# Women's Cave

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Gorj County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/gorj) › [Baia de Fier](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/baia-de-fier)

> A four-level cave in the Galbenul Gorge at the foot of the Parâng Mountains, with 860 m of lit galleries, cave bear bones and some of the oldest modern human remains in Europe.

[Top 100 in Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/top-100)

**At a glance:** Caves in Baia de Fier, Gorj County. Opening hours: daily 09:00 – 18:00. Ticket: 20 lei. The visit takes 40 min. Information verified on 28 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily 09:00 – 18:00 — Entry every hour, daily. From 15 May to 15 September the first entry is at 09:00 and the last at 18:00; from 16 September to 14 May the first is at 09:00 and the last at 15:00 (official notice for 2025–2026). Be at the ticket desk at least 10 minutes before your entry time. The official website says nothing about public holidays; at Christmas or New Year, ring the town hall first.
- **Ticket:** 20 lei — 10 lei pupils and pensioners
- **Visit duration:** 40 min — group tour, 35–40 minutes
- **With kids:** Yes — steps, low passages; 10 °C
- **Best season:** All year round — in winter, last entry at 15:00
- **Address:** Strada Peșterii, at the mouth of the Galbenul Gorge, north of the village centre, Baia de Fier, Gorj County
- **Coordinates:** 45.19222, 23.75383
- **Phone:** +40 253 461 202
- **Website:** https://www.pesteramuierilor.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pe%C8%99tera_Muierilor
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4410491
- **Categories:** [Caves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pesteri), [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-nationale-si-rezervatii)

## About Women's Cave

The Women's Cave formed in the limestone on the southern edge of the Parâng Mountains, where the Galbenul river cut the Galbenul Gorge, just above the village of Baia de Fier. Its galleries, on four levels, cross the limestone band of the gorge from north to south and add up to more than 8 km; the upper gallery, about 860 m long, is the part laid out for visitors. Local legend says the village's women and children sheltered here in time of war while the men were away fighting, hence the name.

Its fame comes from the excavations of 1951–1955, led by Constantin S. Nicolăescu-Plopșor. On the cave floor they found the remains of 183 cave bears, along with bones of cave lion, hyena and wolf, Middle Palaeolithic stone tools and, in 1952, the skull of a woman who lived around 35,000 years ago, one of the oldest *Homo sapiens* fossils found in Europe. The cave is a natural monument and speleological reserve, and the levels below the tourist gallery are closed to the public. It is regarded as the first cave in Romania to be lit with electricity.

### What you can see

The tourist gallery rises and falls among stalactites, stalagmites and columns, some white, some stained ochre by iron oxides. The formations have been given names: the Small Dome, vaulted like a Gothic cupola, the Altar Hall with the Pulpit and the Altar Veil, the Great Chandelier and the Bloodied Rock, turned red by seeping iron. A colony of bats lives in a dome about 17 m high. The route passes right through the massif, so you come out on the far side, a few hundred metres from the entrance, and walk back through the gorge.

### Good to know

Entry is in groups, at fixed times, every hour; be at the ticket desk at least 10 minutes beforehand. It is about 10 °C inside all year, and in places the gallery is only 1 m high.

## Don't miss

- The Small Dome, a chamber vaulted like a Gothic cupola, built up from layers of calcite over thousands of years.
- The Bloodied Rock, stained red by the iron oxides that seep down it.
- The Great Chandelier and the Altar Hall, with the Pulpit and the Altar Veil, along the tourist gallery.
- The dome about 17 m high that is home to a colony of bats.
- The Galbenul Gorge, right outside the cave exit: limestone walls with climbing routes and hammocks slung some 200 m above the valley.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Baia de Fier is in north-eastern Gorj County, 11 km from Novaci (~20 minutes, on the DJ 665). From Târgu Jiu it is ~51 km (~1h10), on the DN 67 towards Horezu and then north towards Novaci and Baia de Fier; from Horezu ~29 km (~40 minutes), from Râmnicu Vâlcea ~71 km (~1h30), from Craiova ~123 km (~2h30). The cave is at the northern end of the village, on Strada Peșterii, at the mouth of the Galbenul Gorge. Polovragi Cave is a few kilometres to the east and the Transalpina starts at Novaci, so they can be combined in one day.

**Public transport:** the nearest railway station is Târgu Jiu. Minibuses run from there to Novaci; we found no confirmed scheduled service to the cave itself, so the last few kilometres are by taxi or on foot.

### Where to park

Leave the car in the car park at the mouth of the gorge, by the terraces next to the cave, a few minutes' walk from the ticket desk. We found no official information on charges; on summer weekends the area gets busy.

### Fees & discounts

Official prices (2025–2026): 20 lei for adults, 10 lei for pupils and 10 lei for pensioners. Tickets are sold at the desk by the entrance, at least 10 minutes before the tour's fixed time. The official website lists no other reductions or group tickets.

### Rules

Entry is in groups of at least 4 and at most 100 people, at the fixed times in the schedule. In places the gallery is only 80 cm wide and 1 m high, so you will have to stoop for some stretches. It is about 10 °C and damp inside all year: bring a jacket and shoes with good grip. Do not touch or break the formations and do not disturb the bats; the cave is a natural monument.

### Facilities

Ticket desk at the entrance · toilets by the car park · terraces and restaurants serving local food next to the cave · guesthouses in Baia de Fier and Novaci · 3D virtual tour of the cave on muzeedelasat.ro · the route has steps and low passages and is not pushchair- or wheelchair-accessible

## Details

- **Protected area type:** natural monument
- **Total length:** 8,000 m
- **Visitor route:** 860 m
- **Inside temperature:** 10 °C
- **Developed and lit:** Yes
- **Guided visits only:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Women's Cave

**How much is a ticket to Women's Cave?**

A ticket to Women's Cave costs 20 lei (10 lei pupils and pensioners). Official prices (2025–2026): 20 lei for adults, 10 lei for pupils and 10 lei for pensioners. Tickets are sold at the desk by the entrance, at least 10 minutes before the tour's fixed time. The official website lists no other reductions or group tickets.

**What are the opening hours of Women's Cave?**

Opening hours at Women's Cave: daily 09:00 – 18:00. Entry every hour, daily. From 15 May to 15 September the first entry is at 09:00 and the last at 18:00; from 16 September to 14 May the first is at 09:00 and the last at 15:00 (official notice for 2025–2026). Be at the ticket desk at least 10 minutes before your entry time. The official website says nothing about public holidays; at Christmas or New Year, ring the town hall first.

**How long does a visit to Women's Cave take?**

A visit to Women's Cave takes about 40 min (group tour, 35–40 minutes).

**Can you visit Women's Cave with kids?**

Yes, Women's Cave is suitable for children (steps, low passages; 10 °C).

**How do I get to Women's Cave?**

Women's Cave is located at Strada Peșterii, at the mouth of the Galbenul Gorge, north of the village centre, Baia de Fier, Gorj County. By car: Baia de Fier is in north-eastern Gorj County, 11 km from Novaci (~20 minutes, on the DJ 665). From Târgu Jiu it is ~51 km (~1h10), on the DN 67 towards Horezu and then north towards Novaci and Baia de Fier; from Horezu ~29 km (~40 minutes), from Râmnicu Vâlcea ~71 km (~1h30), from Craiova ~123 km (~2h30). The cave is at the northern end of the village, on Strada Peșterii, at the mouth of the Galbenul Gorge. Polovragi Cave is a few kilometres to the east and the Transalpina starts at Novaci, so they can be combined in one day. Public transport: the nearest railway station is Târgu Jiu. Minibuses run from there to Novaci; we found no confirmed scheduled service to the cave itself, so the last few kilometres are by taxi or on foot.

**When is the best time to visit Women's Cave?**

The best season for Women's Cave: All year round (in winter, last entry at 15:00).

## Nearby attractions

- [Polovragi Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pestera-polovragi) — Caves · Polovragi, GJ · 20 lei · 45 min · 3 km
  A cave more than 10 km long, carved by the Olteț river into the limestone of the Olteț Gorge, with 800 m of gallery open to visitors and legends about Zalmoxis, a kilometre from Polovragi Monastery.
- [Transalpina](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/transalpina) — Scenic roads · Gorj County · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 20 · 24 km
  Romania's highest road: the DN67C climbs from Novaci over the Parâng Mountains to 2,145 m at the Urdele Pass and drops past Lake Oașa to Sebeș, 148 km above the clouds.
- [Horezu Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/manastirea-horezu) — Monasteries and churches · Horezu, VL · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 26 km
  Constantin Brâncoveanu's largest foundation, officially Hurezi Monastery: the model ensemble of the Brâncovenesc style, built in 1690–1693 and a UNESCO site since 1993.
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- [Jiu Gorge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/defileul-jiului) — Scenic roads · Gorj County · Free · Top 100 · 38 km
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- [Băile Govora](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-govora) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Govora, VL · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 46 km
  A spa resort in the Vâlcea foothills, with iodine, bromine and sulphur waters, a spa park laid out in 1912 and the Palace Hotel designed by Ernest Doneaud.

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Last updated: 28 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania