Romania in a week: essential 7-day itinerary

Seven days aren’t enough for Romania. We say it upfront because it’s honest. But seven days is what many people have: a standard week off, Saturday-to-Saturday flights. This route assumes that starting point and proposes a circuit that gives up Maramureș, Bucovina and the Danube Delta to concentrate on the Transylvanian heart and Bucharest: the axis with the most monumental and narrative density per kilometre. It’s not the whole country but it is a coherent and memorable piece.

Summary

• Day 1 (Saturday): Bucharest arrival.
• Day 2: Full Bucharest.
• Day 3: Bucharest → Sinaia → Brașov.
• Day 4: Brașov + Bran.
• Day 5: Brașov → Sighișoara → Sibiu.
• Day 6: Sibiu + Transfăgărășan (if in season).
• Day 7 (Saturday): Sibiu → Bucharest → flight.

Total: 800 km by car. Car recommended from day 3.

Day 1 (Saturday) — Bucharest arrival

Flight to Otopeni (OTP). Transfer to centre by bus 783 (5 lei) or Bolt (50-70 lei). Hotel in Centrul Vechi.

Quiet night: walk through Centrul Vechi (Lipscani district), light dinner at Caru’ cu Bere or a local pub, cocktails on Blănari street.

Day 2 — Full Bucharest

Morning: Palace of Parliament (48 h prior reservation mandatory). 60-90 min tour.

Lunch: Piața Unirii and surroundings.

Afternoon:

• Muzeul Național de Artă al României (royal palace, medieval + modern collection).
• Ateneul Român (opera exterior), Piața Revoluției (1989 memorial).
• Mănăstirea Stavropoleos (18th c. monastic church, exquisite).

Night: dinner at Lacrimi și Sfinți (modern Romanian cuisine).

Day 3 — Bucharest → Brașov

Pick up rental car (from airport or centre). Departure 09:00.

Stop at Sinaia (2 h): Peleș Castle, royal residence built 1873-1914. German neo-Renaissance style, extraordinary interiors. 30 lei. 1.5 h visit.

Continue to Brașov (60 km, 1 h more). Hotel in historic centre.

Afternoon Brașov: Piața Sfatului, Biserica Neagră (14th c. Gothic church with Ottoman carpet collection), Strada Sforii (Europe’s narrowest street, 1.32 m wide).

Dinner: mici and beer on Piața Sfatului terrace, or more careful dinner at Sergiana (Transylvanian cuisine).

Day 4 — Brașov + Bran

Morning: Bran Castle (30 min from Brașov). Opens 09:00. Go early, from 11:00 it fills up. 2 h visit. 60 lei (adult tourists).

Back to Brașov or continuation to Râșnov Fortress (15 min from Bran): 13th c. citadel that defended the Saxons. 2 h if you enter.

Afternoon: Tâmpa, Brașov’s mountain. Cable car (20 lei) or walk up (1 h). Panoramic view of the city. Spectacular at sunset.

Dinner in Brașov.

Day 5 — Brașov → Sighișoara → Sibiu

Departure 09:00. Sighișoara (100 km, 2 h). Park below the citadel.

Sighișoara visit (3-4 h): Clock Tower with museum and views, Dracula House (now restaurant, Vlad Țepeș’s birthplace), Church on the Hill with the Covered Staircase (1642, 175 steps), inhabited medieval citadel (UNESCO).

Lunch in Sighișoara.

Afternoon: Sighișoara → Sibiu (95 km, 2 h). Optional stop at Biertan (30 km detour): UNESCO fortified church.

Arrival Sibiu. Hotel in citadel. Evening walk through Piața Mare and the houses with eyes.

Day 6 — Sibiu + Transfăgărășan

Morning Sibiu: Piața Mare, Piața Mică, Bridge of Liars, Evangelical Cathedral (14th c.), Brukenthal Museum (30 lei, Romania’s best private art gallery).

Afternoon — option A (July-October): Partial Transfăgărășan. Climb to Lake Bâlea (2,034 m). 3 h up, direct descent. Brutal alpine landscape.

Afternoon — option B (November-June): Astra Museum (open-air ethnographic museum, 90,000 m², one of Europe’s best). 3-4 h.

Dinner in Sibiu.

Day 7 (Saturday) — Sibiu → Bucharest → flight

Early departure. Sibiu → Bucharest (275 km, 4.5 h via DN7 or 5 h via DN1). Return car. Late flight.

If your flight is very late: take advantage to visit the Village Museum or the Romanian Peasant Museum in Bucharest before going to the airport.

Carless variant

If you don’t want to drive:

• Bucharest-Brașov train: 2.5 h, 60 lei.
• Brașov-Sighișoara train: 2.5 h, 40 lei.
• Sighișoara-Sibiu train: 2.5 h, 45 lei.
• Sibiu-Bucharest train: 5-6 h, 70 lei.

Train works well but you lose flexibility (Bran, Peleș, Biertan, Transfăgărășan aren’t accessible by train). For those, organised day trips from each base (€20-40/day/person).

7-day organised tour: €800-1,200/person including transfers, hotels and guide. Useful if you prefer not to plan.

Approximate budget

• Return flights: €150-300.
• 5-day car rental: €180-260.
• Fuel 800 km: €85-110.
• 6 nights hotels (mid-range, €80-120/night): €500-720.
• Meals and drinks: €200-280.
• Entries: €60-90.

Total per person: €1,100-1,500 with shared car.

What you leave out (and why it’s no tragedy)

• Maramureș and Bucovina: require 3-4 days you don’t have. Better to save for a second Romania trip.
• Danube Delta: demands minimum 3 days, own logistics. Second trip.
• Cluj, Oradea, Timișoara (west): interesting but less iconic. Long-version route.

This is the most cost-effective week. Any well-done week in Romania ends up in Brașov-Sighișoara-Sibiu + Bucharest. What you add depends on how many more days you have.

Far Guides’ complete Romania guide includes this itinerary with 2026 rail timetables, selected hotels, and complete carless alternative route.