Romania is not on everyone’s bucket list and this summer before flying to the Middle East I decided to spend 3 days in Dracula’s land trying to understand why. Even after my short time spent there, I still don’t have the answer. Romania has a lot of hidden and not-so-hidden gems worth discovering. A truly beautiful country, rich in history, magical castles, churches and so much more.
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Visa requirement
Since Romania is in European Union, you will not need a visa as a Canadian or American as long as you don’t stay more than 90 days.
Transportation
Flying: All major airports like the ones in Bucharest, Cluj or Timisoara are connected with Europe and serviced by Low Cost Airlines like WizzAir, RyanAir or regular airlines like Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, Tarom (the Romanian airline).
Train: is another great cost- efficient option (including a sleeping wagon) to move between cities, but same like air transportation, you would miss most of the nature-filled beauty / castles that are outside of the major cities.
Car: We decided to rent a car from Budapest (Hungary) and drive it to Romania’s capital Bucharest. This gave us the opportunity to see some castles along the way and see some of the most famous sites. One being the famous Transfagarasan Highway named “The Best Road in the World”.
Our goal before reaching Bucharest was to see the following famous highlights:
Hunyadi Castle
Only 2.5 hours away from the Hungarian border lies the Hunyadi Castle, considered as one of the most beautiful castles in Romania and one of the largest castles in Europe. It was built as a defense fortress against the Ottoman Invaders. Built in 1440, this impressive castle watches over the city of Hunedoara with its Gothic architecture.. Tickets are around 9 Euros per adult, but once cross the wooden bridge that leads to the entrance of the castle, you witness a beautiful, restored building with multiple chambers.
The Knights Hall
The Knight Hall, dating from the 15th century Transylvania is situated in the Western side of the castle, at the ground floor. The hall is divided into two areas. It served as a dining room for festive occasions, but also as a council and judgment room for noblemen.
Bran Castle
Another 3 hours of driving, we arrived at the main attraction. Bran Castle is often linked to the famous vampire Count Dracula. The Romanian castle resembles Castle Dracula, as described in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula (1897). The impressive castle stands on rocky precipices and command spectacular views. After paying the entrance of 8.5 Euros you emerge yourself in history and myths. Beautifully maintained and redecorated, the castle, now a museum, leaves the desire of exploring the history and learning more about this beautiful land Transylvania and their kings. Once we left, we decided to spend the night in Sighisoara and leave early morning towards the Transfagarasan road that crosses the mountains to Wallachia.
Highly recommended book to read before getting here.
Transfagarasan Road
Named “The Best Road in the World” by the famed Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, his strategic road connects Transylvania to Muntenia and reaches an altitude of 2,042 meters, making it the second-highest mountain pass in Romania that you cross by car.
Interesting fact: The Transfagarasan road was build in the beginning of the 70s during the presidency of Nicolae Ceaușescu as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by USSR. The communist leader at that time wanted to have fast military access across the mountains in case of an unexpected invasion from the soviet side.
Because of its high altitude, the road is open only 3-4 months per year, so August was the perfect month to pass through. It is a winding, twisty-turny road, carved with steep hairpin turns, long S-curves and sharp descents. It is one of the top attractions that Romania has to offer.
We picked the more exciting route, from the North, since its more dramatic and special, entering the road at Cârțișoara and did a quick stop at Balea Lac for a quick lunch where we could pick from all the local goodies prepared just in front of us. From Balea Lac, the descendent starts and you get the most breathtaking views. Not to mention, we were “greeted” along the way by bears.
Curtea de Arges Monastery
At the bottom of Transfagarasan lies one of the most beautiful Romanian monasteries, where the burial places of multiple Romanian kings are.
Interesting fact: A legend tells of Radu Negru Voievod, hired Manole as architect. With Manole being unable to finish the walls, the king threatened him and his assistants with death. At last Manole suggested that they should follow the ancient custom of placing a living woman into the foundations; and that she who first appeared on the following morning should be the victim. Unfortunatelly for Manole, the first person that arrived the next morning was his pregnant wife. And the cathedral was built. When Manole and his masons told the king that they could always build an even more beautiful building, Radu Voievod had them stranded on the roof. Like in Icarus legend, they fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof, but, one by one, they all fell to the ground and died. . And now on our way to Bucharest, where first we dropped our car since public transportation but more important rental scooters were everywhere.
Bucharest
Hotel Stay: We picked a hotel, Mercure City Center, located perfectly, close to all attractions, close the old city center. But if you prefer a different hotel, feel free to use the search box below.
How to get around Bucharest: The best way to get around is through scooter, called Limes. With Limes you can jump from one spot to another without waiting for Uber or public transportation. Two people can ride one and it makes getting around much more fun and spontaneous. You feel so wild and free as you breath in the European air and go moderately fast towards your next destination. Cost of Lime is around 0.7 USD to start and 0.13 USD per minute. Everything being so close, each trip, was pocket money, plus again, it's the perfect breeze in a hot month like August.
Places Worth The Visit – Old City Center, Romanian Atheneum, Palace of Parliament, CEC old building, Stravropoleos Monastry, Hanul lui Manuc, Carul cu bere and so much more. In 2 days we had to pick the best.
Old City Center
Old City Center is packed plenty of bars and small cozy restaurants. The small streets from Old Town were once the main commercial streets of the city. Their names are in fact, the legacy of the past when people brought products from all the over of the world and sold their products to the elites of the capital.
Here you will also find the famous Stravropoleos Monastry that survived the bulldozing of old buildings ordered by their former dictator, Ceausescu. In the old town, you will find 2 places that you don’t want to miss if you are fan of trying Romanian food, beer, folk music and their national dancing…
Hanul lui Manuc in translation, Manuc Inn, is the oldest operating hotel building in Bucharest. Inside you will find a traditional restaurant with opulent Romanian dishes and folk music. At one point the dancers came and start picking people for dancing together forming a huge “hora”. I skipped it, staying faithful to my Latin dancing style ☺.
For old style beer house, Carul cu bere, will bring you back in time, serving local beer with of course Romanian old music.
Romanian Atheneum
Romanian Atheneum is a concert hall and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Home of the famous "George Enescu" Philharmonic and of the George Enescu Festival it opened its doors in 1888.
Palace of the Parliament
The Palace of the Parliament is the seat of the Parliament of Romania. It is impressive, being the heaviest building in the world and second largest after Pentagon. During Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime, this building is a symbol of the old communist times. Due to its solid wood furniture, crystal chandeliers, impressive dimensions, huge marble columns this palace is one of the most visited touristic objectives in Bucharest.
Highlight of my Trip:
Unirii Square Bucharest at Night
One of the absolute best moments I had in Bucharest was riding on the scooter late at night through the Unirri Square in Bucharest. The warm air, wind in my face, beautifully lit fountains constantly changing color, with the bright gold Parliament ahead. A truly magical area to visit at night, and an absolute must have when in Bucharest.
Food
I couldn’t finish this blog without a special mention for Romanian food. Cabbage rolls with yogurt on top, a must try, but more important papanasi. I am drooling just thinking about it, a traditional Romanian fried doughnut made with cottage cheese and topped with smetana (like sour cream) and sweet jam. It seemed that this delicatessen has it's word around town, because while passing an Italian tour group we heard the guide talking about it the same way he would a famous monument.
Best books about Romania
In Europe's Shadow: Two Cold Wars and a Thirty-Year Journey Through Romania and Beyond by Robert Kaplan
Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire - Victor Sebestyen
Red Horizons: The True Story of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescus' Crimes, Lifestyle, and Corruption by Ion Mihai Pacepa
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