Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
By far the best access point to the park is from Zărneşti. If you're hiking from Bran, the
quickest route is along the gravel road to Predulut, through the village of Tohaniţa.
North of Braşov
After the dramatic mountain approach to Braşov from Bucharest, the flatland settings for
the Unesco-protected Saxon citadels of Hărman, Prejmer and Vama Buzăului lack a little
punch. That said, if you have wheels, they're worth a visit.
HĂRMAN & PREJMER
Quiet Hărman, 12km north of Braşov and 7km from Prejmer, is a dusty Saxon village
with a 16th-century peasant
citadel
at its centre. Inside the thick walls is a 52m weathered
clock tower
and a 15th-century
church
(admission by donation; 9am-noon & 1-5pm
Tue-Sun summer, 10am-4pm winter)
. Hit the bell near the
'Bitte Läuten'
sign on the door
to the left of the main door if the gate's locked. The colourful houses facing the main
square are typical of the Saxon era, with large rounded doors and few windows.
Several kilometres off the main highway north from Braşov, Saxon Prejmer (Tartlau)
was first settled in 1240, with a picturesque 15th-century
citadel
(adult/child 8/4 lei)
sur-
rounding the 13th-century Gothic evangelical
church
in its centre (near where the micro-
buses stop). The fortress was the most powerful peasant fortress in Transylvania, its 272
small cells lining the inner citadel wall intended to house the local population during
Turkish sieges. The building's 4.5m-thick outer defensive walls are the thickest of all the
remaining Saxon churches.
Frequent microbuses and maxitaxis from Braşov's Autogara 1 stop in Hărman (3 lei, 20
minutes), while it's fairly easy to visit Prejmer (4 lei, 20 minutes) on the same trip, head-
ing there first from a stop near Autogara 1, then taking a Braşov-bound bus and exiting at
the Hârman stop on the way back (it's a 20-minute walk from the highway to the church
on the lone entry road).
