Marking: red triangle, from Saua Cupaşului red circle
Time to make the route: 3 hours
Distance: 5 km
Level difference: 425 m, difficult to make during winter

During winter this hiking route is difficult to make and we recommend full equipment in order to enjoy the beauty of the mountain fully secured.

The route starts at km 29 from the National Road 12C and the marking is a red triangle (the starting point is localized right after the tunnel exit, on the first parking on the right). Right from the start you’ll face the mountain, climbing on a narrow trail between tall firs. Your effort is quickly reworded by a spectacular frozen waterfall on Lapos Creek.

We are now in Lapos Canyon: on our left, along the trail, we can see Cupas Rock. On the right we see Lapos Creek with small waterfalls and bordered by an enormous rock wall. After a while the hiking becomes easier and soon we leave the canyon behind us.

The route goes now to the place called La Sodron where there are some hay storehouses of local villagers. From here, the trail continues to the left towards Saua Cupas, the last hiking portion of this route. On top of this hill there is a belvedere point to the surrounding peeks, the most well known being Suhardul Mare (1504,2 m) and Suhardul Mic (1344,5 m).

The descent will be made on the red circle marking. From Saua Cupas you’ll go to the left until you reach the forest, from where the trail continues until the intersection with the forest road, which is easy to recognize by the electric poles. At this intersection you’ll go left and you’ll continue to walk until you reach the National Road DN 12C, couple hundreds of meters from the starting point.

“Izvorul Muntelui” Lake
The lake is located near Bicaz, at the exit to Ceahlau Mountain or Resort Durau. Some of the fish species that are in this lake: perch, pike, trout, bream, rudd and crucian. You’ll need a fishing permit to fish in this lake.

“Zimbraria” Lake
Located in the commune Vanatori, inside the Reservation of Aurochs Dragos Voda. The lake is made out of 3 smaller lakes. Fish species that live here: carp, ten, carp, perch, Novac Chinese, pike and perch.

Entertainment Complex “Rechinul” (Rechinul translates as Shark)
Located in the commune Costisa, at 300 m from DN 15, the entertainment complex offers a lake specially organized for sport fishing, barbeque, playground for kids and a restaurant that serves fish based meals. The restaurant has its own trout and has a capacity of 40 seats. Phone +(40) 233 260 210, +(40) 744 842 334

“Balta Porcului” Lake
Located between the Agarcia Village and Piatra Neamt Town, on the right shore of Bistrita River, the lake has more than one pool. Here you can fish for crucian and carp. For now there is no fishing tax.

“La Moldovean” Lake
The lake is located in Dragomiresti Commune on a road hard accessible by car. Here you can fish for: carp, phytophagus, Novac, carp and perch small.

Simionesti Lake
The lake is located in Simionesti Village, from Cordun Commune and is known by fishermen by a place where you don’t leave empty handed. Here you can fish for pike, tench, crucian and carp. The access is permitted only with a fishing permit.

Danaila Lake
The lake is located on the street Bogdan Dragos, right at the exit from Roman. Here you can fish for: pike, perch, crucian and carp.

“Ferma Caritas” Lake
The lake is located in Sabaoani Commune, at approximately 2 km, on the road to Iasi. The lake is populated with species like carp and crucian.

Unghi Pond
The pond is located in Unghi village from Dragomiresti Commune. It has a surface of over 3,5 ha and is placed near the road that goes from Piatra Neamt to Hanul Ancutei. Here you can fish for: carp, phytophagus, carp and perch.

Budesti Lake
The lake is located in Faurei commune (between Roman and Piatra Neamt).

The tradition of Martisor is more than 2000 years old and we are still practicing this tradition annually on March 1. There are numerous legends about the significance of Martisor, about the red and white wires but in a simple way Martisor represents a messenger of Spring that brings good luck and protection.

The visitors bought original Martisor made out of natural textile material, ceramics, small jewelries, religious icons, small wooden sculptures – all handmade by craftsmen that carry on the Romanian traditions. We also had gastronomic Martisor represented by honey and natural juices.

This was the first edition of Martisor Festival organized only with traditional craftsmen in Piatra Neamt that we hope to become an annual favorite.

At the festival we’ll find traditional Romanian objects, from Martisor made out of wood, ceramics and glass to greeting cards, figurines, weaves and jewelry all handmade. Among the craftsmen that will take part at the festival will be: Valentina Acasandrei, Violeta Radu, Adrian Silvestru, Kedves Attila, Maricel Apalaghiei, Maria si Ariadna Bodron,  Gabriel Corbia, Rodica Ciocirtau, Iulian Mihalachi, Cecilia Haisan, Maria Virga, Amalia Vlad and Nicolae Diaconu.

The official opening of Martisor Festival will happen Friday, February 26, 2010 at 12:00 o’clock and it will end Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 19:00 o’clock when we invite you at the Tineretului Theatre at the show called  “Dor cu Dor si Drag cu Drag” (Dor means to miss and Drag means to love. “Cu” you can directly translated as “with” and “si” as and). You’ll see performances by the members of “Florile Ceahlaului”, Maricica Andrei, Codruţa Avacaritei, Iuliana Candrea,  Alina Carnariu, Ana Dragu, Georgiana Axinte, the kids from Victor Brauner High School, the band “Stefan Voievod” and the panpipe instrumentals Adelina Chirila and Madalina Luca. Also at the festival you’ll be able to meet with Dragobetele which is the symbol of love in Romania.

Mr Valentin Andrei from the Cultural and Art Center “Carmen Saeculare” from Neamt County, invites us at the Martisor Festival and he says that we will experience “a weekend full of Martisor that will bring good luck and joy in our hurts and souls”.

NOTE: Martisor is a figurine that has two strings attached to it: one red and one white. It symbolizes the Spring and it brings good luck and joy and it’s a gift that is given on March the 1^st.

The opening of the festival was at 14:30 when Elena Udrea, Gheorghe Stefan, Mayor of Piatra Neamt and Gheorghe Flutur, vice president of the PDL Party, arrived with the chairlift, together with Vasile Pruteanu, President of the Neamt County Council and Dorin Chirtoaca, Mayor of Chisinau.

After the opening speeches the festival was celebrated with confetti, hundreds of blue balloons and a ski parade. The fun continued until late in the evening and moments like the concert of Fly Project and Corina and a ski parade with flames on the ski slope were highly appreciated. After that those that were present at the festival enjoyed a big fire camp and the fireworks. The day finished with an open party for everyone.

In these small museums the atmosphere remained unchanged: furniture, personal artifacts, photographs, a pen on the desk, an open book on a table near an armchair. The experience will be unique and personal because it will resonate inside you: you’ll return in time when you were just a kid reading these books or spending all day long playing.

Location of the Memorial Houses in Neamt County

The Memorial Museum “Calistrat Hogas” from Piatra Neamt was first opened in 1969 in the house were the writer Calistrat Hogas lived. The house was built in 1885 and its architectural style is characteristic to that area, being included in the list of protected architectural monuments from Romania. The exhibition contains family documents, manuscripts, pieces of furniture and objects that belonged to the writer.

The Memorial House “Ion Creanga” from Humulesti, Neamt is the place where our grates storyteller Ion Creanga (also known as Nica the sun of Stefan a Petrei) was born. The house is built in a traditional architectural style and represents the essence of the people that lived in these places at that time: common sense and modesty. All the elements described by Ion Creanga in his book “Memories from my Childhood” are there: the stove, the chairs, the threads used by cats to play all day long.

The Memorial House “Veronica Micle” from Targu Neamt is one of the houses that belonged to the poet Veronica Micle that was very dear to her. The exhibition contains personal objects that belonged to Veronica Micle, the muse of our grates poet Mihai Eminescu.

The Memorial House “Alexandru Vlahuta” from Agapia, Neamt is the place where the writer Alexandru Vlahuta was born and where he also lived his childhood. The house is located in the village Agapia, which is unique by the fact that all its inhabitants are nuns. The exhibition contains objects that belonged to the writer: letters, books and manuscripts.

The Memorial House Visarion Puiu and the Museum Mihail Sadoveanu from the monastery village of the Neamt Monastery, was built in 1937 by Visarion Puiu, Mitropolit of Bucovina (Mitropolit is a religious distinction that means the chief of the church on a certain area, in this case Bucovina) and where the writer Mihail Sadoveanu spend his last years. The exhibition still maintains the atmosphere from that period, with documents, photos, portraits of the writer and his parents, an ivory chess and his samurai sword.

The Memorial House “I. I. Mironescu” from Tazlau, Neamt is the house where I.I. Mironescu was born and where he also lived his childhood. The house became a museum in 1969 and the exhibition contains personal objects, photos, blueprints, books and pieces of furniture.

The Memorial House “Vasile Conta” Ghindaoani, Neamt is the place where the Romanian philosopher Vasile Conta was born. It became a museum in 1993 and displays elements of local history, ethnographic materials, art and papers of Vasile Conta.