A clear day in Vârtop
Pensiunea Piatra Grăitoare (Piatra Grăitoare Guesthouse) stands in the Vârtop holiday village, on the DN75 road, at about 1150 m above sea level, inside the Apuseni Natural Park. The Vârtop ski slope is 300 m away, a five-minute walk, and the centre of Arieșeni is roughly a quarter of an hour by car.
The rooms
The rooms pair the classic style of a mountain lodge with modern bathrooms, and every one of them has a balcony. Room types and how many guests each sleeps are on the Rooms page.
The restaurant
The guesthouse has its own restaurant and bar, serving traditional food. You can book with breakfast or with half board. More on the Restaurant page.
From the air
Fifteen seconds filmed by drone: the mountains around Vârtop, the ski slope, the guesthouse and its restaurant terrace among the spruces.
What to do here
The Vârtop slope, served by a T-bar lift, starts 300 m from the guesthouse. The chairlift of the Piatra Grăitoare slope is 800 m away, a 10–12 minute walk. Your car stays in the courtyard car park for the whole stay. Both slopes are described on the Skiing in Vârtop page.
Walking trails start right in Vârtop: to Groapa Ruginoasă, the "Rusty Ravine", 45 minutes to an hour away on foot, and up to Piatra Grăitoare Peak. Scărișoara Ice Cave is about 40 minutes by car, and the waterfalls and the village museum at Pătrăhăițești are in Arieșeni commune. We have gathered them all, with travel times, in our guide to the area.
The name
Above Vârtop rises Piatra Grăitoare Peak – "the Talking Stone" – a rock said to answer anyone who calls out to it. Its story is on the legend of Piatra Grăitoare page.
Groups and companies
With 27 beds in all, the whole guesthouse can be booked for large families, team building and workshops. See Groups and companies.
or call: +40 757 808 322 · +40 770 685 430