# Straja

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Hunedoara County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/hunedoara) › [Lupeni](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/lupeni)

> A mountain resort at 1,445 m in the Vâlcan Mountains, above Lupeni: floodlit slopes, the 8.1 km Straja slope, a gondola from the town and summer trails to Mutu and Straja.

**At a glance:** Ski slopes in Lupeni, Hunedoara County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 4½ – 5 hours. Information verified on 3 November 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The resort is open at all times. In winter the lifts start daily at 09:00; the gondola runs until 16:30, the chairlifts until 16:00, and the drag lifts and the chairlift on the Constantinescu run until 21:00 for evening skiing, depending on the weather and the number of skiers. Day passes are valid from 09:00 to 17:00.
- **Ticket:** Free — 1-day ski pass: 160 lei
- **Visit duration:** 4½ – 5 hours — a day's skiing or a hike
- **With kids:** Yes — beginners' slope
- **Parking:** Yes, free — at the gondola in Lupeni
- **Best season:** All year round — skiing in winter, hiking in summer
- **Address:** Straja resort, at the end of the DJ664A road from Lupeni, Lupeni, Hunedoara County
- **Coordinates:** 45.32013, 23.23839
- **Phone:** +40 722 780 615
- **Website:** https://skistraja.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straja
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3036382
- **Categories:** [Ski slopes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ski-slopes), [Mountains and trails](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mountains-and-trails), [Resorts and thermal baths](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/resorts-and-thermal-baths)

## About Straja

Straja is a mountain resort in Hunedoara county, set at about 1,445 m in the Vâlcan Mountains, within the municipality of Lupeni, in the Jiu Valley. From Lupeni you reach it on a paved road of about 8 km or by gondola. The place grew out of chalets and holiday homes scattered across the slope and was declared a tourist resort of local interest in 2002.

In winter Straja lives for skiing: the slopes run down from Mutu and Straja peaks, many are covered with artificial snow, and some are floodlit for evening skiing. In summer the resort is a starting point for walks along the ridge of the Vâlcan Mountains and a place of pilgrimage, thanks to the hermitage and the cross on the mountain.

### What you can see

The ski area totals about 26 km, with slopes for every level: from a short beginners' slope to the steeper Lupului and Canal runs. The longest, the Straja run, is 8.1 km long and descends from Straja Peak, at 1,868 m, down to 750 m at the lower gondola station in Lupeni, a drop of 1,118 m. The Mutu and Constantinescu runs, among the floodlit ones, lie just above the resort's houses. Constantinescu, Sf. Gheorghe and Platoul Soarelui are easy runs, and the 100 m Baloo slope is used for ski-school lessons. Baloo Coaster, an attraction for the whole family, runs all year round.

On a nearby hill stands the Heroes' Cross, over 18 m tall, raised in memory of the soldiers who fell here in the First World War; it is lit in the evening and can be seen from the Jiu Valley. Next to it is the Straja Hermitage, a wooden church consecrated in 1999, whose courtyard is entered through a tunnel painted with the Orthodox calendar and biblical scenes. In summer, paths climb to Mutu and Straja peaks and to the Brăița Gorge, and from the resort you look down over the Jiu Valley.

### Good to know

You can also ride up to the resort on the gondola from Lupeni. The ski lifts run depending on snow and weather.

## Don't miss

- The 8.1 km descent on the Straja run, from Straja Peak down to the gondola in Lupeni.
- Evening skiing on the floodlit slopes above the resort.
- The Heroes' Cross, lit in the evening, and the tunnel painted with the Orthodox calendar at the entrance to the Straja Hermitage.
- The summer hike up to Mutu and Straja peaks (1,868 m), with the Jiu Valley at your feet.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Petroșani or Târgu Jiu, take the DN66 to the Livezeni junction, then the DN66A towards Lupeni; in Lupeni, from the Braia district, follow the signs for Straja on a paved road of ~7 km. From Petroșani it is ~27 km (~40 minutes), from central Lupeni ~10 km (~15 minutes) and from Târgu Jiu ~74 km (~2 hours). In winter the mountain road calls for winter tyres and, in snowfall, chains.

**By gondola:** from the Brăița leisure area in Lupeni, where there is a car park, the gondola goes straight up to the resort.

### Where to park

At the gondola's departure station in Lupeni there is a free car park with about 300 spaces; there are more spaces at the entrance to the resort.

### Fees & discounts

Entry to the resort is free. A ski pass for the whole ski area costs 160 lei for one day, 290 lei for 2 days, 420 lei for 3 days, 520 lei for 4 days and 600 lei for 5 days (the days need not be consecutive), plus a 10 lei card deposit. The evening pass, for 4 hours, costs 120 lei and is sold separately. Points cards are also sold, valid in the evening too (excluding the lifts on Platoul Soarelui): 5 points 25 lei, 10 points 50 lei, 100 points 450 lei; the gondola costs 5 points, the chairlifts 3, the drag lifts 2. Ski passes can also be bought online. Prices may change from one season to the next.

### Rules

On the slopes, keep to the markings and the code of conduct for skiers and snowboarders. In the mountains, stay on waymarked trails, with warm clothes and suitable footwear, as the weather changes quickly at altitude. Bears live in the surrounding mountains: do not leave food or rubbish behind and do not feed the animals. Dress modestly when visiting the hermitage.

### Facilities

Accommodation and restaurants in the resort · ski and snowboard school · mountain rescue (Salvamont) and mountain gendarmerie in the resort · live webcams

## Details

- **Maximum altitude:** 1,868 m
- **Mountain range:** Vâlcan Mountains
- **Total slope length:** 26 km
- **Lifts:** 11
- **Base altitude:** 750 m
- **Night skiing:** Yes
- **Snowmaking:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Straja

**How much is a ticket to Straja?**

Admission to Straja is free (1-day ski pass: 160 lei). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Straja?**

Opening hours at Straja: daily open 24 hours. More under “Opening hours”.

**How long does a visit to Straja take?**

A visit to Straja takes about 4½ – 5 hours (a day's skiing or a hike).

**Can you visit Straja with kids?**

Yes, Straja is suitable for children (beginners' slope).

**Where can I park at Straja?**

There is free parking at Straja (at the gondola in Lupeni). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Straja?**

Straja is located at Straja resort, at the end of the DJ664A road from Lupeni, Lupeni, Hunedoara County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Straja?**

The best season for Straja: All year round (skiing in winter, hiking in summer).

## Nearby attractions

- [Vulcan Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/vulcan-pass) — Ski slopes · Vulcan, HD · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 6 km
  A small mountain resort above the town of Vulcan, in the Jiu Valley: a gondola from the town, short easy slopes with drag lifts, sledging on the road closed in winter and, in summer, the climb to the 1,621 m pass.
- [Lainici Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lainici-monastery) — Monasteries · Bumbești-Jiu, GJ · Free · 45 min · 18 km
  A monastery for monks right beside the DN66 in the Jiu Gorge: the painted old church of 1812–1817, the two-level new church and the relics of St Irodion.
- [Jiu Gorge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/jiu-gorge) — Scenic roads · Gorj County · Free · Top 100 · 18 km
  The 33 km gorge by which the Jiu crosses the Carpathians between Bumbești-Jiu and Livezeni: the DN66 follows the river through Defileul Jiului National Park, past Lainici Monastery.
- [Bănița Dacian Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/banita-dacian-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Bănița, HD · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 20 km
  The ruins of a Dacian fortress on the rocky summit of Piatra Cetății, above the DN66, which guarded the southern approach to Sarmizegetusa Regia; a UNESCO site, reached only on foot by a steep climb.
- [Bolii Cave](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/bolii-cave) — Caves · Bănița, HD · 10 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 21 km
  A cave crossed by a mountain stream north of Petroșani, with a 20 m-wide portal and a gallery of about 466 m walked end to end on footbridges, beneath the Dacian fortress of Bănița.
- [Parâng Ski Resort](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parang-ski-resort) — Ski slopes · Petroșani, HD · Free · 4½ – 5 hours · 25 km
  Petroșani's ski area in the Parâng Mountains: two chairlifts climb from the edge of town to the chalets below Parângul Mic, with slopes for beginners and for advanced skiers.

## Featured in the guides

- [Ski slopes in Romania: the ski resorts and ski areas by region, with a map](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/ski-resorts-in-romania) — 46 ski resorts and ski areas in Romania by region: Poiana Brașov, Sinaia, Straja, Transalpina, Rânca, Cavnic. Km of slopes, lifts, night skiing, map.
- [When the ski slopes open and where the snow comes first: the ski season in Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/ski-season-in-romania) — Romania's slopes open from late November (Arena Platoș: 28 November 2026) to January and close in March–April. Where the snow comes first.
- [Sledging, alpine coasters and tubing in Romania: where to go with a sledge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/sledging-in-romania) — Sledging slopes at Bușteni, Cavnic, Toplița, Mărișel; year-round alpine coasters at Toplița, Ghimeș, Homorod, Fundata; tubing from 10 lei. Prices, rules.
- [The longest ski slope in Romania and the other records: the largest ski area, the highest, the hardest](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/longest-ski-slope-in-romania) — Longest slope: Straja, 8.1 km with a 1,118 m vertical drop. Largest ski areas: Sinaia, Straja, Poiana Brașov. Highest: Sinaia, 2,090 m.
- [The nearest ski slopes to Bucharest, Cluj, Brașov, Sibiu, Iași, Timișoara and Oradea: distances for a day of skiing](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/ski-slopes-near-bucharest-cluj-brasov) — Feleacu is 10 km from Cluj, Poiana Brașov 12 km from Brașov, Păltiniș 32 km from Sibiu, Sinaia 140 km from Bucharest. Distances and times for 12 cities.
- [Beginner and kids' ski slopes in Romania: where to learn to ski, ski schools and slope colours](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/beginner-ski-slopes-in-romania) — Bradul and Stadion in Poiana Brașov, Baloo at Straja, Pârtia A at Parâng, Arena Platoș: easy slopes, magic carpets, ski schools and what the colours mean.

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Last updated: 3 November 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania