Rimetea and Székely Rock from Cluj: the Village Where the Sun Rises Twice

Photo (cropped): Brgh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rimetea (Torockó in Hungarian) is one of the prettiest villages in Transylvania: white houses with green windows and gates lined up along a single valley, beneath a limestone wall that dominates the whole landscape. In 1999 the village received the Europa Nostra award for restoring its traditional houses — the first given to a rural settlement in Romania.

The village lies in Alba County but is closer to Cluj than to Alba Iulia: about an hour's drive.

How long the drive takes

About 59 km and 1h–1h20, via Turda. The last part is a narrow mountain road with fine views.

Székely Rock and the "sun that rises twice"

The rock above the village, Piatra Secuiului (Székelykő), rises above 1,100 m and is split by a saddle. In summer, for houses in the northern part of the village, the sun appears over one peak, disappears behind the rock and then "rises" a second time — hence the saying that in Rimetea the sun rises twice.

The hiking loop

• Length: a loop of about 7 km from the village, with ~600 m of climbing
• Time: 3–4 hours return, with breaks and photos
• Difficulty: moderate; the final section to the summit is steep and rocky, with cables in places
• Gear: hiking boots or trail shoes and water — there is nowhere to buy any on the way

From the top you see the whole village, the Trascău Mountains and, on clear days, the Apuseni far beyond. If you would rather not climb, the village itself is worth a two-hour stroll.

What else to see in the village

• The Ethnographic Museum — on the village's mining past and crafts; Rimetea lived from iron mining for centuries.
• The Unitarian church in the centre, white with a tall tower.
• The ruins of Trascău Fortress on a nearby peak at Colțești — for those with energy left.

What the transfer costs

• Cluj – Rimetea: ~59 km, from 270 lei per car (up to 4 passengers), one way

For a hiking day, the simplest option is a return trip with the pick-up time agreed in advance: we drop you in the village in the morning and collect you in the afternoon. We set the package price when you book. If you stay overnight at a guesthouse, book the outbound ride and the return the next day.

Read also: Turda Gorge from Cluj · Turda Salt Mine