It is no accident that, through all our years far away, we felt our hearts had stayed here, in the Arieș Valley. Whatever the season, the area has something to offer: ski slopes, caves, waterfalls, gorges and ridges with wide views.
How this guide works
Each place comes with its travel time from the guesthouse, where we know it, and a link to the map. You can filter them by season: the slopes are for winter, while the ridge walks and the gorges are best from late spring to autumn.
Close by, on foot
The Vârtop slope is five minutes' walk away and the Piatra Grăitoare chairlift 10–12 minutes. Groapa Ruginoasă, the "Rusty Ravine", is 45 minutes to an hour away on foot.
A day out
Scărișoara Ice Cave is about 40 minutes by car. The Padiș Plateau, with the Cetățile Ponorului cave and the Galbena Gorges, makes a full day's hike. Further on, towards Bihor, are the Bears' Cave and Izbuc Monastery.
For the most important places we have written separate pages, with everything you need to know before you go.
- 5 min on footVârtop ski slopeWinter
- 10–12 min on footPiatra Grăitoare ski slopeWinter
- Vârciorog Waterfall
- Pătrăhăițești WaterfallWinter · Spring · Summer · Autumn
- Pișoaia Waterfall (Vidra)
- Evantai Waterfall
- Vârtop Glacier Cave
- ~40 min by car (27 km)
- ~1 h 20 min by forest road and footpath (10.6 km)
- ~63 km by car, on asphalt
- 45 min – 1 h on foot
- Tăul Mare Peak
- ~1.5–2 h on foot, on a mountain trail
- Pătrăhăițești Museum
- Church of the Ascension, Arieșeni
- Izbuc Monastery
- ~38 km by car
- Galbena Gorges
- Sighiștel Gorges