A Sunday journey: from Bucharest to Bucegi

During an exchange mobility in Bucharest, an Erasmus student should not stay in the capital on the weekends or on free days, but instead he should be travelling the country, the cities and the mountains, especially the mountains. 

I am a nature lover and when foreign people are asking me what they should visit in Romania the first answer that comes into my thoughts is: the mountains. 

This time I am sharing with my readers a small journey I did this weekend and which got me out of Bucharest and high on the mountain where I was surrounded by nature and not by noisy cars. 

Taking a train to reach the destination 

In Bucharest all of my travels start with me buying a train ticket from Gara de Nord ( Bucharest North Railway station ) to the wanted destination which this time happens to be Bușteni. 

The train leaves the station at 6.20 AM and arrives in the mountain city at 9.02 AM. For a student like me, the cost of the ticket is totally free, otherwise, for non students, the ticket for a regio train on this route costs 22 lei meaning almost 5 euros. 

If you've never been to Bușteni, take notice that when mountains are starting to pop up at the the window's train it means that you are getting closer to the city. A visible big cross will apear on the Caraiman Mount, positioned right on the ridge of this mountain. 

As you get down and out of the train, a fresh and colder air will hit your face and wake you up if you are sleepy due to the train journey. Ahhh, I've been waiting for the feeling since I got on the train in Bucharest. 

Why Bușteni?

Bușteni is a mountain resort located in Prahova Valley, a very well known area in Romania. Here, there are many options regarding how people can relax and spend their free time, but when it comes to me, when I stamble across the tall rocky mountains raising proudly above the city, all I want to do is climb them, of course. 

There are two main ways of getting up on the mountain:

• with a cable car if people are not well trained, healthy and not wearing good, appropriate hiking equipment

• by following one of the many hiking trails of which most actually start outside the train station 

The choice I make is the second one just because my favorite sport activity is hiking and I've been waiting for quite some time to climb the mountains again. 

I meet with some persons, we form a group and after we have a coffee together we are heading towards the forest and the mountain. 

How to find and enter the hiking trail

One person from the group has already been many times on the hiking trail we are about to follow, so this time I don't have to worry much about how to follow the path, where it starts and so on.

But still, I can say that to enter the trail from the train station you have to go a bit right and cross the main street using the high passway - like a bridge - and after walk a little bit until you find a street named "Valea Albă" on which you have to enter and follow it straight to a place called "Căminul Alpin" from where you go left on a street that finishes at the beginning of the forest.

Here, on a tree, you will find indicatores. For going on the same direction as we do, you have to follow the red triangle mark that goes to Poiana Coștilei, Pichetu Roșu and finally to the Mălăiești Hut. 

Walking up through the natural colored forest

Outside it is a very beautiful warm autumn day and the forest welcomes us in its seasonal wonderfulness and dream of colors. The path is visible and goes among the trees roots and fallen dry leaves. 

In the beginning the hike is not so challenging, but as we are starting to get higher and higher the slope takes our breath away from time to time. Maybe after one hour of climbing, we discover another indicator that shows us the way and direction to follow for reaching Poiana Coștilei ( Coștila Meadow) . 

Off the path

From here, people can still follow the red triangle and enjoy a walk through the forest which I actually recommand for those who are not familiar with the place. We are not doing so, but rather going straight on a path that is not so well known by tourists because is not marked quite well and also not included on tourist hiking maps. 

Remember that we decide to go "off the path" just because one person from our group knows the right places and can guide us to the destination we are looking for: Refugiul Coștila - Coștila Mountain Refugee. 

We continue to climb for another one hour maybe. The terrain is getting rough and steep. We are literally out of breath, but slowly and surely we are going forward. The high cliffs and ridges of Bucegi Mountains are beginning to appear proudly in the sky. The view over then is just "wow!". 

Meeting the Coștila Mountain Refugee and the most beautiful landscape over Prahova Valley 

We feel small and vulnerable in comparison with the mountain. The last portion nearby the Coștila Refugee is very rough. We have to climb carefully on the rocks. It is challenging, but the feeling of being here is amazing, hard to describe into words. Is like when you manage to pass all of the dangerous parts of the trail, you feel strong, confident, a part of nature. 

Here it is: the roof of the Coștila Mountain Refugee. And this is not all: a very large view opens up over the Prahova Valley and Baiu Mountains. The sky is cristal clear in this autumn afternoon like it has not been all summer long. The landscape is offering us a great image over all of the surroundings. 

The forests are now colored, it makes me think that they are finally happy to rest for a bit in the upcoming winter season. We stay around the refugee for more then one hour. We eat, get some rest after the challenging hike and just admire the spectacular landscape wishing that we can stay here for longer, forever. 

This is my first time being at Refugiul Coștila which I think is kind of a hidden spot of the Bucegi Mountains, known and used mostly by alpinists and courageous trained people that are beginning to boulder from here the rocky slopes of the mountains, including for example Valea Albă - The White Valley - that starts just nearby the refugee. 

I do not want to leave this place. It is incredibly beautiful, it is al I needed after a very busy week spend in Bucharest. But we have to get back to the city and after we belive we've have got enough from the view and from the stunning sensation of just being here, we are trekking back on the same path that took us to Refugiul Coștila. The good thing about going back to Bușteni is the fact that we get to pass the charming autumn forest once again. 

Our mountain trekking route finishes well, everybody is healthy and in good conditions, but just a bit sad because the trip inside the nature is over. I say good bye and all the best to the people that have joined me today and I go to the train station where I wait for the next train that would take me back to Bucharest. 

The other activities you can do in Bușteni

Earlier in the article I said that there are a few things to do in Bușteni which are not necessarily mountain related. So, after you have read the article and maybe came to the conclusion that a similar mountain trip is not suitable for you, don not worry, I still believe that you will enjoy the city without having to climb the Bucegi Mountains. 

First of all, I am completly sure that the landscape with the high rocky mountains will overwhlem your feelings. It is impossible not to get caught by the greatness of the ridges. Second of all, the mountain resort has a very pleasant aspect on whose streets you can stroll and find attractions to visit such as the following ones:

• Palatul Cantacuzino ( The Cantacuzino Palace )

• The Caraiman Monastery

• The Memorial House of Cezar Petrescu - a museum dedicated to one of the most famous writers in Romania

  "The Urlătoarea" Waterfall - which can be reach in almost 30 minutes by following a hiking trail and it is by far much more easier then the hiking trail to Refugiul Coștila 

At the same time, if people still want to go on the mountain quickly and with less effort, they have an appropiate option in the Bușteni Cable Car which goes on top of the mountain, on the so well known "Platoul Bucegilor", where there are 3 main attractions as the following:

• The Commemorative Cross to the Romanian Heroes of the First World War is the cross that I was talking about in the beginning of this article and which is also visible from down the city of Bușteni having a height of 36 meters

• "Sfinxul" and "Babele", two natural and geological rock formation which are appriciated to their shapes, for example, The Sfinx is looking like a human profile 

As you can see there are plenty of options to chose from in the mountain valley of Bușteni. And I almost forgot to mention that if you are practicing winter sports, then here is waiting for you The Kalinderu Slope. 

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