Scărişoara Cave

Info

The cave is located near Gârda de Sus village, Alba County.

The road to the cave starts in Gârda de Sus, located in Arieşul Mare valley. Then you have to follow the signs for about 10 km.

Spring is the best period to see the ice formations at their peak.

Opening hours: Monday-Saturday from 09:00-18:00. Sunday from 10:00-17:00. There is a guided tour.

Entrance fee: Yes

Discover

Situated in the Apuseni Mountains, Scărişoara Cave or Scărişoara Ice Cave is a spectacular and one of a kind cave, host to one of the largest underground glaciers in Romania. Scărişoara Ice Cave has a total length of 700 meters, but only 250 meters are open to the public. The cave is located at a height of 1 165 meters, and the entrance is enormous which has a diameter of 40 meters. The touristic parts are the Great Hall and the Church where you can admire the most spectacular part of the glacier and numerous ice stalagmites. The glacier is in fact a huge block of ice, the oldest part dating almost 4 000 years ago. The cave has some scientific appointed areas.

Did you know?

The Scărişoara’s glacier is the second largest of its kind in the world after the one in Slovakia.

Conservation facts

Scărişoara Ice Cave is the first cave in Romania to be declared a monument of nature in 1938. It is now a speleological reserve. The glacier is considered a relic of the last period of the Holocène, and it represents a valuable scientific interest because by studying the ice you can collect important information regarding the formation and evolution of the stratified deposits of ice.

Weather


Tuesday
-12°C

Thursday
-2°C

Friday
-1°C
Activities