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Everything worth the drive, and most of it isn't far

The valley around Zărnești packs a castle, a national park and a Saxon city into forty minutes of road. Here is where to start.

12 minutes by car

The 14th-century fortress above the Bran pass, tied in popular imagination to Dracula and in fact to Queen Marie of Romania.

25 minutes to the Zărnești trailheads

A 25 kilometre limestone ridge running north to south, one of the finest and most demanding walks in the Carpathians.

35 minutes by car

A Saxon city of pastel squares, the Black Church and a cable car up Tâmpa, good for a long lunch and a slow afternoon.

25 minutes by car

A flat gravel track between limestone walls barely a few metres apart — the easiest way into the national park.

18 minutes by car

A peasant fortress on the hill above Râșnov, with the widest view over the Bârsa plain and the Bucegi.

28 minutes by car

Europe's largest brown bear sanctuary, in oak forest outside Zărnești. Book the morning visit ahead of time.

The hillside is quiet. Come and have it to yourselves.

Direct booking is the cheapest way to stay — no platform fee, and you reach us rather than a call centre. Minimum 2 nights.