Peștera Scărișoara

Scărișoara Cave holds one of the oldest underground glaciers in Europe, a layered mass of ice that formed and survived here for millennia, sheltered by a shaft as wide as a small square. You descend the stairs into the entrance pit and pass, within seconds, from the beech forest of the Apuseni into a white-blue world where your breath shows and the light falls vertically, as in a cathedral. The Great Hall and the ice reserves are viewed from platforms; what you see is the result of a fragile balance, which is why access is strictly controlled.

You reach it on mountain roads around Gârda de Sus and Arieșeni, and the visit is guided, in groups.

Good to know The temperature stays near freezing all year: warm jacket, gloves and shoes with grip, since the stairs are damp. See the route to the Scărișoara Glacier, the rest of the Apuseni region, and combine it with Bears' Cave, the classic Padiș – Cetățile Ponorului hike, or, in winter, skiing at Arieșeni – Vârtop. Check the mountain weather — the access roads are narrow and snow up easily.