About Vârtop Cave
At a glance: Caves in Casa de Piatră, Alba County. Opening hours: daily 10:00 – 18:00. Ticket: 15 lei. Information verified on 29 September 2026.
Above the hamlet of Casa de Piatră, at about 1,170 m, a forest path climbs to a wide portal. In the first chamber, before the metal gate that closes off the rest of the cave, blocks of ice form and shrink considerably in summer; hence the name "ghețar", or ice cave. The cave is roughly 340 m long and rises gradually, about 30 m in all. It is also known as the Wonderful Cave, after the white flowstone and stalactites that cover it.
The cave has been studied since the 1950s and has been a natural monument since 1957; today it is managed by Apuseni Natural Park. In 1974, speleologists from the Emil Racoviță Institute in Cluj-Napoca found three footprints on its floor. The best preserved was removed for study, and the other two were cut out and stolen soon afterwards. A study published in 2005 in Quaternary Science Reviews (Onac and colleagues) dated the stalagmite that grew over the layer covering the print to about 62,000 years and attributed the print to a Neanderthal: the 22 cm footprint is therefore older than that.
What you can see
You enter under a portal through which daylight from the forest reaches deep into the first chamber, with blocks of ice and icicles among the boulders. Beyond the gate the route follows a simple path, with handrails on the steep stretches, past white stalactites, draperies and columns, left almost untouched because the cave has no installations. The footprints were found in the Hall of Steps; none of them is still in the cave.
Good to know
The cave is not lit: you need your own torch, walking boots and warm clothes. Do not confuse it with the Vârtop resort and pass on the DN 75, between Arieșeni and Bihor County: the cave is reached from Gârda de Sus.
- The wide entrance portal, through which daylight from the forest reaches the first chamber.
- The blocks of ice and icicles in the first chamber, before the metal gate.
- The white stalactites, draperies and columns that earned it the name of the Wonderful Cave.
- Passing through the metal gate beyond the first chamber, where the guided route through the formations begins.
- The forest path that climbs from the hamlet of Casa de Piatră up to the cave.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: from the DN 75 (Câmpeni – Arieșeni), in the centre of Gârda de Sus take the local road up the Gârda Seacă valley, ~12 km to the hamlet of Casa de Piatră; the last stretch is unpaved. From Câmpeni it is ~45 km (~1h15), from Alba Iulia ~135 km (~3 hours), from Cluj-Napoca ~170 km via Turda and Câmpeni (~3h30), from Oradea ~150 km via Beiuș, the Vârtop pass and Arieșeni (~3h15). From Casa de Piatră you walk up a waymarked forest path, ~30–45 minutes, slippery in places after rain. Coiba Mare Cave is also close to Casa de Piatră.
Public transport: there is no service to Casa de Piatră. Minibuses along the DN 75 from Câmpeni stop in Gârda de Sus; from there it is ~12 km, with a lift arranged through the local guesthouses.
- Where to park
Park in the hamlet of Casa de Piatră, where the path to the cave starts; from there it is a ~30–45-minute walk. Maps show laid-out car parks with a fee in the hamlet, but the charge is not officially published.
- Fees & discounts
A ticket costs 15 lei per person, according to the Apuseni Natural Park Administration; a 2024 article gives the same price. No reductions are published. The visit itself takes 30–40 minutes (the park gives both figures), plus the walk through the forest there and back.
- Rules
Visits are only with the cave guide, in groups of 5–10 people formed at the entrance, in order of booking and then of arrival. Guiding is provided by local people and organised by the Apuseni Natural Park Administration; bookings are made with the park ranger. Required equipment: shoes with good grip (preferably walking boots), clothes for ~4 °C and your own torch lasting at least 30 minutes. Naked-flame lamps (carbide, torches), children under 6, pets and anyone under the influence of alcohol are not allowed; minors must be with their parents. Before going in you sign a declaration that you have no condition that puts you at risk underground (claustrophobia, asthma, heart or mobility problems).
- Facilities
The cave has no lighting and no facilities other than the path and handrails · accommodation and meals at guesthouses in Casa de Piatră and Gârda de Sus · the access path and the route inside are not pushchair- or wheelchair-accessible
Frequently asked questions about Vârtop Cave
- How much is a ticket to Vârtop Cave?
- A ticket to Vârtop Cave costs 15 lei (groups of 5–10 people). A ticket costs 15 lei per person, according to the Apuseni Natural Park Administration; a 2024 article gives the same price. No reductions are published. The visit itself takes 30–40 minutes (the park gives both figures), plus the walk through the forest there and back.
- What are the opening hours of Vârtop Cave?
- Opening hours at Vârtop Cave: daily 10:00 – 18:00. The daily 10:00–18:00 hours apply in the tourist season, 15 June – 1 September, according to the Apuseni Natural Park Administration. At other times the cave can only be visited at weekends, by booking by phone. A 2024 article gives the season as running to 30 September; the park does not publish updated hours, so ring ahead whenever you plan to go.
- Can you visit Vârtop Cave with kids?
- Yes, Vârtop Cave is suitable for children (not allowed under 6).
- How do I get to Vârtop Cave?
- Vârtop Cave is located at Along the waymarked forest path from the hamlet of Casa de Piatră, at the end of the road up the Gârda Seacă valley, ~12 km from Gârda de Sus, Casa de Piatră, Alba County. By car: from the DN 75 (Câmpeni – Arieșeni), in the centre of Gârda de Sus take the local road up the Gârda Seacă valley, ~12 km to the hamlet of Casa de Piatră; the last stretch is unpaved. From Câmpeni it is ~45 km (~1h15), from Alba Iulia ~135 km (~3 hours), from Cluj-Napoca ~170 km via Turda and Câmpeni (~3h30), from Oradea ~150 km via Beiuș, the Vârtop pass and Arieșeni (~3h15). From Casa de Piatră you walk up a waymarked forest path, ~30–45 minutes, slippery in places after rain. Coiba Mare Cave is also close to Casa de Piatră. Public transport: there is no service to Casa de Piatră. Minibuses along the DN 75 from Câmpeni stop in Gârda de Sus; from there it is ~12 km, with a lift arranged through the local guesthouses.
- When is the best time to visit Vârtop Cave?
- The best season for Vârtop Cave: June – August (otherwise weekends, by booking).
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