#151 Transylvania, Romania

I had a blast during my visit to Romania, despite finding it difficult to find information before my visit. Hopefully this blog will help anyone else who is planning their trip!

For details on my time spent in Bucharest, you can check my previous post here.

Sample Itinerary

We spent 5 full days in Romania. We spent our first and our last day in Bucharest, and the 3 days in between in Transylvania.

Our itinerary worked out like this:

Day 1: Bucharest - Old town, palace of the parliament, outdoor village museum, natural history museum (overnight in Bucharest)

Day 2: Sinaia - Peles Castle (overnight in Brasov)

Day 3: Sighisoara (overnight in Brasov)

Day 4: Bran Castle (overnight in Bucharest)

Day 5: Bucharest - Therme Spa

The itinerary worked really well as it allowed us to see all the main sights and make the most of our time in Romania.

Bucharest to Sinaia and Peles Castle

Sinaia is the closest and easiest place to get to from Bucharest. It's a direct train that takes about 1.5hr and costs about 40lei/€9.  The main attraction here is Peles Castle, and as the local monastery is nearby some people visit there also.

Train Information

With the help of Google Translate you can easily buy train tickets on the official Romanian Railways website at www.cfrcalatori.ro (but only up to 6hrs before the train departs) and show them on your phone to the ticket inspector. You can also buy them at the station using automated ticket machines or desks.

We sometimes bought tickets in advance, but often we weren't sure exactly what time we would be finished sightseeing, so bought them at the station. On one occasion (I believe it was midday and midweek) the tickets were sold out and we had to wait an hour for the next train, which was a little inconvenient. I've heard trains sell out more often at weekends and weekday rush hour, so I suppose my advice would be to buy in advance if possible.

Peles Castle

I had read and heard from locals that the castle is far nicer than Bran/Dracula Castle, but we preferred Bran.

We left our luggage at Sinaia train station for 10lei. From there to Peles Castle it is an uphill hike, but nothing too difficult if you take your time. It took us about a one hour walk from the station to the castle.

We paid 30lei/€6.50 entry, and there is also another 30lei extra if you want to take photos inside but I'd advise unless you have a big camera not to bother paying the extra. The compulsory guided tour wasn't great, it was very crowded and at times difficult to hear the guide.

Once finished in Sinaia, we hopped back on another train that took us to Brasov. The train from Sinaia to Brasov took one hour and cost 14lei/€3, and departs regularly.

Sighisoara

We only had time to do a day trip to either Sighisoara or Sibiu, and in the end decided that Sighisoara looked like a prettier place. It was a little difficult to find information and we were unsure if the information we did have was up to date, but thankfully in the end it all ran very smoothly. We took a bus there and back that left from the Autogara 1 bus station which is attached to the main Brasov train station. We used the company CDI and found timetables (with the help of Google Translate) on www.cdyservice.ro. It cost 25lei/€5 each way and took around 2 hours.


Sighisoara was absolutely gorgeous and very picturesque, with winding cobble stoned streets and colorful old buildings. It was particularly nice as the weather was blue skies and since we arrived early in the day it wasn't too busy with coach tours and other tourists.

Brasov

Despite being based in Brasov for three days, we actually spent very little time exploring the area as we were busy with day trips. However, our AirBnB was located in the old town and had a great view of the Brasov sign in the mountains. The old town is a great place to stay, and is a short and cheap Uber ride to the train or bus stations.

One of the highlights of our brief stay was a giant chimney cake (Kurtos Kalacs) from a little wagon for just 20lei, and it was large enough for 3 of us to share.

We wandered around the main square, Piata Sfatului, which is also next to the Black Church. Unfortunately we didn't have time to fit in a trip up to the Brasov sign on Tampa mountain, which can be reached by a short hike or by cable car. 

Bran / Dracula's Castle

Bran Castle is famous for being the inspiration for Dracula's castle. This has been largely debunked and in reality there is little to no basis for this vampire link, but nonetheless it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Romania. 

We had heard that it's small, overcrowded and overrated, and that Peles Castle is better. We didn't agree with this, and enjoyed Bran very much, possibly because we had such low expectations going in.


We went midweek and got the bus to Bran from Autogara 2 in Brasov. We got the 8am bus from Brasov that arrived at 8.45am. Entry to the castle is 40lei/€8.50. You don't need a guided tour and are free to wander around the castle at your leisure. It's quite old style and the rooms aren't too busy with decorations or furniture, but I enjoyed it. On the way out of the castle we stopped at the little souvenir market, the prices were reasonable and I got a fridge magnet for 5lei/€1.

Also I should mention that the bus from Brasov to Bran also makes a stop at Rasnov, a citadel on hill that also boasts a Hollywood-esque sign. We were too tired to go but I think it does look like a neat place if you have the time and energy!