Zărnești
Photos: DimiTalen, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons); Whitepixels, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons); Andrei Dan Suciu, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Zărnești is a town in the south-west of Brașov County, Transylvania, where the Brașov Depression meets the limestone Piatra Craiului massif. The Bârsa river flows through it. The 2021 census counted 21,624 inhabitants.
The settlement was first mentioned in 1373 under the name Zârna. Today Zărnești is the usual starting point for hikers heading into Piatra Craiului National Park.
On the site the trail “Zărnești – Valea Crăpăturii – Gura Râului Hut” starts here, continued by “Gura Râului Hut – Bran”. On the western side of the massif, the trails “Plaiul Foii Hut – Grindului Saddle” and “Plaiul Foii Hut – La Table” start at the Plaiul Foii hut. The highest summit of the massif on the site is La Om.
Getting there from Ukraine
The nearest place we have road figures for is Brașov (≈23 km from here in a straight line): Chernivtsi – Brașov ≈395 km, ≈7 h 03 min (via Diakivtsi – Racovăț); Rakhiv – Brașov ≈419 km, ≈7 h 24 min (via Solotvyno – Sighetu Marmației). Times are without border queues, by our road routing. Romanian national roads require an electronic vignette (rovinieta).
Sources: Wikipedia, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap, Karpaty.rocks data. More on Wikipedia
What's nearby
Trails nearby
All trails
ModerateOne-dayMarkedZărnești Gura Râului Hutvia Valea CrăpăturiiElevation profile718–1 605 m11.7 kmascent 887 m≈ 4.5 h walking1.1 km from the centre
ModerateTwo-dayMarkedGura Râului Hut Moieciu de JosElevation profile761–1 436 m21.5 kmascent 721 m≈ 7 h walking1.9 km from the centre
ModerateOne-dayMarkedGura Râului Hut BranElevation profile748–1 375 m10.3 kmascent 669 m≈ 4 h walking1.9 km from the centre
HardTwo-dayMarkedPodu Dâmboviței Curmătura Hutvia La OmElevation profile759–2 238 m22.4 kmascent 1 772 m≈ 9 h walking4.6 km from the centre
EasyOne-dayMarkedPrăpăstiile Zărneștilor Curmătura HutElevation profile1 092–1 440 m2.9 kmascent 348 m≈ 1.5 h walking4.7 km from the centre
ModerateOne-dayMarkedDN73 road Curmătura Hutvia ȘirneaElevation profile1 101–1 455 m16.8 kmascent 651 m≈ 5.5 h walking4.9 km from the centrePeaks nearby
All peaks
PeakLa OmPeșteraaltitude 2 238 m9 km from the centre1 trail to the topLa Om (Romanian Vârful La Om, also Piscul Baciului – “the shepherd's peak”) is the highest summit of the Piatra Craiului massif in the Southern Carpathians of Romania,...
PeakBucșoiuPârâul Recealtitude 2 492 m16 km from the centreBucșoiu (Romanian Vârful Bucșoiu) is a 2,492 m summit in the northern part of the Bucegi Mountains. According to Romanian Wikipedia it is the third-highest peak of the...
PeakOmu PeakBuștenialtitude 2 514 m17 km from the centre5 trails to the topOmu Peak (Romanian Vârful Omu, also Omul) is the highest summit of the Bucegi Mountains in the Southern Carpathians of Romania.
PeakMăgura CodleiCodleaaltitude 1 294 m18 km from the centreMăgura Codlei (German Zeidner Berg, Hungarian Feketehegy) is a forested mountain 1,294 m high in the Burzenland (Romanian Țara Bârsei), in Brașov County.
PeakPostăvarulPoiana Brașovaltitude 1 799 m20 km from the centrePostăvarul (Romanian Vârful Postăvarul, popularly Postăvaru, German Schuler, Hungarian Keresztényhavas) is a 1,799 m summit, the highest peak of the small Postăvarul...
PeakCoștila PeakBuștenialtitude 2 490 m20 km from the centreCoștila Peak (Romanian Vârful Coștila) is a 2,490 m summit in the Bucegi Mountains of the Southern Carpathians in Romania.Huts, shelters and springs nearby
Getting there from Ukraine
Border crossings
- Porubne – Siret — road and pedestrian, 24/7
- Diakivtsi – Racovăț — road and pedestrian, 24/7 No freight traffic.
- Krasnoilsk – Vicovu de Sus — road and pedestrian, 08:00–20:00 Cars up to 3.5 t and pedestrians only; not 24/7.
- Solotvyno – Sighetu Marmației — road and pedestrian, 24/7 Passenger traffic only: vehicles up to 3.5 t with up to 9 seats, pedestrians.
- Diakove – Halmeu — road, 24/7 No pedestrian crossing.
By car
Chernivtsi – Brașov ≈395 km, ≈7 h 03 min (via Diakivtsi – Racovăț); Rakhiv – Brașov ≈419 km, ≈7 h 24 min (via Solotvyno – Sighetu Marmației); Uzhhorod – Brașov ≈522 km, ≈8 h 39 min (via Diakove – Halmeu). Times without border queues, our road routing (GraphHopper, OSM).
Checked 03.11.2026; border crossing hours and timetables change — check before you travel.
