Piatra Craiului National Park

Plaiul Foii - Zărneşti is a beautiful tourist area located on the Bârsa valley at the foot of the imposing massive Piatra Craiului. The lofty ridges of the massif are a stone's throw away and you can admire them leisurely in all their splendor. Plaiul Foii is a location appreciated by tourists who want peace and relaxation, but also by the active ones, who prefer mountain routes, this area being the main access point to the most spectacular tourist routes in Piatra Craiului and even in the Făgăraş Mountains. What can you do in Plaiul Foii area? -hiking in Piatra Craiului National Park -riding, carriage rides, pony rides for the little ones / horseback riding at Popasul Craiului -bike rides on biking routes, bicycles can be rented from Mountainbike Romania, Casa Zarnesteana Guesthouse or electric bicycles from E-Bike Piatra Craiului -photographs in nature, -camping and picnic. -visit at the Museum of the National Park Piatra Craiului Visiting Center -Relaxation with a cold drink at the Green Garden terrace - Pensiunea Piatra Craiului. -lunch and dinner on the terraces of restaurants with panoramic views over the Piatra Craiului Mountains: Padina Craiului Zarnesti Restaurant, Popasul Craiului, Plaiul Foii Chalet, Panorama Pietrei Craiului Pension, 7 Crai Plaiu Foii Complex. ATV rides at ATV Rental Adventures Zărnești-Plaiul Foii or Atv-Tour-Zarnesti Accommodation: The guesthouses here are scattered along the valley and benefit from huge spaces, where tourists can fully enjoy nature. How to get there? >>> from the town of Zărneşti- follow Topliţa street, the road leading to Plaiul Foii Chalet, having a length of approx. 12 km. * More tourist information related to activities, tourist attractions, accommodation and meals, useful info on www.visitzarnesti.ro www.brasovtourism.app and www.undemergem.ro • Or at our headquarters the National Center for Tourist Information and Promotion Zărneşti, 12A Dr. Tiberiu Spârchez Street, near the Romanian Post.

*Between January 9 and March 4, the weekday tours (Tuesday-Friday) will be bilingual! Tours are organized at 9.30 and 11.00. During the weekend, two tours are organized in Romanian, at 9:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., and in English at 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. We advise you to dress and dress appropriately for this time of year. The visit to the sanctuary is done on foot, on a cobbled road that can be covered with snow on some parts.   Remember you are in the mountains so be prepared to drive in winter conditions and keep your chains on your cars as you may need them by the time you reach the sanctuary! *We recommend to buy tickets online at: https://millionsoffriends.org/en/buy-tickets/ *Children under 5 years old are not allowed in the sanctuary.! *The Sanctuary's visiting schedule, visiting rules, and online ticket purchase for guided tours are available at https://millionsoffriends.org/en/libearty/ Visiting schedule 1st November 2023– 30th April 2024: • Tours in English, Tuesday-Sunday at 09:30, 10:45; • Tours in Romanian, Tuesday-Sunday at 09:45, 11:00; * We recommend purchasing tickets online to secure seats, each tour has a limited number of seats. * Tickets can be purchased on the official website of the sanctuary: https://millionsoffriends.org/en/buy-tickets/  • All tours are guided. Children under 5 do not have access to the reservation. Happy Visit! #libeartybearsanctuary #visitzarnesti Created in memory of the Maya bear, the Libearty Sanctuary is today home to over 100 brown bears, all rescued from a cruel and abusive life in captivity.  Recognized by many specialists as probably the best bear sanctuary in the world, Libearty covers an area of ​​69 hectares of lush forest, streams, and ponds located on the territory of Zarnesti, the municipality at the foot of the Carpathians, near the city Brasov.  Most bears in the reserve were rescued from the most miserable and tiny cages, being only a reason for "fun", tourist attraction. Many were confiscated from the terraces of restaurants, hotels, and boarding houses, but some of them were held captive near factories, gas stations, or even a monastery. Bears that lived in circuses also came to us.   Each bear or bear in the reserve has its own story full of drama. Please note that Libearty is a bear sanctuary, not a zoo. The Libearty Bear Sanctuary has been named by Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel site, Traveler's Choice for 2020! It is the second time that the Libearty Sanctuary has received this award of excellence after the one awarded in 2014.  Details of the visit can be found by accessing the following link Visit the Sanctuary - Asociația Milioane de Prieteni (millionsoffriends.org)

Parc natural de interes naţional, prezintă peisaje atractive cu spectaculoase văi glaciare şi cabane de creastă, oferă posibilităţi de practicare a drumeţiilor montane, alpinismului, snowboardului şi a schiului de fond şi alpin. Întins pe o suprafaţă totală de 32.500 hectare, Parcul Natural Bucegi cuprinde Abruptul Bucşoiului, Valea Gaura şi Valea Mălăieşti, unde sunt protejate capra neagră, râsul, cocoşul de munte, dar şi specii floristice rare. Pe platoul Bucegilor se găsesc monumentele naturale Babele şi Sfinxul, iar Crucea Caraiman, Cascada Urlătoarea, Peștera Ialomiței, Gura Diham și Hornul Mălăiești sunt alte atracții turistice renumite. Foto: http://www.bucegipark.ro/

The museum is arranged in the national art camp "Fekete Gabor", is a sale-exhibition space with modern and traditional artworks exhibited both outdoors and indoors, also offering free art courses. Text source: https://www.visitzarnesti.ro/

According to the legend, during a period of drought that has scorched all plants, humans and animals, a poor woman, named Stanca, climbed to the peak of the Piatra Craiului Mică and prayed to God to give rain, repeating this route for several days until, one day, she never returned to the village. Then a miracle occurred, it was raining incessantly for three days and three nights. After a long search, the locals have found Stanca on the peak of Piatra Craiului Mică, on her knees and her eyes up to the sky, but dead. They buried her there, and left a cross on her head. Text source: https://www.visitzarnesti.ro/i

It preserves the heritage buildings of architectural patrimony, historical monuments built in the XIX century: the Communal House (1867- the current Cultural Center), the Court (1886) and the Confessional School of Zărnești (1875).

”The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary” Church was built in 1791, and was organized and developed around the Orthodox cemetery in Zărnești, being founded by archpriest Bratu Baiul. Due to the increasing of the population of the village, the enlightened priest wanted to organize an Orthodox cemetery and build the church. At that time the cemetery and the church were located on the outskirts of the village. An ideal location is found on a hill above the river bed Bârsa. Through the efforts of past and present priests, the Orthodox cemetery and stylish renovated church, dedicated to the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, gives us a sample of respect for the ancestors of Zărnești. Text source: https://www.visitzarnesti.ro/

The church „The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Church” was built in 1779, ten years after the village was founded. The church was founded by the great Romanian merchant from Brașov, Ioniță Boghici. The merchant from Brașov has also made other donations to the church, of which there were preserved four icons painted on 20th of February 1779 by Constantin Popovici and a brass candlestick with two arms, dated 1723. Among the valuable objects brought from Tohanul Vechi by the priests Mihai and Oprea, there was a precious gospel printed in Bucharest in 1682 at the command and the expense of Ion Șerban, the nephew of the ruler Șerban Basarab. Text source: https://www.visitzarnesti.ro/