Things to do in Romania

The 18 best things to do in Romania

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1. 1Bran

   Explore Bran Castle, the Dracula legend castle

   Bran Castle was built at the end of the 14th century to guard the pass that links Transylvania with Wallachia, first as a defense point against Ottoman invasions and a place to control trade. Over the centuries it served as a customs house, a royal residence and then a museum. In 1920 the city council of Brasov offered it to Queen Marie of Romania, who made it her favorite home and restored it. It is called Dracula's Castle because it is the only castle in Transylvania that matches Bram Stoker's description, although Stoker's count is often confused with the Wallachian prince Vlad Tepes.

   Tip: Book your ticket online ahead of time, since tickets often sell out in advance, and remember that Mondays open later, at noon.

   RON[fee]; tickets often sell outKnow the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Bran Castle (official); Bran Castle (official)
2. 2Brasov

   Step inside the Gothic Black Church in Brasov

   The Black Church is the symbol of Brasov. Building began at the end of the 14th century and took almost a hundred years. Its model was the choir of the church of Saint Sebald in Nuremberg. A great fire in April 1689 blackened the walls and gave the church its name, and rebuilding lasted close to a century. Inside, look for the bronze baptismal font of 1472, still in use, and the pulpit of 1695. In October 1542 the first Lutheran service in the country was held here, and the humanist Johannes Honterus prepared the Reformation book that led the Saxons of Transylvania to the Lutheran faith.

   Tip: Hours change between summer and winter and shorten on concert days, so check the schedule, and ask by email for a free guided tour, subject to availability.

   Check hours before you go
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Black Church, Brasov (official); Black Church, Brasov (official)
3. 3Sinaia

   Tour Peles Castle, the royal summer residence

   King Carol I, the first king of Romania, had Peles Castle built as his summer residence in the mountains at Sinaia. The cornerstone was laid on 22 August 1875 (10 August in the calendar of the time), and the castle grew in stages over decades. It had its own generator and an electrical network by 1884, the Moorish Hall was added in 1890, and the central tower with its three-dial clock rose in 1906. It was a royal residence until 1947 and has been a museum again since 1990, with collections of weapons, paintings, furniture and stained glass. Sinaia sits on the railway between Ploiesti and Predeal.

   Tip: Buy tickets only from the museum's official ticket site or the self-service stations on site, and choose your time slot carefully, because scheduled visits cannot be rescheduled.

   RON[fee]; closed Monday and TuesdayKnow the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Peles National Museum (official); Peles National Museum (official)
4. 4Sighisoara

   Walk the fortified old town of Sighisoara

   Sighisoara is a small fortified medieval town in Transylvania, founded by German craftsmen and merchants known as the Saxons of Transylvania. For several centuries it played an important strategic and commercial role on the edge of central Europe. UNESCO inscribed its historic centre on the World Heritage List in 1999 as a fine example of this kind of town. It is compact, so it suits a relaxed day on foot, taking in its lanes at your own pace.

   Tip: Plan a slow visit on foot, since the historic centre is a small fortified town and rewards wandering rather than a checklist.

   Check sight opening hours
   Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (official data portal)
5. 5Sibiu

   Stroll Sibiu's Large Square and old town

   Sibiu was first recorded in 1191 as Cibinium, after Saxon colonists settled here, and it was the capital of Transylvania under the Habsburgs from 1692 to 1791 and again from 1850 to 1867. The Large Square is its heart. Around the square stand the Brukenthal Palace, the 18th-century Roman Catholic Holy Trinity Church and old houses such as the Haller House, with a Renaissance portal that keeps its 15th and 16th century parts. The General's House was the Austrian army commander's headquarters from 1784 to 1904. The nearby Council Tower, one of the city's best-known monuments, once guarded the entrance to the second ring of walls.

   Tip: Stop at the tourist information center on the square, entrance F on Samuel Brukenthal Street, for maps before you set off.

   Free to visit
   Sources: Sibiu City Hall tourism site (official); Sibiu City Hall tourism site (sibiucity.ro); Sibiu City Hall tourism site (official); Sibiu City Hall tourism site (official)
6. 6Sibiu

   Cross the Bridge of Lies in Sibiu

   The Bridge of Lies links the two parts of Sibiu's Small Square and connects the Lower Town with the Upper Town. It was rebuilt in 1859 by Friedrich Hütte, on the site of an earlier wooden bridge, and it is the first forged iron bridge in Romania. Because it stood without pillars, locals nicknamed it the lying bridge, and a play on the German word for lie gave it the name it keeps today. Legend says it will collapse if someone sits on it and tells a lie. Its iron rails are decorated with rosettes and neo-Gothic motifs, and it is a favorite spot for a stroll.

   Tip: Look at the iron frame as you cross: the coat of arms of Sibiu is on the south side, and the year 1859 and the maker's name are on the north.

   Free to visit
   Sources: Sibiu City Hall tourism site (sibiucity.ro); Sibiu City Hall tourism site (sibiucity.ro)
7. 7Sibiu

   See European paintings at the Brukenthal Museum

   Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania from 1777 to 1787, built a late Baroque palace on the Large Square between 1778 and 1788, modeled on Viennese palaces. It is one of the most important Baroque monuments in Romania and was meant as both his residence and a home for his collections. The museum opened to the public in 1817 and is described by the city as the first museum in Romania. The European Art Gallery is housed in the palace, and the wider Brukenthal National Museum also includes history, natural history and pharmacy history sections.

   Tip: Check the museum's schedule before you go, because the palace and its other sections keep different opening days and hours.

   RON[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Brukenthal National Museum (official); Sibiu City Hall tourism site (official); Brukenthal National Museum
8. 8Bucharest

   Wander the National Village Museum in Bucharest

   On the shore of Lake Herastrau, the Village Museum shows traditional Romanian rural life through real buildings moved from villages across the country, dating from the 17th century to the early 20th century. It was created by the sociologist Dimitrie Gusti and his team, who built it in only two months in 1936 from houses, outbuildings, a church and technical installations acquired in villages they had studied. The museum opened officially on 10 May 1936. Today you can walk between households, churches, pastoral buildings, workshops and water mills.

   Tip: The museum closes on the first two days of Easter and on 25 and 26 December, so keep those dates free of plans.

   RON[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: National Village Museum Dimitrie Gusti (official); National Village Museum Dimitrie Gusti (official); National Village Museum Dimitrie Gusti (official)
9. 9Bucharest

   Visit Stavropoleos Monastery in Bucharest's Old Town

   Stavropoleos was founded in 1724 by Archimandrite Ioanichie, who came from the Gura monastery in Epirus, Greece. He first built an inn for travelers and merchants, then the church, dated by an inscription to 1730. After 1886, when the Greek monks left, the inn was demolished, and a restoration from 1904 added a cloister with arcades and columns designed by the architect Ion Mincu, with a collection of carved stones. Nuns refounded the monastery in 2008, and the Michelin guide gives the monument three stars. It is a calm stop between the busy streets of the Old Town.

   Tip: Visits follow the monastery's service schedule, so check the times before you go.

   Check service times
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Stavropoleos Monastery (official); Stavropoleos Monastery
10. 10Bucharest

    Discover folk art at the Romanian Peasant Museum

    The National Museum of the Romanian Peasant sits in Victoriei Square, next to the Antipa natural history museum. Its red brick building in the neo-Romanian style, inspired by the Brancovan tradition, was designed by the architect Nicolae Ghika-Budesti and finished in 1941 after 29 years of interruptions. A tower with a gazebo recalls old monastery bell towers. The museum won the European Museum of the Year Award in 1996 for its distinctive way of displaying collections of costumes, ceramics, textiles, religious art and furniture. Its Peasant Art Gallery sells objects made by craftspeople from across the country.

    Tip: Browse the Peasant Art Gallery for handmade gifts from craftspeople across the country.

    RON[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (official); National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (official); National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (official); National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (official)
11. 11Sibiu

    Explore the open-air ASTRA Museum near Sibiu

    The ASTRA Museum lies in the Dumbrava forest, about 4 km from Sibiu, and has operated since 1963. About 10 km of alleys lead past peasant households, craft workshops, wooden churches, wayside shrines, sheepfolds, and water and wind mills, many with original interiors. The museum holds over 400 buildings and over 200,000 objects, and it also runs traditional festivals and craft events through the year. It is a good place near Sibiu to see the rural traditions of Romanian and national minority communities.

    Tip: Download the ASTRA App for audio guides and a digital map, and wear comfortable shoes for the long alleys.

    RON[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: ASTRA National Museum Complex (official); ASTRA National Museum Complex (official); Sibiu City Hall tourism site (sibiucity.ro)
12. 12Sibiu

    See Sibiu's Evangelical Cathedral and its tower

    Sibiu's Evangelical Church is one of the most impressive buildings in the city. It was raised in the 14th century on the site of an older church from the 12th century. Its seven-level tower, with four small towers at the corners, is a sign that the city held the right of condemnation, and at 73.34 m it is the tallest in Transylvania. Nearby, the Stairs' Passage, built in the 13th century, links the Upper Town with the Lower Town along the old city walls around the church.

    Tip: Combine the visit with the Stairs' Passage, which runs beside the church between the Upper and Lower Towns.

    Check opening hours
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Sibiu City Hall tourism site (sibiucity.ro); Sibiu City Hall tourism site (official)
13. 13Transylvania

    See Saxon fortified churches in Transylvanian villages

    Seven villages in southern Transylvania, founded by the Transylvanian Saxons, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their fortified churches. Their landscape, settlement pattern and family farmsteads have been preserved since the late Middle Ages. Each village is dominated by its fortified church, and together the churches show building styles from the 13th to the 16th century. UNESCO listed them in 1993 as a vivid picture of the cultural landscape of southern Transylvania.

    Tip: Plan on one or two villages at a time, since these are seven separate villages rather than one site.

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (official data portal)
14. 14Bucovina

    Admire the painted monasteries of northern Moldavia

    Eight churches in northern Moldavia, built from the late 15th century to the late 16th century, have outer walls covered in frescoes. Inspired by Byzantine art, the paintings form a systematic covering on all the facades and show complete cycles of religious themes. They are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as authentic and well preserved. At Sucevita Monastery, the walls inside and outside are fully decorated with 16th-century murals, and its church is the only one to show the ladder of Saint John Climacus.

    Tip: Allow time for each church to read the facade cycles slowly, since the paintings cover the outer walls from top to bottom.

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (official data portal)
15. 15Maramures

    Find the wooden churches of Maramures

    Eight timber churches in Maramures, in the mountains of northern Romania, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. They show a range of designs and craftsmanship from different periods and areas. The churches are narrow and high, with a tall, slim clock tower at the western end, and they are covered in shingles, some with single roofs and some with double roofs. UNESCO sees them as a particular vernacular expression of the cultural landscape of this mountain area, listed in 1999.

    Tip: Look for the tall clock tower at the western end and the shingle roofs, which are the signature of the region.

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (official data portal)
16. 16Danube Delta

    Visit the Danube Delta and its birdlife

    The waters of the Danube flow into the Black Sea and form the largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas. UNESCO listed the Danube Delta in 1991. Its many lakes and marshes host over 300 species of birds and 45 freshwater fish species, which makes it a place for nature lovers and birdwatchers.

    Tip: Pack binoculars, since the delta is known for more than 300 bird species.

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (official data portal)
17. 17Bucharest

    Dine under vaulted ceilings at Caru' cu Bere

    Caru' cu Bere, which means the beer wagon, is a restaurant with a history of more than 140 years, started by the Mircea brothers, and a symbol of Bucharest's Old Town at Stavropoleos Street 5. Its building is Neo-Gothic, from plans by Zigfried Kofczinski and Al. Pesch. The vaulted ground floor is richly decorated with paintings, stained glass, mosaics and carved paneling. It serves traditional Romanian food and is open every day from 10:00 to midnight.

    Tip: Book a table online at least 24 hours before your visit, as the restaurant requires bookings that far ahead.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: Caru' cu Bere (official)
18. 18Bucharest

    Meet the dioramas at the Antipa Natural History Museum

    The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History was shaped by Dr. Grigore Antipa, its director from 1893 to 1944, through whose efforts the current building was designed and built. He also created Bucharest's first biogeographic dioramas, a model later extended to the world's major museums. King Carol II gave it his name in 1933. The permanent exhibition still follows Antipa's idea of showing ecosystems through dioramas, taking you through natural habitats of Romania and the world. The collections hold about 2 million specimens, and the museum also has a garden and a greenhouse.

    Tip: Tickets can be bought online through the museum's own website, which saves time at the entrance.

    RON[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Antipa National Museum of Natural History (official); Antipa National Museum of Natural History (official); Antipa National Museum of Natural History (official)

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