Without doubt Romania's most popular and most developed ski resort is Poiana Brasov, 13 km (8 miles) from the city of Brasov, with chalet-like hotels and self-catering villas, which continues to grow each year in popularity due to its continued investment in its infrastructure, while still remaining fantastic value for money.
Well-preserved tracks of up to 4,500 m length range from difficult to easy. Most of the instructors are English, German or French speakers. Nightlife is intense, with bars, discos, folklore shows and cabarets.
In the same area of the southern Carpathians there are Sinaia, established as a winter resort in the 1870s, with ski slopes and a bobsleigh run; Predeal with 15 pistes and Busteni, also a centre of alpinism in summer.
Although it's the newest winter resort on the Prahova Valley, Azuga is one of the most popular in the entire country. The reasons for it are the length of the ski runs, their high difficulty, and the new gondola that offers a quick access to the slopes.
Situated in the heart of Apuseni Mountains, Arieseni town and Vartop pass are major attraction in the area for the winter sports lovers. The resort presents itself in an exceptional surrounding as some of the nearby objectives include The Scarisoara Glacier, The Focul Viu Glacier, Cetatile Ponorului Caves, a large complex of caves piercing the Apuseni Mountains, and the canyons of the Aries river meandering its way downhill.
Ranca is a recent development located in the Oltenia area, at the foothill of Papusa Peak in the Parang Mountains, the top station of the ski resort has an altitude of 1700m, with the base station at 1650m. Ranca enjoys a dependable annual snowfall at excellent depth, extending the ski season from November till April.
Cavinc is found between Mogosa, Rotunda and Hija summits of the Gutâi Mountains, on a picturesque valley from which the river Cavnic gathers its waters. The city is situated in the center of Maramures county, 30km away from Baia Mare and 40km from Sighetu Marmatiei.
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