Things to see and do Hațeg

This city (not to be confused with the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa Regia) was the main settlement in Roman Dacia, and was home to many institutions. Founded by Emperor Trajan shortly after the conquest of Dacia in 106 as Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa, it had a population of 20,000 to 30,000. Today, only the foundations of the citadel remain, allowing us to imagine its past grandeur and remarkable organization. You'll recognize the Augustan palace (whose courtyard hosted meetings of the Dacian High Council), the 5,000-seat amphitheater, the forum with its tall marble columns, villas and temples. The entire city has yet to be uncovered, and excavations are continuing. As is often the case, until the early ^19th century, the stones were used as building materials by local villagers.

Not far from the archaeological site, in the village of Sarmizegetusa, the museum is a useful complement to a visit to the remains. Here you'll find objects found during excavations and reconstructions: amphorae, farming tools, games, a model of the amphitheatre (with its special effects machine!), fragments of bronze statues, school tablets, sundials, lead pipes for distributing water..

Sarmizegetusa is 16 km from Hațeg, on the road to Caransebeș. The (rare) buses between Hațeg and Reșița or Deva and Zeicani stop here.

They are about twenty kilometers southwest of Hațeg, in the direction of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, past the villages of Râu de Mori and Suseni. The ^15th-century church is interesting for its exterior architecture. A few minutes' walk further on, you can visit the ruins of the citadel, dating from the ^14th century, which dominate the Râușor valley and the Retezat mountains. They are said to have inspired Jules Verne to write his novel Le Château des Carpates.

The Retezat mountains are famous for their alpine meadows, cirques and numerous glacial lakes (over forty), making them one of the country's most beautiful massifs and a favorite with hikers. They are also known as "the fortress", due to the number of peaks over 2,200 m (over sixty). The highest peak is Mount Peleaga (2,519 m), followed by Mount Păpușa. Created in 1935, Retezat National Park was the country's first national park. It includes the Retezat, Godeanu and Țarcu mountains. Around 2% of the plant species present are endemic. The park is also home to numerous animal species, including 1,000 species of butterfly, chamois, deer, otter, bear, lynx, etc

The main access points to the park are Gura Zlata, Cârnic and Câmpu lui Neag. The Gura Zlata cabana is accessible from Hațeg by a road, in poor condition in places. You can even drive as far as the artificial lake of Gura Apelor. The Gura Zlata cabana is the starting point for hikes to Lake Zănoaga (5h, red triangle), from where you can continue to Lake Bucura (3h more, red dot), bypassing the protected area, or to Gura Apelor (2h more, blue cross). Other hikes are possible from Gura Apelor, for example to Poiana Pelegii (5h, blue dot, easy), then to Cabana Buta (4h more, difficult). Numerous trails, of varying difficulty, start from Cabana Pietrele, south of Nucșoara (road to Cârnic 4 km away). A few trails also start from Râușor, a resort accessible by car.

It's a collection of small centers dedicated to the natural and cultural heritage of Hațeg country, spread across different parts of the territory. In Hațeg, there's an exhibition on dinosaurs and legendary creatures such as dragons and balaurs. Here you can admire the reconstruction of a balaur bondoc, a Transylvanian dinosaur species. At the General Berthelot Village Science and Arts Center, you'll see two more life-size reconstructions, and a fossil collection including three real dinosaur egg nests!