Hiking in Transylvania & the Carpathians

The trip begins at Bucharest's North Railway Station, where you board the train toward Transylvania and Brasov. The standard departure is around 3 pm (let us know your flight times), and the train journey takes just under three hours. From Brasov you continue by private transfer for about an hour up into the mountains to your guesthouse in Piatra Craiului National Park. Here the bustle of the capital gives way to forest, mountains, and fresh air. The first dinner, with local flavours, awaits at the accommodation, and then it's just a matter of recharging your batteries before tomorrow's first hike.

Now the real hiking begins. You walk through the Piatra Craiului Mountains – the name roughly translates to the King's Stone – toward the genuine mountain hut Curmatura. The view opens up toward the long mountain ridge and the valleys below, and at the hut there's a chance to taste local soup, pie, and other specialties. If your legs are feeling fresh and the weather is good, the tour can be extended up toward the Saua Crapaturii pass. On the way back, one of the day's true highlights awaits: the Zarnesti Gorge, where the trail winds its way between nearly vertical limestone walls that rise about 200 metres above you.

Today's path follows a mountain ridge toward Bran and one of Transylvania's most famous castles. Bran was built in the 1300s as a defensive stronghold and later came to protect the area against Ottoman attacks. In modern times, the castle has become inextricably linked with Dracula, even though the connection between fiction and reality is considerably more imaginative than the brochures sometimes suggest. Either way, it's a highly worthwhile castle to visit, and you might just keep an eye on the shadows to be safe. After the visit, an included transfer takes you back to the accommodation. If you'd rather hike than visit the castle, you can extend the day with an additional nine kilometres along Via Transilvanica, Romania's great long-distance trail.

A delightful day in the Romanian cultural landscape. The hike goes through Piatra Craiului National Park, with open grazing land, forests, mountain pastures, and small villages scattered across the mountain slopes. Here the big city feels far away, and in places time actually seems to have stood still. You can choose between two variants. The calmer route goes via Curmatura Groapelor, while the longer and more adventurous route includes two properly steep sections, first downhill and then uphill. The day ends in yet another traditional mountain village, where you spend the night at a simple mountain lodging.

You leave the sharper mountain profile of Piatra Craiului behind and set your course toward the Bucegi Mountains. Today's hike is pleasant and very rural, with sweeping views and small villages where old houses still stand scattered across the slopes. Livestock farming has long been an important part of life here, and the area has strong traditions of local cheesemaking. It's a day where the Romanian cultural landscape plays the leading role: green meadows, farms, animals, mountains, and interesting encounters with the locals. After about five hours of hiking, you reach the next local guesthouse at the foot of Bucegi, where you're once again welcomed by the owners and a set table.

One of the trip's most impressive mountain days awaits. You hike up toward the Bucegi massif with the imposing Strunga wall as a backdrop, passing both Strunga and Strungulita. Along the way you'll pass a mountain shelter near the old historical border between Transylvania and Wallachia. The Strunga Pass sits at about 2,000 metres and is the trip's highest point – a worthy place to stop, breathe, and take in the Carpathians. The basic tour is a substantial round trip, but it can be extended for those who want even more mountain, rewarded with a magnificent 360-degree panorama over both national parks.

The last hiking day gives you plenty of freedom of choice. You walk up toward the open Gutanu glade, where dramatic rock walls rise above the green pastures. From June onward, there's a good chance of meeting the local shepherds and their flocks of sheep. You might even get to taste the cheese made right there – it's hard to get more locally produced than that. You choose between three hikes of 8, 14, or 18 kilometres, so you can end the trip exactly as relaxed or ambitious as your legs desire. In the evening, dinner awaits along with a final night as the stars come out over the Carpathian mountains.

After breakfast, it's time to leave the mountains. A private transfer takes you from Simon to Brasov in about 45 minutes, and from there the journey continues by train to Bucharest. If you have the chance, an extra night in Brasov is highly recommended. The old Transylvanian town is well worth a few hours of its own, with its medieval centre, historic buildings, and pleasant city life after a week on the trails. Bucharest, too, is worth an extra day before you leave the country.