Romania

Discover the wonders of Romania with our comprehensive travel guide. Learn about Romania's weather patterns and the best times to plan your visit. Find out how to navigate the country efficiently and explore top cities and must-see destinations. Treat your taste buds to Romania's delicious traditional dishes that you simply can't miss. Uncover hidden gems that most tourists overlook, making your Romanian adventure truly special.

Weather and Best Time to Visit

Transylvania (Central Romania): May to September offers pleasant temperatures for exploring medieval castles and picturesque towns. September brings vibrant autumn colors to the forests.

Bucharest & Southern Plains: April to June and September to October provide comfortable weather for sightseeing in the capital. July-August can be quite hot, often exceeding 30°C.

Black Sea Coast: June to early September is ideal for beach activities and seaside resorts, with water temperatures reaching their peak in August.

Carpathian Mountains: June to August for hiking and mountain activities. December to March for winter sports in resorts like Poiana Brașov and Sinaia.

Maramureș & Bucovina (Northern Romania): May to October is perfect for visiting the painted monasteries and traditional villages. Late September showcases beautiful fall foliage.

How to Get to Romania

Henri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest airport, located near Bucharest. It handles over 14 million passengers annually and serves as the main gateway to the country for most international travelers.

Cluj-Napoca International Airport provides convenient access to the university city of Cluj-Napoca and the Transylvania region. Traian Vuia International Airport serves Timișoara in western Romania.

Several regional airports offer direct access to specific destinations:

• Iași Airport: Serves the cultural center of the Moldova region
• Sibiu Airport: Provides access to this medieval city
• Craiova Airport: Connects travelers to southwest Romania
• Constanța Airport: Offers direct access to the Black Sea coastal areas
• 
  

Recent renovations and expansions have improved facilities across Romania's airports, making travel throughout the country more accessible and comfortable.

How to Get Around

Romania's transportation network tells the story of a country bridging past and present. 

Trains rumble along Romanian Railways tracks, connecting bustling cities and quiet towns. Some carriages move slowly through mountain passes, while others speed between major destinations. The rail system works well for travelers who want to watch the landscape change through their window.

Buses fill the gaps where train tracks don't reach. They carry passengers to hillside villages and rural communities that remain tucked away from main routes.

A rental car opens up Romania's back roads. Driving yourself means stopping whenever a Transylvanian fortress appears on a distant hill or a roadside fruit stand catches your eye. Mountain roads twist and climb, asking for careful attention but rewarding drivers with views across valleys.

City streets have their own rhythm. Bucharest's subway trains run through stations that feel like underground art galleries, each with its own design theme. Buses and trams above ground connect neighborhoods in cities across the country.

Taxis wait at train stations and city centers, offering reasonable fares compared to Western Europe. In larger cities, ride-sharing apps connect travelers with local drivers who often share stories and recommendations along the way.

In some countryside areas, horse-drawn carts still clop along roadways, carrying farmers and their goods between villages, a living connection to traditions that continue alongside modern life.

For booking transportation, check Romanian Railways or Transfero for reliable service.

Food Scene

In Bucharest, the kitchen prepares sarmale — cabbage leaves wrapped around seasoned minced meat and rice, slow-cooked until tender. They serve these alongside mămăligă, a cornmeal porridge that Romanians have eaten for centuries. Local cooks prepare mici — hand-rolled meat tubes that sizzle before being passed to hungry diners.

Morning light filters through Obor Market's halls as farmers arrange red peppers, forest mushrooms, and homemade cheeses at their stalls. Shoppers taste before they buy, and the aroma of fried dough fills the air. In Cluj-Napoca, Piața Unirii buzzes with people buying langos — discs of fried dough topped with garlic, sour cream and cheese that warm your hands on cool Transylvanian mornings.

Regional Specialties:

• Transylvania: Street vendors twist dough around wooden cylinders to make kürtőskalács, coating them with sugar that caramelizes over coals. In small taverns, bean soup steams in bowls, and chunks of smoked ham add richness to each spoonful.
• 
  
• Moldova: Families gather around tables laden with Moldavian stew, meat and vegetables that have simmered all afternoon. Plăcintă pastries, filled with soft cheese or apples, accompany afternoon coffee.
• 
  
• Dobrogea: Fishermen bring their morning catch to seaside restaurants, where cooks prepare it simply with herbs and lemon. The desserts carry hints of rose water and pistachios, echoing the region's Turkish heritage.

Hidden Gems

1. Corvin Castle (Hunedoara)

Stone towers reach toward the sky as a bridge stretches across a deep ravine at this Gothic-Renaissance fortress. The castle walls have stood for centuries, witnessing history unfold in this corner of Transylvania. In May or September, footsteps echo through the halls without competing with summer crowds, and the air feels just right for exploring. 

Trains make the six-hour journey from Bucharest, or visitors can drive 90 minutes from Sibiu, following roads that wind through the Romanian countryside before revealing the castle on the horizon.

2. Transfagarasan Highway 
The road twists and turns like a ribbon dropped across the mountains. Cars move slowly around sharp corners, drivers pausing at viewpoints where the land falls away into valleys below. At the highest point sits Bâlea Lake, its waters reflecting the sky. 

The mountain passes open only during summer months, from July through September, when winter's snow retreats. Early risers catch the road at its quietest, with morning light illuminating the peaks. 

From Sibiu, drivers reach the highway in about two and a half hours, while day-trippers from Bucharest join tours heading for the heights.

3. Peles Castle (Sinaia)
Wood carvings adorn rooms where kings once walked. Chandeliers hang from painted ceilings, and windows frame mountain views at this German Neo-Renaissance palace. The 160 rooms tell stories of royal life in the Carpathians. 

Visitors who arrive during April, May, or June, especially midweek, often find themselves with space to linger in the ornate chambers. 

Trains from Bucharest reach Sinaia in 90 minutes, leaving travelers with a pleasant uphill stroll through the forest to reach the castle grounds.

Scenic Routes

Romania unfolds like chapters in a storybook, its landscapes changing with each turn of the page. From castle-topped hills to quiet village roads, the country reveals itself best when you're moving between destinations.

Sibiu to Sighisoara: The train clicks along tracks between two medieval towns where history still lives in stone walls and narrow streets. Come in autumn when the hills wear patches of red and gold. Farmers work their fields as they have for generations, and the train window frames each scene like a moving photograph. 

Oradea to Cluj-Napoca: This western route cuts through valleys where rivers have carved paths for centuries. In spring, meadows burst with blues, yellows and purples as wildflowers take over. The train slows at small stations where locals board with baskets of produce and homemade cheese. 

Timisoara to Bucharest: This day-long journey crosses Romania from the border to the capital. Summer brings green fields that stretch to the horizon. Mountains rise, then fall away to plains. Villages appear and disappear, each with its church spire marking the center of life. 

Cluj-Napoca to Sighisoara: Between these Transylvanian landmarks, the train follows rivers that cut through hills. Early autumn paints everything in soft light that photographers chase. Windows frame fortified churches and shepherds with their flocks. 

Busteni to Sinaia: The Bucegi mountains tower overhead on this short mountain passage. In winter, snow blankets everything except the dark green pines. The train moves slowly enough to spot chamois on distant slopes and to admire the royal castle peeking through trees. 

Events, Festivals and Local Markets

When winter blankets the medieval square of Sibiu, something wonderful happens at Târgul de Crăciun Sibiu (Christmas Market). Craftspeople set up wooden stalls selling hand-carved ornaments, the air fills with cinnamon and mulled wine aromas, and children laugh while riding the carousel. As darkness falls, thousands of lights twinkle against historic buildings dating back centuries.

Every summer, theaters across Sibiu throw open their doors for the Festivalul Internațional de Teatru Sibiu (Sibiu International Theatre Festival). Actors, dancers, and musicians from dozens of countries perform in venues ranging from grand theaters to open courtyards. You might find yourself watching a Shakespeare play in a 15th-century square one evening, then catching an avant-garde performance in a converted factory the next.

In the hills near Baia Mare, Sâmbra Oilor (Sheep Gathering) marks the arrival of spring as it has for generations. Shepherds in traditional white wool jackets lead their flocks up mountain paths while villagers gather to share homemade cheese, freshly baked bread, and țuică (plum brandy). Musicians play doinas (Romanian folk songs) on instruments their grandfathers taught them to make, and dancers stomp and twirl in patterns unchanged for centuries.

Best Places to Visit

1. Bucharest

Romania's capital tells a story in its architecture, neo-classical buildings stand beside concrete communist-era blocks. Walk through the Old Town where narrow streets reveal small cafes and shops tucked between centuries-old churches. The Palace of Parliament looms large, the second-largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon.

Late spring brings comfortable weather around 21°C/70°F with linden trees perfuming the air. September offers golden light and fewer tourists, perfect for exploring the city's green spaces like Cișmigiu Gardens.

Every weekend, musicians fill the domed Romanian Athenaeum with classical notes that resonate through its perfect acoustics. Summer evenings on Calea Victoriei bring locals and visitors together as artists display their work along the historic boulevard.

How to get to Bucharest

• -Direct flights to Henri Coandă International Airport from major European cities
• -Train connections from Budapest, Vienna, and other European capitals
• -Bus services from neighboring countries and Romanian cities

2. Brasov

Between mountain peaks, Brasov's red-tiled roofs and medieval walls tell tales of Saxon merchants and Teutonic knights. The Black Church stands dark against the sky, its walls blackened by a fire centuries ago. High above the old town, white letters spell "BRASOV" on Mount Tampa, a landmark visible from almost anywhere in the city.

Summer days in Brasov start cool and reach comfortable warmth, perfect for exploring cobblestone streets. December transforms the city with lights, the scent of mulled wine, and occasionally, a blanket of snow.

In Council Square, melodies drift through the summer air as musicians perform under open skies. Inside the Black Church, the massive organ fills the stone interior with music every Thursday, its 4,000 pipes creating sounds that seem to come from another time.

How to get to Brasov

• -Train service from Bucharest (2.5-3 hours)
• -Daily buses from major Romanian cities
• -Car rental for a scenic drive through Transylvania
• 
  

3. Constanta

Where the land meets the Black Sea, Constanta has welcomed travelers for 2,600 years. Romans, Greeks, and Ottomans all left their mark here. The abandoned Casino building stands at the edge of the sea, its art nouveau shell waiting for restoration while waves crash below its terraces.

Between June and early September, the Black Sea warms to comfortable swimming temperatures, and beach umbrellas dot the sand along the coast.

Navy Day fills the harbor with ships and sailors in white uniforms on August 15th. Summer evenings bring folk dancers to the Tomis Harbor, where traditional Romanian costumes spin in circles as the sun sets over ancient stones and modern yachts.

• 
  
• How to get to Constanta
• -Direct flights to Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport (seasonal)
• -Train connections from Bucharest (2-2.5 hours)
• -Ferry services from Istanbul and other Black Sea ports (seasonal)
• 
  

Tips for Traveling to Romania

VISA & ENTRY

• EU citizens: ID card sufficient
• Non-EU visitors: 90-day visa-free for many countries, including the US, UK, Canada
• Valid passport (6+ months beyond stay)

CULTURAL ETIQUETTE

• Greet with a handshake; friends may kiss cheeks
• Remove shoes when entering homes
• Small gifts are appreciated when visiting locals
• 
  

MONEY MATTERS

• Currency: Romanian Leu (RON)
• Cards are widely accepted in cities; cash is needed in rural areas
• ATMs are readily available in urban areas

HEALTH & SAFETY

• Emergency: 112
• Travel insurance essential
• Tap water is generally safe in cities

TRANSPORTATION

• Trains/buses connect major cities
• Rideshare apps are available in larger towns
• Driving: International permit recommended
•