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Travel Romania in 7 days with this Romania road trip itinerary, designed and traveled by locals.
We are Koen and Veerle and in 2022 we moved to Romania. We have lived in the country for almost 2 years, making Bucharest our home and in the process we fell in love with the country.
In our first year we did a lot of traveling through the country. This road trip in particular, was one of our favorites. It took a little over a week and it made us fall in love with the beauty of Romania.
For this road trip we rented a Dacia logan (a Romanian brand) which costs about 20 euros a day. This was very cheap as unlimited kilometers and insurance were all included in the price.
This is an itinerary for 7 days. You could easily extend this to however many days you like as there is so much to see.
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7 Day Road Trip Itinerary In Romania
Day 1 & 2: Bucharest
Our road trip starts in the capital of Romania, Bucharest. Bucharest has been our home for quite some time now and we have gotten to know it well.
Bucharest lies in the south east of the country and is the largest city of the country. Bucharest has over 3 million inhabitants (unofficially but accordingly) and this is definitely noticeable as the city consists of endless concrete flats, some of them which are in very poor condition.
However, Bucharest has an upside. The city has a cozy center with lots of nice restaurants and old buildings. It also has multiple great shopping malls that will do for a great day trip. Our favorite would be Parklake shopping mall, where the most popular one would be Afi.
If you are done with the hus and fus of the city, you should definitely visit Therme Bucharest spa that lies on the edge of the city. This incredible spa can easily keep you entertained for hours and is the largest spa in Europe.
Bucharest Day 1 – Walking Tour
For day one in Bucharest we recommend taking a 2 hour walking tour that guides you through all the highlights of Bucharest.
- Palace of Parliament: The walking tour starts at the Palace of Parliament. The palace is open to visitors and is the second heaviest building in the world.
- Stravopoleos Covent: The city walk takes you across Union Square to Manuc’s Inn, and then you will walk through Lipscani street to the Stravopoleos Covent.
- National Military Circle: The next landmark on your walk will be the National Military Circle.
- Romanian Athenaeum: From there on you will cross Revolution Square and you come across the Romanian Athenaeum.
- Cismigiu Gardens: You will pass Calea Victoriei and you will end the walking tour at Cismigiu Gardens.
You can find this route with more information on the app ‘’gps my city’’. We have done it multiple times with friends and family visiting us from abroad. It is a great walk. Alongside this walk you will come across many nice restaurants, shops and you will get a great taste of the old town of Bucharest.
Bucharest Day 2 – Spa Day, Shopping & Museums
For the second day we recommend either visiting the Therme Bucharest Spa or one of the many shopping centers.
For the museum lovers, there is a great variety of wonderful museums all throughout Bucharest. When the weather is nice, we recommend the open air ‘’Muzeul Naţional al Satului “Dimitrie Gusti’’. This is a great stop if you want to learn more about Romania’s traditional homes and culture. There is also a great museum of natural history.
Bucharest Traffic Tips
Bucharest traffic is challenging if you are not used to it. Many drivers don’t follow the rules and there are too many cars in the city for the amount of roads. However, if you pay attention and are not in a rush, you should be just fine.
Take in account, almost all gps directions will send you right through the city center in order to get anywhere because there isn’t really a good highway around the city.
If you want to leave the city, as we did when we started our road trip, we recommend simply taking the road that goes around the city. It will take you longer to get out of the city because it is a 2 lane highway, however it is much easier to drive.
Day 3: Salina Slanic Prahova & Sinaia
Salina Slanic Prahova Tour
Once out of the city, the first stop are the salt mines of Slanic called Salina Slanic Prahova. The drive here is about 2 hours.
This mine opened in 1938 and it has 14 chambers. For a long time the mine was exploited by prisoners. Nowadays it is mainly used as a tourist attraction.
You buy a ticket at the parking lot and a small bus will drive you into the mine. This was quite a daunting experience because you drive down the mines for over 15 minutes and you feel in your body that you are deep into the earth.
The mine was incredible and by far one of the most intriguing experiences I have ever had. The sheer size of the mine is astonishing.
The mine itself is really bizarre as the locals don’t seem sure how to arrange the mine for tourists. For example, there is a mini-golf course, a bouncy house, a basketball course and a playground in the mines. It seems a bit out of place but it was still a great experience and we definitely recommend visiting.
Overnight In Sinaia
From here we drove to Sinaia. This is a 1 hour and 40 minute drive but for sure one of our favorite drives. The landscape is absolutely beautiful.
Sinaia is one of our favorite towns in the Carpathian mountains. The road to Sinaia is simply breathtaking and the town itself has great restaurants and many hotels.
We spent the night at a great hotel with a swimming pool and spa.
Sinaia is actually one of the oldest locations in Romania to go for winter sports. The area has 10 ski slopes and many resorts. It has a ski lift up the mountain and during the winter it is still very popular for winter sport fanatics.
Day 4: Castle Pelles, Castle Bran & Brasov
Pelles Castle Tour
The next day we visited Castle Pelles. This is my favorite place in Sinaia. It is surrounded by mountains and forests and offers great views.
Pelles was built between 1875 and 1883. It offered a home to the royal family during the summers for many years.
Former king Micheal the first moved back into the castle in 2008 and lived there till his death in 2017. He often walked around the premisses and collided with tourists as the castle was still open to the public.
We toured the castle and definitely recommend it. This castle is incredible because it is still fully furnished and all information also comes in English. Each room tells a story and overall it is just a beautiful place.
Bran Castle Tour
After Sinaia we drove to another castle, Romania’s most famous castle. This drive is about 55 minutes.
Castle Bran was believed to once be the home of count Vlad III Dracula. The castle dates back all the way to 1377 and has had many owners. The most famous one would (according to the myths) undoubtedly be Dracula, also known as Vlad the impaler.
Count Dracula is of course known for his bad reputation and many speculate that he was a vampire. Although this is just a myth, this castle fully embraces all the myths and legends about this ruler. Recently though it has been concluded that Vlad Dracula never lived in the castle – the connection between Dracula and Castle Bran solely came from the famous novel ‘’Dracula’’.
The castle itself lies on a hill and is very touristy. It is however a beautiful castle with many rooms to explore and outside there is a nice restaurant.
Overnight In Brasov
From Bran we drove to Brasov where we spent the night. This drive is about 30 minutes.
Brasov is a bigger city in the mountains and has it all – mountains, cozy squares, shopping malls, zoos and dense forests. We absolutely loved Brasov.
In the afternoon we visited the black church and the zoo which was very nice.
In the evening we dined at Dei Frati restaurant. This is a very popular restaurant and we definitely recommend making a reservation. The food was delicious and the staff was amazing. The restaurant is small, in the middle of the city center and an excellent foodie gem!
If you are interested in dining a little further from the center, we recommend Chef’s boutique. We had dinner here before and everything was great.
We stayed at an Airbnb near the center and left the next day to visit the bear park.
Day 5: Bear Sanctuary Zarnesti & Sibiu
Bear Sanctuary
Photo Credit
The drive from Brasov to Zarnesti is 40 minutes.
The bear park is a sanctuary in Zarnesti and it houses many bears and other native Romanian wildlife in need of rescuing. The park can only be visited with a tour. The park is very big but you should be able to spot many bears.
Romania is home to many wild bears that mostly live in the Carpathian mountains. Not long ago however, it was still legal to keep bears as pets. They would often live in very small cages and be there for entertainment. The bears in the sanctuary were freed from their cages and now live in the forest of the sanctuary where they are protected.
Overnight In Sibiu
From the sanctuary we drove to Sibiu. This is quite a long bit as it takes over 2 hours. The road to Sibiu however is incredible. The road is surrounded by high mountains and ancient forests.
Sibiu has a very old city center. The cozy streets of Sibiu make you feel like you’re going back in time.
In Sibiu we had had dinner at a local restaurant, spent the night, and left the next morning to go to our next location, the mines of Salina Turda.
Local Tip: We had also been to Sibiu around Christmastime when we visited the Christmas market. We definitely recommend this as it was amazing.
Day 6: Salina Turda & Cluj- Napoca
Salina Turda Mines
The drive from Sibiu to Salina Turda is 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Salina Turda is just like the one in Slanic, a salt mine. These mines are a lot more touristy and you can walk yourself down to the mine which we did.
These mines, just like the other mine we visited, are strangely arranged as this one has a working ferris wheel inside. It also had a table tennis court and a small lake on which you can row with a small boat.
We personally liked the mines in Slanic better but this is a personal preference.
Overnight In Cluj-Napoca
After the mines we drove to Cluj. This is a 40 minute drive.
Cluj or Cluj- Napoca is the second largest city in Romania. The city has lots of universities and is also very popular among the locals.
When we moved to Romania we often asked people in Bucharest what their favorite city in the country was and most answered Cluj. And we get it! The city is amazing with many art studios, museums and a beautiful church.
A great stop while here would be Grădina Botanică “Alexandru Borza”, the botanical gardens of Cluj. There is also a great museum on Jewish history that is worth a visit.
We enjoyed the terraces and the kind people. This city is home to a lot of younger people which means that more people speak English which was great for us. We had a lovely walk around the city and spent the night at an Airbnb.
Local Tip: In case you decide to stay an extra night, from Cluj you can take the most beautiful hikes. Cheili Turzi offers a beautiful hike up to the valley that offers great views.
Day 7: Cluj- Napoca To Bucharest
The next day we started driving back to Bucharest which is a long drive of about 6 to 7 hours. The roads are good though and the drive back is lovely.
Trip Summary
This trip takes you over 1086 kilometers of beautiful roads. In total the drive took over 15 hours spread out over 7 days. During this trip you will visit Bucharest, Slanic Salina Prahova, Sinaia, Bran, Brașov, Sibiu, Salina Turda and Cluj Napoca.
Now this road trip only covered a few highlights of Romania. There is so much more to see and do but we hope this road trip story convinced you to come to Romania and explore this underrated country in all of its beauty.
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