Category: Traveller’s Guide

With generous scenery and a valuable cultural heritage, it stands out nationally with its very high and diverse tourism potential. Here, the predominant relief is mountainous, which reaches an altitude of over 1,800 m in the northwest of the county, and over 2,000 in the south.

Our guide on this fascinating journey is Ioana Mirca, inspector with the Tourism Bureau with Alba County Council.

“In the northwest we have the Apuseni Nature Park, which is the most anthropic of protected areas in Romania, and a major tourist destination for mountain and nature lovers. In turn, the southern area of Alba County has also seen significant tourism development. The Sureanu Mountain, due to its existing skiing facilities, is a preferred destination for tourists who seek areas for winter sports. Due to the development of the Sureanu skiing area, but also the fact that Alba County is traversed by the Transalpina high altitude motorway, the influx of tourists has increased significantly, especially in the summer season. Right now, the most popular forms of tourism in the county are mountain, cultural, and rural tourism, as well as that generated by the existence on the countys territory of three elements on the UNESCO world heritage list. These are the Calnic rural site, the Dacian fortress in Capalna, and the Rosia Montana mining area.”

We asked Ioana Mirca what tourism looks like in Alba County, after two years of the pandemic:

“Right now there are obvious signals that everyone was majorly affected by the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, and that tourist circulation has had a significant growth. People in general, and I am not referring only to tourists, feel the need to socialize, to take part in events, to go out with friends, to take trips, and have various tourist activities, to break out of the daily doldrums in general. In order to meet these needs, public authorities have resumed a number of cultural and history events, or festivals that went unorganized because of the pandemic, and those held the last few months have had more visitors than in 2019. The International Theater Festival Stories, and the Night of Museums would be among them. With small steps, I could say that Alba County is little by little getting closer to what tourism was before the pandemic.”

The pandemic meant the re-discovery of this new form of tourism: return to nature. The authorities in the county got caught unprepared. In addition to the certified tourist trails, which are the usual target for tourists, they had started a project to create and developed thematic tourist trails. Here is Inspector Ioana Mirca with the Tourism Bureau:

“One of them is called Potecu Stanelor, it is a circuit that connects a few sheepfolds in the Sureanu Mountains area, where tourists can get organic sheep products like mutton or milk, but also cow products, prepared on a grill or in a kettle. The circuit offers tourists several ways of taking part in traditional activities taking place in sheepfolds, such as feeding and milking the animals, making cheese, or other specific activities. One other thematic trail, which in a way has to do with the Dacian Fortress in Capalna, is the Gradus Legionis, a trail that links the Roman castrum in Saua Ausel, in the Sureanu Mountains, and the fortress, trying to enact the march of the troops that conquered it.

Of course, together with our colleagues from Alba Mountain Rescue, together with volunteers, we will continue to maintain and mark the tourist trails in the two mountain massifs in Alba, in order to provide tourists with a pleasant and safe experience.”

Alba County is an area rich in history, so cultural and historical tourism is well represented. We asked Ioana Mirca what are the most important events that can be celebrated by tourists:

“This year, the must go to event, of maximal importance historically, is the Coronation Centennial. Alba Iulia was the venue for the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie as monarchs of Greater Romania, on October 15, 1922, with guests from all over Europe, representatives of royal houses, members of special missions, high officials, and a large Romanian crowd. In this way, the 1918 Grand Union had its natural culmination, after international recognition through the treaties of Paris, Saint-Germain, and Trianon. This crucial event in Romanias history will be marked in Alba Iulia through a long string of activites and actions dedicated to it, which are reflected in the Alba County Cultural Agenda.”

For this centennial year, the local authorities tried to bring added value to all forms of tourism in the county, developing some new ones, such as spa tourism:

“The most important project for Alba County regarding the development of a new form of tourism in the year 2022 is opening up the Salt Baths Complex in Ocna Mures. This development project, initiated by Alba County Council, and the Ocna Mures Local Council, wants to revive spa tourism the was it was in Ocna Mures in its glory days, in the 80s, which will improve the health of people who will be visiting the spa. Investments are over 35 million lei, about 7 million Euro. The treatment base will include facilities such as indoor and outdoor pools, with sweet and salt water, a mud packing room, spaces for physiotherapy and medical recover, a fitness area, and a restaurant, all on a surface of 6,400 sqm.”

The year 2022 is a strong comeback for all events with a tradition in Alba County. No matter in which period you schedule your visit, you can take part in many festivals and fairs, getting closer to the history and traditions of the places.

Oradea is a surprising city when it comes to heritage monuments. European Best Destinations, a well-known platform promoting tourism, included Oradea on the list of perfect destinations for a city break, referring to the city as a concentration of Art Nouveau in the heart of Europe. By simply strolling through the city, you can discover important buildings, going back to the 16th century.

For centuries, the city of Oradea has been a major point of reference, as a major cultural and trade hub. In the Middle Ages, the citadel of the city had an astronomical observatory. The astronomers working there used the citadel of Oradea as the reference meridian. The city was first documented in 1113, and the citadel appears in documents for the first time in 1241. Ionut Ciorba, deputy director of the Oradea City Museum, told us about the rich and diverse history of the city, almost a millennium long:

“Along the years, our citadel was a defensive place, but equally it was an episcopal seat, a religious center, right from its very beginnings. The Roman Catholic Bishopric of Oradea was within the city walls. Then, the citadel was a place of rest for crowned heads, supposedly for eternity, but unfortunately that didnt come to be. Several kings and queens were laid to rest in the citadel, but unfortunately for us, their tombs are no longer here. Among them is King Ladislau I, whose name is tied to the founding of the city. After his death, he was canonized. Then there were Andrew II, king of Hungary, Ladislau IV The Cuman, Sigismund of Luxemboug, king of Hungary and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, his wife, Queen Maria, Queen Beatrix, wife to Carl Robert of Anjou, as well as a daughter to Wallachian king Nicolae Alexandru, who was also laid to rest here.”

In the central part of the city you can see old buildings, some built in the 16th century. In Oradea they have a series of Baroque monuments, and the most representative would be the Baroque Palace. At the same time, the historic center area stands out with its rich Art Nouveau architecture, buildings of rare beauty, among them the State Theater, City Hall, and the Apollo, Stern, Poinar, and Moskovitz palaces. In fact, in 2012 Oradea was included in the European Art Nouveau network, alongside cities with such heritage buildings as Vienna, Budapest, and Barcelona. Starting last year, they have a museum dedicated to the Art Nouveau style. It is the first of its kind in Romania. The Darvas-La Roche house is already a symbol of the city of Oradea. It is an Art Nouveau heritage building, and a masterpiece of the geometric Secession style by the brothers Jozsef and Laszlo Vago, according to Angela Lupsa, executive director of the Foundation for the Bihor- Oradea Historic Monument Protection:

“The two were famous at the turn of the century for what they planned and built. After an ample process of restoration, between 2018 and 2020, the Darvas- La Roche House opened its gates in the year of the pandemic in splendid condition. We are talking about a wholesale restoration of the decorations in the house, the ceramics on the facade, the wrought iron decorations, everything specific to the Art Nouveau style. Inside we find halls that have been returned to their previous function, and we can say about them that they have a special type of decoration, as a veritable incursion back in time.”

Visitors may stroll through the living room and discover a period cupboard, for instance, richly ornate, restored to the tiniest detail, says Angela Lupsa:

“This is down to the smallest detail of the cupboard, such as the drawers, where you may find silverware specific to a certain dish, or a period tea kettle. Of course, the stroll through these spaces continues at the top floor with a visiting salon, where we can discover the noblemens passion for tobacco, and see some of the paraphernalia. In the salon for the ladies we can see perfume bottles and other accessories used at turn of century for display in high society. We are talking about a space that transports you in time, and connects with everything that happened in society cca. 1910. Just as Oradea was full of palaces in Art Nouveau style, society matched this style, displaying in public all kinds of activities that were novel for that time.”

In this museum you can find a section dedicated to the Jewish owners, who were deported and exterminated at Auschwitz. Here is foundation director Angela Lupsa:

“This is a bedroom which is not in the Art Nouveau style, but which, since it belonged to the owners of that time, was preserved as it was in the memory of those that never returned. We are talking about proprietors and investors of the time, with extraordinary financial potential, such as Imre Darvas, a Jewish neurologist, who wanted this house to be on two street fronts, and to have a view from the house terrace of a synagogue whose member he was. And so a visit to this house tempts one to go on a further visit to a monument that is part of the Oradea Heritage, as we are known online.”

We wrap up this edition with good news for the tourists. For the third year in a row, we are welcoming tourists with a bunch of benefits and discounts, as part of a campaign called Oradea with Fondness, running up until December 31, 2022. As part of this campaign, tourists who take accommodation in one of the units in the city for at least two nights in a row may enjoy many benefits this year too. They include free access to all the museums that are part of the Oradea Cris Country Museum network, and to tourist objectives that are part of Oradea Heritage. They also get free of charge transportation, 24 hours a day, in the public transportation network, and attractive discounts at partner cafes and restaurants in Oradea. Tourist registration, generation of codes for discounts and special offers, and communication with the partners in the campaign are done through the website oradealifenouveau.ro.

The tourist season has just opened in the Danube Delta. It lies mostly in the Romanian region of Dobrogea, and partially in Ukraine. The Danube Delta is the second largest, and best conserved, European delta. It became part of the UNESCO world heritage patrimony in 1991, and was classified as a biosphere reservation at the national level.

The Danube Delta offers a wide variety of ways to spend a vacation, as we were told by Catalin Tibuleac, the president of the Danube Delta Tourist Destination Management Association:

“The Delta, if you recall, during the pandemic was defined as a safe destination in the context of the epidemic, and to this day remains very safe. We have over 400 accommodation locations, and prices are for every pocket. It is important for everyone who visits the Delta to try everything in the local cuisine: fish cakes, fish sausage, a traditional fish meal, something special. The tourist picks the locations: if they want to get around by car, then Jurilovca, Mahmudia, and Murighiol are the perfect destinations for this, or if they want to go deep into the Delta, we are talking about Crisan, Sulina, or Sf. Gheorghe, which can only be reached by boat. We have a lot to offer, we have superb destinations.

Corina Davidov, spokesperson for the Danube Delta Association, tempted us with the local gastronomy too:

“What is special about us is that we have all the traditional dishes, but in the fish version, such as fish cakes and baked fish. We call it baked fish because it is cooked in the oven over potatoes. We also have fish sausage, we have fish everything, except for dessert.

A prize winning destination has been created on one of the islands in the heart of the delta. Holbina is a place visited by tourists from Romania, France, or Switzerland. Silvia Savu, manager of the complex, told us what tourists can do here:

“Many of them come for the fishing, we have tourists who come here for bird watching, but we also have tourists who come to learn how to sail in a kayak, because we have trainers for kayaking, we have tourists who come for walking, and we have tourists who come to work here, they come here to work here workdays. They enjoy the quiet, they enjoy the scenery, and they also work.

The village of Jurilovca was awarded the title of Location of Excellence, granted by the European Commission through the EDEN platform. Galina Teleuca is the vice-mayor of Jurilovca:

“Jurilovca is one of the most beautiful villages in Romania. The representative color of the place is the so-called Jurilovca blue. The tourist season has already begun here. You are awaited in Jurilovca for the culinary tourism, the religious tourism, the archaeological tourism, by car, by bicycle, or by boat, Delta tourism, but also Black Sea tourism. We eagerly await you in Jurilovca to get to know the people and their local stories.

Silvia Rahau is the mayor of the village of Crisan, and she invited us to discover all the villages around here:

“The commune of Crisan is divided into three villages: Crisan, where the base is, Mila 23, and Caraorman. From a tourism point of view, the entire commune is full of places for accommodation. In Caraorman we have the forest, a tourist attraction that brings in more and more tourists every year. In Crisan we have B&Bs, five and four star hotels, while in Mila 23 we have great food, and homes that take in tourists.

Grig Bejan, owner of an eco-tourism B&B in Murighiol, tempted us with all sorts of activities available to tourists when they get here:

“It is superb. We wait for people to get here, because, in addition to boat rides, they have available kayaks, stand up paddles, and water bicycles that are available to everyone. Others can go by boat to visit all parts of the Delta. This is the time of the year to be in the Danube Delta.

Viorica Basca, director of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation, called on all tourists to observe a few basic rules:

“As administrator of the Biosphere Reservation, and relevant authority for environmental protection, we want all tourists to be well informed. First of all, they have to know that access on the Biosphere Reservation’s territory is only allowed on the basis of access permits for tourists, cars, and boats. All these can be procured online, on our website, or by text message. To visit the Danube Delta means respecting nature, just as nature respects us, and puts at our disposal this huge variety of species and habitats, which make this reservation unique.

The invitation has been made. All that is left is that to see for yourselves one of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the world.

The tourist season has just opened in the Danube Delta. It lies mostly in the Romanian region of Dobrogea, and partially in Ukraine. The Danube Delta is the second largest, and best conserved, European delta. It became part of the UNESCO world heritage patrimony in 1991, and was classified as a biosphere reservation at the national level.

The Danube Delta offers a wide variety of ways to spend a vacation, as we were told by Catalin Tibuleac, the president of the Danube Delta Tourist Destination Management Association:

“The Delta, if you recall, during the pandemic was defined as a safe destination in the context of the epidemic, and to this day remains very safe. We have over 400 accommodation locations, and prices are for every pocket. It is important for everyone who visits the Delta to try everything in the local cuisine: fish cakes, fish sausage, a traditional fish meal, something special. The tourist picks the locations: if they want to get around by car, then Jurilovca, Mahmudia, and Murighiol are the perfect destinations for this, or if they want to go deep into the Delta, we are talking about Crisan, Sulina, or Sf. Gheorghe, which can only be reached by boat. We have a lot to offer, we have superb destinations.

Corina Davidov, spokesperson for the Danube Delta Association, tempted us with the local gastronomy too:

“What is special about us is that we have all the traditional dishes, but in the fish version, such as fish cakes and baked fish. We call it baked fish because it is cooked in the oven over potatoes. We also have fish sausage, we have fish everything, except for dessert.

A prize winning destination has been created on one of the islands in the heart of the delta. Holbina is a place visited by tourists from Romania, France, or Switzerland. Silvia Savu, manager of the complex, told us what tourists can do here:

“Many of them come for the fishing, we have tourists who come here for bird watching, but we also have tourists who come to learn how to sail in a kayak, because we have trainers for kayaking, we have tourists who come for walking, and we have tourists who come to work here, they come here to work here workdays. They enjoy the quiet, they enjoy the scenery, and they also work.

The village of Jurilovca was awarded the title of Location of Excellence, granted by the European Commission through the EDEN platform. Galina Teleuca is the vice-mayor of Jurilovca:

“Jurilovca is one of the most beautiful villages in Romania. The representative color of the place is the so-called Jurilovca blue. The tourist season has already begun here. You are awaited in Jurilovca for the culinary tourism, the religious tourism, the archaeological tourism, by car, by bicycle, or by boat, Delta tourism, but also Black Sea tourism. We eagerly await you in Jurilovca to get to know the people and their local stories.

Silvia Rahau is the mayor of the village of Crisan, and she invited us to discover all the villages around here:

“The commune of Crisan is divided into three villages: Crisan, where the base is, Mila 23, and Caraorman. From a tourism point of view, the entire commune is full of places for accommodation. In Caraorman we have the forest, a tourist attraction that brings in more and more tourists every year. In Crisan we have B&Bs, five and four star hotels, while in Mila 23 we have great food, and homes that take in tourists.

Grig Bejan, owner of an eco-tourism B&B in Murighiol, tempted us with all sorts of activities available to tourists when they get here:

“It is superb. We wait for people to get here, because, in addition to boat rides, they have available kayaks, stand up paddles, and water bicycles that are available to everyone. Others can go by boat to visit all parts of the Delta. This is the time of the year to be in the Danube Delta.

Viorica Basca, director of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation, called on all tourists to observe a few basic rules:

“As administrator of the Biosphere Reservation, and relevant authority for environmental protection, we want all tourists to be well informed. First of all, they have to know that access on the Biosphere Reservation’s territory is only allowed on the basis of access permits for tourists, cars, and boats. All these can be procured online, on our website, or by text message. To visit the Danube Delta means respecting nature, just as nature respects us, and puts at our disposal this huge variety of species and habitats, which make this reservation unique.

The invitation has been made. All that is left is that to see for yourselves one of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the world.

Located in southwestern Romania, by the middle course of the Jiu River, Gorj County boasts many tourist attractions. A tour of the county must definitely start with the city of Targu Jiu, which is home to the monumental works of Constantin Brancusi, the sculptor that had a great influence on modern art, born nearby, in Hobita. Brancusi’s works are spread all over the world. The largest collection is in France, the famous sculptor’s adoptive country. About 80 of his works were bequeathed to the French government, which naturalised the great Romanian sculptor a few years before his death, in 1957. In fact, Constantin Brancusi had a workshop in Paris, which is now a museum. Private museums and private collections in the United States also feature many of his works, such as ‘Domnisoara Pogany’ or ‘Maiastra’. Works signed by Constantin Brancusi can also be found in museums and galleries in Great Britain or Switzerland.

The monumental works in Targu Jiu were made in memory of those who fell in the battles for the defence of the city, during the First World War. Brancusi, who had settled in Paris, returned to the country in 1937, at the request of the National League of Gorj Women and, within a year, carried out several outdoor works, lined up on a road called the Way of the Heroes. On this road, also known as Axis Brancusi, is the bridge where, on October 14, 1916, heavy battles took place and the city’s population managed to repel the German attack.

Next to the bridge, on the banks of the Jiu River, there lies the Public Garden that is home to Brancusi’s monumental works. The Gate of the Kiss stands right at the entrance, a place where newlyweds are traditionally photographed. Next, on the alley behind the Gate of the Kiss there are, on either side, 30 hourglass-shaped stone chairs, and at its end, another work by Brancusi, the Table of Silence, surrounded by twelve round chairs made of stone, also in the shape of an hourglass. At the other end of the axis there stands the Endless Column, made of hourglass-shaped bronze modules.

The city of Targu Jiu is the starting point for discovering other tourist attractions in Gorj County. For those who prefer ecumenical tourism, the Tismana, Polovragi and Lainici Orthodox monasteries are special destinations. The best known is the Tismana monastery, one of the oldest historical and feudal architecture monuments in Romania, built over 6 centuries ago.

Tourists visiting Gorj County will soon have the opportunity to obtain much more information about the area’s attractions, as we learned from Ovidiu Popescu, president of the Home to Brancusi Association, whose main activities focus on promoting and developing tourism in Gorj county:

We are now working on a digital guide that will allow tourists to discover by themselves the tourist destinations in Gorj County. I think we’ll finish implementing it in April. It is an application for mobile phones, which are obviously a tool available to everyone. It’s an application with the help of which anyone, not only tourists coming to Gorj, but anyone who downloads it can learn about everything that is interesting in Gorj from a tourist point of view. They will also find a database of accommodation facilities, a database of restaurants, bars, entertainment institutions, actually all the information a tourist needs, including contact details of public institutions and service providers.

Public institutions, local authorities, cultural institutions and tourism entrepreneurs in Gorj County have prepared a rich calendar of events for this year. The president of the Home to Brancusi Association, Ovidiu Popescu, hopes that these events will attract tourists both from the country and from abroad:

On June 24th, when we celebrate the World Day of the Traditional Blouse, Pestisani will be hosting a festival that is so beautifully called Authentic Romania, held in a beautiful setting. Obviously, the main organizer is the Pestisani municipality, but supported by all these cultural institutions in Gorj and the Home to Brancusi Association.

The mountainous area in the northern part of Gorj County, with glacial lakes, caves, some of them nature monuments, and narrow gorges, dug in stone by fast running waters, is a very suitable destination for those who like adventure tourism. But how to combine adventure tourism with local music and gastronomy? We learnt that, of course, from Ovidiu Popescu, the president of the Home to Brâncuşi Association:

After a two-year break, the 5th edition of the Ranca Rock Festival, Transaplina, will finally take place in July. Obviously, they couldn’t have picked a better place for a rock festival than this, on top of the mountain, in the fresh air, a sensational landscape and with welcoming people! Not to mention the culinary attractions. As for the line-up, I wouldn’t want to disclose anything now, but I can tell you that they are the best rock bands of the moment in Romania and there will also be some surprises from abroad.

Ranca is one of the newest ski resorts on the tourist map of Romania. As for Transalpina, it is the road located at the highest altitude in the country. The highest point is Urdele Pass, at 2145 meters. It is one of the few roads in Romania that one can take and reach the clouds. Transalpina connects Transylvania with the southern part of the Southern Carpathians. (MI)

Located in southwestern Romania, by the middle course of the Jiu River, Gorj County boasts many tourist attractions. A tour of the county must definitely start with the city of Targu Jiu, which is home to the monumental works of Constantin Brancusi, the sculptor that had a great influence on modern art, born nearby, in Hobita. Brancusi’s works are spread all over the world. The largest collection is in France, the famous sculptor’s adoptive country. About 80 of his works were bequeathed to the French government, which naturalised the great Romanian sculptor a few years before his death, in 1957. In fact, Constantin Brancusi had a workshop in Paris, which is now a museum. Private museums and private collections in the United States also feature many of his works, such as ‘Domnisoara Pogany’ or ‘Maiastra’. Works signed by Constantin Brancusi can also be found in museums and galleries in Great Britain or Switzerland.

The monumental works in Targu Jiu were made in memory of those who fell in the battles for the defence of the city, during the First World War. Brancusi, who had settled in Paris, returned to the country in 1937, at the request of the National League of Gorj Women and, within a year, carried out several outdoor works, lined up on a road called the Way of the Heroes. On this road, also known as Axis Brancusi, is the bridge where, on October 14, 1916, heavy battles took place and the city’s population managed to repel the German attack.

Next to the bridge, on the banks of the Jiu River, there lies the Public Garden that is home to Brancusi’s monumental works. The Gate of the Kiss stands right at the entrance, a place where newlyweds are traditionally photographed. Next, on the alley behind the Gate of the Kiss there are, on either side, 30 hourglass-shaped stone chairs, and at its end, another work by Brancusi, the Table of Silence, surrounded by twelve round chairs made of stone, also in the shape of an hourglass. At the other end of the axis there stands the Endless Column, made of hourglass-shaped bronze modules.

The city of Targu Jiu is the starting point for discovering other tourist attractions in Gorj County. For those who prefer ecumenical tourism, the Tismana, Polovragi and Lainici Orthodox monasteries are special destinations. The best known is the Tismana monastery, one of the oldest historical and feudal architecture monuments in Romania, built over 6 centuries ago.

Tourists visiting Gorj County will soon have the opportunity to obtain much more information about the area’s attractions, as we learned from Ovidiu Popescu, president of the Home to Brancusi Association, whose main activities focus on promoting and developing tourism in Gorj county:

We are now working on a digital guide that will allow tourists to discover by themselves the tourist destinations in Gorj County. I think we’ll finish implementing it in April. It is an application for mobile phones, which are obviously a tool available to everyone. It’s an application with the help of which anyone, not only tourists coming to Gorj, but anyone who downloads it can learn about everything that is interesting in Gorj from a tourist point of view. They will also find a database of accommodation facilities, a database of restaurants, bars, entertainment institutions, actually all the information a tourist needs, including contact details of public institutions and service providers.

Public institutions, local authorities, cultural institutions and tourism entrepreneurs in Gorj County have prepared a rich calendar of events for this year. The president of the Home to Brancusi Association, Ovidiu Popescu, hopes that these events will attract tourists both from the country and from abroad:

On June 24th, when we celebrate the World Day of the Traditional Blouse, Pestisani will be hosting a festival that is so beautifully called Authentic Romania, held in a beautiful setting. Obviously, the main organizer is the Pestisani municipality, but supported by all these cultural institutions in Gorj and the Home to Brancusi Association.

The mountainous area in the northern part of Gorj County, with glacial lakes, caves, some of them nature monuments, and narrow gorges, dug in stone by fast running waters, is a very suitable destination for those who like adventure tourism. But how to combine adventure tourism with local music and gastronomy? We learnt that, of course, from Ovidiu Popescu, the president of the Home to Brâncuşi Association:

After a two-year break, the 5th edition of the Ranca Rock Festival, Transaplina, will finally take place in July. Obviously, they couldn’t have picked a better place for a rock festival than this, on top of the mountain, in the fresh air, a sensational landscape and with welcoming people! Not to mention the culinary attractions. As for the line-up, I wouldn’t want to disclose anything now, but I can tell you that they are the best rock bands of the moment in Romania and there will also be some surprises from abroad.

Ranca is one of the newest ski resorts on the tourist map of Romania. As for Transalpina, it is the road located at the highest altitude in the country. The highest point is Urdele Pass, at 2145 meters. It is one of the few roads in Romania that one can take and reach the clouds. Transalpina connects Transylvania with the southern part of the Southern Carpathians. (MI)

Today we are going to discover the smallest national park in Romania — the Buila-Vanturarita National Park. In spite of its small surface, here we find the greatest density of tourist trails, namely 19. To these add three thematic trails: Nature and Spirituality, Junior Rangers — Tales from Nature, and Memory Trails — the Arnota Armed Resistance, the latter commemorating the anti-communist mountain fighters. Our guide is Iorgulan Ica, from the park administration:

“The Buila-Vanturarita National Park has a surface of 45 sq km. It is in the center north park of Valcea County, and, being so small, it covers the radius of only three localities: Baile Olanesti, Barbatesti, and Costesti. If I were to sum it up in a sentence, I would say it is a park about nature and spirituality. It may seem incredible considering its surface, but we have the greatest density of tourist trails. The park is criss-crossed by 19 trails. Basically, every corner of the park has a tourist trail. In addition to tourist trails, we also have three thematic trails.”

Iorgulan Ica, from the park administration, is first to recommend the beautiful scenery between the two massifs, Buila and Vanturita.

“Tourists will see how wild this trail is, so it is not recommended to children. However, they will also see how isolated it is, preserving natural beauties and the wild aspect, which impresses mostly the city dwellers. In addition to the special beauty of nature, the park is crossed by four rivers, which cut beautiful gorges. We have the Bistrita Gorges, one of the most narrow in Romania. Then we have the Cheii Gorges, probably the most wild and spectacular. The other two, also beautiful, are the Olanesti Gorges and the Costesti Gorges.”

In addition to this nature objectives, the administration of the Buila-Vanturarita National Park recommends a visit to the monasteries close to the park. Here is Iorgulan Ica once again:

“I am referring to Bistrita Monastery and to Arnota Monastery, both very old and very beautiful. They have undergone several renovations. For instance, in the case of Bistrita Monastery, all that is left of it is the Belfry Church. Right within the park you can visit the Patrunsa Monastery. It is right at the foot of the Buila Massif, it is isolated, and known in Romania as the Small Romanian Athos. Descending to Cheia, we have the Little Church Under the Rock. Going towards the interior of the Cheii Gorges, right next to the park we also have two tiny wooden churches: the Prislopel, and the Hadarau.”

The park administration works closely with the Tulcea County National Tourism Information and Promotion Center, and with the town of Horezus Center for Tourist Information. Here you can find out anything about the objectives and trails in the park, you can find maps, information fliers, but also guides to accompany you. Here is Iorgulan Ica:

“As a peculiarity, I have to mention that our park is crossed by a tunnel that basically links two worlds. In order to get to Cheia Cabin, in the main area of attraction of the park, which is well known among people who love trekking and climbing, you have to go through a tunnel. This is the Cheia Tunnel. After crossing through the tunnel, you reach the climbing areas, where there are beautiful trails. These trails, and the Buila caves, are superb. They are created in a period when in Romania there was a flowering of spelunking clubs, and climbing clubs. They created, back in the day, many of the trails in our nature park.”

The park administration is active and open to collaboration, and that can be seen by the plans for the near or far future. Here is Iorgulan Ica:

“Together with the National Organization Scouts of Romania, we applied this year for a project. We wanted to create a thematic trails towards Cheia, at the exit of the tunnel. It is going to be called the Scouts Trail. In the climbing trail area, the scouts have been having a climbing camp for years. In addition to this trail, this year, on the occasion of running a mountain crossing competition in the park, which will start in the village of Barbatesti, we want to renovate the mountain refuge.”

Tourists are impressed after visiting the park. The only slightly negative impressions refer to the state of the roads in the park. The administration of the park discourages vehicles in the park, to preserve the wilderness, as we were told by Iorgulan Ica:

“We hand out questionnaires, because we are very interested in the opinion of tourists. At the same time, they are delighted to see the traditions preserved in the area. On our pastures we still have sheepfolds and shepherds, from springn to autumn. Also, people are really welcoming. Tourists are delighted by the scenery and the friendly atmosphere at Cheia Cabin. If tourists want to find a relaxing place, and get away from daily stress, in believe the Buila-Vanturarita National Park is the best place. You are basically thrown in a time loop. You have the impression that time stands still in terms of scenery, spiritual life, and the fact that you can come face to face with mountain goats or curious does. I recommend a visit to our park, but also the entirety of Valcea County, which is beautiful. And if they get to us, they should also know that 60 km away from us there is another beautiful national park, Cozia.”