# Arieșeni

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Alba County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/alba) › [Arieșeni](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/arieseni)

> A tourist resort in the Apuseni Mountains, at the source of the Arieș: the Vârtop I and Vârtop II slopes, with drag lifts and floodlit skiing, below the Vârtop Pass, plus trails to Piatra Grăitoare and Bihor Peak.

**At a glance:** Ski slopes in Arieșeni, Alba County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 4½ – 5 hours. Information verified on 3 November 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The resort is open at all times. The drag lifts run in the winter season, as long as the snow cover allows; both slopes are also skied in the evening, under floodlights.
- **Ticket:** Free — drag lifts paid separately
- **Visit duration:** 4½ – 5 hours — a day's skiing or walking
- **With kids:** Yes — beginners' slope, sledging
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — in winter, next to the DN75
- **Best season:** All year round — skiing in winter, walking in summer
- **Address:** DN75, in the Vârtop holiday village, at the foot of the Vârtop I and Vârtop II slopes, below the Vârtop Pass, Arieșeni, Alba County
- **Coordinates:** 46.51411, 22.67669
- **Phone:** +40 358 402 989
- **Website:** https://comuna-arieseni.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arie%C8%99eni,_Alba
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15293538
- **Categories:** [Ski slopes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ski-slopes), [Mountains and trails](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mountains-and-trails), [Resorts and thermal baths](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/resorts-and-thermal-baths)

## About Arieșeni

Arieșeni is a commune in the Moți Country (Țara Moților), on the western edge of Alba county, on the border with Bihor, spread along the valley of the Arieșul Mare, at the river's source. Its farmsteads are scattered across the slopes along the DN75, and the centre of the commune lies at about 830 m. The commune is certified as a tourist resort of local interest, and on the north-facing slopes snow usually lies for four or five months a year.

The skiing is higher up, about 9 km from the centre, in the Vârtop holiday village, just below the Vârtop Pass, where the DN75 crosses into Bihor. The Vârtop I slope was the first to be laid out in Arieșeni, in the early 1990s, with a drag lift built with private capital, and it has been certified since 2003. It was later joined by Vârtop II, a short slope for beginners. In summer the holiday village is a starting point for walks along the ridges of the Bihor Mountains.

### What you can see

Vârtop I is 1,000 m long and runs down from 1,400 to 1,160 m, a vertical drop of 240 m; it is served by a 780 m drag lift and is floodlit. Next to it is a sledging slope with free access. Vârtop II is 430 m long with a vertical drop of over 100 m, is lit in the evening and was the first slope in Arieșeni with snowmaking. From their base you can easily cross to the Piatra Grăitoare slope, with a chairlift, on the Bihor side.

From the top of the slopes you can see the holiday village in the saddle, with guesthouses and chalets among the spruces, and the wooded crests of the Bihor Mountains. Towards Arieșeni the road descends the valley of the Arieșul Mare, past mountain farmsteads, the [Wooden Church in Arieșeni](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-de-lemn-arieseni) and the turning for the [Vârciorog Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-varciorog). Waymarked trails lead from the area to Piatra Grăitoare Peak and Bihor Peak (Cucurbăta Mare, 1,849 m), the highest in the Apuseni.

### Good to know

The drag lifts only run when there is enough snow. On Vârtop II, thanks to the snowmaking, you can ski even when the natural snow cover is thin, as long as it is cold.

## Don't miss

- Skiing down Vârtop I, 1,000 m of slope between 1,400 and 1,160 m, with a drag lift and floodlights.
- First runs on Vârtop II, the beginners' slope with snowmaking and a ski school.
- The view from the slopes over the Vârtop holiday village and the wooded crests of the Bihor Mountains.
- The free-access sledging slope next to Vârtop I.
- The mountain farmsteads scattered over the slopes of the Arieșul Mare, on the way down to the centre of the commune.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the slopes are right next to the DN75, below the Vârtop Pass, ~9 km from the centre of Arieșeni (~11 minutes). From Alba Iulia (~127 km, ~2 hours 50 minutes) you drive via Abrud to Câmpeni, then along the DN75 up the Arieș valley, through Arieșeni (~48 km from Câmpeni, about an hour). From Cluj-Napoca it is ~117 km (~2 hours 35 minutes). From Oradea (~115 km, ~2 hours 15 minutes) you take the DN76 via Beiuș to Lunca, then climb the DN75 via Nucet to the pass. In winter the road is often covered in snow: drive on winter tyres and carry chains.

### Where to park

In winter the Arieșeni town hall sets up temporary public car parks along the DN75, near the slopes, with a daily charge: 20 lei for cars and 40 lei for minibuses and coaches; the charge may change from one season to the next. Do not park on the DN75 carriageway.

### Fees & discounts

Entry to the resort is free, as is the sledging slope next to Vârtop I. Rides on the drag lifts of Vârtop I and Vârtop II are paid separately, on a magnetic card; prices may change from one season to the next.

### Rules

On the slopes, keep to the markings and safety rules; sledges have their own slope and are not taken down the ski runs. In the mountains, stay on waymarked trails, with warm clothes and suitable footwear, as the weather changes quickly. Do not leave food or rubbish behind. In case of an accident, call 112 or Salvamont, the mountain rescue service (0SALVAMONT).

### Facilities

Accommodation, bars and restaurants at the foot of the slopes · ski, snowboard and sledge hire · ski schools · free sledging slope · Salvamont Alba and Bihor on the slope

## Details

- **Maximum altitude:** 1,400 m
- **Mountain range:** Bihor Mountains
- **Total slope length:** 1.4 km
- **Lifts:** 2
- **Base altitude:** 1,160 m
- **Night skiing:** Yes
- **Snowmaking:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Arieșeni

**How much is a ticket to Arieșeni?**

Admission to Arieșeni is free (drag lifts paid separately). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Arieșeni?**

Opening hours at Arieșeni: daily open 24 hours. More under “Opening hours”.

**How long does a visit to Arieșeni take?**

A visit to Arieșeni takes about 4½ – 5 hours (a day's skiing or walking).

**Can you visit Arieșeni with kids?**

Yes, Arieșeni is suitable for children (beginners' slope, sledging).

**Where can I park at Arieșeni?**

There is paid parking at Arieșeni (in winter, next to the DN75). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Arieșeni?**

Arieșeni is located at DN75, in the Vârtop holiday village, at the foot of the Vârtop I and Vârtop II slopes, below the Vârtop Pass, Arieșeni, Alba County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Arieșeni?**

The best season for Arieșeni: All year round (skiing in winter, walking in summer).

## Nearby attractions

- [Vârtop Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/vartop-pass) — Scenic roads · Bihor County · Free · 1 km
  The pass where the DN75 crosses the Bihor Mountains at 1,160 m, between Nucet and Arieșeni: the Vârtop holiday village, ski slopes and trails to Groapa Ruginoasă and Piatra Grăitoare.
- [Piatra Grăitoare Ski Slope](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piatra-graitoare-ski-slope) — Ski slopes · Nucet, BH · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 1 km
  A ski slope with a chairlift in the Vârtop holiday village, on the Bihor side of the Apuseni Mountains: a red and a black run through spruce forest, floodlit skiing and a drag lift for beginners.
- [Vârciorog Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/varciorog-waterfall) — Waterfalls · Arieșeni, AB · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 5 km
  A waterfall of about 15 m on the Vârciorog stream, tucked into a spruce forest below Piatra Grăitoare, near Arieșeni; reached up a wooded valley on foot or by horse cart.
- [Cetățile Ponorului](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatile-ponorului) — Caves · Bihor County · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 8 km
  A karst complex on the Padiș Plateau: three huge sinkholes with walls over 200 m high and a portal 76 m tall where the Cetăților stream vanishes into the mountain. Seen from a marked hiking loop, not a show cave.
- [Coliboaia Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/coliboaia-cave) — Caves · Câmpani, BH · 8 km
  A cave in the Sighiștel Valley, in the Bihor Mountains, with charcoal cave drawings some 32,000–36,000 years old, considered the oldest in Central Europe; closed to the public.
- [Focul Viu Ice Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/focul-viu-ice-cave) — Caves · Pietroasa, BH · Free · 9 km
  An ice cave in the forests of the Galbena Valley near Padiș, reached on foot along a marked trail. Around midday, light pours in through a hole in the roof and falls on the ice.

## Featured in the guides

- [Ski slopes in Romania: the ski resorts and ski areas by region, with a map](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/ski-resorts-in-romania) — 46 ski resorts and ski areas in Romania by region: Poiana Brașov, Sinaia, Straja, Transalpina, Rânca, Cavnic. Km of slopes, lifts, night skiing, map.
- [Sledging, alpine coasters and tubing in Romania: where to go with a sledge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/sledging-in-romania) — Sledging slopes at Bușteni, Cavnic, Toplița, Mărișel; year-round alpine coasters at Toplița, Ghimeș, Homorod, Fundata; tubing from 10 lei. Prices, rules.
- [The nearest ski slopes to Bucharest, Cluj, Brașov, Sibiu, Iași, Timișoara and Oradea: distances for a day of skiing](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/ski-slopes-near-bucharest-cluj-brasov) — Feleacu is 10 km from Cluj, Poiana Brașov 12 km from Brașov, Păltiniș 32 km from Sibiu, Sinaia 140 km from Bucharest. Distances and times for 12 cities.
- [Beginner and kids' ski slopes in Romania: where to learn to ski, ski schools and slope colours](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/beginner-ski-slopes-in-romania) — Bradul and Stadion in Poiana Brașov, Baloo at Straja, Pârtia A at Parâng, Arena Platoș: easy slopes, magic carpets, ski schools and what the colours mean.

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Last updated: 3 November 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania