Piatra Neamt – Monastery Bistrita – the Lake Pangarati – Monastery Pangarati – the town Bicaz – the Dam from Bicaz – the Lake Izvorul Muntelui –Bicaz Harbour – the Trout from Potoci – Poiana Largului – the Rock Piatra Teiului – Monastery Petru Voda

A one day trip from Piatra Neamt to the Monastery Petru Voda represents a true adventure for the tourists that want to discover the natural wonders from this place. The starting point for this journey is the town Piatra Neamt, from where you follow the national road DN 15 that goes to Bicaz. At 8 km after you exit the town you can make your first stop to the Monastery Bistrita. This monastery was built and reinforced by rulers Alexandru cel Bun, Petru Musat and Stefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great) and managed to resist to all the difficulties for more than 600 years.

After you leave the monastery you continue the trip and the next stop is a belvedere point on the shore of the Lake Pangarati. This lake is a protected area and here you can watch the birds that also stop here during the winter migration. Right after this point you’ll see on the right the road that goes to the Monastery Pangarati. This religious place dates from the XV century and the most interesting architectural building is the old church. The particular and unique fact about this church is that there are in fact two churches built on top of each other.

After this stop you’ll go through the town Bicaz where you can visit the Museum of Ethnography. This museum also hosts a special room with the paintings of Iulia Halaucescu. After you leave Bicaz on the road that goes to Izvorul Munteului you’ll see the Dam from Bicaz. This dam is a true architectural achievement with a length of 435 m, height 127 m and a base width of 119 m. You can stop on top of the dam and see the beauty of the Lake Izvorul Muntelui on one side and the entire valley and the town Bicaz on the other side. The lake Izvorul Muntelui is the biggest artificial lake organized on the interior rivers from Romania, with a length of 40 km.

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Right on the shore of the lake Izvorul Muntelui you can see the entertainment harbor from where you can make a small cruise on the lake or rent a boat, a water-bicycle or a motor-boat. Near the commune Potoci there is a great belvedere place from where you can see the lake and the dam and from where you can also buy some trout from the local trout-farm. In the sunny days from here you can see the great mountain Ceahlau reflecting in the waters of the lake.

The road continues in a series of curves, going through the villages that are built along the lake. After few kilometers you’ll reach the viaduct Poiana Largului where you can see the rock called Piatra Teiului (the locals also call it The Devil’s Rock). In this place the road separates: to the left you can go to the Durau resort and to the right, where we are going, to the Monastery Petru Voda.

This road that goes to the monastery will get you in the town Targu Neamt in the end, from where you can return to Piatra Neamt, making a complete circle. At 10 km from the viaduct you’ll see a country road that goes on the left, to the Monastery Petru Voda. This monastery was built in the XX century and became quickly a place of interest for pilgrims because of father Iustin Parvu.

From here you can return to Piatra Neamt on the same road that you came or you can continue the road, reach the town Targu Neamt and from there Piatra Neamt in a complete circle.

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