# Pișoaia Waterfall

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

> An 18 m waterfall spilling down a limestone wall in the Țara Moților region, near the village of Nemeși in Vidra commune; a landscape reserve 500 m from the road to Avram Iancu.

**At a glance:** Waterfalls in Vidra, Alba County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 45 min. Information verified on 4 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The waterfall is in the open air and can be reached freely all year. In winter the path can be icy.
- **Ticket:** Free
- **Visit duration:** 45 min — there and back from the road
- **With kids:** Yes — short, easy path
- **Best season:** All year round — most water in spring
- **Address:** Nemeși village, on the DJ762 (Mihoiești – Avram Iancu), then ~500 m on foot, Vidra, Alba County
- **Coordinates:** 46.36128, 22.87691
- **Website:** https://primariavidra-ab.ro/turism/rezervatie-naturala-peisagistica-cascada-pisoaia/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascada_Pi%C8%99oaia
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12723585
- **Categories:** [Waterfalls](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascade), [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-nationale-si-rezervatii)

## About Pișoaia Waterfall

Pișoaia Waterfall is one of the best-known waterfalls in the Apuseni Mountains and, being just a few minutes' walk from the road, one of the easiest to see. A short stream on the right bank of the Arieșul Mic river leaps off a rock lip about 18 m high and spreads out across a front some 25 m wide, in threads and thin curtains that change from one season to the next.

The cliff is ancient crystalline limestone from the Palaeozoic, and the water, rich in calcium carbonate, has over time laid down crusts of travertine on the rock and on the boulders at its foot, now covered in yellow-green moss. Local people have used this porous stone for crosses and buildings. The site is protected as a landscape nature reserve, set in beech forest with scattered spruces, and on the opposite bank of the river lies another protected area, Dealul cu Melci (Snail Hill), known for its fossil molluscs.

### What you can see

From the road you can already make out the white streak of the waterfall on the ochre wall between the trees. The short path passes the village houses and the stream and takes you to the foot of the cliff, where you see up close how the water breaks into several strands, how the wet travertine glistens and how it then trickles down in small steps between cushions of moss. In spring, at snowmelt and after rain, the flow is at its strongest; in summer only a few strands remain, and in winter the waterfall freezes into icicles as long as the wall.

### Good to know

Access is easy and possible all year, but the stones at the foot are wet and slippery, especially in winter, when the path can be icy. You are in a protected area: do not break off pieces of travertine and leave no litter.

## Don't miss

- The 18 m curtain of water spreading across the ochre limestone wall, seen from the foot of the cliff.
- The travertine crusts on the rock and on the boulders below, clad in yellow-green moss.
- The small steps where the water trickles between cushions of moss below the falls.
- The frozen waterfall in winter, with icicles as long as the wall.
- Dealul cu Melci, the palaeontological reserve on the opposite bank of the Arieșul Mic.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Câmpeni take the DN75 towards Albac as far as the Mihoiești dam, then the paved DJ762 towards Vidra and Avram Iancu, to the village of Nemeși (~19 km from Câmpeni, ~25 minutes). The waterfall is signposted with boards by the road, from where it is ~500 m on foot. The waterfall is ~100 km from Alba Iulia (DN74 via Abrud, then the DN75; ~2 hours) and ~130 km from Cluj-Napoca (DN75 via Turda; ~2h30). From Arieșeni, head down the DN75 through Albac to the Mihoiești dam and then turn up the DJ762.

**Public transport:** buses and minibuses to Câmpeni from Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca and Turda. Towards Avram Iancu, on the DJ762, there is a single service a day from Câmpeni (in the afternoon, according to autogari.ro); check the timetable before you go. Otherwise, take a taxi from Câmpeni.

### Where to park

Leave the car by the roadside or in the village, at the start of the path; we found no confirmed information about a dedicated or paid car park.

### Fees & discounts

Access to the waterfall is free.

### Rules

The waterfall is a nature reserve: stay on the path, do not break off pieces of travertine, pick plants or leave litter. The boulders at the foot are wet and slippery, so wear shoes with good grip; in winter, when the path freezes, microspikes help.

### Facilities

Information boards by the road · guesthouses in Nemeși village, a few hundred metres away · no toilets or shop at the waterfall · path not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs

## Details

- **Protected area type:** landscape reserve
- **Drop height:** 18 m
- **Watercourse:** tributary of the Arieșul Mic
- **Walk to the waterfall:** ~500 m from the DJ762

## Frequently asked questions about Pișoaia Waterfall

**How much is a ticket to Pișoaia Waterfall?**

Admission to Pișoaia Waterfall is free. Access to the waterfall is free.

**What are the opening hours of Pișoaia Waterfall?**

Opening hours at Pișoaia Waterfall: daily open 24 hours. The waterfall is in the open air and can be reached freely all year. In winter the path can be icy.

**How long does a visit to Pișoaia Waterfall take?**

A visit to Pișoaia Waterfall takes about 45 min (there and back from the road).

**Can you visit Pișoaia Waterfall with kids?**

Yes, Pișoaia Waterfall is suitable for children (short, easy path).

**How do I get to Pișoaia Waterfall?**

Pișoaia Waterfall is located at Nemeși village, on the DJ762 (Mihoiești – Avram Iancu), then ~500 m on foot, Vidra, Alba County. By car: from Câmpeni take the DN75 towards Albac as far as the Mihoiești dam, then the paved DJ762 towards Vidra and Avram Iancu, to the village of Nemeși (~19 km from Câmpeni, ~25 minutes). The waterfall is signposted with boards by the road, from where it is ~500 m on foot. The waterfall is ~100 km from Alba Iulia (DN74 via Abrud, then the DN75; ~2 hours) and ~130 km from Cluj-Napoca (DN75 via Turda; ~2h30). From Arieșeni, head down the DN75 through Albac to the Mihoiești dam and then turn up the DJ762. Public transport: buses and minibuses to Câmpeni from Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca and Turda. Towards Avram Iancu, on the DJ762, there is a single service a day from Câmpeni (in the afternoon, according to autogari.ro); check the timetable before you go. Otherwise, take a taxi from Câmpeni.

**When is the best time to visit Pișoaia Waterfall?**

The best season for Pișoaia Waterfall: All year round (most water in spring).

## Nearby attractions

- [Scărișoara Ice Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-ghetarul-de-la-scarisoara) — Caves · Ghețari, AB · 45 min · Top 100 · 20 km
  A cave in the Apuseni Mountains that holds one of the largest underground glaciers in the world: a block of ice over 10,000 years old, reached by stairs down a shaft 60 m across.
- [Vârciorog Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-varciorog) — Waterfalls · Arieșeni, AB · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 25 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.
- [Transursoaia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/transursoaia) — Scenic roads · Alba County · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 26 km
  National road DN1R, 80 km through the Apuseni Mountains between Huedin and Albac: past Lake Beliș-Fântânele, through the Moți villages and over the Ursoaia Pass, at about 1,320 m.
- [Coiba Mare Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-coiba-mare) — Caves · Casa de Piatră, AB · Free · 27 km
  An undeveloped cave in the Bihor Mountains near Casa de Piatră: a huge portal, tens of metres high, through which the Gârdișoara stream vanishes underground.
- [Vârtop Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-ghetarul-de-la-vartop) — Caves · Casa de Piatră, AB · 15 lei · 28 km
  An undeveloped cave in the Bihor Mountains, with ice at the entrance and white formations, where a Neanderthal footprint at least 62,000 years old was found in 1974.
- [Vârtop Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-vartop) — Scenic roads · Bihor County · Free · 30 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.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-pisoaia
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/cascada-pisoaia.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/cascada-pisoaia.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/cascada-pisoaia.md
Last updated: 4 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania