Romania has a multitude of areas with outstanding natural beauty attracting tourists from all over the world but no matter how much you think you’ve seen you’ll always be surprised to hear about yet another beautiful part of the country you had no clue about This will probably be the case with the Varghis Gorges a nature reserve spreading over the border between the Covasna and Harghita counties which has remained somewhat of a secret destination The area takes the name of the Varghis river that passes through it and it is one of the most beautiful parts of Transylvania It is perfect to visit on a quick weekend trip when you want to get out of your city and relatively easy to reach from many of Romania’s regions since it’s near the center of the country One important thing to know about the Varghis Gorges is that there are over 120 caves, some of which tourists can explore, and these caves all host the largest bat colonies in the country – 17 of the over 30 species of bats in Romania can be found in the area. has a total length of 1,527 meters and takes about two hours to explore in its entirety Other spectacular caves include the Horse Cave and the Tatars Cave you should know that another major landmark lies just 60 km (about an hour and a half by car) away from the Varghis Gorges: the Saint Anna Lake as it formed in the crater of a volcano thousands of years ago   We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used Góbéfest returns from Friday 23 - Sunday 25 June The UK’s only free festival dedicated to food music and culture from Transylvania and the Carpathian Basin is returning to Manchester at the end of this month Góbéfest 2023 will take over Cathedral Gardens from Friday 23 – Sunday 25 June bringing with it a range of culinary delights music and family entertainment across the weekend the festival runs each day from 11am-11pm and pays homage to the lesser known expanse of Eastern Europe.  also known as the Pannonian Basin is a huge plain spanning several countries Góbéfest brings together a range of traders offering favourites from across the region including giant pans of slowly simmered stews to fried flatbreads and show-stopping cakes.  visitors can expect food from the Góbé grill a traditional Hungarian and Romanian barbecue offering three types of spicy grilled sausages mititei (barbecued Romanian skinless sausages made from pork lamb and beef) and meaty and vegan gulyás (goulash) all cooked by local Hungarian people Transylvanian Desserts will be offering spit-roasted kürtöskalács (chimney cakes) filled with different flavours of ice cream as well as Hungarian cheesecake and beigli a traditional sweet roll filled with a swirl of poppy seeds They’ll join award-winning bakery Parázska Chimney Cake known for their chocolate and chilli version of the kürtöskalács The Langos Factory will be on hand with their deep-fried lángos Hungarian flatbreads topped with creme fraiche and cheese and stuffed cabbage leaves whereas Levenshulme-based Delicii Românești will be bring Romanian plates including ciorbă de burtă (tripe soup) fasole cu ciolan (beans with pork) and tochitură There’ll also be food from London-based bakery Papanași Românești who will be selling waffles alongside their cottage cheese and sour cream-filled doughnuts Pompas Mezes’ Hungarian honey bread is another dish not to be missed at Góbéfest this year the bread often features designs reminiscent of lace and embroidery so it can be kept for over 10 years in its sealed packaging A food and drink festival would be incomplete without a good bar, and at this year’s Góbéfest, Manchester Union Lager will provide pints across the weekend alongside a Szicsek palinka bar pouring extra strong fruit spirits there’ll be a range of artists and performers taking over the main stage of Góbéfest this year including The Children’s Philharmonia of Szentegyháza a unique ensemble founded 40 years ago in the Hungarian-speaking Transylvanian community of Vlahita They’ll be joined by folk five-piece Yek Duy Góbéfest has also announced family activities including a Bulgarian folk dance workshop kalocsa painting masterclass and a Romanian folk music session.  Góbéfest 2023 is completely free to attend You can view the festival’s full programme below.  drink and craft market this September to mark ESEA heritage month Welcome to Manchester’s Finest – your ultimate guide to the best of Manchester our curated content is your compass to discover the finest things to do and embrace the vibrant lifestyle this city has to offer Join our community of enthusiasts as we celebrate Manchester’s rich tapestry uncover hidden gems across arts and culture and showcase the best in dining and entertainment Site by Manchester's Finest Group | Design by persona.studio By subscribing you have read and agree to our Privacy and Data policy