A guide to the county
Argeș
in five.
A short guide to Argeș County: in every town, five places to explore, five to eat and five to stay. Chosen by people, not algorithms.
Towns
We started with the towns where we found good places in all three categories. More will follow as we check them.
PiteștiArgeș's county town: the 1656 Princely Church, the central museums and Trivale Forest are in town, with the Pitești Prison Memorial and the Golești manor close by.
Curtea de ArgeșThe first capital of Wallachia, with the Princely Church of 1352 and Neagoe Basarab's monastery, where Romania's kings are buried; the Transfăgărășan road starts here and heads north.
CâmpulungThe first seat of Wallachia's princes, below the Iezer Mountains: Negru Vodă Monastery and Bărăția in the centre, and on the road to Rucăr the Mateiaș Mausoleum and the rock-cut church of Nămăiești.
ArefuThe commune of Poienari Fortress and Vidraru Dam, at the southern gate of the Transfăgărășan: the road to the lake stays open in winter, the high section only in summer.
Rucăr și DâmbovicioaraThe Rucăr–Bran corridor between Piatra Craiului and Leaota: the Dâmbovicioara Gorge, a cave right by the road, the ruins of Oratea fortress and the plateau villages up to Ciocanu.Photo: Pitești: Stancosty / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Curtea de Argeș: Pudelek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Câmpulung: Nicubunu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Arefu: Emmanuel Brunner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rucăr și Dâmbovicioara: Cristian-Mihail Miehs / Wikimedia Commons, domeniu public
Where to start
Places to see, picked by us. The rest are waiting on each town's page.
Princely church of 1656Biserica Domnească „Sfântul Gheorghe”The church built in 1656 by Prince Constantin Șerban and Princess Bălașa in the heart of the city, with three towers and a two-storey porch on thick brick pillars.Pitești
Monastery and royal necropolisMănăstirea Curtea de Argeș și Necropola RegalăThe church built by Prince Neagoe Basarab between 1512 and 1517, tied to the legend of Master Manole, and the new cathedral beside it with the royal necropolis. The old church has been closed to the public for restoration since December 2025 and is due to reopen in 2028.Curtea de Argeș
Princely monasteryMănăstirea Negru VodăMonastery of monks on the site of the princely church of Wallachia's first rulers, rebuilt by Matei Basarab after the 1628 earthquake, entered through a 36 m bell tower.Câmpulung
Medieval fortressCetatea PoienariThe ruined fortress on Cetățuia peak, linked to Vlad the Impaler, reached by about 1,480 steps through the forest.ArefuPhoto: Biserica Domnească „Sfântul Gheorghe”: Leontin l / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mănăstirea Curtea de Argeș și Necropola Regală: Viorel 1974 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mănăstirea Negru Vodă: Nicubunu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cetatea Poienari: Ciprian Samihaian / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pocket guide
A weekend ahead?
The guide comes along.
Every town in one PDF: all the places in the guide, with opening hours, phone numbers and a town map. It opens without internet too.
Neighbouring counties
Guides made the same way for the counties next to Argeș, from the RO-MANIA NETWORK network. All counties in the network →
Why only five?
- Five helps you choose.A list of 40 restaurants leaves the searching to you. Five means we already chose.
- Every place has a reason.Each entry says in one line why it made the list.
- Different places, not clones.We pick places that are not alike, so everyone finds what suits them.
- The list changes, it doesn't grow.When a place comes in, another goes out. We review the selection regularly.