One week in Romania: a multi-city route

Boulevards, guild lanes, and the heaviest building on earth

Bucharest starts the route with two faces a short walk apart. The Calea Victoriei walk runs from Revolution Square down to the river past the Romanian Athenaeum, the former royal palace, and the CEC Palace, while the Old Town loop covers Stavropoleos, Lipscani, and Caru' cu Bere in about ninety minutes. The Civic Centre walk and the Palace of the Parliament take the longest stretch, so book that tour before you leave home, and keep the Kiseleff museums and the Village Museum for whatever time is left.

• TicketsThe Palace of the Parliament opens for guided tours daily from 09:00 to 17:00; standard admission is 85 lei for adults, 55 lei for students aged 19 to 26, and 40 lei for children 7 to 18, bought at the visit centre on Strada Izvor.SourcePalace of the Parliament visit centre (cdep.ro)
• BookEnglish-language tours can sell out several days ahead between May and October, so groups of up to nine people can reserve by phone at least 24 hours out, and every visitor needs a passport or national ID; driver's licenses are not accepted.SourcePalace of the Parliament visit centre (cdep.ro)·Bucharest Tickets, Palace of the Parliament guide
• Getting thereTrains from Gara de Nord to Brașov take about 2 hours 30 minutes and start from around 30 lei in second class, with several departures a day run by CFR Călători, Transferoviar, and Regio Călători.SourceTreno, București Nord to Brașov
• Getting thereSinaia is the stop for Peleș Castle, a short walk or taxi ride from the station; tickets are sold for fixed time slots and cannot be rescheduled.SourcePeleș National Museum

Bucharest one-day itineraryBucharest walking tours

Next leg · 140.8 km

A walled core under a mountain

Brașov is the walled Saxon town at the foot of Tâmpa. The Wayside loop crosses the old core in about ninety minutes, from Catherine's Gate and Strada Sforii to the Black Church and the Council House on Piața Sfatului. The second walk goes deeper into Șchei for St Nicholas Church and the First Romanian School, then follows the old bastions to the rebuilt Tâmpa cable car and the view over the rooftops. If you want the classic excursion, book Bran Castle online, since summer dates sell out.

• TicketsBran Castle sells tickets online and warns that summer visits can sell out; the full visit adds the Time Tunnel and the medieval torture rooms.SourceBran Castle official site
• Getting thereBrașov to Sibiu trains take roughly 2 to 3 hours and start around 25 lei in second class, with several departures a day.SourceTreno, Brașov to Sibiu

Brașov one-day itineraryBrașov walking tours

Next leg · 114.3 km

Squares, towers, and a bridge of legends

Sibiu is the slow finish, and its Wayside walk threads Piața Mare, Piața Mică, and Piața Huet past the Brukenthal National Museum, the Council Tower, the Bridge of Lies, and the Lutheran Cathedral. Four of the six stops are indoors, so leave room for the paintings and the apothecary jars instead of racing the route. The ASTRA open-air museum adds village houses and watermills across town, and Sibiu's airport flies direct to Vienna and London Luton when the trip ends.

• HoursThe ASTRA open-air museum runs 08:00 to 20:00 from May to September and 09:00 to 17:00 from October to April, with village houses and craft pavilions across the grounds.SourceASTRA National Museum Complex
• Getting thereSibiu International Airport has direct flights to Vienna, London Luton, Dortmund, Memmingen, and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, so the route can end at the airport instead of doubling back to Bucharest.SourceSibiu International Airport

Sibiu one-day itinerarySibiu walking tours