Welcome to Predeal in County Braşov,
part of the Transilvania region of Romania! Discover historic Braşov
and surrounding villages, see things to do and understand the rich
Transilvania culture unfolding in historic county Braşov. Rest Romania
will help you find the perfect hotel or B&B in our section on Predeal
lodging, B&B (bed and breakfast), or great activities further out
in County Braşov.
Check
out your transportation options in Predeal in County Braşov, part
of the region of Transilvania in Romania. Find your accommodation
options in either Predeal or Braşov, with fun things to do from
eoc-tourism, to nearby hiking and even skiing.
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Because Predeal is the only town in the middle of it all, you can
spend a different day at each of Predeals neighbouring attractions.
From the Saxon old town at Braşov, to Royal Sinaia, the stunning
Bucegi plateau, Castle Bran, the fortress of Râşnov or Prejmer or some
wonderful trails in the Postavaru mountains, you'll be perfectly positioned
at Predeal to do it all within an easy day's drive or for most, a few
train stations away.
Gateway Town to Transilvania
An important mountain resort and gateway to Transilvania from the
Wallachian region to the south, Predeal is located at the head of the
Prahova
River Valley.
A wonderfully mountainous town, it is surrounded by five massifs
Postăvarul, Piatra Mare, Bucegi, Baiului and Fiţifoi.
Predeal has boomed recently, because of it's "little bit of everything"
approach to being a resort town.
It's not the biggest ski resort, and it is not the biggest town
in the Prahova River valley, but Predeal benefits from it's proximity
to Braşov, and it's small-town charm, something lacking in much more
busy Poiana Braşov
or the resort towns of
Buşteni or Sinaia
down the valley to the south.
Predeal is the highest town
in Romania, at , and the headwaters of the Prahova river are found
at Predeal, before the river cuts it's mighty swath south along Europe's
biggest cliff system in the
Prahova valley.
Read more in Predeal History
belowPerversely enough, it was the nephew of Romania's Queen
Elizabeth, William of Wied, Prince of Albania, who died here on 18 April
1945 as the first Communist government was being installed in Bucharest,
just up the valley from the fantastic
Castle Peleş built
by his auntie.
Well-Placed Predeal
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This resort has alot going for it, just north of Bucharest,
and barely 25km south-east of the mighty fairy-tale capital of
Transilvania,
the city of Braşov.
This functional nodality is further enhanced by being on the main
national highway (Drumul Naţional 1), and the main rail line between
Bucharest and Braşov. The road taking off to Râşnov is just south
of Predeal at the local monastery, a lovely drive up over the pass at
the northern end of the
Bucegi mountains, and down to the fortress of
Râşnov.
Predeal, Romania's highest town on a misty
spring morning
Map: Predeal is perfectly placed so the best tourist
hotspots are within 10 miles!
Use the scrollbars to see the full area
around Predeal, and click on any
Feature to see more info!
Predeal is just to the north-west of the Bucegi Natural
Park and some of the best trails in Romania, including the
highest peak in the Bucegi Massif, Mount Omu
Predeal is surrounded by some of Romania's most iconic mountain
ranges, from the Bucegi and Postavarul in the south and west, to the
Baiu, Bârşei and Piatra Mare ranges in the north and east.
Because of it's altitude , Predeal benefits from having the
sunniest location in the Prahova Valley, the high venturi effect over
the mountain pass literally chasing the clouds away.
Almost all you need is along this main drag, named after the local
poet and war hero who died here fighting for the Predeal Pass against
the Austrian and German forces in WWI.
If you're arriving by train, you will not be able to miss the hat-trick
of the modernist church, the trains station and the visitors information
centre. There is something about Predeal which just "works" really
well, and this central hub for information and transportation is surely
one of the core reasons.
Maxi-taxis and busses leave from here up to the Coldbrook Chalet,
a great stopping off point for a lunch and an afternoon trail to Seckler's
Meadow Chalet or Mount Postăvaru.
In addition to the Boulevard Hotel and several other stalwarts,
you can find restaurants and streets leading up to the mountains
from Săulescu Blvd. It's a lovely town to base your
operations into the surrounding mountains, castles and villages, and
has a curious sort of "home town" feel, despite being the highest
urbanised zone in Romania.
Monuments of note downtown include the statue of
Mihăi Săulescu and the visitors info
centre.
Really, it does not matter whether your aim is hiking, skiing, discovering
history, or just being pleasantly inspired by the local scenery, monastery,
or local cuisine, because Predeal is a perfect stopping off point for
all that the region has to offer.
Few major resort towns in Romania are without a spa type
complex, and Predeal is not exception!
The Carpathian Hotel (Hotel Carpaţi) offers the standard
hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, magnetotherapy and other typically
Romanian treatments (called balneary-climatic, roughly meaning the
atmosphere of the bath), as well as massage and the normal list of
cures for what ails you. The physiotherapists will certainly
be able to work out any kinks you experienced from your last trip on
the trail or slip on the slopes.
Predeal gets a slightly heavier than most snowfall owing to it's
higher elevation and the winds from the high Transilvanian Plateau in
the winter months.
Falls tend to be up to 50cm annually, giving the ski resorts at
Predeal nice packed powder for it's ski slopes of easy to moderate skill
level. With both chair lifts and drag-lifts, the runs are well-lit and
a favourite of families and school groups alike, given their proximity
to Braşov.
Clăbucet
The friendly non-challenging nature of the gentle but fun slopes
at Clăbucet are made up of the very easy school slope (drop
over length, the Sosire and Varianta slopes both at about going down ).
For more advanced skiers, you can go under the chairlift at Clăbucet,
going down across the long run (the steepest at Clăubcet
at 30 degrees decline). The more moderate main run gives
you the longest ride up and down, with the chairlift taking a longer-than-normal
6 minutes, and the way down stretching over , dropping .
Coldbrook and The Cock
The main run at Coldbrook (Pârâul Rece) drops across just ,
making it a challenging although short intermediate slope. The
3-minute chair lift runs most of that distance and the surrounding scenery
is particularly lovely here. But the Daddy of Predeal downhill
fun is The Cock (Cocoşul), the longest piste in the area at a full ,
dropping nearly .
Being a higher plateau area, Predeal is particularly good for cross-country
skiing, and serves as Romania's official Biathlon Training Centre.
The biathlon event in the winter Olympic games, is the combined
sport of skiing and shooting, for which Romania's athletes train at
Predeal. The facilities built in 1984 in the Râşnov valley helped
the Romanian team of 5 to make a good showing, qualifying at 16th
place for the 2006 Winter Olympics at Turino (the men however, barely
qualified, just behind Australia's single entrant in 27th place).
Being on the top of the great Carpathian swath at a high pass,
many of the adjoining forestry roads are particularly adept at
providing good grades and good fun for mountain bikes.
You can rent the bikes for the day in town, and head out from
the Cioplea chalet down to Azuga, and around the eastern face of
Mount Clăbucet. If you're up for a serious ride, head south
and up the Râşnov road and then turn left to go up to the Diham
Chalet. Then, take a deep breath, and ride along to
Spring Meadow Chalet (Cabana Poiana Izvoarelor) and back down
towards Buşteni.
Arrange for a pick-up there, or come back up via the main highway.
A somewhat less ambitious route, but still for experienced
riders is to head out from Predeal to the west along the Fetifoi
Ridge (Culmea Fetifoiu) and pick up the DN73A down towards Râşnov
and back through the Râşnov George and Seckler's Meadow (see
Trails below for more info). It's great fun and you'll
seriously enjoy the vistas!
The mountains around Predeal are dotted with chalets accessible
by forest road and trails, from the Three Firs Chalet (Cabana Trei Brazi),
Szeckler Meadow Chalet (Poiana Secuilor), Coldbrook Chalet (Pârâul Rece),
Gârbova, Susai and Clăbucet Chalets. as well as another dozen good chalets
further southwest in the
Bucegi Mountains
If you'd like a short hop in the Big Rock Mountains (Munţii Piatra
Mare), pick up the
trail to the from the Bonloc Chalet to the Mill Mound Chalet (Cabana
Dâmbul Morii), about an hour in total.
Similarly, closer to Predeal is the Three Fir Chalet
trail via Mount Fetifoiu, up to the pass on the main Predeal - Râşnov
road (the DN73A), taking about 75 minutes at a good clip.
If you want to cheat a bit, you can just drive (if you’ve hired
a nice Romanian driver,
or are renting your own) down the road to Azuga and go up the Râşnov
valley, or you can walk the same too for a bit of extra mountain activity.
The goal is the Stag Cabin (Cabana Cerbului). Either way you go,
leave Predeal to the south along the main road towards Azuga, then head
west when the road to Râşnov takes off. Go up just beyond Şipote where,
close to the road, there is a fun little grassy field with the Coldbrook
(Pârâul Rece) Cabin.
From the Cabin, on the road, you can continue on to The Stag (Cerbul)
Cabin, and after
of mostly downhill trekking (if you are so inclined. Or declined in
this case), you’ll end up along the great fortress at Râşnov and down
to Râşnov town.
This is a bit of a cheat, since you can probably really drive and
park somewhere along the Râşnov road, but it will certainly deliver
you to the highest peak in the Bucegi mountains, Mount Omu, at
, after 7 – 8 hours.
Predeal is where the trail takes off, following the main north-south
highway in the Prahova Valley, then veering to the west to follow the
Râşnov Valley (Valea Râşnoavei). From here you can get to the Cabin,
through the Hell Valley on a
trail marker, or continuing on the road between Predeal and Râşnov,
then through Şipote on a
trail marker. From the Diham Cabin, on the road to Mălăieşti or Stag
Valley (Valea Cerbului), you can get to Omu Peak.
As with many of the trails around Predeal, you should leave some
of them to the summer months, as many of the higher and longer ones,
particularly to the trophy peaks of Pietricica and Big Rock Mountain
(Vârful Piatra Mare) are only for experts November - May.
Most of the area's trails start out at one of the chalets which
dot the outskirts of Predeal to the east and north of the town, where
the Big Rock Mountains march off to the north east towards Săcele.
The Cioplea Chalet on the eastern side of town (not far from the rail
tunnels) has two main trils which go up to either Susai Chalet and Big
Rock Mountain (about four hours along the
,
and
trails), or up to Pietrica via Stoney Meadow (Poiana Stanei) taking
about two and a half hours, only recommended during the summer months.
You have more choices at the Mill Mound Chalet, with the four hour
trail to Seven Stair Canyon and Big Rock Chalet, the
trils to Big Rock Mountain along Bear Precipice, and the trail marked
with the
symbol up to Ice Chalet, after a fairly easy two hours.
The
trail connects the Mill Mound Chalet with the Bonloc Chalet, from where
you can also ascend to Big Rock Mountain following a three-hour
marked trail.
Once you're up to Big Rock Mountain, you can continue back to a
different chalet, down to Azuga (about 4 hours) or even down to Sacele
towards Braşov on the road to Cheia in the Cuicaş mountains.
We reached our destination at 6 p.m. We are high in the hills of
Transilvania, 25 km
southwest of Sibiu. The land
undulates all around us in grey blue waves, like an ocean. There is no
sound except for birdsong on a breeze.
I'm back in
Transilvania: the heart of the nation, some say. I gaze around me,
trying to imagine the countless individuals who have trekked these hills
over the millennia: warriors and shepherds, peasants and poets. I feel
warm, optimistic and completely knackered after a nine-hour hike in sun and
rain.
But I made it. Along with my long-time buddy George, his wife Alina and
little Catrinel, eight-years old and keen as mustard. Then another
surprise: the land suddenly dips at an angle of 45°. It's hair-raising.
Below us, at the bottom of the slope, sits a perfect post-glacial lake,
like water in a saucer: Lacul Iezerul Mare. It
shimmers under the mid-morning sun. Bushes protrude from the sheer rock
above, like blotches of green paint daubed by a child.
The shepherd tramps away over a ridge and is swallowed by the land.
I watch his little black hat dip into the grass, like a submarine sinking
into a green ocean. He seems perfectly at ease in this wild and inhospitable
spot, a son of the ancient soil. I am suddenly struck by the difference
between us. Out here, he is at home and at work. All he needs is a few
dogs, a stick, and a cigarette. The rest of us need offices and computers,
cars and mobile phones.
We settle under a sturdy tree, take off our boots and dump our
rucksacks, breathing hard. The sun is high and hot, but the wind keeps us
cool. We take our rest, watching the blue sky where white clouds drift,
fat and fluffy.
We eat
goat's cheese, green peppers, olives and crusty bread. The spring water
in our bottle is still icy despite the midday heat. Rolling blue-green
hills stretch for endless miles in each direction, as far as we can see. I feel
lucky to be here. It's almost too good to be true.
The Postăvaru mountains run mostly to the north of Predeal,
making a great diagonal ridge between Predeal and the
Poiana Braşov
resort near Braşov, Romania's first ski resort.
One of the more popular trails leading out of Predeal is
the
trail to the Three Firs Chalet. This very pleasant and
varied trail traverses the local combined spruce and fir forests,
and treks across meadows and open fields to take you up to the
chalet at Seckler Meadows (Poiana Secuilor).
Allow a good hour and a half for this
route which follows along under Mount Fetifoi and plunges into
the beautiful high forests and delightful meadows before going
up to the Trei Brazi (Three Firs) chalet.
The trail then ends up in the Secklers Meadow and the Secklers
Meadow Chalet there. Ambitious types can continue on after
admiring the beauty of the setting to Big Cristian Mountain
and on to Mount Postăvaru, at least five hours there and four
back.
If you're lodging down in Timişul de Sus, the
trail just downhill from the train stop north of the village
leads you up and over the main ridge to the Râşnov Gorge and
on to the Cheia Chalet. Closer in to the village
centre, the
connects you to the
trail. You can go south to the Three Firs Chalet
(and a bus back down to Predeal),
or north on the
trail to the Mount Postăvaru ski runs and the Postăvaru and
Cristianu Chalets.
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Most tourists will find their way to Predeal on the National
Highway 1 as it wends it's way up into the Prahova Valley from the
wide sweeping Wallachian Plains below.
The highway was originally a cart track serving the Sinaia
Monastery, and was extended from the north by Imperial Austrian army
engineers through Predeal to meet up with the trade routes at the
Prahova Valley mouth.
It is an exceedingly scenic route, climbing into the foothills
just north of Ploieşti at Câmpina and Breaza.
If you have had the sense to secure
your own
car and driver for the trip, you can drive for about an hour
from Bucharest, and then stop at will at the great little museums
and historic sites along the way.
You can comfortably drive up to Cota 1400 at Sinaia or take a
cable car ride up to the Bucegi Plateau, before getting into Predeal
in the late afternoon.
Most tours going
to Predeal or through the Prahova Valley will stop in at Sinaia at
least, sometimes Buşteni too on their way to or from Transilvania
over the Predeal Pass.
Public Transport
The maxi-taxis from Braşov and Bucharest will drop you off and
pick up either at the hotels on Mihai Sălescu boulevard, or just
down at the combined bus and train station.
It's
kind of hard to miss the big "BRAŞOV" or "BUCUREŞTI" signs on the
front of the maxi-taxis, and those are the only two directions you
can go fro Predeal, so it's not a big gamble. Check out our
Braşov
or
Bucharest transportation sections for more info on picking up a
Maxi-Taxi at those locations.
The Relaxed Prahova Valley Train
If you haven't secured a car and driver for the 2 hour trip on
the National Highway 1 into the mountains, you'll delight in the
train service!
The 140km journey from Bucharest's North train station (Gara de
Nord), can be as good value or as good service as you and your
budget allows. Most of the daily services offer both
first and second class services, with the slower Personal trains
(which are useful if you want to stop on your way at one of the
smaller stations or halts), offering only second class.
For Americans, the most appropriate train to Predeal is the
speedy afternoon InterCity service, with a comfortable first class
and only two short stops on the way. Ask for the "Business
Exclusive" seating, a step above their normal "Business Standard"
seats.
The InterCity has the added benefit of having a restaurant car, so
you can eat as you watch the stunning Bucegi cliffs go by (get a
seat on the left or western side of the train for the best views).
The InterCity runs most afternoons from the Gara de Nord in
Bucharest, leaving at 1pm and getting in to Predeal station just
after 3pm, with only two stops, at Ploieşti West and Sinaia on the
way.
There are also Rapid and Accelerat services with older style
carriages (some argue the seating is actually more comfortable)
through Predeal, which take anywhere between an extra 5 minutes to
45 minutes, but also have okay first-class seating, and stop at five
to eight more stations on the way. But, if you want to
break your journey at Câmpina, Breaza, Sinaia, Buşteni or Azuga on
the way, the morning Accelerat service can work well for you.
Check out more scheduled services here.
Predeal's closest airport is 130km to the south in Bucharest,
although a new airport at Ghimbav near Braşov has been planned for
years, but has yet to happen.
But, you're well-positioned if you're flying into Bucharest for
your holiday including Predeal, as the main airports are both on the
north side of Bucharest, in the direction of Predeal.
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This elegant vacation residence has a special architecture and combines the picturesque mountain landscape with the relaxed and quiet atmosphere from home.
This website is a
general tourist guide, designed to help English-speaking tourists
understand Romania, and as such, provides historical
information for the interest of our traveller readers. History
can be a contentious issue, and we welcome input where readers think
clarification or correction is advisable. Please
e-mail us here
if you have questions or comments about anything in this history
section.
The Queen's Nephew
William's Resting Place
The native church of Romania's first King and Queen, the
Lutheran Church in Bucharest is where the nephew of Romania's
Queen Elizabeth, William of Wied, is buried.
The
nephew of Romania's Queen Elizabeth (German by birth), William of Wied,
died at Predeal in 1945.
His body lies in Romania to this day at Bucharest's Lutheran Church.
Romania's first modern King and Queen were both Lutheran, both being
German-born and selected for the Romanian Crown in a day when family
connections and diplomatic and military abilities were vital to a nation's
well-being.
Wilhelm zu Wied died on 18 April 1945 just after the Nazi occupation
ended.
1945 was also when the first pro-Soviet government was being installed.
Rather ironically, poor Prince Wilhelm (even more ironically, he
was briefly the King of Albania) suffered cardiac arrest just up the
valley from his Auntie Elizabeth's
Schloss (the more
correct term for the Bavarian wonderland that is Castle Peleş in
Sinaia).
Predeal poet Mihail Săulescu was a Pisces, born on February 23rd
in the lucky year (for the Chinese at least) of 1888, down in Bucharest.
Whilst not really the best poet in Romania's long history of the
art of prose, his early 1906 work "Verses" about a combative author
was followed in 1911 with his authoring alongside Nicolae Iorga and
others on the illustrated literary magazine, "Cosânzeana", published
at Orăştie in 1911, and subsequently at Cluj in 1922.
His 1914 compilation of poetry "Far Away" focused on the
underlying isolation of urban areas, and the great sadness of the escapist
yearning inherent with urbanisation.
"Life" was published in 1916 with poems oriented towards a more
active philosophy, marshalling revolution against misery.
But it was not "Life" which met with Mihail on 30 September of that
year, when he met his "Death" fighting on the front at Predeal.
The Poet Hero of Predeal was lauded in the 1920s and 1930s, with
plays based on his works at the National Theatre, and magazines continuing
to analyse and praise his dense prose. His most representative
works were published in 1947 in a who's who volume of Romanian writers.
Săulescu's poetry formed the base for what is considered to be Romania's
first expresionist operat in 1943 when the National Opera in Bucharest
staged conductor and composer Nicolae Brânzeu's Opera Săptămâna Luminat
with reknown dramatic soprano Aca de Barbu and baritone Nicolae Secăreanu.
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trail going towwards Mill Mound
trail via Mount Fetifoiu, up to the pass on the main Predeal - Râşnov
road (the DN73A), taking about 75 minutes at a good clip. 
trail marker, or continuing on the road between Predeal and Râşnov,
then through Şipote on a
trail marker. From the Diham Cabin, on the road to Mălăieşti or Stag
Valley (Valea Cerbului), you can get to Omu Peak. 
,
and
trails), or up to Pietrica via Stoney Meadow (Poiana Stanei) taking
about two and a half hours, only recommended during the summer months.
trail to Seven Stair Canyon and Big Rock Chalet, the
connects you to the
See a Road Map of the Predeal Area
See
an Area Map of County Braşov
Feature to see more info!
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The
nephew of Romania's Queen Elizabeth (German by birth), William of Wied,
died at Predeal in 1945.
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