Predeal - Romania

Predeal is a small town located in the Carpathian mountains just south of Brasov and just north of Sinaia. You can get to "Dracula's castle" in Bran in about a half an hour by car. Even more impressive is the nearby Rasnov fortress with a beautiful view over the valley below.

Predeal is also one of Romania's bigger ski restorts, but as you can see from these photos it also makes for a nice summer retreat. At the railway station, there are a few leftover signs from the Communist era. This statue below certainly counts as one...




The Predeal ski slopes in mid-summer. It's nice to escape Bucharest and get out into nature on days like this.
A view north looking up the Carpathian ridge toward Brasov.

A view South with the town of Predeal in the background.

A typical street scene in the upper parts of the city. Predeal is built on a hill and the roads stretch up about two miles before the pavement stops and the hiking trails through the mountains begin.

Random fields near the slopes on a hot summer day.


More views of Carpathian mountain nature. The mountains are still filled with bear, lynx, deer, and the very occasional wolf. You can see samples of various prize winning species at the Carpathian hunting museum outside Sinaia. Cafe life downtown on Predeal's main street as seen below.


A view from the railway station looking up the hillside.
More views from along the railway tracks below.

Alpine style hotels are typical in the region. Predeal is quiet in summer but packs with skiiers and winter sports enthusiasts once the first snow falls.



A typical style house in Predeal. The town is fast becoming an expensive destination resort, but only a few years ago it remained fairly sleepy.

The "After Dark" bar isn't as exciting as the name sounds, but it's a good place to grab a beer.

The Bella Predeal is our restaurant of choice up here. The food is good. The service is great.

A Brancovean style Romania building below.

More of the older cottage style pensions.

Ski slopes wait for winter....

A modern style Protestant church dominates the Predeal skyline.

A view from our window....

Getting rid of old furniture isn't usually difficult in rural Romania. There are always takers. In this case, however, the horse carts came to pick it up.


You'd actually be amazed how much stuff you can fit in a horsecart!