Brașov to Zărnești: Train, Bus 140 and Taxi to the Libearty Bear Sanctuary and the Gorges

The short version

Zărnești is a small town at the foot of Piatra Craiului, about 34 km south-west of Brașov — 40 minutes by car on a clear road. Two things bring most visitors: the Libearty Bear Sanctuary, where dozens of bears rescued from cages and roadside zoos live in oak and beech forest, and the Zărnești Gorges (Prăpăstiile Zărneștilor), the easiest spectacular walk in the region. You can get there by Regio Călători train, by RATBV metropolitan bus 140, by car or by taxi.

The one rule that shapes the whole day: Libearty is visited only on guided tours, only in the morning, never on Mondays, and tickets sell out. Plan the transport around the tour, not the other way round. All times, fares and prices below were checked in September 2026; road distances come from an open routing service, without traffic.

The Libearty Bear Sanctuary: how visiting works

From the sanctuary's own website (checked September 2026):

• Open Tuesday to Sunday; closed every Monday.
• Classic guided tours at 09:45 and 11:15, in Romanian or English, lasting about an hour and a quarter on a 2 km forest path. Private and VIP tours start at 09:00 and 11:00; a "Super VIP" tour at 09:15, Tuesday to Saturday.
• Prices: classic tour from 95 lei per adult and from 50 lei per child. Private tour 200 euros per group plus the day's ticket; VIP tour 200 euros per group plus 50 euros per adult and 25 euros per child aged 5–18; Super VIP 600 euros for up to eight people. Older blog prices of 60–65 lei are out of date.
• Booking: places are limited. Classic tickets are sold online only, at most 10 days ahead, and are non-refundable except for bad weather or emergencies. Special tours must be booked at least 72 hours in advance.
• No children under five, for safety; proof of age may be requested.
• Rules: no flash, no smoking, stay on the path; the bears live behind a permanent electric fence.

The sanctuary lies outside the town, north-east of Zărnești towards Râșnov, and the final approach is by forest road — you need a car or a taxi for the last stretch, whichever way you reach the area. Details on the Libearty page; for the ethics of bear-watching and the alternatives, read bear-watching near Brașov.

By train: Regio Călători, Brașov – Zărnești

The branch line to Zărnești is run by Regio Călători, the only operator on the route. On the timetable valid from 14 December 2025, a timetable aggregator listed 14 trains a day in each direction on a Saturday in late September 2026, every train calling at Brașov Bartolomeu:

• From Brașov: 05:52, 07:10, 08:15, 09:10, 12:14, 13:14, 14:10, 15:15, 16:14, 17:20, 18:37, 20:10, 21:15, 22:30.
• From Zărnești: 04:56, 05:59, 06:50, 08:15, 09:09, 12:15, 13:15, 14:10, 15:17, 16:27, 17:20, 18:37, 19:40, 21:15.
• Journey time: 40–55 minutes for 25 km.
• Fare: a local guide to Zărnești lists 7 lei; confirm at the ticket office or on the operator's site.

For the 09:45 tour, the 07:10 train (arriving around 08:05) leaves time for the taxi to the sanctuary; the 08:15, arriving around 08:55, is tight. For the 11:15 tour, the 09:10 works. Check the day's timetable before you go — some trains run only on certain days. See our train station page for Brașov station.

By bus: RATBV line 140

RATBV metropolitan line 140 links the Stadionul Municipal terminus in Brașov with CEC Zărnești in the town centre, through Cristian and the edge of Râșnov, on the timetable valid from 14 June 2025:

• From Brașov, Monday–Friday: 04:30, 05:15, 06:30, then every hour at half past from 07:30 to 19:30, and 21:30.
• From Brașov, Saturday–Sunday: only 07:30, 13:30 and 19:30.
• From Zărnești, Monday–Friday: 05:30, 06:15, then every hour at half past from 07:30 to 20:30, and 22:30.
• From Zărnești, Saturday–Sunday: 08:30, 14:30 and 20:30.

Fare: a Brașov–Zărnești ticket costs 8 lei and is valid 90 minutes on line 140 and the city lines (RATBV tariff grid, checked September 2026). The free Fridays in Brașov do not apply to this line. The weekend timetable is thin — at weekends, prefer the train. For reaching the Stadionul Municipal terminus from the centre, see getting around Brașov.

By car or taxi

By car, leave Brașov west on the DN73 towards Râșnov and turn off towards Zărnești: about 34 km and 40 minutes to the town, 27 km and 35 minutes to the sanctuary by the shortest road.

There is no fixed taxi fare. From published rates — around 2 lei per kilometre for Uber and about 3.10 lei per kilometre plus a starting fee for metered taxis (checked September 2026) — our estimate is roughly 55–90 lei one way to the sanctuary, and 70–110 lei to Zărnești town. It is a calculation, not a quote. Ride-hailing cars may be scarce around Zărnești: agree the pick-up in advance.

The Zărnești Gorges

South-west of the town, the Prăpăstiile Zărneștilor cut a corridor between limestone cliffs inside Piatra Craiului National Park. The main sector is about 1.7 km long and the whole gorge system around 3.9 km, along a gently rising forest road; most people walk it there and back in an hour or two. Drive or take a taxi to the end of the asphalt beyond the town, then walk. A small park visitor fee applies to adults; older official pages list 5 lei for seven days, paid at blue machines in Zărnești, but we could not confirm the 2026 amount in September 2026. See the Zărnești cliffs and our Piatra Craiului guide.

A day that works

• 07:10 Train from Brașov (or leave by car at 08:45).
• 08:05 Arrive in Zărnești; taxi to the sanctuary.
• 09:45 Classic tour at Libearty.
• 11:30 Taxi to the gorges; walk the Prăpăstii.
• 14:00 Late lunch in Zărnești.
• Afternoon: train back to Brașov — or, by car, on to Bran, whose castle stays open until the early evening.

With a car you can also stop at Râșnov on the way home. To stay close to the park, the Zărnești area page covers the town and the villages on the plateau above; see where to stay.

Our advice

Buy the Libearty tickets the day they go on sale, ten days ahead, and build everything else around the tour. Take the train on weekends, the bus on weekdays if it suits, and a taxi for the last kilometres. Never stop to feed or approach bears you may see along the roads — the sanctuary exists precisely because of what happens to bears used by people. And if you came to Brașov for the snow, this is the perfect rest day between ski days in Poiana — check the sanctuary's winter tour times before you book.