Transylvania Road Trip: epic 9 Days Itinerary
Looking for a remarkable getaway?! You’ve come to the right place!
We visited Romania in March 2023 and we can now say that Romania is really UNDERRATED. If you have never thought about traveling to Romania, it’s time to change that.
Romania proved to be such a beautiful and diverse country, somehow still locked away in its medieval times. From people still riding horses as transportation, to the multiple fortified medieval cities, Romania will certainly take your breath away.
One of the best things to do in Romania is a road trip around Transylvania, which we did, for 9 days and the hardest part was to come back to reality!
We have prepared a complete downloadable guide (scroll all the way down to get it), so if you are planning a road trip in Romania, make sure you download it and take it with you so you don’t miss a thing!!
9 Days Transylvania Road Trip
Why should you travel around Romania by car?
We are strong believers that the best way to discover Romania is by renting a car. But don’t panic, it is also quite easy to travel around the main cities by public transportation, by bus or train. However, be aware that the best Romania has to offer is often located in the least known places (in our opinion, of course), therefore having the flexibility to drive around will maximise the opportunities to be completely blown away by this country’s beauty!
Even though renting a car can sometimes be slightly more expensive than traveling by public transports, car rentals in Romania are actually extremely affordable when compared to other European countries. We paid 42£ for 9 days for the car rent and a total of 95£ for fuel.
If you are concerned about safety, rest assured: the roads in Romania are in pretty good conditions and we barely noticed any traffic (avoid driving in Bucharest though, it is CHAOTIC!). There are very few highways, which means you will be driving in some of the smallest roads in the countryside, but don’t let that put you off: that’s what will make this road trip unforgettable!
Itinerary
Let’s dive into our epic Transylvania road trip, shall we?
Day 1 - Cluj Napoca
We landed in Cluj Napoca early afternoon and, after picking up our car, we went straight to our hotel to leave our luggage and get ready to start exploring the city.
Our first stop was in the biggest and most important square in this city. Once you’re in Union Square, there is no way you’ll miss the Saint Michael Church, considered the 2nd largest church in Transylvania. Hard to miss will also be Matthias Corvinus Statue (King of Hungary), right at the heart of the square, and a few meters away you will find Matthias Corvinus House. Yes, you guessed it right, this was the house where he was born.
Union square is one of the liveliest spots of the city with a lot of movement, restaurants, cafes and other shops. Allow yourself to explore every corner of it, you won’t regret it.
We were extremely tired from our flight, so after spending a few hours exploring the tiny streets of Cluj Napoca, we decided to end our day by relaxing in Central Park. The park is a famous spot to go for a walk, read a book or simply stare at people (we are weirdos, we know that).
Day 2 - Cheile Turzii, Cluj Napoca
The day started with a 45 minute drive through a beautiful scenery in Romania’s countryside. Hard to miss, the Cheile Turzii immediately appeared on the horizon, showing all of its beauty and magnificence. But don’t let this fool you! It will make you suffer before it rewards you with its impressive views and natural beauty (in order to get there, you need to put on your best hiking shoes!)
Right after we parked our car, it was time to choose our hiking trail from a handful of diverse trails available. Obviously, we discarded the hardest ones right away, but we didn’t really want to admit we were unprepared hikers (make sure you watch our YouTube video to see what an unprepared hiker looks like!), so we chose a trail with a medium difficulty level and off we went.
Struggles and sweat drops aside (not counting the amount of times we said “should we go back?”), we were not ready for what would greet us… The peace, silence and amusement we felt when we got to the place that felt like the top of the World (LITERALLY) is impossible to put down in words. We took our time, had lunch together, contemplated the planes passing by and simply enjoyed each other’s company.
After a couple of hours, we knew there was more to see and do. We were just starting and we couldn’t be more excited to see if anything would beat this moment. We drove back to Cluj Napoca and stopped at Meron Coffeshop to rest and treat ourselves, preparing for what was next!
We spent a few moments taking in the amazing views over the city from Cetatuia Park, before we drove to Hoia Forest, probably the creepiest thing we have ever done. Hoia Forest is well known for being the most haunted forest in Europe! Thinking about scratching this off from your itinerary? You really should! (kidding!) 1 million euros’ question: What do you find more scary?
abandoned shovel.
high pitch scream from an unidentified person
a man we both saw but don’t appear in any of the footage
all of the above
Congratulations! You’ve just passed the test: ALL OF THE ABOVE!
Day 3 - Sighisoara
We had seen so many reviews online about Sighisoara that it’s safe to say it was probably the place we were most excited about. Sighisoara is a popular tourist destination in Romania, mainly because of its well preserved old town. We constantly felt like we were back in time, in the medieval era!
We took the whole day to explore the narrow cobblestone streets, old medieval buildings and laidback lifestyle of the town that saw Vlad Dracul come to life, before a quick stop in the small village of Biertan to explore its fortified church.
And off we went on the road again, our next destination on the horizon: Brasov.
Day 4 - Brasov
Before departing, some Romanian friends alerted us to the fact that Brasov would probably be our favorite Romanian city, and they were not wrong! Brasov is also one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and despite its relaxed vibes, it has a lot to offer: historical and cultural references, art, beautiful architecture and loads of incredible cafes and restaurants!
Our recommendation? Start your day right at the heart of the city, the Council Square. From there, make your way towards the city outskirts, without forgetting the impressive Tampa Mountain, with the “Brasov” letters on its peak point (Hollywood style).
Day 5 - Rasnov, Bran and Sinaia
A long long day ahead of us, but we were more than excited to see it all!
The day started in the nearby town of Rasnov. To be honest, there is not much to do and see in Rasnov so we headed to Rasnov Citadel straight away. Dominating Rasnov’s skyline, the citadel is incredibly beautiful and it will definitely make your mind and imagination wander back in time, to the year 1221!
But if we were already amazed, we couldn’t wait for the next landmark: Bran Castle! Yeah, tat’s right, Dacrula’s Castle!
The late morning hours were dedicated to explore every corner of this unforgettable landmark that still haunts the imagination of millions of people around the World.
It was then time to eat something quick that we had bought at a nearby supermarket and drive towards Sinaia to explore the magnificent Peles Castle - our favorite Castle in Romania!
Day 6 & 7 - Bucharest
And finally, we arrived at the capital! First impression: DO NOT DRIVE in Bucharest! The city is massive and traffic is an absolute nightmare. It took us such a long time to move around and to reach our accommodation.
We started by exploring the Old Town, a vibrant area of the city filled with shops, restaurants, bars and countless nightclubs!
Bucharest offers a complete different experience when compared to the rest of the country, and being the biggest city in Romania by far, it has so many things to do and see! From the impressive Communist Parliament, to the Triumph Arch and the biggest Thermal Complex in Europe - Therme Bucuresti, you won’t get bored. The city also has a lot of different parks in case you’re looking for some down time to go for a stroll, to read a book or to simply have a drink by the river.
2 days had passed and it was time to move on towards Sibiu.
Day 8 - Sibiu
Sibiu is a fairly small town in the countryside, well known for its medieval city and cultural importance. Unfortunately, we arrived quite late and we couldn’t explore as much as we wished but we highly recommend you spend a night here and discover this little fairytale town!
Sibiu was a strategic stop for us as a we made our way back towards Cluj Napoca, where we would catch our flight back to London.
This road trip took us completely by surprise and we started wondering why Romania sill remains such an underrated destination. It is such a diverse and beautiful country, everyone should be buying tickets to Transylvania non-stop!
There is so much we left out of this road trip that we wanted to explore, but we will happily come back for round 2! You may be wondering why we haven’t included the famous Transfagarasan Road in our visit - considered the most beautiful road in the entire World - but unfortunately, it was still closed due to previous snowfall! If more reasons were needed to return, this is the most important one! If you are visiting from April onwards, make sure you include it in your itinerary, it is definitely a must!
We hope you get to enjoy exploring Romania with us, so we have prepared a downloadable guide with everything you need to know for an incredible road trip around Transylvania: what to visit, where to stay and where to eat for every city we visited!
Download yours for free and thank us later!
