The 1 December 2026 long weekend in Curtea de Argeș: four days, planned
This year 30 November falls on a Monday and 1 December on a Tuesday, so there are four days off, Saturday to Tuesday. Curtea de Argeș is two hours from Bucharest, all on the motorway, and there’s plenty to see at the start of winter too. The plan below takes into account what’s open now.
Which days are off
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November are the weekend, Monday 30 November is St Andrew’s Day and Tuesday 1 December is Romania’s National Day. Both are public holidays, so if you don’t work on Saturdays you get four days in a row.
What’s different at the start of winter
- The Transfăgărășan’s mountain section is closed, between Piscu Negru and Bâlea Cascadă. It is officially closed from 1 November to 30 June, and in 2026 snow closed it as early as 27 October. The road stays open up to Vidraru. More in the Transfăgărășan in winter.
- The Monastery church is being restored until April 2028, so you may not see all of it. See the Monastery guide.
- There may be snow in the mountains: winter tyres are compulsory in Romania when the road is covered with snow, ice or frost.
Day 1, Saturday: the drive and the Monastery
From Bucharest it’s about 157 km, roughly two hours, all on the motorway (from other cities, see how to get to Curtea de Argeș). If you arrive by lunchtime, walk to the Monastery in the afternoon, 600 m from the guesthouse. The published winter hours are 9:00–17:00, so don’t leave it too late. On the way back you can stop at the Princely Court, with St Nicholas Princely Church, about 2.5 km away.
Day 2, Sunday: Poenari and Vidraru
Head north on the DN7C in the morning. Poenari Fortress is about 23 km away, roughly 35 minutes: you climb 1,480 steps through the forest. The hours published when it reopened in 2025 are daily 10:00–18:00, last climb at 17:00, but they can change in winter and access has been stopped at times because of bears, so check before you go.
A few kilometres further up is Vidraru Dam, about 28 km from us: the 166-metre arch dam and the lake behind it. The lakeside road is open as far as Piscu Negru, where the section closed in winter begins.
Day 3, Monday (St Andrew’s Day): a long day or a quiet one
- Bâlea Lake by cable car. In winter the lake can only be reached from the north, by cable car from Bâlea Cascadă. From Curtea de Argeș you drive around the mountains along the Olt Valley and through Sibiu: about 186 km and roughly three hours each way, so it takes the whole day. Hours, prices and the Ice Hotel are in our winter article.
- A day in town. A walk around the centre, a coffee, then an afternoon in the warm. The town also has a glass Christmas ornament factory, Argcoms (“Santa’s Factory”). We couldn’t find published visiting hours, so call ahead if you’d like to drop by.
Day 4, Tuesday (1 December): heading home
Take the morning slowly: you can make coffee in the kitchen on the covered terrace. Set off early, though, to miss the busy roads at the end of the long weekend.
If you can, come back on 7 December: St Filofteia
Monday 7 December is the feast of St Filofteia, whose relics are kept at Curtea de Argeș Monastery. It’s the biggest pilgrimage of the year here: the relics are usually brought out in front of the church and people come from all over the country to venerate them, even in cold and snow. If you want to be there for the morning service, spend the night in town before: from us it’s a short walk.
Where to stay
Casa Sima is 600 m from the Monastery, on the road to Vidraru and Poenari. We have double rooms with private bathrooms from 200 lei a night, free parking in the courtyard and, for bigger groups, Casa Sima 2 with triple rooms. The rooms aren’t cold in winter: a guest wrote on Booking.com in January 2026 that it was “very warm in winter” (translated from Romanian).