Travel in Romania: when to go, places and advice

The Transylvania of castles and Saxon citadels, the painted monasteries of Bucovina, the Transfăgărășan road snaking at 2,000 m and the Danube delta, the largest wetland in Europe: Romania has remained one of the continent's best-kept secrets. You pass horse-drawn carts and brown bears, sleep in fortified villages, and the Dracula myth hovers over landscapes that need no help to fascinate.

Capital: Bucharest
Currency: Romanian leu (RON)
Language: Romanian
Direct flight: ≈ 3 hr from Paris
Time difference: +1 hr all year round

Itineraries

Our trip ideas in Romania

The itineraries in Romania are in the works: the day-by-day programme, named hotels, tickets to book flagged in advance. Leave your address to be notified when they come out.

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The right season

When to go in Romania?

May-June and September are perfect: green Transylvania, monasteries in the light, mountain roads open. July-August heat the plains but remain the only full window for the Transfăgărășan and the delta. Winter, harsh, has its fairy-tale side: citadels under snow, the Christmas markets of Sibiu and skiing in the Carpathians.

January : In-between
February : In-between
March : In-between
April : Pleasant
May : Ideal
June : Ideal
July : Pleasant
August : Pleasant
September : Ideal
October : Pleasant
November : In-between
December : In-between

Ideal
Pleasant
In-between
Avoid

Quick guide

Understanding Romania

Getting around

The car is the right choice: distances are long, trains slow, and the finest roads (Transfăgărășan, Transalpina) are earned at the wheel. Watch for carts and dogs on the secondary roads.

Money

The leu (RON), not the euro. Cards work well in the cities, cash remains useful in the countryside and the monasteries. The cost of living is among the lowest in the European Union.

Language

Romanian, a Latin language: a French or Italian speaker deciphers much of it in writing. French is still spoken by the older generation, English by the young.

Useful apps

Bolt and Uber in the cities, CFR Călători for the trains, and Waze, much used locally, to anticipate the real state of the roads.

Accommodation

Generous family pensions (pensiunea), restored Saxon guesthouses in Transylvania and delta cabins. The welcome is warm and the tables plentiful.

Etiquette

Take your shoes off in private homes, accept the welcome țuică, and cover shoulders and knees in the monasteries. Orthodox priests are photographed with their consent.

The iconic places

Peleș Castle

Sinaia

The summer residence of Romania's kings, a neo-Renaissance masterpiece bristling with turrets at the foot of the Carpathians. The interior is sumptuous.

Bran Castle

Bran

The perched fortress associated with Dracula. The myth sells, but the medieval castle and its secret passages are worth the visit in themselves.

Sighișoara

Transylvania

The best-preserved inhabited Saxon citadel in Europe, its Clock Tower and its pastel lanes. Vlad the Impaler was born here, UNESCO.

Transfăgărășan

Carpathians

90 km of switchbacks up to lake Bâlea at 2,034 m, the most spectacular road in Europe according to Top Gear. Open from July to October.

Monasteries of Bucovina

Romanian Moldavia

Voroneț and its exterior frescoes of inimitable blue, painted five centuries ago and UNESCO-listed. An art unique in the world.

Danube Delta

Tulcea

The river dissolves into channels, reed beds and lakes peopled with pelicans. By boat at daybreak, wild Europe still exists.

Tap a dot, or browse the list below the map.

Peleș Castle : The royal residence of Sinaia
Bran Castle : Dracula's castle
Brașov : The Council Square and the Black Church
Sighișoara : The Saxon citadel, UNESCO
Sibiu : The great square and its roofs with eyes
Lake Bâlea : The summit of the Transfăgărășan
Voroneț : The monastery of legendary blue
Danube Delta : Pelicans and channels, UNESCO
Palace of the Parliament : The colossus of Bucharest
Salina Turda : The salt mine turned theme park