Jiu Gorge

About Jiu Gorge

At a glance: Scenic roads in Gorj County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. Information verified on 29 September 2026.

Between Livezeni, on the edge of Petroșani, and Bumbești-Jiu, at the gateway to Oltenia, the Jiu has cut its way through the Southern Carpathians over 33 km, with the Vâlcan Mountains to the west and the Parâng Mountains to the east. The steep slopes, covered mostly in beech and sessile oak forest, drop straight into the river, and the valley floor has room for little more than the water, the DN66 (E79) road and the railway. Since 2005 almost the whole gorge has been a national park, covering 11,127 ha.

The pass, known in the past as the Surduc Pass, was for a long time only a footpath. The carriage road was begun in the 1870s, for the coal of the Jiu Valley, and inaugurated in 1894 at Polatiște, on the old border between Romania and Austria-Hungary, today the boundary between Gorj and Hunedoara counties. In the autumn of 1916 heavy fighting took place here, and the Bumbești – Livezeni railway, built on and off for decades, was only finished in 1948, with 39 tunnels and 35 bridges and viaducts.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: on the DN66 (E79), from the south from Târgu Jiu via Bumbești-Jiu, or from the north from Petroșani via Livezeni. Lainici Monastery, roughly halfway through the gorge, is ~32 km from Târgu Jiu and ~25 km from Petroșani. The stretch of road between Bumbești-Jiu and Petroșani is about 32 km long.

Public transport: the Târgu Jiu – Petroșani railway (Bumbești – Livezeni) runs through the gorge, through tunnels and over viaducts, on the bank opposite the road; from the train you can see the gorge without the stress of driving. The line was temporarily closed in 2026 and reopened on 14 September 2026, so check the timetable first.

Where to park

Do not stop on the carriageway: the DN66 is narrow, with blind bends and rock walls from which stones can fall. Stop only in the designated places: at Lainici Monastery, at the car park with a picnic table by the Murga waterfall, at the Lainici camping area, or in Bumbești-Jiu and Petroșani.

Fees & discounts

The road is public and free, with no toll; the road vignette (rovinieta) is compulsory, as on every national road. For visiting the national park (trails, camping), the administration charges a fee: 10 lei per person for 7 days (1–4 people), 3 lei per person for groups of more than 5, and 50 lei for a tent or other shelter when camping, for 7 days. Tickets are sold at the Visitor Centre in Bumbești-Jiu, by the rangers or online. A tour with a park guide costs 33 lei per person per day (groups of 5–20), and bike hire 55 lei per day.

Rules

Keep to the speed limits and the solid lines: the road has many tight bends and overtaking is dangerous. In work zones traffic runs one way at a time, controlled by lights or flaggers. Do not stop under the rocky slopes, especially after rain. In the park do not feed the bears, leave litter, pick plants or catch animals; hiking is allowed only on the marked themed trails. You can check road conditions with the CNAIR dispatch centre (021 9360).

Facilities

The park's Visitor Centre in Bumbești-Jiu (Strada Zorilor 6), with a 3D model of the park and bike hire · camping area at Lainici, with fire pits and picnic tables · petrol stations, restaurants, shops and accommodation in Bumbești-Jiu and Petroșani · no public toilets on the road