Mountain · updated 5 September 2026
The limestone towers are 34 minutes from our gate by car, and from there you reach their foot in 40 minutes or, on foot from town, in 4–5 hours, as you please.
Drive up the Transrarău (DJ175B) to Hotel Alpin Rarău: 24 km, 34 minutes from the gate, paved, cleared in winter. From the car park, the Pietrele Doamnei loop, waymarked with a blue cross, reaches the foot of the rocks in 30–40 minutes; the whole circuit takes 2 hours. It's a walk, not a hike: four-year-olds and grandparents do it.
From the Pietrele Doamnei continue to Rarău Peak (1,651 m), then descend through Poiana Popii back to the hut. About 7 km, no technical sections. Boots after rain; the exact waymarks are on the massif page.
Leave the East station on the red dot, through Poiana Sihăstriei, and climb 900 m through forest over 14 km to the hut (the trail, step by step). Or, straight from our gate, on the blue stripe, through Pârâul Mesteacăn and the Munceii Rarăului: 17 km, 5 hours. Complete quiet. Little water on the trail; take at least 1.5 l per person.
The Rarău ski slope is generally open from December to March. The path to the rocks can be done in winter too, with light crampons if it's icy. Check the road before you leave.
If you want to climb Rarău for something other than your legs, read Rarău, the heart of the country: a morning on the mountain and what heals in us there. And for all 24 trails in the massif, with waymarks and times: Rarău–Giumalău trails.
Check times and waymarks before setting off; hiking is at your own risk. Salvamont: 0725 826 668.
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The whole house, seven people, no platform fees. We'll tell you which road to take and when the light goes.
Via Transilvanica