14 great things to do in Romania

Visiting the mighty capital Bucharest

Often, Bucharest will be the beginning of your trip to Romania. It is the proud capital of the country. It is by far the biggest city, with almost 2 million inhabitants. Although there are several not-so-pretty communist buildings, the city center called Lipscani, is very pretty and looks like Eastern European France. Besides the beauty of Lipscani, the mighty Palace of the Parliament (built during the authority of Ceaușescu) is worth visiting. 

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: There are many ways to get to the capital. You can go by plane from many airports throughout the world. Also it has international trains from Istanbul, Athens, Budapest and more cities.

How much time needed: 2-3 days will be enough to see the biggest highlights. It is a great city, but it is not the city with the most sights.

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Castles and hiking in Sinaia

Sinaia is a village north of Bucharest and is mostly famous for the mighty Peleș and Pelişor castles. They are 200 metres from each other and both worth visiting, although Peleș is more beautiful. From the outside, that castle is especially gorgeous. Besides the castles, there are several hiking routes. One is starting from the heart of the village and going up, or you can go by cable car to the Bucegi mountains (weather dependent). The forests and mountains are fantastic. The village itself is not really interesting. 

Price: Peles: 60 lei for entire building and 30 lei for first floor.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: From Bucharest it is a 1 and a half hour train ride and from Brasov it is an hour train ride. It is a stop between the train from Bucharest to Brașov.

How much time needed: Most people do not spend the night here, but I would recommend at least one night so one day you can hiking and one day or part of the day to see the castles.

Get scared in Bran castle

Have you ever wondered where Dracula lived? This is the place to find out where the most famous vampire did all his crimes. This is Bran Castle, and it is possible to visit! From the outside, it is very beautiful and cool to visit. From the inside, it is less pretty, but there are fun and "scary" things to do that are absolutely worth a visit. The village is decorated for the vampire, so why not have a look there?

Price: 60 lei

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: The easiest way is to go from Brașov, which a bus will take 45 minutes to the castle.

How much time needed: 2 hours is sufficient to visit both castle and the village.

Visit the mysterious Valea Cetatii cave

Valea Cetății Cave is a hidden gem close to Rasnov, where you can have a personal tour in a beautiful cave. Although the cave is not very big, it is very cool to visit and spot some bats! The tour cost 15 RON, and for me, it was private as nobody else was there! This cave is good to combine with the Rasnov citadel.

Price: 15 lei

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: From Brașov take a bus to Rasnov and from there a taxi or a walk for a small hour. If you have your own car, it is easily to reach the small car park. From there it is a 10 minute walk up to get to the cave, but this hike is beautiful in the forest. 

How much time needed: 30 minutes in and around the cave

Visit the gorgeous city of Brașov

Brașov is one of the highlights of Romania, and it is almost impossible to miss this city when in Romania, as it is surrounded by highlights of Transylvania. Walk through the city centre and find several churches and other beautiful buildings. Hike up the hill to the Brașov sign and enjoy views from all sides of the city centre. 

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: Brașov is easily reached by public transport throughout the country. It takes 2.5 hours by train from Bucharest and a bit over 3 hours from Sighișoara. Note that the train station is 20 minutes by foot from the city centre, but there are also taxis at the station, but don't get scammed.

How much time needed: There is a lot to see in this cute city, but it is very close to each other and the city is very walkable, so 1-2 days should be sufficient.

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The cute city of Sighișoara

There are multiple cute cities in Romania, but if you want to visit one, make sure it is the city of Sighișoara. The colourful houses make it a very nice sight, and the most important thing is to walk on the city citadel. Although the city is small, visiting Sighișoara is an absolute must-do in Romania. Visit the clock tower and covered staircase to get to the church on the hill, and be amazed by the Holy Trinity Church outside the citadel.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: The city is just over 3 hours by train from Brasov and 5.5 hours from Bucharest. From the other side, it is 3 hours to Cluj-Napoca, but look close to the schedule because otherwise it can take longer.

How much time needed: Sighișoara is very small and can be visited in 3 hours. I stayed the night, but that was a bit long, but not bad. I would recommend going from Brașov to Sighișoara, staying here for a couple of hours, and then moving further to Cluj (or the other way around).

The real Cluj-Napoca

Often overlooked by tourists, Cluj-Napoca (Cluj) is worth the visit to see normal life in Romania. With around 300,000 inhabitants, it is the fourth largest city in the country, and it has many students, which creates a vibrant atmosphere at night. This was probably my favorite city because of the great people, the relaxed vibe, and seeing local Romanian life. It is not touristy, and there may not be too much to experience. However, when you visit Cluj, there are some great things to do:

• Visit St. Michael's Church (see picture)
• Visit the Brewhouse or some other place for great craft beers
• Get haunted in Hoia Baciu Forest and look at the weird trees, random open places, and find deer.
• Visit the Dormition of the Theotokos cathedral
• Go back in time in the Romulus Vuia Etnographic park

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: By train, it is over 3 hours from Sighișoara (look at the schedule, because it can be longer). Bucharest is around 8 hours away by public transport and 6.5 hours by car.

How much time needed: You can see the main sights in 1-2 days, but Cluj is also a great base to visit Turda Gorge and Salina Turda (see below), so I would recommend 3 nights here.

The surprisingly cool Salina Turda

If there is something unusual to do in Romania, visit Salina Turda. This is a salt mine with many attractions. You can play minigolf, go bowling (although it was out of order when I was there), play pingpong, or even take a boat ride far under the ground. There is also a Ferris wheel, which you can take. Also, there are several spots to have good views in and around the two main areas to go. It costs 30 lei to get into this magical place, but you have to pay for the attractions separately as well. Salina Turda has two entrances: one in the town of Turda and the main entrance outside the city, which is tougher to reach without a car but more convenient with a car than the entrance in the village. This was one of the coolest places to go in Romania.

Price: 50-60 lei

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: Turda is not a great place to stay, so I would recommend coming from Cluj. You can take the bus to Turda, which will take about 50 minutes. Walk a bit to the village entrance. It is also a 50-minute ride to the main entrance from Cluj.

How much time needed: 3 hours.

See the mighty Turda Gorge

The Turda Gorge is a great hiking option close to Turda. It is around an hour of hiking next to the river, and then you have to walk the same way back. The route can be a bit slippery, and sometimes you have to climb a bit, but it is an easy to moderate hike. You can do rock climbing here, but I didn't. The birding here is very good, and with luck, you can find otters around the river. There is an option to buy beverages at the beginning of the hike (but it can be closed).

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: This is tougher by public transport. After Salina Turda (it is good to combine, but it is a full day), I took a taxi here, and on the way back, I did some hitchhiking until the bus station because there is no public transport to the place. By car, this is easy to reach from Turda with a 25-minute ride. From Cluj, it takes 50 minutes to reach.

How much time needed: Around 2 hours

Enjoy the Medieval Corvin Castle

Probably the most classical castle in Romania, especially looking from the outside. The sight of the castle is absolutely stunning. On the inside, it is cool, especially with some great views and old rooms, but the highlight is outside. The price is 36 lei, and there are reduced prices for students and retirees.

Price:  30 lei

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: By public transport, it is tough and can take a long time to get here. The best is to go to Deva and then take a taxi or walk. Maybe taking a tour from Sibiu is a good option in combination with Alba Iulia.

How much time needed: Around 1 hour to visit the castle and walk next to it.

Feel watched by the eyes of Sibiu

Sibiu is another cute city in central Romania where the houses seem to watch you if you look at the windows. It can be a base to visit Alba Iulia and Corvin Castle, although these sights are pretty far away. Wander around the city and see:

• Walk on Piata Mare
• See religion in the Orthodox Cathedral
• Only tell the truth on the Bridge of Lies (picture above)

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: By train it takes 2.5 hours from Brașov, 5 hours from Bucharest and 4 hours from Cluj.

How many days needed: 1 day is sufficient for Sibiu, but maybe do a day trip and stay 2 nights.

Get historical with the fortified churches of Prejmer and Hārman

The fortified churches are old churches that have big walls around them. There are several fortified churches in Romania, but these two are gorgeous and are good to combine. The church of Prejmer was built in 1240, as was the church of Hārman (see picture) as well. It is cute and quiet to visit.

Price: 15 lei per church

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: From Brașov, it is both one hour by public transport to both places, but I would recommend taking a taxi or car. To Prejmer is 25 minutes, to Hārman is 20 minutes, and between the churches it is 10 minutes. There are taxis in all villages.

How much time needed: In both churches around 1 hour is needed.

Find bears in Piatra Craiului Național Park

This is my absolute highlight of the whole of Romania, located in the Carpathians. When walking in nature, try to find wildlife and enjoy your surroundings. We did some hiking with the Transylvanian Wolf and by ourselves and saw some great wildlife. Unfortunately, because of the cold weather, there were no bears because of hibernation, but in the summer there are definitely good chances to find bears during hikes and in bear hides. Even during the cold weather, we found many foxes, deer, wild boar, and birdlife, such as the Ural owl! Besides, we saw tracks of wolves and lynxes (but these animals are very tough to spot).

The scenery is absolutely stunning, and even without seeing wildlife, it is fantastic to be here. There are also 2 very cute traditional villages to visit, called Măgura and Peştera, which in the summer should be fantastic. In the snow, the paths were tough to go through. Another highlight of the park is Zărneşti Gorge, which has beautiful sights and where you can find chamois (we saw a couple) and birdlife like the wallcreeper and black stork. Overall, Piatra Craiului is fantastic and is absolutely a must-do if you are a nature lover in Romania, especially in the summer, when bears are more active.

Price: Free in winter and a small price in summer.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: You can go on a day trip from Brașov, but I recommend staying in Zărneşti and doing hikes here and enjoying the amazing scenery. There is a train going from Braşov, which takes about 50 minutes. This train is passing some cute stations and has some good views of the landscape.

How much time needed: I would recommend staying 3-5 nights to do some different hikes, visit a bear hide, and visit the Zărneşti Bear Sanctuary (see below). It depends on how long you are in Romania, but don't take only one day. Enjoy nature!

Maybe no luck in nature, so go to Libearty Bear Sanctuary

Nothing beats finding animals in the wild, but if you don't have luck, the Libearty Bear Sanctuary is a great alternative. There are many bears, which were in captivity in eastern Europe or are a treat to the community, who are here and have a good life. The habitats are very big, so the bears can wander around. You have to do a tour, and I recommend booking it beforehand because it can be sold out. You get information about the "dancing bears," which were very common in Eastern Europe, and about where the bears are from. There are also some wolves and deer, but the bears are the main attraction.

Price: 50-75 lei

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: You can do it as a day trip from Braşov, but with Piatra Craiului next to Zărneşti, I would recommend staying here, which is a small village and 50 minutes by train away from Braşov. From Zărneşti, a taxi is recommended, and on the way back, it can be possible to ask if someone can help you into the village or take a walk for an hour.

How much time needed: The tour takes around 1-1.5 hours.

Things I have not done, but can be interesting

• Danube Delta - Great birding and rivers in the East of the country, but did not go because it is close to the borders with Ukraine (warzone when writing)
• Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
• Ride the beautiful Transfăgărășan Highway (only in summer)
• Statue of King Decebalus - beautiful stone close to Serbia
• Timișoara - Lovely city in the West of Romania

Final thoughts

Romania surprised me as it has fantastic nature with its wildlife, great culture, and fantastic people who are so sweet and caring. The highlights were better, and it is a country everyone should visit. It is a hidden gem in Europe, but it is so worth visiting! Three weeks is fantastic to see most of the highlights, but 2 weeks can be sufficient to see the biggest highlights in Transylvania.

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