MyPassportStory
Your travels, worth telling.
MyPassportStory › Destinations › Romania
🇷🇴Things to Do in Romania
From the Dracula legend at Bran Castle to the painted monasteries of Bucovina - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Romania trades heavily on the Dracula association, but the country behind it holds fortified Saxon towns, painted monasteries considered masterpieces of Byzantine art, and one of the largest brown bear populations in Europe across the Carpathian Mountains. Transylvania, in the center, is the natural anchor for most first trips. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Bran Castle
Marketed as 'Dracula's Castle' for its loose association with the Bram Stoker novel, though the historical link is thin - the castle itself is a genuinely striking hilltop fortress worth visiting regardless.
📍 Bran, Transylvania
🚉 Nearest station: Brasov, then bus 130 or 130A from the Autogara 2 terminal to Bran, about 45 minutes, with the castle a five-minute walk from the stop.
Sighișoara
A UNESCO-listed, still-inhabited medieval citadel in Transylvania, and the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, the historical figure who partly inspired the Dracula legend.
📍 Sighișoara, Transylvania
🚉 Nearest station: Sighisoara, on the main line between Brasov and Cluj, a 10-minute walk from the citadel gate - the medieval town is a UNESCO site and entirely walkable.
Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
A cluster of 15th-16th century monasteries in northern Romania, famous for exterior frescoes that have survived centuries of weather - Voroneț's are known for a distinctive deep blue pigment nicknamed 'Voroneț blue.'
📍 Bucovina
🚉 Suceava and Gura Humorului have stations on the northern line; the monasteries themselves are spread across villages served by infrequent buses, so most visitors hire a car or a local driver.
Carpathian Mountains
Home to one of Europe's largest brown bear populations alongside wolves and lynx, with hiking trails through Piatra Craiului and Bucegi National Parks among the most accessible from Brașov.
📍 Near Brașov
🚉 Brasov, Sinaia and Busteni all have stations on the Bucharest-Brasov line, with cable cars from Sinaia and Busteni climbing straight into the Bucegi range from beside the tracks.
Bucharest
Romania's capital, with the Palace of the Parliament - the second-largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon - and a restored old town (Lipscani) of bars and restaurants.
📍 Bucharest
🚉 Nearest station: Gara de Nord for intercity trains, with metro line M1 linking it to Piata Unirii and the Old Town at Piata Universitatii.
Brașov
A Saxon-founded city at the foot of the Carpathians, with a colorful old town square and the narrowest street in Europe, Rope Street, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
📍 Brașov
🚉 Nearest station: Brasov, about 3km from the centre with bus 4 running to Piata Sfatului; trains from Bucharest take two and a half hours through the mountains.
Peleș Castle
A Neo-Renaissance royal castle near Sinaia, built in the late 19th century, with an unusually opulent interior for its relatively recent construction compared to Romania's older fortresses.
📍 Sinaia
🚉 Nearest station: Sinaia, on the Bucharest-Brasov line, then a 20-minute uphill walk through the park to the castle gates.
Transfăgărășan Highway
A high-mountain road across the Carpathians, once featured on Top Gear as one of the best driving roads in the world - typically only open June through October due to snow.
📍 Argeș & Sibiu Counties, Carpathian Mountains
🚉 The mountain road has no public transport and is only open from roughly July to October - it must be driven or cycled, usually as a day trip from Sibiu or Brasov.
Mark Romania, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Romania?
A week covers Bucharest and a Transylvania loop (Brașov, Bran, Sighișoara) well. Ten days lets you add Bucovina's painted monasteries in the north.
What's the best time to visit Romania?
May-September has the warmest weather, and the Transfăgărășan Highway is only open in this window. Winter brings skiing in the Carpathians but closes many mountain roads.
Is Romania good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Transylvania's main towns are well connected by train and easy to navigate, and it remains one of the more affordable countries in Europe to visit.
Do I need a visa to visit Romania?
Romania is in the process of Schengen integration; citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period regardless, while other nationalities need a visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: mae.ro.
What are some things to do in Romania on a tight budget?
Walking Sighișoara's and Brașov's old towns costs nothing, Romanian food at local restaurants is inexpensive relative to Western Europe, and the country's trains are cheap for the distances they cover between Transylvania's main towns.
Can I rent a car in Romania, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and the Transfagarasan and the Bucovina monasteries are effectively unreachable without one. EU and EEA licences are valid as issued; other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit alongside the home licence. Minimum age is usually 21 with a surcharge under 25. A rovinieta road vignette is compulsory on national roads and is normally included with a hire car - confirm it, as checks are automatic. Mountain roads close in winter without much notice, and horse carts still share rural roads. Official information is published by the Romanian Road Authority at arr.ro; cars come from Hertz, Avis and Sixt.