The best hikes from bus stations in Piatra Mare

The Johann Kessler Fountain on the Town Hall Square in the heart of Brașov impresses with its intricate details, reflecting the craftsmanship of its time. Equipped with eight drinking water dispensers, the fountain is dedicated to the Transylvanian writer Johann Samuel Keßler (1771 to 1796).

You can slip off the rocks! Be very careful on the descents! I cut my elbow when I took a curve.

The entrance to the Seven Ladders Gorge is also the starting point for zip line adventurers. Downhill, there are a total of 37 such zip lines (called Tiroliana in Romania), which you can hook into using a double pulley. Gravity takes over the rest, with a cable incline of between two and four degrees. The total length is four kilometers; the shortest individual section measures 47 meters, and the longest 273 meters.

The Șurii de Piatră mountain stream plunges spectacularly 58 meters into the Seven Ladders Gorge (Canionul Șapte Scări) over seven steps carved into the Jurassic limestone. Visitors, who are literally within touching distance of the waterfalls, negotiate the stone steps, which are between two and a half and fifteen meters high, using steel ladders connected by metal mesh walkways. The most dramatic ladder is the third: it rises fifteen meters almost vertically and is secured with bars to prevent anyone from falling backward. But that's the only safety feature in the gorge. Right next to the left handrail, the water roars impetuously into the depths. An experience!

Entrance tickets are available at this hut, just before the entrance to the gorge. A large signboard explains in several languages the potential dangers that can be expected when climbing the ladders. Once you've hiked this far, you won't be deterred by them.

For 25 lei (about five euros), you can park your car here if you want to go to the Seven Ladders Gorge. But only if there is a space available. With the large influx of tourists, the parking lot is often full. A few hundred meters toward the main road, there are additional parking spaces for the same price.

The Orthodox Church of Timișu de Jos (Church of Saints Joachim and Anna) is dedicated to Saints Joachim and Anna.

The Black Tower is one of the four watchtowers of the Brașov Citadel, built as an independent fortress outside the citadel walls. The tower, a good eleven meters high, stands not far from the Blacksmiths' Bastion on a rock on the Warta Hill. Its walls are two meters thick at the base and have six loopholes on each side. In the past, the tower was connected to the citadel by a movable bridge leading down to the Blacksmiths' Bastion (Graft Bastion). The tower was built in the 15th century, at the same time as the White Tower. Its first documented mention dates back to 1541. The original roof is no longer preserved, having been destroyed by lightning in 1559 and by fire in 1689. The fire blackened the walls of the tower, giving it its current name. It was destroyed again by lightning in 1696, but was rebuilt.