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In this post I describe a 5-day itinerary in Romania, or rather a small Transylvania trip!

Ivano, Mauro and I decided that the classic annual reunion would be in Romania: the 5 days in Transylvania confirmed the goodness of the choice

Day 1 of the Transylvania trip: Bucharest

As always, we arrived in the destination city on three different planes. Bucharest did not appeal to me much, and after some research on the Internet I identified the best place to spend the day while waiting for the arrival of the companions: the spa. These are located near the airport, and for about 12 euros allow you to spend three relaxing hours soaking: highly recommended! In the evening we went for a walk around the downtown clubs, among which ‘The Drunken Lords’ stands out.

Day 2 of the Transylvania trip : from Bucharest to Brasov

Ivano and Ivano woke up ‘quite’ early and went to visit the Parliament, which, in my opinion, stands out for its ugliness: built in 1984, it stands out for its gigantic size and for an architectural style that was obsolete even in the 1960s. After this walk, our Transylvania road trip began.

The first stop was the castle of Peles: from the outside it is definitely beautiful, while the visit inside I find very chaotic (in fact, this castle is visited with a guide: the groups, in my opinion, are too large and this makes it possible to hear little of what the guide says). From Peles we went to Brasov: we had dinner at the Sergiana restaurant (recommended!) and then sunrise at local clubs.

Day 3 of the travel to Transylvania : from Brasov to Sighisoara

I woke up definitely earlier than my two friends and had time to take a walk in the beautiful center of Brasov: this town offers its best from the two towers (black and white) from where you can see the city center from above. After Brasov, we went to visit Dracula’s castle, located in Bran: the picture at sunset describes quite well how gloomy this place can be. Bran Castle is at the heart of any trip to Transylvania. From Bran we went to Sighisoara.

Day 4 of the Transylvania trip : from Sighisoara to Sibiu

Sighisoara is a fabulous little town. The small square and clock tower are worth a visit, and it is nice to get lost in this cobblestone town. From Sighisoara we left to visit the rural communities of Viscri and Biertan, which are home to fortified churches that are definitely worth a visit. We also visited Rupea Castle, which is located near Viscri. This day was the most rural of our Transylvania trip, and it was perhaps the most beautiful. Finally, from Rupea, we left for Sibiu, which hosts a beautiful market in the main square at Christmas time. Lunch at the ‘House of Taste‘ in Rupea and dinner at the ‘Kulinarium‘ in Sibiu were a nice icing on the cake.

Day 5 of the Transylvania trip: from Sibiu to Bucharest

The last detour of the trip took us to tiny Sibiel, home to a church and an interesting museum of glass paintings. From Sibiel we set off again toward Bucharest, passing through icy winter landscapes. After having dinner in the famous Caru Cu Bere (good, but with revisable service) we went for our last palinka drinks at the excellent Control Club.

Day 6 of the Transylvania trip : flying to Rome

End of Transylvania trip: return home, flying over the Gran Sasso d’Italia. To me these are spectacular places, and every time I see them I am fascinated!

What to add?

Romania is truly a country to be discovered: it would be nice to visit in the summer, maybe while cycling!

Budget for a trip to Transylvania

A trip to Romania is on a budget, but not too much, at least in Transylvania where tourism is well established anyway. Let’s say that, on average, what costs 10 euros in Italy costs 8 euros in Romania. Airbnb prices have always been great, and the quality of the apartments always excellent.

PLACES NOT TO BE MISSED IN A TRANSYLVANIA TRIP

My podium of places not to miss during a trip to Transylvania are Bran Castle, Viscri, Sighisoara

Travel to Transylvania: when & how much

Romania can be visited year-round (in fact, we went in December). It would definitely be advisable to go in the summer, especially in July and August when the Transfăgărășan is open, a 90-km mountain road that looks like a marvel ! In five days we saw so much; a week or so would have been preferable.

TIPS, SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A TRIP TO TRANSYLVANIA

• Transylvania is a wonder, both historically and in terms of nature.

• I cannot say the same thing about Bucharest: the Romanian capital, in fact, offers very little to tourists. I therefore recommend stopping as little as possible in the capital and going to the smaller Romanian realities, which are definitely more interesting.

• It is recommended to rent a car to visit Transylvania at its best: in fact, many towns are not easily reached by buses (especially Viscri and Biertan). In five days of rental we drove about 1000 km: the roads are generally nice and clean, and also offer interesting rural landscapes (we especially enjoyed the winter landscape as we were returning to Bucharest)

• Sergiana in Brasov was my favorite restaurant of this five-day .

• We always found a place to sleep thanks to Airbnb, and we always got along perfectly!