Zărnesţi

Introducing Zărnesţi

This windswept and rather down-and-out town at the edge of the lovely, rugged Piatra Craiului National Park gives off a bit of a Twilight Zone vibe (maybe because one of Romania’s largest arms manufacturers is based here). If only Nicole Kid­man had hung around a little – or at all –when she was a couple of kilometres away filming Cold Mountain. (One pensiune ownerlamented, ‘She had a special bus to sleep in; we didn’t see her.’) Locals are particularly nice (10am beer-drinkers went out of their way to help us find things) and Zărnesţi provides an excellent springboard to nearby hikes.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009