PIATRA CRAIULUI NATIONAL PARK
With a spectacular 25km limestone ridge, giving way to spruce forests and glacial lakes, drama is everywhere in Piatra Craiului National Park. Wolves, bears, deer, eagle owls and 17 species of bat are at home in these woodlands and crags, first declared a nature reserve in 1938.
Some 42 marked trails weave through the park, including plenty of day-hikes from Zărneşti, 2km from the park’s northeasterly edge. Entry tickets for the park (week/season ticket 10/20 lei) are available from booths in Zărnesţi and at the park office.
Before setting out on any hikes, be sure to check weather conditions, and ask the info centre for trails suitable for the season. In May/June and September, Piatra Craiului receives heavy rainfall. Summer storms are possible too. In winter much of the mountain cannot be accessed and avalanches are common.
Day-hike loops from Zărneşti are a popular way to experience the park. Suitable for all levels is the three-hour return hike along Zărnesţi Gorge; park your car at Culmea Prăpăstiilor. Alternatively, walk from Zărnesţi, adding an extra two hours each way (total return journey seven hours).
A tougher day-hike begins south from Zărnesţi past Cabana Gura Râului (red cross markings). The trail then veers northwest (yellow vertical-stripe markers) to Cabana Curmătura ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0745-454 184; www.cabana-curmatura.ro; dm 30 lei), before circling back along the same trail to Zărneşti. It takes about six hours in total. An alternative, heavy-going return route splinters east on the blue-dot trail up Piatra Mică (a challenging 1816m peak, assisted by chains); seek local advice on weather and trail conditions before attempting this route.
Several trails meet up behind Cabana Curmătura, from where you can follow a blue
-stripe trail in a looping direction west and north to Colţul Chiliilor Monastery peak (1125m, two hours return). The blue-stripe trail back to the northwestern edge of Zărneşti from here is relatively flat (about two hours).
Hikers with a high level of fitness, and climbing experience, can eye tougher routes on the western side of the range. Even so, it's strongly advisable to hire a guide who knows the area (ask at the park office). From northwestern Zărneşti, a road marked with red-stripe signs goes 11km to 849m Cabana Plaiu Foii ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0726-380 323; www.cabanaplaiulfoii.ro; d 140 lei). From the cabana, start early for a very difficult trail (red stripes, four hours one-way) up ghostly pale limestone cliffs to La Lanturi (or ‘to the chains’, as you’ll need to use the permanent cables to navigate some of the narrow canyon walls). Nearby is the vigorous climb up to the highest peak in the park, La Om (2237m). Trails along the ridge usually take two days and are for hiking experts only.
Hărman & Prejmer
Step into Transylvania’s Saxon past at the fortified churches of Hărman and Prejmer. Twelve kilometres north of Braşov is Hărman (or Honigberg, as it was known to Transylvania’s medieval Saxons), home to a stocky 16th-century citadel. Just 7km further north stands Prejmer (once Tartlau), whose 15th-century citadel – enclosing a splendid Gothic church – boasts the thickest defensive walls of all Transylvania’s Saxon churches. These two Unesco-listed sights are easily combined into a single day trip from Braşov.
Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria Page 15