Văliug – the fairytale spot at the foot of the Semenic Mountains
Places in Cluj you can’t miss
21 June 2017
At a mere 30 kilometers away from Reşiţa, surrounded by mountains and coniferous forests, lies Văliug Lake on the shores of which the resort with the same name has developed.
Here, whether it’s summer or winter, you have activities to keep you busy from morning until late at night. We arrived here in January, so I'll first tell you what you can do in the cool months.
In winter, snow sports are the main attraction, and the Văliug ski slope has one of the most modern ski facilities in the country.
We didn’t get to test it, but those on the slope seemed to feel very good. The price of a ski pass for the whole day during the week is 40 lei for adults, 25 lei for teenagers, and children up to 7 years old have free access. In the weekend, it’s a bit more expensive: adults pay 70 lei and teenagers 40. In the cold season, the slope is open every day between 9.00 and 17.00, and during the night between 18.00 and 22.00. It’s easy to reach by car, and at the base of the slope is the Apres Ski bar where you can warm yourself with a mauled wine or hot chocolate. In the evening, the hottest mountain parties in the winter take placer here, so if you get there, it's a shame not to have fun.
During the summer, you can explore the area by choosing one of the many mountain trails, you can cool off by swimming or rowing in the waters of Lake Văliug, or you can relax in the sun with a cocktail on the pontoon of the Dam House, a superb place with plenty of sunbeds, beds, and canopy in the forest area, bar, but also a famous outdoor disco with well-known DJs almost every weekend.
But we haven’t told you how to get here, not because we forgot, but because the route itself is a tourist attraction. As we spent some time in Caransebeș, it was much easier for us to arrive on E70 and then switched right to Slatina-Timiş on DJ582, which is actually the Transsemenic. The nearly 40 km of serpentines, mountain air and beautiful landscapes make the road that crosses Mount Semenic rival the much more famous Transfăgarașan or Transalpina, so that until you reach Văliug you can enjoy the beauties of mountainous Banat.
