About Ialomița Cave
At the head of the Ialomița valley, a few kilometres from the river's springs, a limestone wall more than 100 m high opens into a huge portal: the entrance to Ialomița Cave, also known as Ialomicioara Cave or the Hermitage Cave. The cave has about 1,128 m of passages in all, on two levels, carved by the Horoaba stream into the Jurassic limestone of Mount Bătrâna; the first 480 m, from the entrance to the point called "the Altar", are fitted with walkways and stairs and lit with electric light. Its operator, the "Curtea Domnească" National Museum Complex in Târgoviște, reopened it in 2015 after a restoration funded by the EU.
The place has been known for centuries. Tradition has it that Prince Mihnea the Bad hid here in 1510 while fleeing to Transylvania, and a hermitage was built in the mouth of the cave, burnt and rebuilt several times; today Ialomița Cave Monastery, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, stands right under the vault at the entrance. The first written description of the cave dates from 1793, the passage to the inner chambers was widened in 1896, and the cave was only systematically surveyed in 1953. Local legends link it to Zalmoxis and to a visit by Saint Andrew the Apostle.
What you can see
You go in through Mihnea Vodă's Grotto, a wide, high passage about 120 m long where daylight still reaches; in hard winters its roof and floor fill with stalactites and stalagmites of ice. Beyond the metal gate comes Decebalus' Vault, where the bed of the underground stream is covered with rimstone pools, small stepped basins of calcite, and the Saint Mary Grotto. Stairs lead up to the Crossroads, from where one path drops to the Lakes, with an underground waterfall about 3 m high and two lakes 3–4 m deep.
The other path climbs into the Bears' Hall, the largest in the cave: over 70 m long, 35 m wide and 25 m high, filled with fallen blocks of limestone among which many cave bear skeletons were found. You pass Zalmoxis' Boulder, the largest block to have fallen, and reach the highest point of the route, 62 m above the entrance, then follow the Way of the Waters to the Altar, two calcite columns where monks once lit candles.
Good to know
Inside it is 5–6 °C all year, with humidity of up to 100%, and the route has many metal stairs, low stretches and dripping water. You cannot drive to the entrance: from Hotel Peștera it is about 1 km on foot, downhill.
- Ialomița Cave Monastery, whose church stands right under the huge vault at the mouth of the cave.
- Mihnea Vodă's Grotto, the entrance passage where, according to tradition, the prince hid in 1510.
- The underground waterfall and the two lakes, 3–4 m deep, at the Lakes, below the Bears' Hall.
- The Bears' Hall, over 70 m long and 25 m high, with the fallen blocks among which cave bear skeletons were found.
- The calcite columns of the Altar, the end of the developed route, where monks once lit candles.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: from Sinaia take the DN71 towards Târgoviște, turn right onto the DJ713 (Transbucegi) up to the Dichiu Saddle, then drop down the DJ713A towards Lake Bolboci and carry on through Padina to Hotel Peștera: ~32 km from Sinaia in all, mostly tarmac but with stretches of forest road. From Bucharest it is ~125 km to Sinaia on the DN1. From Târgoviște, drive up the DN71 to Glod (Moroeni commune) and from there take the DJ714, past the Moroeni Sanatorium and Lake Bolboci, ~34 km to Peștera; the road is in poor condition in places and is due to be modernised (the funding contract was signed in July 2026). From Hotel Peștera you walk down ~1 km along a path to the monastery and the cave entrance.
Public transport: there are no scheduled services to the cave. Without a car, take the cable car from Bușteni up to Babele and then the Babele – Peștera cable car, whose lower station is next to Hotel Peștera; from there it is ~10–15 minutes on foot. Check the cable car timetables beforehand.
- Where to park
Leave the car around Hotel Peștera and the cable car station or in the marked spaces in Padina, without blocking the road; from there it is ~1 km on foot to the cave. On summer weekends and in the holidays spaces go quickly, so come in the morning. Do not park on the pasture or in the forest: you are in Bucegi Natural Park.
- Fees & discounts
A full-price ticket costs 30 lei and a reduced one, for pupils, students and pensioners, 15 lei (prices of the "Curtea Domnească" National Museum Complex, valid from 1 January 2026). Pre-school children, children in care and people with disabilities go in free. A guide is optional and paid separately (25 lei an hour per person, or 50 lei an hour for a group of up to 9), booked two days in advance; groups of more than 10 get a free guide. Professional photography costs 50 lei an hour per camera. On top of the ticket, the Bucegi Natural Park visitor fee applies (10 lei, from age 14).
- Rules
You walk the route on your own, with no compulsory guide; a guide can be booked in advance. Do not touch or break the formations, do not leave the walkways and do not throw anything into the underground stream. It is 5–6 °C with 85–100% humidity all year: bring warm clothes and mountain footwear with good grip. The route has many steep metal stairs and stretches with a low roof, so mind your head. The monastery at the entrance is an active monastery for monks: enter its courtyard modestly dressed and quietly.
- Facilities
Ialomița Cave Monastery right at the entrance · Hotel Peștera and the Babele – Peștera cable car station about 1 km away · chalets and guesthouses in the Padina – Peștera area · the route inside has stairs and walkways and is not pushchair- or wheelchair-accessible · no petrol station nearby; the last ones are in Sinaia and on the DN71
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