Neamț: Ceahlău, Bicaz Gorge and Monasteries
Travel guide · editorialNeamț is one of the most varied corners of Moldavia: the sacred Ceahlău Mountain rises in the west, while the east is home to monasteries, fortresses and the childhood world of the storyteller Ion Creangă. A trip to Neamț combines mountain hiking, reservoirs and living Orthodox tradition.
Mountains, Gorge and Reservoir
With its rock towers, Ceahlău is regarded in Romania as a sacred mountain. A wooden church stands on the summit plateau, and on August 6 many pilgrims make the climb. At its foot, the Bistrița River is dammed to form Lake Bicaz, the largest artificial lake in the country. Farther west, the road squeezes through the Bicaz Gorge, whose limestone walls rise as much as 300 meters straight up, and continues to Lake Roșu (the Red Lake) on the border with Harghita. Piatra Neamț, the county seat, lies between forested mountains; a cable car takes you up to Cozla, the town's local mountain. In the old town you'll find the tower and church of Stephen the Great's princely court, and the Cucuteni Culture Museum displays painted pottery from a Neolithic culture that flourished in Moldavia some 6,000 years ago.
Sights in Neamț
Neamț Fortress above Târgu Neamț withstood the Ottomans under Stephen the Great in the 15th century; you enter the restored stronghold across a long wooden bridge. The surrounding area has a density of monasteries found almost nowhere else: Neamț Monastery is one of the oldest in Moldavia, while the convents of Agapia and Văratec are like small villages with gardens, workshops and churches, some of whose interiors were painted by Nicolae Grigorescu. In Humulești stands the birthplace of Ion Creangă, whose "Childhood Memories" every Romanian schoolchild knows. Roman, in the east, has a bishop's church dating from the 16th century.
Food, Getting There and Best Time to Visit
Typical fare includes trout from the mountain streams, plăcinte, sarmale, and, in the monasteries, jams and liqueurs. The nearest airports are in Bacău and Iași, and you can reach Piatra Neamț by train via Bacău. May through October is the best time to visit; the trails on Ceahlău are most accessible in July and August.