Wild Romania
National & nature parks
Romania protects some of Europe's last great wilderness — glacial lakes, virgin forests, gorges and mountains full of bears, chamois and wolves. Here is the country's wild heart, park by park.
National parks · 13
Retezat National Park
Retezat Mountains, Hunedoara
Romania's oldest national park (1935) and a biosphere reserve — the "land of blue lakes", with over 80 glacial lakes.
★ Lake Bucura, the country's largest glacial lake
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Piatra Craiului National Park
Piatra Craiului Mountains, Brașov/Argeș
A spectacular 25 km limestone ridge, thin as a blade, a refuge for edelweiss and chamois.
★ The Piatra Craiului ridge and the Zărnești Gorge
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Ceahlău National Park
Ceahlău Massif, Neamț
The holy mountain of Moldavia, with tower-like rocks and Dacian legends. Views over Lake Bicaz.
★ The Panaghia and Toaca rocks, the Duruitoarea waterfall
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Bicaz Gorge-Hășmaș National Park
Neamț/Harghita
Romania's most spectacular gorge, with cliffs hundreds of metres high, and the Red Lake, formed by a landslide in 1837.
★ The Bicaz Gorge and the Red Lake
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Cheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park
Anina Mountains, Caraș-Severin
The Banat's emerald paradise: waterfalls, turquoise waters and the "Bei's Eye", a spring of incredible blue.
★ The Bigăr waterfall and the Bei's Eye lake
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Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park
Caraș-Severin/Gorj/Mehedinți
The country's largest national park, with black-pine forests on cliffs and the thermal springs of Băile Herculane.
★ The Cerna Gorge and the Băile Herculane resort
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Măcin Mountains National Park
Dobruja, Tulcea
Romania's oldest mountains — Hercynian, worn down over 400 million years — a land of steppe, granite and rare species, near the Delta.
★ The Țuțuiatu peak and the Dobrujan steppe landscape
Explore the area →Buila-Vânturarița National Park
Căpățânii Mountains, Vâlcea
The smallest national park, a limestone ridge with monasteries and hermitages hidden in the rock, in sub-Carpathian Oltenia.
★ The Bistrița Gorge and the cave monasteries
Explore the area →Cozia National Park
Cozia Mountains, Vâlcea
An isolated massif above the Olt Valley, with trails among the rocks, Cozia monastery and dramatic views.
★ The Cozia peak and the Olt gorge
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Rodna Mountains National Park
Maramureș/Bistrița-Năsăud
A biosphere reserve in the highest mountains of the Eastern Carpathians, with glacial lakes and alpine meadows.
★ The Pietrosul Rodnei peak (2,303 m) and the Horses' Waterfall
Explore the area →Călimani National Park
Călimani Mountains, Suceava/Harghita
The largest volcanic crater in the Carpathians, with dwarf-pine thickets, natural rock sculptures and utter silence.
★ The Pietrosul Călimani peak and the 12 Apostles rocks
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Jiu Gorge National Park
Gorj/Hunedoara
A wild gorge where the Jiu cuts through the Carpathians, with old-growth forests and a spectacular railway.
★ The Jiu Gorge and Lainici monastery
Explore the area →Semenic-Cheile Carașului National Park
Banat Mountains, Caraș-Severin
Limestone gorges, caves and the springs of the Caraș and Nera, in the heart of the Banat's forested mountains.
★ The Caraș Gorge and the Comarnic and Popovăț caves
Explore the area →Nature parks · 4
Apuseni Nature Park
Apuseni Mountains, Bihor/Cluj/Alba
A karst kingdom of caves, underground glaciers, gorges and moți villages — the green heart of western Transylvania.
★ Scărișoara Cave and the Turda Gorge
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Bucegi Nature Park
Bucegi Mountains, Prahova/Dâmbovița/Brașov
The country's most visited mountains, above the Prahova Valley, with the alpine plateau, the Sphinx and the Babele rocks.
★ The Sphinx and the Babele, the Urlătoarea waterfall
Explore the area →Iron Gates Nature Park
The Danube Gorge, Mehedinți/Caraș-Severin
The longest and most spectacular Danube gorge in Europe, with the face of Decebalus carved into the rock.
★ The Decebalus rock sculpture and the Danube Cauldrons
Explore the area →Vânători-Neamț Nature Park
Neamț
The home of the Romanian bison, reintroduced in a reserve, alongside the historic monasteries of Neamț.
★ The bison reserve and Neamț monastery
Explore the area →Experiences
Guided hikes & nature tours
Guided tours, day trips and hand-picked experiences via GetYourGuide — free cancellation on most.
See all experiencesFrequently asked questions
How many national parks does Romania have?+
Romania has 13 national parks, plus many nature and natural parks, protecting mountains, gorges, forests and wetlands.
Which is the most beautiful national park in Romania?+
Retezat, with its glacial lakes, and Piatra Craiului, with its dramatic limestone ridge, are the most loved — with Cheile Nerei-Beușnița and Ceahlău close behind.
Do you need a permit to hike in Romania's national parks?+
Most trails are free and open; some parks charge a small entry or parking fee. Always keep to the marked trails.
