Romania itinerary- interested in feedback only from people who have actually been there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I remember of my trip to Romania in 2012, we went straight from Bucharest to Brasov and used it as a base to visit both Bran Castle and Peles Castle and took a car/driver to visit a selection of nearby villages for the fortified churches (must do this, a real insight into rural Transylvania). Sighisoara was one night. Small place but charming. Sibiu is bigger and bustling and very enjoyable and spent a few days there, with local day trips, including fortified churches.

In Bucharest, the best thing we saw was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitrie_Gusti_National_Village_Museum

Absolutely worth visiting.

Then we went up to northern Romania to see the painted monasteries before returning to Bucharest for the departure flight.

Loved the country.

Thanks for this. Do you remember which painted monasteries you visited? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On recs from posters in the other thread to visit Romania in the summer, I came up with this. Those who have been, please help me tweak this itinerary:

Day 1 - Bucharest - arrive. Explore. Palace of Parliament, landmarks along Calea and Victorei roads
Day 2 - GetYourGuide Day trip $57pp - Transfagarasan road (winding road):
Vidraru Dam, Bâlea Lake, Transfagarasan Highway
Day 3 - Train to Sinaia - luggage drop in station, see Peles Castle (20 min from train station), stay the night or continue to Brasov?
Day 4 - Train to Brasov - Explore Brasov (free walking tours)
- Medieval quarter
- Central Square, cable car/hike to top of hill overlooking city for views
- Stay in Brasov
Day 5 - Bran Castle - taxi/bus to castle?
- Stay in Brasov
Day 6 - Bolt Taxi to Sighisoara - on the way explore Feldioara citadel, Harman, Racos - Emerald lake, Racos volcano and basalt columns - all three in same location.
- Stay the night at Sighisoara
Day 7 - Spend the morning in Sighisoara - luggage where to store?? - 3:30pm Flixbus/Bolt taxi to Cluj- Napoca.
- Stay the night at Cluj- Napoca
Day 8 - Downtime - Explore Cluj - Stay at Cluj-Napoca
Day 9 - GYG Day trip to Salina Turda, Alba Iulia citadel and Corvin castle in Hunedoara $139pp or bus/taxi to these places at our own pace with an extra night at Cluj
- Stay the night at Cluj-Napoca
Day 10 - Checkout and Taxi to Sibiu. Check in hotel and explore Sibiu
Stay the night at Sibiu
Day 11 - ASTRA outdoor ethnographic museum near Sibiu
Stay the night at Sibiu
Day 12 - Back to Bucharest and flight out

Does this sound reasonable? Anything I need to change? Anything I can cut or add on?

I did the research to see where all these places are and came up with this and am only interested in feedback from people who have been there done that since it will actually help me.

Those who haven't been to Romania, please stay away from this thread.

I think you could spend one more day in Bucharest but agree that Transylvania is the most stunning part of Romania. This itinerary is a lot of moving around but if you want to see a lot, it should be fine.

Any interest in hiking at all? There are quite a few cabins around the Bran area where you can actually hike around the villages. I also only used buses and trains (and made some friends on the train out of Bucharest!) but it is a lot of logistics/moving around. So I ended up spending 3 days in the Bran area just relaxing. I went in May and the weather was beautiful.

OP here. Yes, I was worried about the moving around so much. How easy was it to book the trains/buses - any advice on that?

Not that interested in hiking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can do the castles in one day if you have a guide with a car. Another advantage of that is that the guides get you in faster - not sure if they officially pay to the museums, pay someone under the table or make reservations as a small group, but we’ve just walked in as opposed to standing in line with all the individual visitors.

OP here. How did you find these guides with the cars? Did you just book tours on getyourguide or viator?

[Anonymous]

What European countries have you visited already OP? TBH, if you’re the same poster who was asking about Switzerland in the other thread, I don’t think you’re ready for Romania.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't make sense to do a day trip to Transfagarasan Highway. It's a one way drive and ends up near some of the cities you want to see. Just take that from one place to the next.

I would spend a max of one day in Bucharest, agree with another poster it was the least interesting part of the trip for us. We loved the smaller towns.

I would go to Bucovina rather than Cluj if you can get there. It's a different landscape so will provide variety. The Painted Monasteries are incredible.

OP here. I just checked out the painted monasteries and they are beautiful. Where did you base yourself to visit these?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On recs from posters in the other thread to visit Romania in the summer, I came up with this. Those who have been, please help me tweak this itinerary:

Day 1 - Bucharest - arrive. Explore. Palace of Parliament, landmarks along Calea and Victorei roads
Day 2 - GetYourGuide Day trip $57pp - Transfagarasan road (winding road):
Vidraru Dam, Bâlea Lake, Transfagarasan Highway
Day 3 - Train to Sinaia - luggage drop in station, see Peles Castle (20 min from train station), stay the night or continue to Brasov?
Day 4 - Train to Brasov - Explore Brasov (free walking tours)
- Medieval quarter
- Central Square, cable car/hike to top of hill overlooking city for views
- Stay in Brasov
Day 5 - Bran Castle - taxi/bus to castle?
- Stay in Brasov
Day 6 - Bolt Taxi to Sighisoara - on the way explore Feldioara citadel, Harman, Racos - Emerald lake, Racos volcano and basalt columns - all three in same location.
- Stay the night at Sighisoara
Day 7 - Spend the morning in Sighisoara - luggage where to store?? - 3:30pm Flixbus/Bolt taxi to Cluj- Napoca.
- Stay the night at Cluj- Napoca
Day 8 - Downtime - Explore Cluj - Stay at Cluj-Napoca
Day 9 - GYG Day trip to Salina Turda, Alba Iulia citadel and Corvin castle in Hunedoara $139pp or bus/taxi to these places at our own pace with an extra night at Cluj
- Stay the night at Cluj-Napoca
Day 10 - Checkout and Taxi to Sibiu. Check in hotel and explore Sibiu
Stay the night at Sibiu
Day 11 - ASTRA outdoor ethnographic museum near Sibiu
Stay the night at Sibiu
Day 12 - Back to Bucharest and flight out

Does this sound reasonable? Anything I need to change? Anything I can cut or add on?

I did the research to see where all these places are and came up with this and am only interested in feedback from people who have been there done that since it will actually help me.

Those who haven't been to Romania, please stay away from this thread.

I think you could spend one more day in Bucharest but agree that Transylvania is the most stunning part of Romania. This itinerary is a lot of moving around but if you want to see a lot, it should be fine.

Any interest in hiking at all? There are quite a few cabins around the Bran area where you can actually hike around the villages. I also only used buses and trains (and made some friends on the train out of Bucharest!) but it is a lot of logistics/moving around. So I ended up spending 3 days in the Bran area just relaxing. I went in May and the weather was beautiful.

OP here. Yes, I was worried about the moving around so much. How easy was it to book the trains/buses - any advice on that?

Not that interested in hiking.

Easy— you can buy train tickets online. CFR is the most common operator. I took the train from Bucharest to Brasov, and then buses around Brasov to Bran. I once got lost hiking to a village, so I found a bus and hopped on it to take me back. I had no language skills. I don’t recommend being that carefree, but I mean to say that I really had no problem, even when I was lost/didn’t plan well. Note that there can be delays on the trains and they can be annoying. I had no issues but it happens and really isn’t all that much different than somewhere Italy (or even sometimes the east coast corridor). You can also see if one of your accommodations hires drivers out for a day to take you around, like for a castle tour. This is another typical way to get around

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Unfortunately driving is not an option for us.

We have to go by public transport or taxi between cities and do the day tours or do it on our own and use taxi/uber/bolt for drop off's.

Why is driving not an option? If you don’t drive, the trip will suck. Truly. You should just pick another destination if that is the case, but why cant you drive?

We’ve lived in/travelled all over Europe (more than 30 countries) and found driving in Romania among the worst experiences. As a pp mentioned, loads of 2 lane highways with slow moving tractor trailers that are impossible to pass with all of the twisting roads, tons of construction, detours and bad road conditions. Getting anywhere took twice as long as google maps predicted.

Granted this was 5 years ago, so maybe things have improved but if I had to do it over I would definitely go with trains.

That being said, despite the transportation headaches it was a great/unique experience and Transylvania is beautiful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can do the castles in one day if you have a guide with a car. Another advantage of that is that the guides get you in faster - not sure if they officially pay to the museums, pay someone under the table or make reservations as a small group, but we’ve just walked in as opposed to standing in line with all the individual visitors.

OP here. How did you find these guides with the cars? Did you just book tours on getyourguide or viator?

I did the tour with Florin https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g295394-d9883349-Reviews-Flip_Flop_Tours-Brasov_Brasov_County_Central_Romania_Transylvania.html. A coworker recommended him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Unfortunately driving is not an option for us.

We have to go by public transport or taxi between cities and do the day tours or do it on our own and use taxi/uber/bolt for drop off's.

Why is driving not an option? If you don’t drive, the trip will suck. Truly. You should just pick another destination if that is the case, but why cant you drive?

We’ve lived in/travelled all over Europe (more than 30 countries) and found driving in Romania among the worst experiences. As a pp mentioned, loads of 2 lane highways with slow moving tractor trailers that are impossible to pass with all of the twisting roads, tons of construction, detours and bad road conditions. Getting anywhere took twice as long as google maps predicted.

Granted this was 5 years ago, so maybe things have improved but if I had to do it over I would definitely go with trains.

That being said, despite the transportation headaches it was a great/unique experience and Transylvania is beautiful!

Well I’ve been to every country in Europe, and driven in most of them, and I didn’t find Romania bad at all.

[Anonymous]

In Bucharest, you need to go to the Village Museum in Herastrau Park. It’s a must!

You can also take taxi cab tours of Bucharest given by pseudo-historians — they drive you to all the sights and give you a brief history of the city, to include what happened during the fall of Ceaușescu.

[Anonymous]

Agree you should go to the Black Sea! Vama Veche

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Unfortunately driving is not an option for us.

We have to go by public transport or taxi between cities and do the day tours or do it on our own and use taxi/uber/bolt for drop off's.

Why is driving not an option? If you don’t drive, the trip will suck. Truly. You should just pick another destination if that is the case, but why cant you drive?

We’ve lived in/travelled all over Europe (more than 30 countries) and found driving in Romania among the worst experiences. As a pp mentioned, loads of 2 lane highways with slow moving tractor trailers that are impossible to pass with all of the twisting roads, tons of construction, detours and bad road conditions. Getting anywhere took twice as long as google maps predicted.

Granted this was 5 years ago, so maybe things have improved but if I had to do it over I would definitely go with trains.

That being said, despite the transportation headaches it was a great/unique experience and Transylvania is beautiful!

Well I’ve been to every country in Europe, and driven in most of them, and I didn’t find Romania bad at all.

PP here, last year I drove all over Romania and it was easy. Much easier than Ireland because the roads are so darn narrow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't make sense to do a day trip to Transfagarasan Highway. It's a one way drive and ends up near some of the cities you want to see. Just take that from one place to the next.

I would spend a max of one day in Bucharest, agree with another poster it was the least interesting part of the trip for us. We loved the smaller towns.

I would go to Bucovina rather than Cluj if you can get there. It's a different landscape so will provide variety. The Painted Monasteries are incredible.

OP here. I just checked out the painted monasteries and they are beautiful. Where did you base yourself to visit these?

In an AirBNB called “Rija Land” in Ciumarna. It was absolutely lovely!

[Anonymous]

We just came back from Romania this weekend and drove everywhere and thought the roads were amazing! they all felt and looked new. Our trip from Bucharest through Transfagarasan road took almost 8 hours though, not sure how you will do it in one day. We dud bucharest - transfagarasan - corvin's castle (skippable) - sibiu - sighisoara - viscri (do not skip) - brasov - sinaia - bucharest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can do the castles in one day if you have a guide with a car. Another advantage of that is that the guides get you in faster - not sure if they officially pay to the museums, pay someone under the table or make reservations as a small group, but we’ve just walked in as opposed to standing in line with all the individual visitors.

OP here. How did you find these guides with the cars? Did you just book tours on getyourguide or viator?

I did the tour with Florin https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g295394-d9883349-Reviews-Flip_Flop_Tours-Brasov_Brasov_County_Central_Romania_Transylvania.html. A coworker recommended him.

Thank you!