The Carpathian range is one of Europe's main mountain chains. Its characteristic curve spans across some 1500 km, separating the Carpathian Basin from the vast lowlands of East Europe. On both ends it is separated from the neighbouring mountain ranges (Alps on the west, and Stara Planina/Balkan Mountains in the south) by river Danube. The Carpathians are shared by half a dozen countries: The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Romania.

Given the sheer size of the range, this page is not even attempting to provide very detailed information about all these mountains. Its main goal is to give overview, clue and orientation - the rest is left for the existing or encouraged subsequent SP pages. The former have been linked (some are good, some are satisfactory, some need to be worked out better), the latter (highlighted with bold in the tables) refer to interesting areas that are the most worthwile (in my opinion) to be covered on SP. With this, I would like to challenge others to present the most beautiful and outstanding parts of the Carpathian range.

Geological and geographical structuring

The Carpathian mountain range is not at all homogeneous: it is typically made up of an outer sandstone (flysch) belt (usually low), followed by crystalline (usually high) and finally volcanic (usually low) chains towards the inside, with limestone occurring only as scattered blocks or bluffs. However, this formula is not without exceptions. For example, the crystalline chain is missing in the relatively low Northeastern Carpathians (only two crystalline mountains of Maramureş break through the sandstone: Pop Ivan - 1937 m, and Toroiaga - 1930 m). Also, the structure of Southern Carpathians is different from the rest of the range (they are made up almost exclusively of crystalline chains). Furthermore, a number of ranges have mixed geological structure - these I tried to list them in the tables below according to the dominant rock type. At present time there aren't any glaciers in the Carpathians, however, the highest regions (NW and S) did have glacial activity in the past. As a result of that, the morphology of those areas is wilder and rich in deep blue tarns.

The Carpathians are usually split into four groups: Northwestern, Northeastern, Eastern and Southern (some describe Northeastern and Eastern Carpathians together as Eastern Carpathians). Some refer to the Apuseni Mts. (in Western Transylvania) as Western Carpathians, while others claim that this is not justified geologically, and hence should not be used. There are further blocks within the range that have different orogenesis from that of the Carpathians.

Babel of toponimes

The Carpathians were and are inhabited by a handful of nations: Czechs, Slovaks, Polish, Ukrainians, Romanians, Hungarians and Germans (Saxons). Thus, for most sub-ranges there are names in various languages. Including names in all languages would make the tables too crowded, so on this page I will use the names according to which country they belong to in the present (most of the range lies in Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania today), with some exceptions (for which English names are commonly used). It would be appropriate to mention all the different names on subsequent area and mountain pages, though. A toponimes dictionary will be worked out for this purpose later.

Carpathians from satellite

Wilderness

Well, the Carpathians cannot compete the Alps in terms of height, but they are one of the few remaining places in Europe with real wilderness areas. In the Northeastern, Eastern and Southern Carpathians you can easily find remote places to be alone in the mountains (which are home to Europe's largest brown bear population and a lot more endangered and endemic species of plants and animals). If you are looking for such kind of adventure, the Carpathians have got it.

The Northwestern Carpathians are touristically more frequented, especially the High Tatras, which usually get crowded in summertime (not surprisingly, as the custom of hiking and mountaineering dates all the way back to the 16th century in this area).

Northwestern Carpathians

The widest and most complex group of the Carpathians, spanning from river Danube at Devín until the valley of river Topľa. All three belts are well-exposed, and mixed with some ranges of non-Carpathian orogenesis. The highest range of the whole Carpathians (High Tatras - highest point: Gerlachovský štít, 2655 m) can be found in this group. The table below lists members of the group from west to east, sorted by the three rock types, in the following format: mountain range - highest peak - height (in meters). Limestone blocks and ranges with non-Carpathian orogenesis are listed below the table. The SP album Polish and Slovakian Carpathians has a number of photos from the whole area.

Triangles indicate the highest peaks of ranges (hover the mouse over them to see the ranges' and peaks' names, click to open existing SP page - if availabe - in new window). Black pentagons indicate major cities/towns with airports (click to open links).

High Tatras - spring

High Tatras - summer

Low Tatras - spring

Sandstone chain

Crystalline chain

Volcanic blocks

White Carpathians	Veľká Javorina	970
Javorníky Mts.	Veľký Javorník	1071
Western Beskids	Babia Góra	1725
Oravská Magura	Minčol	1394
Spišská Magura	Magurka	1193
Levočské vrchy	Čierna hora	1289
Čergov	Minčol	1157

Western Beskids form a subsequent mountain group, consisting of the following subgroups (discussed in more detail on the Beskids page):

Moravsko-Slezské Beskydy, Beskid Śląski/Slezské Beskydy, Beskid Mały, Beskid Żywiecki, Beskid Makowski, Beskid Wyspowy, Gorce and Beskid Sądecki.

Outer belt

Little Carpathians	Záruby	768
Inovec Mts.	Inovec	1042
Strážovské vrchy	Strážov	1213
Little Fatra	Veľký Kriváň	1709
Western Tatras	Bystrá	2248
High Tatras	Gerlachovský	2655

Older nomenclature included Inovec and Strážovské vrchy in the Little Fatra group.

Inner belt

Tribeč	Veľký Tribeč	829
Vtáčnik	Vtáčnik	1345
Big Fatra	Ostredok	1592
Low Tatras	Ďumbier	2043

Older nomenclature included Tribeč and Vtáčnik in the Big Fatra group.

Štiavnické vrchy	Sitno	1009
Kremnické vrchy	Flochová	1317
Poľana	Poľana	1458
Ostrôžky	Lažtek	1044
Börzsöny	Csóványos	938
Visegrádi-hegység	Dobogókő	700
Mátra	Kékes	1014
Slanské vrchy	Šimonka	1092
Zempléni-hegység	Nagy-Milic	894

Slanské and Zemplén Mts. are actually the same range cut in half by the border between Slovakia and Hungary, hence the two names. Older nomenclature named this range Eperjes-Tokaj Mts. (after the two towns on its two ends).

Vysoké Tatry /High Tatras/ from the distance - autumn

Limestone blocks:

Chočské vrchy (Veľký Choč, 1611 m)
Belianské Tatry (Havran, 2152 m)

High Tatras

Pieniny (Wysoka, 1052 m) - SP photo album about Pieniny

Belianské Tatry - autumn

Ranges with non-Carpathian orogenesis (Variscus orogenesis):

Slovenské rudohorie/Spišsko-gemerské rudohorie (Slovak/Spiš-Gemer Ore Mts.), consisting of (from west to east) Veporské vrchy (Fabova hoľa - 1438 m), Stolické vrchy (Stolica - 1476 m) and Volovské vrchy (Volovec - 1284 m).
Bükk (Istállós-kő - 959 m) - see SP albums Pictures from Bükk Mountains, Bükk in autumn, Bükk in summer

Some areas of Slovenské rudohorie have limestone cover layers, resulting in nice karst plateaus:

Spišsko-gemerský kras (with Muránska planina karst and Stratena plateau - the latter is better known as "Slovak Paradise")
Gemer/Gömör/-Torna karst (with the Slovak karst - see SP page Zadielská Dolina - and Aggtelek karst).

Also, almost the entire Bükk is covered by karstic rocks.

Northeastern Carpathians

The lowest group of the Carpathians, consisting of an outer belt of sandstone and an inner belt of volcanic blocks (the crystalline chain is not exposed), spans from the valley of river Topľa until Borşa pass. Compared to the the other groups, its topology is very simple and monotonous. The height of the mountains and passes increases from the northwest to the southeast. The highest point of the group hardly exceeds 2000 m (Hoverla, 2061 m), the rest are generally in the 1000-1500 m range.

Members of this group are listed in the tables below from northwest to southeast, sorted by rock types, in the following format: mountain range - highest peak - height (in meters). The divisions and names of the subgroups within the sandstone chain are quite chaotic (no exaggeration). To start off, the border between Eastern Beskids and Maramureş Mountains has very different versions: 1) Użocka/Uzhots'kyi pass at the Polish/Ukrainian border, 2) Verets'kyi pass, 3) the source of Bela Tysa (White Tisa) river by the Ukrainian/Romanian border. Here I have used the last one, as it is the most commonly applied today.

Hoverla - summer

Svidovets' - fall

Bieszczady - fall

Sandstone chain

Volcanic chain

Central / Low Beskids between the valley of Topľa river and Lupkovský/Łupków pass, in Poland called Beskid Niski, in Slovakia called Ondavské vrchy	Bušov	1002
Eastern Beskids usually split into two subgroups: 1) Polonyna ridge, and 2) Wooded Beskids (often called Ukrainian Carpathians) - details in the separate table below	Hoverla	2061
Maramureş Mountains	Farcău	1956
Obcina Mountains consist of three ranges: O. Mestecăniş (Lucina, 1588), O. Feredeu (Paşcani, 1479) and O. Mare (Osredok, 1365)	Lucina	1588

Vihorlatské vrchy	Vihorlat	1076
Makovytsia-Synyak	Dunauka	1018
Velykyi Dil	Buzhora	1085
Tupyi Mts.	Tupij	878
M. Oaş(ului)	Piatra Vâscului	917
Creasta Pietrii	Igniş	1307
M. Gutâi(ului)	Gutâi	1445
M. Lăpuş(ului)	Văratec	1348
M. Ţibleş	Ţibleş	1839

Maramureş Mountains viewn from the distance - summer

The divisions and names for subgroups of the Eastern Beskids are even more confusing. Here I have tried to present a comprehensive, yet comprehensible list:

Wooded Beskids (Beskidy Lesiste/Lisystyj Beskydy)
or Ukrainian Carpathians

Polonyna ridge
(Poloninski gory/Polonyns'kyj chrebet)

Bieszczady or Bieszczady Zachodnie (Western Bieszczady) between Lupkovský/Łupków pass and Użocka/Uzhots'kyi pass (part of this range lies on Slovak territory, where it is called Bukovské vrchy)	Tarnica	1346
Bieszczady Wschodnie (Eastern Bieszczady) or Zachidni Beskydy (Western Ukranian Beskids) between Użocka/Uzhots'kyi and Touruns'kyi/Vyshkovskyi pass	Pikuj	1405
Skhidni Beskydy (Eastern Ukranian Beskids) east from the previous two, includes Skolivs'ky Beskydy (Skole Beskids)	Parashka	1268
Gorgany southeast from the previous three	Syvulia	1818
Pokuts'ko-Bukovins'ki Karpaty southeast from Gorgany, the Ukrainian part of Obcina Mts.	Hordje	1473

Polonyna-Runa	Polonyna-Runa	1479
Borzhava	Stiy	1681
Krasna	Syhlians'kyi	1563
Svydovets'	Blyznytsia	1880
Chornohora	Hoverla	2061
Gryniavs'ki Gory	Baba Ljudova	1586

Eastern (Ukrainian) Bieszczady from Western (Polish Bieszczady) - winter

Eastern Carpathians

The Eastern Carpathians span from Borşa pass (and further the valley of Bistriţa Aurie river) until 1) Giuvala pass, or - according to another version - 2) Predeal pass. Here I will use the former. In this group, all the three "Carpathian" belts get exposed again. The sandstone range is the most extensive one, but the volcanic range is of great importance as well, presenting the highest volcanic mountains throughout the whole Carpathians.

The highest point of the group is a question of where the southern endpoint is considered to be, and how Rodnei Mountains (with non-Carpathian orogenetics) are considered. In case of Giuvala pass, Bucegi Mountains (Omu, 2509 m) provide the highest point. In case of Predeal pass, it is either in Rodnei Mountains (Pietrosu Mare, 2303 m) or in Căliman Mountains (Pietrosu, 2102 m), depending on whether Rodnei Mountains are included in the group (usually they are) or not. In general, most of the peaks are between 1500-2000 m in this part of the Carpathians.

The tables below list members of the group from north to south, sorted by rock types, in the following format: mountain range - highest peak - height (in meters). Limestone blocks and ranges with non-Carpathian orogenesis are listed below the tables.

Rodnei Mountains - summer

Ciucaş Mountains - winter

Bucegi Mountains - spring

Sandstone chain

Crystalline chain

Volcanic chain

The great number of mountain ranges within this group can be split up between the following subgroups:

Moldovan subgroup
Transylvanian subgroup
Carpathian Bend subgroup

Subsequent ranges are listed in the separate table below.

M. Suhard(ului)	Omului	1932
M. Bârgău(lui)	Heniul Mare	1612
M. Bistriţei	Budacu	1859
M. Giurgeu(lui)	Şipoş	1576
M. Ciucului (N)	Noşcolat	1553
M. Leaota	Leaota	2133

The southern part of M. Ciucului is made up of sandstone.

M. Căliman	Pietrosu	2102
M. Gurghiului	Saca Mare	1777
M. Harghita	Harghita-Mădăraş	1800

Ranges of the sandstone chain in detail:

Moldovan subgroup

Transylvanian subgroup

Carpathian Bend subgroup

M. Giumalău-Rarău	Giumalău	1856
M. Stânişoarei	Bivolul	1530
M. Ceahlău	Ocolaşul Mare	1907
M. Goşman	Cracul Geamăna	1442
M. Tarcăului	Grinduşul	1664

M. Nemira	Nemira Mare	1649
M. Ciucului (S)	Şoiul Mare	1553
M. Bodoc(ului)	Cărpiniş	1241
M. Baraolt	Gurgău	1017
M. Perşani	Măgura Codlei	1292

The northern part of M. Ciucului is made up of crystalline rocks.

M. Vrancei	Goru	1783
M. Penteleu	Penteleu	1772
Podu Calului	Podul Calului	1440
M. Siriu	Siriu/Bocârne	1657
M. Ivăneţu	Ivăneţu	1191
M. Ciucaş	Ciucaş	1954
M. Grohotiş	Grohotiş	1767
M. Baiului	Neamţului	1923
M. Bârsei	Piatra Mare	1843
M. Bucegi	Omu	2507

The distinction and the name of the first two subgroups was kind-of-arbitrarily chosen by me, based on the old border between Transylvania and Moldova. The name Carpathian Bend (in Romanian: Carpaţii Curburii; in Hungarian: Kárpátkanyar) is in widespread use for the mountains between Oituz pass and Giuvala pass. In this section the range takes a sharp turn (direction of the main ridge changes from NW-SE to E-W).

Bârsei, Baiului, Grohotiş and Ciucaş Mountains are often grouped together as Munţii Braşovului. Likewise, Podu Calului, Penteleu, Siriu and Ivăneţu Mountains are often grouped together as Munţii Buzăului.

Limestone blocks:

M. Hăşmaş (Hăşmaşul Mare, 1793 m) - the indisputably gorgeous rocks of Piatra Singuratică (Egyeskő), Piatra Altarului (Oltár-kő), Hăghimaşul Negru (Fekete-Hagymás), the "landslide lake" Lacul Roşu (Gyilkos-tó) and the breathtaking Bicaz (Békás) gorge can be found here (list of climbing routes on a German page)

Egyeskő (Solitary Rock)

Oltár-kő (Altar Rock)

Gyilkos-tó (Killer Lake)

Békás-szoros (Froggy Gorge)

Ranges with non-Carpathian orogenesis:

M. Rodnei (Pietrosu Mare, 2303 m) - high crystalline range of Variscus orogenesis, but usually included within the Eastern Carpathians

Rodnei Mountains - summer

Southern Carpathians

The Southern Carpathians (sometimes called Transylvanian Alps) consist of a double crystalline chain (without the characteristic "Carpathian" outer sandstone and inner volcanic chains). The group spans from the Danube's Kazan-strait on the west until 1) Giuvala pass, or - according to another version - 2) Predeal pass on the east, where it meets with the Eastern Carpathians. If the latter endpoint is considered, Bucegi and Leaota Mountains (listed on this page as part of the Eastern Carpathians) belong to Southern Carpathians. Members of this group are listed in the table below from east to west, in the following format: mountain range - highest peak - height (in meters).

Făgăraş Mountains - winter

Retezat Mountains - summer

Piatra Craiului - summer

Inner crystalline chain

Outer crystalline chain

M. Făgăraş(ului)	Moldoveanu	2544
M. Lotru(lui)	Stefliste	2242
M. Cândrel	Cândrel	2244
M. Şurean(u)	lui Pătru	2130
Poiana Ruscă	Padeş	1374
M. Retezat	Peleaga	2509
M. Ţarcu(lui)	Pietrii	2192
M. Godeanu	Gugu	2291
M. Semenic(ului)	Semenic/Piatra Goznei	1446

M. Iezer	Roşu	2469
M. Cozia	Cozia	1668
M. Căpăţânii	Ursului	2124
M. Parâng(ului)	Parângu Mare	2519
M. Vâlcan(ului)	Oslea	1946
M. Almăjului	Svinecea Mare	1224

Retezat Mountains - summer

Retezat Mountains - spring

Limestone blocks:

Piatra Craiului (La Om, 2238 m) - sometimes considered as a continuation of Perşani Mts. in the Eastern Carpathians.
M. Mehedinţi (lui Stan, 1466 m)
M. Aniei (Cununa, 1046 m)

Ranges with non-Carpathian orogenesis:

M. Locvei (Corhanul Mare, 735)

Getting There

Note: This page deals only with general travel information about the countries around the Carpathians.

Major flight destinations in the region are Wien /Vienna/ (AT), Bratislava /Pozsony/ (SK), Budapest (HU), Bucureşti /Bucharest/ (RO) and Beograd /Belgrade/ (SRB). Closer to the mountains, but with fewer and less frequent connections, there are further airports at Poprad (SK), Košice /Kassa/ (SK), Kraków /Cracow/ (PL), Timişoara /Temesvár, Temeschwar/ (RO), Cluj-Napoca /Kolozsvár, Klausenburg/ (RO), Târgu Mureş /Marosvásárhely, Neumarkt/ (RO), Sibiu /Hermannstadt, Nagyszeben/ (RO), Satu Mare /Szatmárnémeti, Sathmar/ (RO), Lviv (UA), Ivano-Frankivsk (UA) and Uzhorod /Ungvár/ (UA). There is a projected airport for Braşov /Kronstadt, Brassó/.

The region's rail network is extensive, several remote areas can be approached well by train (quality of service varies, but it's generally acceptable). Discounts are usually available for students and for trans-boundary travels. However, there are discrepancies concerning the prices: in many - if not all - cases long-distance international tickets cost much more than domestic ones (don't ask the reasons). Consequently, many people choose the option to approach the border by a domestic train, cross it somehow (even by another, local train, but not the long-distance one), and continue on the other side with a further domestic train. This method requires more time and comes with extra hassle, but can save you substantial amount of money. It is not a disadvantage if you know a little of the languages of the countries involved, as the in the countryside there's less chance of finding ticket officers who speak any western language (I have met some counter-examples, though). Up-to-date European time table is available online from DB.

Car is the most convenient way of traveling around (and if you get enough people in one car, also the cheapest). In the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary the motorways are toll roads (payment is done via buying a vignette for a given period), the rest are free. In Romania a vignette (called Rovinieta) has to be bought for all vehicles that use the roads of the country. The vignette is valid for the whole country then, for a fixed period (1, 7, 30 days and 1-year). It costs 11 RON for a passenger car (June, 2008). Some kind of road atlas comes handy for orienteering - see the Maps (Regional maps) section below for available ones.

Visa and border-crossing. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania are members of the European Union. Since the 21st December 2007, with the exception of Romania, these countries joined the so-called "Schengen zone". Crossing borders inside the Schengen zone is free for anyone, anytime and anywhere (as there is no border control). This means that one will be able to hike freely over from one Schengen country to another without any "official treatment". Crossing the Schengen border itself works as usual (at official border crossings), but with a more rigorous control. Entry into Ukraine (for stays less than 90 days) does not require a visa for EU and US citizens. For others it is advisable to check requirements at embassies.

Maps

Very good hiking and regional maps are produced by a handful of companies: PPWK (PL), Polcart-Sygnatura (PL), VKÚ Harmanec (SK), Dimap-Erfatur (HU-RO), Bel Alpin (RO), Szarvas-Faragó (HU), Cartographia (HU) and Topográf (HU). Thanks to SP member jck for insight on Polish maps. Further contributions are welcome.

Hiking maps

VKÚ Harmanec	1:50,000	map series that cover whole Slovakia, thus most of the NW and a smaller part of the NE Carpathians
VKÚ Harmanec	1:25,000	map series that include Western, High and Low Tatras, Little Carpathians, Kremnické vrchy and Slovenský raj (Slovak Paradise)
PPWK	1:25,000	Pieniński Park Narodowy (the PPWK site tells 1:225,000 scale - concerning the size of the area I think that's rather a typo)
PPWK	1:75,000	Beskid Makowski, Beskid Sądecki, Gorce, Beskid Wyspowy
PPWK	1:125,000	Beskid Niski i Pogórze
PPWK Copernicus	1:50,000	Beskid Sądecki
PPWK Copernicus	1:75,000	Beskid Śląski & Żywiecki and Bieszczady & Góry Sanocko - Turczańskie
PPWK Copernicus	1:20,000	Tatry Wysokie (High Tatras)
PPWK Copernicus	1:20,000	Tatry Zachodnie (Western Tatras)
PPWK Copernicus	1:30,000	Tatrzański Park Narodowy (Polish Tatra National Park)
Polcart-Sygnatura	1:25,000	map series that include Polish Tatra National Park (English-German), Pieniny National Park, High Tatras, Western Tatras
Polcart-Sygnatura	1:30,000	Polish Tatras
Polcart-Sygnatura	1:50,000	Slovenský raj (Slovak Paradise) and Beskid map series: Beskid Śląski, Beskid Mały, Beskid Żywiecki, Beskid Makowski, Beskid Wyspowy, Gorce & Beskid Sądecki, Beskid Niski, Bieszczady
Szarvas-Faragó	1:30,000	High Tatras (Magas-Tátra) - available from Szarvas
Cartographia	1:40,000	map series that include Börzsöny, Mátra, Bükk and Zemplén Mountains
Kárpátia-ISM	1:50,000	East Carpathians / Máramarosi-havasok - Svidovets, Chorna Hora (with Ukrainian and Hungarian names) - available from Szarvas
Dimap	1:50,000	Ceahlău, Rodnei, Retezat, Parâng
Dimap	1:60,000	Harghita, Ciucului, Giurgeu & Hasmas, Căliman, Făgăraş, Nemira, Tarcău, Gutâi & Lăpuş & Ţibleş
Dimap	1:70,000	Carpathian Bend (Piatra Craiului, Bucegi, Ciucaş, Grohotiş)
Bel Alpin	1:50,000	Retezat, Făgăraş, Piatra Craiului, Bucegi (available here)

Regional maps

Polcart-Sygnatura 1:100,000 map - Around Tatras

Dimap 1:250,000 map of Transcarpathia (also sold with the Hungarian name "Kárpátalja") - the whole Ukrainian Carpathians, with both Ukrainian (in Cyrillic) and Hungarian names
Dimap 1:400,000 map of Transylvania - with Romanian, Hungarian, German and Ukrainian names where applicable
Dimap 1:250,000 road atlas of Romania
Dimap 1:700,000 road map of Romania

Cartographia 1:300,000 road atlas of Romania
Cartographia 1:480,000 road atlas of the Carpathian Basin

Szarvas-Topográf 1:360,000 road atlas of Slovakia
Topográf 1:360,000 road atlas of the Carpathian Basin ("A Kárpát-medence autósatlasza", cover image visible here)
Szarvas-Topográf 1:360,000 road atlas of the Carpathian Basin - sister publication of the previous item

Online maps

online version of Polkart-Sygnatura's High Tatras 1:25,000 on mapytatr.net
online version of Polkart-Sygnatura's Polish Tatras 1:25,000 on mapytatr.net
High Tatras 1:50,000 with Hungarian and Slovak toponimes
sketches of several areas in the High Tatras
neat GPS-based online maps with trail markings for Hungarian mountains on turistautak.hu
Transcarpathia map set (with Cyrillic script) on Zakarpatska Oblast Map Server
a page with map sections of Bieszczady and Western Ukraine (scroll down the page to the color maps)
scanned images of relatively old hiking maps from Transylvania and other parts of Romania on Fishinfo
(warning - some might be a bit outdated)
overview maps of ranges in Romania

Publications

This section lists the most important publications about broader areas of the Carpathians. Publications about the Tatra mountains are discussed in more detail on the High Tatra/Vysoké Tatry SP page. If you have suggestions about adding further worthwile items, please contact me in a PM (thanks to SP member jck for his input to this section).

Books

James Roberts: The Mountains of Romania (2005, Cicerone Press) - guide book in English that I've found on the Internet (haven't read it but seems to be a good one), available from Cicerone, Amazon (you can have a look in the first few pages as well), Stanfords and probably elsewhere as well

Colin Saunders and Renáta Nározná: The High Tatras (1994, 2006, Cicerone Press) - guide book in English that I've found on the Internet (haven't read it but seems to be a good one), available from Cicerone, Amazon and probably elsewhere as well

Tom Chrystal and Beáta Dósa: Walking in Hungary (2003, Cicerone Press) - guide book in English that I've found on the Internet (haven't read it but seems to be a good one), available from Cicerone, Amazon and probably elsewhere as well

Ivan Vološčuk (ed.): The National Parks and Biosphere Reserves in Carpathians: The Last Nature Paradise (1999, ACANAP, Tatranská Lomnica) - monograph in English, reviewed on CER, available from nhbs

Józef Nyka: various guide books in Polish about the Tatras (i.e.: Tatry Polskie, Tatry Słowackie, Pieniny - see here)

Balázs Nagy: Gerinctúrák a Kárpátokban /Ridge routes of the Carpathians/ (2002, Sziget, Debrecen) - Description of many long-distance hikes from the entire Carpathian ridge, with useful tips and advices (in Hungarian - out of print, hard to come by)

various authors: Erdély hegyei /Mountains of Transylvania/ (1998-2006, Pallas-Akadémia, Csíkszereda/Miercurea-Ciuc) - Valuable guidebook (booklet) series supplied with maps (in Hungarian, most of them available - see publisher's site)

Pusztay Sándor and Zsigmond Enikő (eds.): Erdélyi túrák /Hikes in Transylvania/ (2002, Kornétás, Budapest) - 512-page guidebook for 51 mountain areas throughout Transylvania (in Hungarian)

2500 km a Kárpátok főgerincén - Kárpát Koszorú Nemzetközi Túramozgalom /2500 km on the ridge of the Carpathians/ - Brand new photo album with pictures of an ambitious hiking endeavour along the ridge of the Carpathians (sample pages)

Ákos Neidenbach: A Kárpát-medence hegymászó és turista irodalma (1994, Budapest) - bibliography of Hungarian language literature of the Carpathian Basin (in Hungarian, printed in small quantity - not available in shops)

Periodicals

Turisták Lapja and Turistaság és Alpinizmus (1889-1944 and 1910-1935, respectively) - "legendary" periodicals from the "golden ages" of Hungarian mountaineering and hiking life (in Hungarian, some articles from the archives)

Erdélyi Gyopár /Transylvanian Edelweiss/ - periodic publication of the (Hungarian) Transylvanian Carpathian Association (in Hungarian, back issues are available online)

Kárpáti Lapok - periodical publication of the (new) Hungarian Carpathian Association (in Hungarian, available online: years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)

Munţii Carpati - periodical publication between 1997-2003, probably discontinued since then (in Romanian, list and contents of #1-37)

Invitaţie în Carpaţi - online monthly periodical of alpinet.org (in Romanian, available online)

External Links

The following list is of course not all-inclusive. If you have suggestions about adding further worthwile items, please contact me in a PM (thanks to SP members Tomas Kristofory, jck and kola for their input to this section).

information-rich multilingual pages about different parts of Slovakia by Rudolf Kukura: High Tatras Low Tatras, Pienines, Slovak Paradise, Upper Hron region, Liptov region, Gemer region, Spiš region

page in German about climbing places in Ceahlău, Rarău, Bicaz, Piatra Craiului and Bucegi Mts. - extensive list of routes with UIAA grades!!!

homepage of Polish Carpathian Society (Towarzystwo Karpackie) - information about the Carpathians in Polish

homepage of the (new) Hungarian Carpathian Association (Magyarországi Kárpát Egyesület, MKE) - lot of information in Hungarian /note: the new MKE (1992-) is successor of the old MKE, the world's 7th alpine club (1873-1945)/

homepage of the (Hungarian) Transylvanian Carpathian Association (Erdélyi Kárpát Egyesület, EKE)

Czech page about the whole Carpathians - lot of information about the Carpathians in Czech

Romanian mountaineering and climbing sites: alpinet.org, carpati.org, roclimbing.net - lot of information in Romanian

page of the Carpathian Section of Deutscher Alpenverein, with further clues in German towards the re-founded (Saxon) Transylvanian Carpathian Association (Siebenbürgische Karpatenverein, SKV - 1880-1945, 1996-)

more in German about SKV in articles of the Siebenbürgische Zeitung (Transylvanian Saxon Newspaper) and a university study

information about the Ukrainian Carpathians in English on the Ukrainian-Polish Tourist Portal

page about Ukrainian Carpathians with some challenges (Ukrainian language and Cyrillic script...)

homepage of Polish Tourist Country Lovers' Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Turystyczno Krajoznawcze, PTTK), owner of several mountain huts /note: PTTK was established in 1950 by the union of two formerly separate associations: PTT (Polskie Towarzystwo Tatrzańskie, founded in 1873 in Cracow originally as Towarzystwo Tatrzańskie, reactivated in 1988 as an separate organization) and PTK (Polskie Towarzystwo Krajoznawcze, founded in 1906 in Warsaw)/

satellite images of Transylvania (and sometimes the whole Carpathian Basin) are regularly published on transindex.ro - some examples (with descriptive text in Hungarian): autumn colors, summer, summer clouds spring clouds and snow and the one I used for primary image of this page

webcams from Slovak and Czech holiday resorts

Images



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