Ampoi Valley and Arieşului Valley

This is a free track from the Touring Romania Guidebook.

Track no 2: Ampoi Valley and Arieşului Valley
The water courses draining the eastern Apuseni Mountains, Ampoi and Arieş Rivers, define this circuit. In addition to the landscape, there are all the attractions from Rimetea basin and Citadel Alba Carolina. The city of Alba Iulia begins this route and the main objective of the city is the bastionary citadel equipped with three defence systems, shaped like an irregular heptagon, with 7 bastions bestowing the star shape.

The Valley of Ampoi is followed closely by DN 74 national road, while the white cliffs of Pietrele de la Ampoiţa (Rocks of Ampoitza) and Calcarele din Valea Mică (Limestones of the Little Valley) are scattered through the countryside landscape. Bucium Pass (925 m/3035 ft) marks the crossing to Arieşului Valley, where the village of Roșia Montană can be visited with a short detour from the track (DJ 742).

The Arieș River is traversed before the crossroad with DN 75 national road, and can be admired from many angles up to the village of Buru. The village of Sălciua has a unique charm, both because of the exposed slope of Bedeleu Plateau as well as the Ethnographic Exhibition of Valer Butură. The museum is housed in a building with straw roof, right in the centre of the settlement.
The last part of the track goes across the Rimetea basin (DJ 107M), a place where the steep cliffs of Colţii Trascăului (Fangs of Trascău) and Piatra Secuiului (Secklar’s Stone) are bordering the villages of Râmetea andColţesti. Cetatea Trascăului (Trascău Fortress) and Cheile Aiudului (Aiud’s Gorge) complete the list of spectacular attractions and the accommodation facilities or Hungarian traditional cuisine persuades any traveler to spend the night here.

The national artery DN 1 closes the loop of the circuit across the towns of Aiud and Teiuş, with the last stop on the route being Aiud’s Citadel. Its thick walls are hidding one of the oldest urban fortresses in Transylvania

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Track comments

    cartographer, founder of Carpathian 2 Wheels Guide

    • Start of track
      "Traseul 2 "

      La Recea, Alba Iulia, Alba, Romania
    • Finish of track
      "Traseul 2 "

      La Recea, Alba Iulia, Alba, Romania