Romania

Romania, in a few days

From Bucharest to the castles of Transylvania, by way of medieval Brașov and Sibiu with its watching roofs: a road trip with the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Bucharest

Days 1-2

A capital once nicknamed Little Paris for its boulevards and grand nineteenth-century facades, now dominated by the vast Palace of the Parliament built under Ceaușescu.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Palace of the Parliament tour1h30 · from €15
  A guided walk through the second-largest administrative building in the world, a monument to the ambitions of the Ceaușescu years.
• Old town and the Village MuseumHalf day · from €12
  A guided half-day through the old centre, then the open-air Village Museum, where farmhouses, churches and mills were brought from all over the country.

✦ Free to visit

• The old centre (Lipscani)
• The Romanian Athenaeum
• Herăstrău Park
• The Arcul de Triumf

📲 Book things to do in Bucharest on GetYourGuide

2

Brașov

Days 3-4 · 🚗 Car 2h30

A medieval Saxon town at the foot of the Carpathians, with a Gothic square at its centre and stretches of its old walls still standing.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Old town and the Black Church, guided2h · from €12
  The Saxon old town and its Gothic Black Church, named for the soot left on its walls by the fire of 1689.
• Cable car up Mount Tâmpa1h · from €10
  A short ride to the top of the hill above the town, for the view over a sea of red roofs.

✦ Free to visit

• Council Square
• Rope Street
• The first Romanian school
• The town walls

📲 Book things to do in Brașov on GetYourGuide

3

Bran Castle and Sinaia

Day 5 · 🚗 Car 45 min

Bran Castle, tied by legend to Dracula, sits on its rock above the pass. Peleș Castle, the summer palace of Romania's kings, is a short drive away in Sinaia.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Bran Castle (Dracula's castle)1h30 · from €12
  The fortress on its rock that the Dracula legend attached itself to, though its real history runs through merchants, soldiers and Queen Marie.
• Peleș Castle in Sinaia1h30 · from €15
  The neo-Renaissance summer palace of King Carol I, all carved wood and stained glass, in a clearing of the Carpathian forest.

✦ Free to visit

• Bran village
• The Bucegi mountains (view)
• The craft market
• Carpathian walking trails

📲 Book things to do in Bran Castle and Sinaia on GetYourGuide

4

Sibiu

Days 6-7 · 🚗 Car 2h30

A Saxon town of cobbled squares whose roofs seem to watch you through their narrow dormer windows. It was European Capital of Culture in 2007.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The old town and its watching roofs, guided2h · from €12
  A walk through the old town with a guide, looking up at the houses with eyes, dormer windows that once ventilated Saxon grain lofts.
• ASTRA open-air museumHalf day · from €8
  One of the largest open-air museums in Europe, where traditional farms, windmills and watermills stand around a lake in the Dumbrava forest.

✦ Free to visit

• The Large and Small Squares
• The Bridge of Lies
• The roofs with eyes
• The Council Tower

📲 Book things to do in Sibiu on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Hire a car · The Carpathians and the Saxon villages are best seen at the wheel, at your own pace. Roads are slow, so allow more time than the distance suggests.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Sarmale: cabbage leaves rolled around minced meat and rice, simmered for hours.
• Mămăligă: a firm maize porridge, served with cheese, sour cream or alongside stews.
• Mici: small grilled sausages without skins, eaten with mustard and a cold beer.
• Ciorbă: a family of sour soups, from tripe to vegetables, sharpened with bran or lemon.
• Papanași: fried cheese doughnuts topped with sour cream and jam.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Watch for stray dogs in the countryside and on mountain trails.
• The Transfăgărășan road is closed for most of the year, usually opening only from early summer to October.
• Use cash machines attached to banks, and take metered taxis or a ride app.
• Book early in the Transylvanian villages in summer, where guesthouses are small and few.

Words that help

English ↔ Romanian

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/romania

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.