Romania Travel Blog (Updated 2024)

Romania was the country that captured our hearts. It came as a total magical surprise, inspiring us to spend 3 years trying to buy a house in Romania and basing ourselves in the beautiful, remote peasant village of Breb, Maramures County. It was 100 years in the past. We highly recommend that you visit Romania, it is a travel destination with so much to offer. Find out how to visit, Romanian food, culture, attractions and where to go, on this page. Watch our short video, learn more about Romania, then book your flights!

It was an incredible experience spending many Christmases, Easters, winters, and summers in Romania. It gave us time to put this Romania Travel Blog together. We toured Romania by road, took trains, and buses, to discover as much as we could about Romanian destinations, the Romanian people, customs, wildlife, food, and culture. Romania is one of our favourite countries and we’ve visited 60 to date. We have many Romanian friends still, and we return as often as we can. This is in part to update the blog.

Romania Travel Blog

Our personal experiences of living in the village will be a book one day, but I am a travel blogger first, so you’ll find plenty about our time here and Romanian travel destinations below.

We know Romania well. Unlike typical tourists we were living in Romania, and we loved it. Everywhere we went and everything we learned, ended up in our Romania travel blog section.

Romania Travel, Highlights, Guide, Tips, Reviews and Advice

We’ve created a travel guide featuring information about travel destinations, hotels, tips and suggestions for travel to and in Romania. 

We include family travel, adventure travel, singles and couple travel and of course, lots of food and drink related posts. When we lived in Romania our children were quite young. They loved Romania as much as we did. Romania is a very child or family friendly place to visit.

Romania is affordable. Hotels are fairly cheap for Europe, drinks are super cheap! The standard of hotels is generally very good. Driving in Romania is easy. Take a look at this car hire comparison tool to book a car on arrival at any of the airports. We use this tool ourselves and recommend it.

Wildlife in Romania

Romania is an exciting destination for wildlife lovers.

Here you will find wild wolves, bears and lynx along with fascinating bird life, squirrels, pole cats, (the fearsome gyhor that kills birds for fun) and abundant smaller mammals like the hedgehogs in our photos. They were disturbed by a farmer scything his grass.

All the babies and their mother survived after we found them.

Watch out for the cranes that arrive in March and leave as the weather turns cold. You will see huge nests on rooftops and pylons.

The Danube Delta is a popular place to visit for bird watchers.

Romania and Dracula

This was how we sold Romania to the kids, Transylvania and Dracula. Their response ” I LOVE you mum!”.

You’ll find Dracula-related attractions, dishes and souvenirs all over Romania, it’s a bit of fun and the story is rooted in history, folk tales and superstition.

It’s an interesting story to read up on, read all about Dracula’s Romanian roots and vampire-related destinations, here in our Romanian vampires blog post.

There is a real Dracula’s castle and a fictional one, if we take Dracula to be based on Vlad Tepes.

That’s Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracul. It’s all in the article.

The Weather in Romania

Romanian winters can be incredibly cold, but summers are long and hot. You can visit Romania at any time of year, depending on what you’d like to see and do. Romanian Christmases and Easters are worth seeing, remember that Romania uses the Orthodox Calendar for religious events. Easter will be later than elsewhere. There is also a special celebration around the time of Halloween, but later. There are Christmas markets in Romania too if you’re looking for a cheaper European holiday break.

Rainfall is modest to low and focused on the western mountains, allowing a long ski season.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Romania was in Brasov, a chilly  −38.5 °C (−37.3 °F). The absolute maximum temperature was 44.5 °C (112.1 °F) in Brăila County.

The coldest nights we’ve ever experienced in northern Maramures were around -20C. At those temperatures your New Year’s Eve champagne around the campfire turns to slush.

We survived the big freeze just fine, with only a small wood-burning stove in our farmhouse kitchen. If you plan to visit in winter bring plenty of warm clothes.

The country’s topography will obviously give location-dependent variations.

The best time to visit is when you can visit, you can have a great time in Romania at any time of year. The Transfagarasan Highway (Made famous by Top Gear) is impassible in winter, but roads in Romania are generally kept clear of snow. In summer it can be very hot. Spring or autumn are good times to visit, but the snow is fantastic to see. Romania has plenty of ski resorts and lakes and rivers for swimming. There are even beach resorts on the Black Sea coast. Check out Constanta for beach breaks.

If you’d like to read a first hand account about how we coped with the winter in Romania, frozen toilets, no water and just a wood stove. Click through on the link.

Romanian Visas

Brexit has, of course, potentially destroyed longer-term travel in Europe for British passport holders. We lost our freedom to stay in Romania and the EU in 2016.

You must double-check this information, things could change and Schengen rules and member countries change. On March 31st 2024 Romania and Bulgaria joined the Schengen countries. This means you can only stay for 90 days total, 3 months in a 180 (6 months) days period.

UK advice here.

American and Canadian citizens and citizens of Australia and New Zealand do not need an entry visa to visit Romania, for stays up to 90 days, during a single visit, or multiple visits, within any 6 month period. Do check this at the link below, things change.

African citizens and most Asians do require a visa, you can apply online. These are required even for travellers in transit.

Visas will be needed if you are a national of one of the countries on this list.

The 90 day visa could be extended by applying to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. at the time of writing.

Please check this information for yourself at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs above, these regulations, for any country, have a habit of changing and I’m only trying to give you a rough guide here.

Romania Travel Destinations

Our list isn’t comprehensive as yet. Some of the best places to visit in Romania are below. My personal favourites are the fortified churches at Prejmer and Biertan, along with Sighisoara and the Turda Salt Mine.

Bucharest

Bucharest was so much more than we expected, fantastic hospitality, a lovely family guest house, great food, vibrant nightlife and our first Dracula encounter.

See our full post on  Bucharest, including that guest house recommendation. You can go inside The Palace of Parliament (Palatul Parlamentului). The scale of the building is incredible.

If you choose to stay in Bucharest be sure to visit the Village Museum, Muzeul-Satului, for a chance to experience rural Romanian life.

Sighisoara, Transylvania

Inside the ancient citadel of Sighisoara, Transylvania. This would be my #1 must-visit place in Romania after Maramures County.

Sighisoara is a tiny, fortified, medieval town with stunning good looks.

Its traffic-free streets are a joy to explore and it was the birthplace of Vlad Dracul, so expect some vampire theming.

My boys adored a trip to the spooky cemetery at midnight through the oak-covered walkway.

See our post on why you absolutely must include Sighisoara on your Romania itinerary here.

We used this apartment in Sighisoara, we recommend it highly! Be sure to stay within the citadel itself.

Brasov, Transylvania

With fairy-tale looks and cobbled streets, the town of Brasov is a popular tourist destination in Romania.

It nestles at the foot of a mountain and boasts its own Hollywood style sign “Brasov”. Just in case you forget where you are.

The main square Piaţa Sfatului, is a wonderful place to sit at a pavement cafe and watch the world go by.

There are ski resorts and wild bears around Brasov, we haven’t experienced either, but they are there, as we discovered on a forest walk in Transylvania.

To see Romania’s brown bears in captivity you’ll need to visit the Libearty Bear Sanctuary near Brasov (full post).

Take a look at the Brasov travel guide it also highlights day trips from Brasov including fortified churches and The Saxon trail. If you only visit one city in Romania, we would recommend Brasov, you can explore Transylvania from here and make a day trip to The Turda Salt Mine. Try to stay near the main square in Brasov, you’ll be able to explore the city easily on foot. If you have a hire car, be certain to find accommodation with parking. Parking isn’t easy in Brasov. Take a look at this place!

Cluj Napoca Transylvania

We’ve spent a lot of time in Cluj Napoca because it was our nearest large town with an airport. When we were flying in or out of Romania it would normally involve a trip to Cluj. You can fly to Cluj direct on Wizz Air from Luton airport if you don’t want to fly to Bucharest.

Cluj is roughly 4 hours by road from Breb.

Cluj is a university town with some lovely old buildings.

It also has modern shopping malls, Starbucks and Subway. We’d visit Cluj for a slice of modern life.

The traffic can be horrendous here. You can easily visit Turda from Cluj Napoca.

Alba Iulia Transylvania

Alba Iulia boasts an impressive star-shaped citadel and sits on Roman remains. Parts of the old Roman roads are visible along with statues and other excavations.

We would highly recommend you check out Alba Iulia, a half-day to a day here would be enough to explore the citadel. There is a very good medieval themed restaurant within the ancient walls. You could spend a night here within the citadel at Carolina Heritage.

 Maramures County

Maramures, in the north of Romania, nestled against the Ukraine border, is an absolutely stunning part of the world where time did stand still.

It was where we chose to live.

It was green and unspoilt, the meadows grew thick with wildflowers and the way of life was simple, traditional and beautiful. 

Villagers dress in traditional costume regularly, not just for church on Sunday, and local festivals and traditions hold strong.

The people here are our heroes. Wonderful people and skilled at everything from sewing, to carpentry, to building haystacks. They could produce all their own food and alcohol, preserving summer harvests for the long harsh winter.

We learned so much (and had to learn some Romanian ) by living alongside them for 3 years.

This is where we tried and failed, to buy our house, and so did another Romania fan, Prince Charles.

Our Posts about Maramures Country include:

The magical village we called home, Breb, Maramures. and a special post on the annual haymaking, cutting the grass with scythes and constructing the characteristic Maramures haystacks.

Experiences of surviving harsh winters in Romania with just a wood stove in our 100-year-old village house are here.

The weekly Farmers Market at Ocna Sugatag and our monthly livestock market at Sighetu Marmatiei

A special dinner with the shepherds and their dogs, in Maramures Romania

Learning to ski in Cavnic, Maramures

A look inside a Maramures tuica shed to see what the Romanians are brewing in there from the fruit pulp they would store in our barn year-round. Our neighbours invited us for lunch in the tuica shed, or was it breakfast? It was a great experience.

Maramures is famous for wooden churches and huge gates, even the simplest home can have a towering gateway, a tradition from years gone by. The wooden churches of Maramures are UNESCO listed.

In this region, you’ll find places to visit such as the Merry Cemetery in the village of Sapanta and the stunning Barsana Monastery.

The real jewel of Maramures lies in its lifestyle, culture and traditions. You can step back into the past.

In recent years time has marched on. You’ll see far fewer traditional homes than when we first arrived. Tourism has become a major industry.

Turda and Turda Salt Mine, Transylvania

What an incredible place! If you’re travelling to Romania please make a point of going here, it’s like nothing else on Earth.  

It’s a day trip from Cluj Napoca in Transylvania or a great overnight stay.

Read our full post on the Turda Salt Mine, here. You could also stay in Turda itself if you are taking a road trip. There is one unique and special hotel that we mention in our Turda post, link above.

Romanian Food

Romanian food  (a full post by my husband, he is a Chef – opens in new tab) is hearty, simple, meaty and good. We were all surprised by how much we loved it.

You’ll find good produce, much of it organic and traditionally produced.

Village cows feed on wildflowers to make amazing milk and butter, homemade bread and jams are easy to find and there are plenty of traditional dishes to explore.

Sarmale cu Mamaliguta, stuffed cabbage leaves with polenta, is a festive dish and our favourite Romanian dish so far. It’s hard to make, Chef got a master class from a cook in the village. Folding those cabbage leaves takes practice.

Expect a hot chilli, fresh or pickled, and a dollop of sour cream (smantana) on the side.

Mici or Mititei are rolled meat sausages, without skin (top right, above). Served with beautiful mustards on the side. This is Romania’s traditional and most typical street food and if you’re hungry, you’ll find a grill serving mici outside most supermarkets or at any market.

It will probably be next to the placinta (a large fried dough cake, sweet or savoury) and the funnel cake stalls.

You’ll also find an abundance of soups, some vegetarian-friendly and plenty of cheeses and cured meats.

Is There A Language Barrier in Romania?

In the cities, no, none at all. Young Romanians often speak perfect English.

Once you venture out into the countryside, that all changes. You will most certainly need a good guide-book with phrases and translations to get by.

Discover the history, culture, food, and language of the region with Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria. It includes phrases and Romanian words that you will most probably need Check out the guide here.

The good news is, Romanian is fairly easy to understand if you know some Italian, French or Spanish. To my ear, Romanian takes me back to my days learning Latin in school. The Romans were here and they left a lot of things behind, including some vocabulary. Yes, we’re very proud to be able to speak some basic Romanian.

Hiring a Car to Road Trip Romania

This is a great idea! The roads are fairly quiet and in some areas will be deserted other than for the odd horse and cart. Traffic in big cities, on the other hand, can be brutal.

Roads in Romania can either be superb and brand new, or more hole than tarmac. Some roads that appear on Google maps can quickly become dirt tracks so pick your route carefully. 

Romanian driving is interesting. My husband was always super appreciative of the wide clearance motorists would give him as a cyclist, but the sheepdogs on some roads didn’t help cycle friendliness.

We found most Romanian drivers to be courteous but there are speed demons too, along with cars that have, character, shall we say.

Don’t believe the hype, driving around Romania or taking a road trip there is not a nightmare. We drove in Romania for 3 years without incident, you will, however, need to get used to a different driving style. Main roads tend to have 2 lanes, the outer hard shoulder is used as an extra half lane, so if somebody wants to overtake you, you should pull over into this outer lane and allow them to do so.

We were stung by a cowboy car hire company, but also had great experiences. We’d suggest you use this car hire comparison tool and choose a well-known company.

So join us in Romania, a country we love and know well. We’d love to meet you here and share a glass of tuica. Noroc! We’re aiming to make this Romania travel blog and guide the most complete Romania website in existence, we’re working hard to help you better. Is there anything you’d like to know?

If you'd like to hire a car during your stay, use this car rental comparison tool to find the best deal!

We also suggest you take a look at this company to get a quote for all kinds of the more tricky adventure or extended travel insurance.

Try Stayz / VRBO for an alternative way to find rentals on homes/apartments/condos in any country!