Anyone know Romania? DS and I really want to visit -any travel advice appreciated!

[LabradorsByTheSea]

DS and I have decided we want an adventure this summer, just the two of us. He is 11 and quite well travelled but normally we go as a whole family. We would love to visit Romania, maybe Transylvania and plan to travel from Bucharest by train. I really want to keep journey times as short as possible (2-4 hours each trip) to avoid whinging. We have 6 nights. Any advice about good places to visit, places to avoid and hidden gems (accessible by train) would be greatly appreciated.

I went to Cluj Napoca recently it’s beautiful and lovely countryside around it. There’s a salt mine which is incredible!

I have no advice, but my brother walked solo through the southern Carpathians and adored it.

I travelled across Romania from Budapest mostly by train. Sibiu is about 5 hrs from Bucharest and a pretty town. Sighisoara is also rather lovely. We also visited Targu Mures. You could do a loop, Bucharest to Sighisoara, Cluj Napoca, Sibiu Bucharest. I really enjoyed Romania and would love to go back.

I also did Sighisoara and targu mures - I flew from Targu Mures. I visited Bran castle and the ice Hotel (although that won't be open in the summer). I went 10 years ago - Romania was v v cheap then,maybe not anymore. I'd love to revisit, I had a great time.

Romania is fit for a King.

Guest House

The King is also visiting Romania in a couple of weeks.

You also need to go to Brasov. Beautiful city, especially in Winter when it is a traditional fairy tale town.

One of the most underrated countries on Earth in my view. Also one of the best places to invest in as it is getting its act together.

Thanks so much. There are some great ideas. I like the idea of doing a loop by train- Brasov, Sibiu and somewhere else. Not sure how accessible Bran castle might be with no car though. DS would love to see it!

Came on to suggest Cluj Napoca and Sibiu.

also - don’t rule out buses. The train network isn’t great, but they run small minibuses between towns. You can book the tickets at the local bus station, and you usually need to book for a certain service ( or take your chances that it isn’t full). It’s really cheap and great way to see countryside while you travel.

I've been there too and would recommend it. We had a trip to the Turda (?) Valley but i dont know if it's accessible by train. We found local people very friendly and helpful.

We did a similar loop by train from
Bucharest and visited Sinaia, Sibiu, Sigasaora and Brasov. We also took the train out to Constanza, a coastal city on the Black Sea, which was lovely. It was in the summer though.

It was a fantastic trip, Transylvania is stunning.

That sounds perfect! I think we might be stealing your itinerary.

We visited Bucharest, Sibua, Sigasaora and Brasov - all without a car. If you decide to go to Bucharest and like history and architecture, I can recommend this guy's city tours, which cover stuff you might miss: https://valentinmandache.com/

I love Iasi, lovely city and massive gardens. Beautiful in the summer and lots of little Market stalls around the centre selling traditional jams, clothes, trinkets.

Transylvania is very interesting too with the castle and mountain views, we visited Salt caves around that side but can't remember exactly where.

Great place to visit. i got the train from Bucharest to Brasov, and did an organised trip to go to Bran castle via mmm viator i think.

Also went bear watching! that was great. Me and my friend were a little bit concerned, as it involved getting into a car and then 4/4 into the forest in the middle of nowhere. But the guides couldn't have been nicer. Think that was through viator as well.

Also this restaurant is really fun https://www.carucubere.ro/en/

One last thing: don't get any taxis if you can avoid it. Everyone we met told us to avoid them and use buses as they are not trustworthy in terms of what they charge you. We found buses and trains quite easy.

Aww, im jealous. I’d love to go back. Our kids were 3 and 5 and we moved every few days, so that gives you an idea about how easy it was to travel around by train. We especially loved Brasov, the town square was lively and the cable car up the hill was good fun. We visited Bran’s Castle, and a bear sanctuary from here.
And Pele’s Castle in Sinaia was really good.

Try and stay within the walls of the Old Town in Sighasoara, it’s really interesting there. There was a medieval festival on the weekend we stayed, so you could perhaps time it for then?
Sibiu was nice, but I can’t remember any stand out/wow moments there, so if you are short on time, that would be the place i wouldn’t linger. Fine if you have more time.
The ancient Saxon village of Viscra was really pretty but can’t remember where we visited that from. Food and drink was really good value, and everyone we came across was really helpful. We will probably go back when the kids are older and do a bit more hiking. Have a fab time.

Has anyone been to Timisoara? We are going next month

Recommend Transylvania as you're foreign. Prettiest and most civilised (less risky for a foreigner - not that it's dangerous, just to your possessions).

I've been there many times. In my opinion Bucharest is a dump, and the journey to the wonderful Transylvania is long. I recommend you travel to Budapest, Hungary which is a fantastic city, and travel by train to Oradea from there, avoiding Bucharest altogether.

I have. Amazing city, and far prettier than Cluj, I think. Also lots of evidence of the revolution in the town square. Good shops.

Bucharest is a dump, and hold on to your cash on the trains!

That sounds like a good idea @ladygindiva .
I would say most places outside Transylvania are a bit of a dump (populated places I mean, obviously the mountains are beautiful).

Thanks got this post. Some wonderful suggestions :)

I recommend the Merry Cemetery and the painted monasteries of Bucovina which are in the north.

Thank you! We are only planning to stay for a couple of days then move on to Bucharest but I'm rethinking following this thread. May miss Bucharest and go elsewhere instead. We are in Budapest for a couple of days then on the Timisoara, could stay longer or go to another place in Romania

Constanta can get a bit too busy in the holiday season.