Skiing in Romania

In today's season feature, you are invited to discover the Romanian offer for people who are passionate about winter sports

Daniel Onea, 14.12.2022, 01:43

There are not a few ski slopes, and the offers are attractive. At the same time, you are invited to enjoy the spectacular sights in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains.

For foreign tourists, Romania can be very interesting, especially if we know how to position ourselves, says Adrian Voican, tourist agency manager. Even though the country doesnt have the tallest mountains in Europe, we do have something unique: the tourist objectives, and the affordability of cuisine and accommodation:

“Valea Prahovei is the area that is closest to my heart, the more so as we are close to the opening of the airport in Brasov, so that tourists who wish to reach the Brasov area, from the country and abroad, can get straight there. This will happen in the first half of next year. Sinaia is the diamond of resorts on Prahova Valley. Three new ski slopes will open this winter. This will bring up the total length of our ski slopes from 22 km to 30 km, on Valea Dorului, Valea cu Brazi, Valea lui Carp, and Valea Soarelui. It should be mentioned that the altitudes of the slopes vary from 860 m to 2,000 m. So, even if it is warmer and the snow is lacking at lower levels, we almost always can count on snow at higher altitudes. And dont forget the snow cannons. Also, Sinaia City Hall managed to purchase the old ski lift and cable car, and now we are about to issue a universal ski pass for the entire resort.”

This doesnt mean that Sinaia is the only destination, even though it was designated the most attractive ski resort in Romania at the World Ski Awards, the only global initiative to promote and award excellence in winter tourism.

“Poiana Brasov is not to be dismissed by any accounts. On the contrary, here the total length of slopes is 24 km, and they claim it is the longest in the country. Then we have Straja, in the southwest of Romania. They say that they have the longest slope in the country, 8.6 km, and that their skiing area is top of the list. This kind of competition is beneficial. Covasna has four slopes. Here they blend spa tourism with active tourism and winter skiing. The same with Sovata, where the authorities have invested using European funds and attracting other sources of financing, to make the resort attractive both in summer and in winter.”

According to Adrian Voican, tourism agency manager, Romanias slogan that would attract foreign tourists could be Learn to Ski in Romania. In fact, Romania could be the ideal destination for parents who want to teach their children to ski.

“There are plenty of slopes. You dont need slopes kilometers upon kilometers long, you can have a slope that is one km, or one half of that. You can learn how to ski on the slopes in Cazacu or Sorica, in Azuga, or on Kalinderu, in Busteni. You dont need huge, or very high up slopes that go into the Book of Records. All you need is good facilities where kids feel great, to have snow, to have accessible prices, and monitors, of which we have great ones, and to have rental equipment available. This concept of Learn to Ski in Romania could be very attractive for many that would have a vacation here. We have been promoting Romania on foreign markets for a very long time. The main countries where we have partners, trying to attract as many tourists as we can to our country are France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, and even the US.”

In terms of active tourism, beyond summer treks, Romania is a prime destination for travel skiing, according to Cosmin Andron, mountain climber and tourist guide.

“In terms of foreign tourists who want to do winter sports in Romania, most of them come for travel skiing, and the classical destinations are the Rodna Mountains, in the north, Bucegi, Fagaras, Retezat, Parang Mountains, and the Apuseni Mountains. Most of the people I accompanied are from Eastern Europe, Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks mostly, and Austrians, Brits, and French people from Western Europe. Generally, these tourists prefer objectives where they can spend time between the days of skiing. It is true that most tourists are not focused exclusively on skiing, because Romania does not offer in its tourist circuit trails of great technical complexity. The people coming here seek the exotic in the destination, which automatically involves other tourist objectives, beyond the sports aspect. For instance, we have agro-tourism in Maramures, and especially in the Bucegi Mountains area. Tourists are asking for, and we also recommend, a visit to Peles Castle and Bran Castle. Depending on the destination, at least one day out of five or six is spent to visit other objectives.”

Romania is not an expensive destination, if you dont count access to ski lifts and cable cars in resorts. Here is Cosmin Andron:

“This is a destination for low cost airlines. For someone considering a week of free ride skiing in Bucegi, Fagaras, Retezat, you can get to the mountains with flights to Bucharest or Sibiu. The ones who want to go to the northern places, such as the Rodnei, Maramures, or Apuseni mountains, they have available the airports in Cluj or Tg. Mures. Then, accommodation is mainly in B&Bs, which are still at very competitive prices compared to Western Europe. In addition, some places can be accessed by cable car, which may be accessed only once in an outing of four or five days. For instance, at Balea, in the Fagaras Mountains. Other places can be reached by car. So, Romania is not exclusively a destination for down slope skiing, but for this mix of archaic, authentic, and skiing. Alongside my colleagues, I extend an invitation to you to discover Ropmania, because this is what a trip abroad is about, discovering places, people, traditions. This is a different manner of doing active tourism.”

There are many events that take place near or even on ski slopes. Of these, one of the most eagerly expected is a premier event for Central and Eastern Europe. The organizers of the first Massif event, between March 3 and 5, 2023, in Poiana Brasov, promise the perfect combination between a music festival and a winter sports festival.