We love European cities. We love the art and the culture and the food. We love the old buildings and the museums and the people. But a word of advice when visiting Romania, get out of the city! Rent a car, and leave it all behind because the Romanian countryside is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see. On our recent trip to Romania, we flew into Bucharest and immediately hit the road. Best decision ever!
First off, the Transylvanian region of Romania is much safer than Bucharest. You don’t have to worry about pick pockets, stray dogs, and drunkards. We felt 100% completely safe traveling through Transylvania with our 2 little kids. Besides that, it is almost completely surrounded by the breath-taking Carpathian Mountains. Adding to the beauty of this region, ancient castles and citadels dot the landscape and make you feel like you have taken a step back in time. Below is our recommended travel plan. It will only take you about 5 hours to drive the whole loop (map here) but of course you’ll want to stop in each place and soak it all in. We took 4 days, which was just a bit rushed. I would have liked to have 5.
Peles and Pelişor Castles – Peles is the larger of the two but they are situated within walking distance of each other. We actually only paid to go inside of the first one but I don’t feel like we missed out by not seeing the other. Peles is absolutely stunning from the outside. You can park just to the East of the castle and then walk (about 10 min.) up to it. The inside is remarkable as well. It has a very Baroque feeling with lots of dark wooden carvings. I’m not sure if it was just our guide or the entire staff, but she seemed to have it out for children. And not just ours. So, just a warning: they’ll let them in but not in a baby carrier, and they make no promise of friendliness. The museum is also very strict and if you so much as breath on something wrong, you’re sure get a scolding look. All in all, however, it was incredible to see. They have a website where you can look up tour times and prices.
Rasnov Fortress – The best thing about this fortress is its placement in the Mountains. I still dream about that view. The second best thing about it are the actors. There are about 5 or 6 paid actors who dress up in old medieval clothes and pretend to be people from the time period. We’re not sure if they are famous or not because they all sell autographed photos, postcards, buttons, and kitchen magnets of themselves in their costumes. It’s so great! There is such a fun feeling in the air here. My new dream job is to work at Rasnov. It’s a good little hike to get to the top but it’s worth it. Again, I say, look at that view! 
Bran Castle – Just a 15 min drive from Rasnov is this amazing structure, also know as “Dracula’s Castle” for its fictitious ties to Bran Stoker’s novel. This is by far the most popular tourist destination in Romania. We waited in line for about 30 min. just to get in. The surrounding area houses an old marketplace with lots of vendors. Right along the strip they are mostly selling tourist junk like “I love Dracula” t-shirts and fake vampire teeth. But turn the corner and you’ll find that others are selling more worth while items like hand painted pottery and homemade Romanian sweet bread called 
“kurtos”. SO yummy! It’s hard to get a decent view of the outside of the castle unless you are willing to drive away from it. But the inside is beautiful. Funny that it’s closest fictional ties are to Dracula when it feels as though it should be home to Prince Charming (except for maybe the torture room, but that’s an extra fee anyway). Once inside, the self guided tour takes about an hour. It really is rather impressive. For more information on visiting the castle, click here.
Rupea Fortress – One of the best things about Romania is that grande fortresses, like this one, just appear along the side of the road. We had no plans to see this castle, but on our drive up to Sighișoara, there it was. And we just had to see it. Let’s just say that the hour detour was well spent.
Sighișoara Tower- Actually the entire town of Sighișoara is worth seeing. The Tower itself cost a small fee but you can see the whole city from the top and it really is amazing. We just wandered around town for half a day and took it in. 
The cemetery and the church at the top of hill are also worth the hike. Sighișoara is said to be be birth place of Vlad the Impaler – Dracula! And they won’t let you forget it. You can even pay about a dollar to see “the room where Dracula was born”. Which is just an old man dressed like a Vampire waiting to scare you in a dark attic as some corny music plays in the background. So funny. But maybe not for the kids. The food at the Dracula House restaurant (on the second floor) is quite delicious. This is a great little city.
Biertan Fortified Church – Another spontaneous stop. We saw a sign that said “Castle 2 Kilometers —>” and we went. A bit off the beaten path, but that’s part of the charm. The castle is the focal point of this tiny town as it reigns supreme from its home on the hill-side. It’s surrounded by a little farming community of about 1,500 people. The tour isn’t expensive but it closes at 5pm and they won’t let you in after 4:30. We barely made it and we’re glad we did. Biertan is also just a short 30 min. drive from the city of Medias (where you can’t drive a car anywhere in the old town so plan for a little walking).
Făgăraș Caslte – What a tragedy that we ran out of time and didn’t get a chance to see this castle. I’ve included in on the must see loop because I regret that we didn’t make it here. Făgăraș is completely surrounded by the original old moat. This castle was the home of the Transylvanian Princesses and has many items, like wedding dresses and veils, on display. If you’ve ever been here, let us know what it was like. We’re dying to know. If you have an extra day, Hunyad Castle (also called Corvin Castle) is about a 2 1/2 hour drive west of Făgăraș. We didn’t make it out that far but the pictures look amazing! We hope to make it back someday.
If it’s a city that you are looking to see, we would suggest staying in Sighișoara and Brașov. The city of Brașov is right off the main highway and it’s adorable. It is nestled right up against the mountain and has a great little old town square. Not to mention the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted in my life. And we’ve been to Belgium. It’s a little shop called “chocolat” (yes, without the e). It’s right across the street from the old town square. Don’t miss it! When traveling through Romania, remember that this country is not nearly as developed as some of its neighbors. You probably won’t get a map of the city from the hotel and you might not always be able to find wifi. We were also warned not to drink the tap water. But despite all that, or maybe because of it, it holds a peaceful and preserved charm like nowhere else we’ve been.
Oh, Romania! I can’t imagine a life where I never met you. So GO! Start planning your trip. I promise you won’t regret it.
Jack & Jill see the world 