Home
About us
Destinations & Country Guides
Travel Guides
Recipes
Featured
Photos As Art
Abstract Prints
Locations
Travel Gear
Travel Resources
Favorites
Photo Framer
Explore Photos
Contact
Attractions & day tripsBy Clever Tourists · Published
Sinaia and Peleș Castle is the best day trip from Bucharest, followed by Brașov and, closer in, Mogoșoaia Palace. Sinaia is about an hour and a half by train and has Romania's most famous royal palace in a forest clearing below the Bucegi mountains. Brașov's medieval center is about 2.5 hours away by train, which is a long day but doable. We spent 2 nights in Sinaia and 3.5 days in Brașov before ending our Romania route with 3.5 days in Bucharest in November 2022, so we would rather you stayed in those places; this is how to see them if Bucharest is your only base. Bran Castle, despite what tours suggest, is too far for a comfortable day.
Ranked by payoff against travel time:
• Sinaia and Peleș Castle: about 1 hour 30 minutes by train. A full day.
• Brașov: about 2.5 hours on the faster InterCity and InterRegio trains. A long day; better overnight.
• Mogoșoaia Palace: just beyond the city's north-west edge, by taxi or car. Half a day.
• Snagov Monastery: about 40 minutes by car north of the city. Half a day, often combined with Mogoșoaia.
• Ruse, Bulgaria: about 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours by bus across the Danube. A full day.
• Bran Castle: Brașov plus another 45 to 50 minutes by bus. Only from Brașov, not from Bucharest.
Bucharest itself needs 2 or 3 days first: the Palace of the Parliament, the Old Town around Lipscani and Calea Victoriei. Our Bucharest guide covers them.
What it is: a mountain resort in the Prahova valley built around the royal estate. Peleș, King Carol I's German Renaissance palace from the 1870s, is the main event; Pelișor, Queen Marie's smaller Art Nouveau residence, is a few minutes uphill, and Sinaia Monastery, founded in 1695, gave the town its name. Our Sinaia guide describes all three.
Getting there: trains from Bucharest Gara de Nord take about 1 hour 30 minutes and run frequently through the day. Avoid the slow Regio (R) trains, which can take over two hours. From Sinaia station it is about 2 km uphill to Peleș, a 25 to 30 minute walk or a short taxi ride.
How long: a full day. Who it suits: almost everyone; it is the one day trip from Bucharest that feels like a full trip. Tip: check the day before you go. The Peleș interior is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and for annual maintenance, typically from 2 November to 1 December, and entry is by timed slot. Our Peleș tickets guide has the prices and hours.
If you have a car or a clear day, the Bucegi cable car from Sinaia climbs to Cota 1400 and Cota 2000, which turns this into a mountain day as well.
What it is: the main city of southern Transylvania, with a Saxon-built old town around Piața Sfatului, the Black Church, and Mount Tâmpa rising directly above the center.
Getting there: the faster InterCity and InterRegio trains take about 2.5 hours from Gara de Nord, and slower Regio trains well over three hours. The line runs through Sinaia, so the two can be combined on a long day if you skip the Peleș interior.
How long: a full day gives you 5 to 6 hours in town. Who it suits: people who will not reach Transylvania otherwise. Tip: stay at least one night if you can. We spent 3.5 days in Brașov and used it as the base for Bran; from Brașov, Bran Castle is a 45 to 50 minute bus ride, which makes it an easy day out rather than a 7-hour round trip from Bucharest.
What it is: the lakeside palace built by Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu at the start of the 18th century, the best surviving example of the Brâncovenesc style that mixes Venetian loggias with Romanian and Ottoman detail. It sits in a park by a lake just outside the city limits.
Getting there: it is close enough for a taxi or ride-hail car from central Bucharest; public transport needs changes, so most people drive or go on a combined tour with Snagov.
How long: 2 to 3 hours with the gardens. Who it suits: a short half day, architecture, and a quiet afternoon in summer. Tip: go on a weekday; on fine weekends the park is a favourite outing for Bucharest families.
What it is: a small monastery church on an island in Lake Snagov, north of the city, where tradition places the grave of Vlad III, the prince behind the Dracula legend. Historians dispute the claim, but the setting on the lake is the real reason to go.
Getting there: about 40 minutes by car. There is no direct bus; public transport takes around two hours with changes, so a car, taxi or tour is the realistic option.
How long: 2 hours on site; half a day in total. Who it suits: people already interested in the Vlad story, and anyone pairing it with Mogoșoaia, which is on the way back. Tip: dress for a working monastery, with shoulders and knees covered.
What it is: a Bulgarian city on the south bank of the Danube, known for its 19th and early 20th century facades along the main square and the riverside. You cross the river on the Friendship Bridge from Giurgiu.
Getting there: buses take about 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours, with a few departures a day. The direct train from Gara de Nord takes nearly 3 hours and runs only once or twice a day, so the bus is the better choice.
How long: a full day. Who it suits: country collectors and anyone who wants a different city in a day. Tip: Romania and Bulgaria are both in Schengen, so routine checks on this border have ended, but carry your passport, and do not count on paying in Romanian lei on the Bulgarian side.
Trains: almost every rail day trip starts at Gara de Nord. Book InterCity or InterRegio trains rather than Regio, and check that your train actually stops where you need it.
Season: we were in Sinaia and Bucharest in early November, which is a beautiful month in the Prahova valley but falls in the Peleș maintenance window. Mountain roads like the Transfăgărășan are closed from autumn to early summer, so they are not a day-trip option for most of the year.
Better as stops: if you have more than a week in Romania, the route we followed works better than day trips from the capital: Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Sighișoara, Brașov and Sinaia, ending in Bucharest. Along the way, the Salina Turda salt mine and Corvin Castle were day trips from Cluj and Deva.
Money and food: carry some lei for station kiosks and small restaurants. See tipping in Romania and our Romanian food guide.
Sinaia and Peleș Castle, about 1 hour 30 minutes by train from Gara de Nord. Check first: the Peleș interior is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and for maintenance from about 2 November to 1 December.
Yes. The faster InterCity and InterRegio trains take about 2.5 hours, which leaves 5 to 6 hours in town. We spent 3.5 days in Brașov and think it deserves at least one night.
Only on a long tour. It is about 2.5 hours by train to Brașov and another 45 to 50 minutes by bus to Bran. It is far easier from Brașov.
Take a train from Gara de Nord to Sinaia, about 1 hour 30 minutes, avoiding the slow Regio trains. Peleș is about 2 km uphill from the station, a 25 to 30 minute walk.
Yes, Ruse is about 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours by bus across the Danube. The direct train takes nearly 3 hours, so the bus is the better choice.
Get our new Romania guides and practical tips by email: where to stay, what to eat, what things cost and the rules that catch travelers out.
Free. No spam, only new guides and tips.
Search verified local fleets with low security deposits and exact model delivery on Localrent.
Get the best deals on where to stay in Romania — Booking.com.
