A weekend in Brasov really allows you to appreciate the beauty of the Transylvania region of Romania. Surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, it was worth spending 48 hours in Brasov as opposed to a day trip from Bucharest, something we had originally considered. Having spent four days in Bucharest, we wanted to experience something different. Brasov seemed like a good idea, and we were not disappointed.
Weekend in Brasov Romania Guide to the best:
Getting to Brasov from Bucharest: We took a Bucharest to Brasov train from the Bucuresti Nord station. Two and half hours later, we were in Brasov, the distance covered being 88 miles. The cost was about €7 each converted, so it was a good deal. The trains run often and you can purchase your ticket at the window. The seats were pretty comfortable and it was the same kind of train that had taken us to Sinaia when we visited Peles Castle.
Most people only ever go to Brasov as part of a day trip to visit the famous Bran Castle, which is better known as Count Dracula’s Castle. I know that Brasov is getting more popular with digital nomads, thanks to the lower cost of living and wicked fast internet. For us, it was the beauty and slow pace that attracted us to the city of just over a quarter million inhabitants.
Where to stay in Brasov:
After considering both a hotel and private lodging, we ended up staying at a private lodging that was absolutely perfect. It was easy to check-in, and the place had an excellent location in the center, very clean and spacious. At $31 per night, it was a good deal. A mere 2-minute walk brought us to the building (the center is pedestrian-only and this place was one of the first buildings as you entered a side street). It had everything we needed, including a very helpful guidebook.
An option for a hotel in Brasov that we considered is the Bella Muzica hotel which is also located in the center. For those people for whom only hotels will do, it’s a great choice. We did sneak a look while we were there.
What to do on a Brasov Weekend Visit:
Bran Castle:
Undoubtedly the most popular attraction in the region. The castle is about a half hour from Brasov. Vlad the Impaler, whose last name was actually Dracul, and was the Prince of Wallachia three times during his lifetime, is thought to have resided there. By all accounts, Vlad was an asshole (my choice of words 🙂 ) who raided the Saxon villages, had the people captured, and brought them back to Wallachia to be impaled. I have been corrected (by Robert in the comments who writes all about holidays in Romania) and now know that his father’s name was Vlad Dracul. Yikes… I think it is probably one instance where the father might have regretted giving his son the same name.
Even though the Bran castle has nothing to do with the whole Bram Stoker Dracula story, Brasov tourism is thriving on the mistaken attribution. Good for them! We skipped going to Bran Castle because Peles Castle is the bomb and we were very happy with that. There are frequent buses from Brasov to Bran Castle and you can find the bus times in English here.
Fun things to do in Brasov include:
Free Walking Tour Brasov:
We did the free Walkabout tour of Brasov and it was a great way to discover tidbits about the city. This tour is offered daily and the meeting point is at the main square, Piata Sfatului which was less than a three minute walk from our flat. The tour was pretty good even though l think they could have capped it at about two hours.
You definitely need to have comfortable shoes because there is a lot of walking. We were more than happy to tip at the end because he was a good and knowledgeable kid. Over the next three hours, we walked around the pretty city and checked out some wonderful spots. At the end of the tour, he had us all hold hands in a circle and sing some Romanian song. It was hilarious and a lot of fun, especially with the locals looking on and cracking up! Some highlights of the tour included:
Black Church (Biserica Neagrã):
Gorgeous Gothic architecture on this functional Lutheran church. It was built by Transylvania Saxons of German origin and was completed during the 15th century. Our guide told us of some legends, including one about a German child being murdered and buried within the walls by one of the Bulgarian builders. It became known as the Black Church after a fire destroyed it during an invasion by the Habsburgs.
Rope Street: (Strada Sforii)
Allegedly the narrowest street in the world, or so he started, but l am highly doubtful :-). Originally built to allow the fire brigade to get from one side of the town center to the other without going through the masses, it is quite narrow, but l think the one we saw in the Old Town of Stockholm (Gamla Stan) was even narrower. Now it’s recognized as the 3rd narrowest in Europe. There is a tiny museum right across from it too that has really cool photographs and where we stopped for a bit during the tour.
Piata Sfatului:
This main square is simply gorgeous and we enjoyed people watching, sipping drinks at one of the outdoor cafes and dining at some of the numerous restaurants and cafes that lined the streets. It was a good mix of locals and tourists. Brasov seems chill to me with an attitude that conveys this message “It’s cool if you like us, but you can piss off if you don’t” and l can’t tell you how refreshing that is.
Brasov doesn’t try to impress you, which not only made me like it more, but knowing that literally had me laughing the whole weekend. It’s hard to explain, but suffice it to say that if you think the world revolves around you, think people need to bend over to accommodate you, are looking for “back home”, you belong squarely in the piss off group! 🙂 :-).
Catherine’s Gate Brasov:
Food in Brasov: (what we ate)
You know for us, everything begins and ends with food. We had very good meals in Brasov and I was also surprised that there were so many choices. There was a Caribbean restaurant close to us that looked great food wise from what we could see. We stuck with traditional Roman food though mostly. We also indulged in a lot of coffee and hot chocolate drinks.
We really enjoyed 48 hours in Brasov and l can definitely see the attraction for expats to consider it. I also think Brasov makes for a greet weekend getaway, and if you love skiing, hiking and other outdoorsy stuff, it’s an ideal place to go.
Don’t forget your travel insurance.
Pin it for later:
Have you been or considered visiting Romania? If not, do you think you would prefer the big city of Bucharest like l do, or would you prefer a bit chiller place like Brasov? Do you agree that a weekend in Brasov Romania sounds about right?
I would love to take the free walking tour of Brasov. Romania is such a fascinating country. Would love to visit.
Romania is definitely fascinating. Still ignored by most, but l have a feeling that it will change soon, and hopefully not too much.
The trip looks amazing Kemkem. I know that bean soup is tasty. My grandfather grew up in Transylvania. He made many Romanian meats and other goods for us when we were kids. Unreal food. Filling and tasty.
Oh how cool! I bet his bean soup was really, really good. I think that was my favorite in Romania and we had it at least 5 times 🙂 . Yep, I agree the food is really filling and tasty. The cuisine is really to Nigeria’s..lots of meat :-).
As usual, love your account and photos. Have not considered traveling to Romania but Brasov simply looks very inviting!
Thanks Carolina. Brasov turned out to be a good surprise and l think Romania as a whole is still under the radar, which is sort of a good thing valuewise :-).
What a gorgeous city, I love everything about it, the architecture, colorful venues, food and history. Definitely a city to put on my wish list.
Brasov is definitely a gorgeous city and deserves to be on your wish list in my humble opinion. Thanks for the comment.
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that there’s a KFC in Brasov! Either way, few things can beat the local cuisine in such a beautiful city. So glad you chose to take the trip! Plus, $31 for an AirBnB?? I think I have to book my trip now!
Haha! I’ve always wondered if the chains are more for the travelers so they feel a sense of familiarity or if they are more for the locals so they see what the western decadence is all about :-). The price overall was awesome, we couldn’t resist. I hope we get a chance to go back and explore some more of Romania.
I remember our trip to Brasov fondly. Especially the food. Some of the best cake I’ve ever eaten. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get into the Black Church. Would love to go back one day when we have more time.
I’m glad you have fond memories of Brasov. A very special little place indeed. I hope you get to return one day. I know how hard that is because there is such a llloonngg list, at least for us 🙂
WOW!! Romania should hire you to promote their country! Your photos and narrative were so interesting! I visited Romania three years ago and would love to visit again. If I do Brasov will certainly be on my list of places to visit!
It was easy to write because l really loved the country as a whole. I’m glad you enjoyed the post, and hope you do get to visit Brasov next time your travels bring you to the area :-).
I am really happy to hear that you enjoyed Brasov too. The guide was spot on with the attractions and having you all sing a song at the end sound like heaps of fun. Should’ve filmed that and put it online 😀 The food looks amazing – I just want a soup in bread now since I haven’t had one in a really long time. And the restaurant you found there does look a bit like a palace! Top stuff!
We most definitely did. It just that I am running behind with the posts…haha! Way behind when l look at the time between the posts. Yeah.. it was really funny at the end, everyone was looking at each other, like “are you serious?”..but then we all dove right in and it was fun! That restaurant was the most gorgeous place ever. It looked like yeah..an old palace. The burger and soup were really good too. We really liked the time there. A gorgeous place indeed and loved their Brasov sign! 🙂
Kemkem, wise decision to stay overnight in this gorgeous city. It looks like it is very walkable? Although that very narrow street looked like you could barely walk through it hahaha. I always like to take advantage of the “free” walking tours, since it can be very informative. Romania has not been top of my list, but perhaps it should be? I like that mass tourism has not arrived there yet. Your choice of accomodation looked great, loved that cave restaurant 😄
Yeah.. I know eventually mass tourism will arrive in full force, but for now, one can enjoy most parts of Romania. I really liked it there. Brasov is very walkable and with the mountains, the air is so fresh. That street was quite narrow..just walked a few inches in there and got out :-). The walking tour was great and l always have to remember to do more of them because as you say, you can discover little tidbits! I hope you consider visiting, especially you who likes hiking..you would love it!
Those are great pictures. Brasov looks just like something you’d imagine from a Grimm’s fairy tale. That cave restaurant would have been a unique dining experience!
Thanks Cheryl. You’re right, Brasov does indeed remind you of a Grimm’s fairy tale. Yes, it would make for a great experience. We dined in a cave restaurant in Cesky Krumlov and that was pretty cool :-).
I was thinking the same thing as Cheryl said above, right out of Grimm’s fairy tales! Beautiful photos and a great narrative – as always, love your posts!
Thanks Jackie. Yep.. Brasov really does look like you popped into Hansel and Gretel story or something! Absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for reading :-).
Brasov is a great travel destination for the autumn season. They also have their own version of the German Oktoberfest, usually in September. There are all kinds of music concerts, delicious foods and of course, plenty of beer. Just a little tip for those who like these kind of events.
Hi Luminita! Thanks for letting us know about the Oktoberfest. What an awesome atmosphere it must be with the leaves changing and all. We truly enjoyed our visit to Brasov and hopefully we will return and visit other parts of Romania :-).
OMG! I’m blog binging on your recent travels and each city gets more and more amazing. I have yet to plan much for 2019 but I can definitely say that I’ll be putting on my traveling shoes and hopefully retracing some of your steps. P.S. I had a “Been there, done that” moment when I read your note under the Brasov sign about forgetting the cool thing that the cable operator said. Chucking! Anita
Yeah! the little gray cells are definitely getting cobwebs 🙂 ! Nothing like blog binging..haha! I have been so shocked at how quickly this year went by that l haven’t really thought about 2019. Let’s do some trip somewhere fun together (count me out for Asia though 🙂 ! ). You would definitely like Brasov and yeah.. Vienna.
I went on a trip to Romania two years ago but after seeing the article i would love to go there again.
It’s an absolutely awesome country. I hope you get to revisit soon :-).
Hi Kem,
So wonderful to read your impressions on Brasov, my home town. Too bad you didn’t stay for more days. Brasov is wonderful as a base for exploring the surroundings. Besides exploring the medieval city center, there are a lot more things to do in Brasov. For instance, you can visit the nearby Prejmer Fortified Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or Feldioara Citadel, or the Racos Geological Site… See this list on our blog.
Speaking about your article, I found a few things I needed to clarify. I hope you don’t mind:
About visiting Bran Castle… yes, it’s worth visiting. However, many people don’t know about the nearby Bran National Museum, situated just across the park. Inside here, you can find interesting exhibits that used to be inside the castle (stunning furniture, clothing, weapons, objects, etc). And tickets are dirt cheap too.
Hmm, you made a confusion there. Vlad Dracul is not Vlad the Impaler. Vlad Dracul was actually Vlad the Impaler’s father. It’s a strange coincidence of names and moments that probably gave the castle its name… Dracula’s Castle.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the correction, and l have made the edit. We would definitely like to visit Romania again, we have made wonderful friends and would love to discover more of the beautiful country. It sounds like Brasov still has more to show us and dazzle us with. Any place with stunning furniture and especially weapons sounds interesting to me. Let´s hope we can put this year behind us and everyone can start making plans again.