One week in Romania: a multi-city route
Bucharest, Brașov, a night in Sighișoara, and two days in Sibiu, all by train.
Photo by Michael Michelovski on Unsplash
Interactive map of the route. The full stop list below works without it.
Owned inter-city distance across covered legs: 140.8 km
How do you spend a week in Romania?
A week-long, one-way route from Bucharest north into Transylvania, finishing in Sibiu, where the airport makes the flight home simple. Direct CFR Călători trains link every leg, so you do not need a car unless you want one for the castle lanes and fortified churches around Brașov. The covered cities carry Wayside walking tours, and the overnight in Sighișoara fills the gap between Brașov and Sibiu with the country's best-preserved medieval citadel.
- Day 1 to 3
Capital days: the boulevards and the Old Town
Start in Bucharest to shake off the flight on Calea Victoriei, the avenue that earned the city its Little Paris nickname. The Wayside walk runs south from the round Romanian Athenaeum past the former royal palace and the glass-domed CEC Palace to the National Museum of Romanian History. The Old Town merchant grid is a second, shorter loop through the carved courtyard of Stavropoleos Monastery, the 1899 beer hall Caru' cu Bere, and the balconied bookshop Cărturești Carusel. Save a separate half day for the Palace of the Parliament and the Kiseleff museum axis, where the Peasant Museum reopened fully in 2026 and the open-air Village Museum keeps real wooden churches and watermills beside the lake.
- TransitDirect trains leave Bucharest North station (București Nord) for Brașov roughly hourly; the run averages about 2 hours 15 minutes, with second-class fares from about 9 lei on Regio services to 173 lei on Intercity trains.SourceVirail
- BookCFR Călători sells domestic tickets online up to 30 days ahead, with seat selection and online changes or cancellations before departure.SourceCFR Călători
Bucharest one-day itineraryBucharest walking tours
Next leg · 140.8 km
- Day 3 to 5
The Saxon citadel and the castle detours
Brașov is the Transylvania base, a walled Saxon town under Tâmpa mountain. The citadel-core walk crosses Catherine's Gate, squeezes down Strada Sforii, and ends at the Black Church and the Council House in Piața Sfatului. The second walk heads into Șchei, the old Romanian quarter, past St Nicholas Church and the First Romanian School to the cable car that reopened in October 2025 for the two-minute ride to the Tâmpa summit. Give one day to the castles: Bran Castle sits a short bus ride south, and Peleș Castle at Sinaia is a stop on the train line, so you can break the journey there on the way in or out.
- TransitThe onward train from Brașov to Sighișoara takes about 3 hours 24 minutes on the fastest run, with second-class fares from about 29 lei to 63 lei.SourceVirail
- CostBran Castle adult entry runs around 50 to 55 lei; buy the standard visit online ahead, especially in summer.SourceFreedom Years Travel
- Day 5 to 6
One night inside the medieval citadel
Wayside tour coming soonSighișoara is the one place on this route to sleep inside the walls rather than beside them. The upper town is a UNESCO-listed citadel of nine surviving towers, cobbled lanes, and painted merchant houses, and the Clock Tower museum tells the guild story from the top floor. It is also the birthplace of Vlad Țepeș, the historical Dracula, in a house now marked with a small plaque. One night is enough to walk the ramparts at dusk and leave on the morning train; a Wayside tour here is coming soon.
- TransitThe train from Sighișoara to Sibiu takes about 1 hour 28 minutes, with second-class fares from about 8 lei to 25 lei and a handful of direct departures a day.SourceVirail
- Day 6 to 8
The three squares and the return flight
End in Sibiu, the most graceful of the Saxon cities and the one with an airport for the flight out. The Wayside walk treats Piața Mare, Piața Mică, and Piața Huet as three separate rooms: the Brukenthal National Museum opened in 1817 inside the governor's baroque palace, the Council Tower links the first two squares, the cast-iron Bridge of Lies hangs between the next two, and the Lutheran Cathedral's spire closes the set. Save the last afternoon for the Pharmacy Museum and the Altemberger House history museum, then wander the roof-eyed upper town in the evening.
- CostCentral guesthouses and boutique hotels in Sibiu typically run 200 to 350 lei a night; Sibiu and Sighișoara are the best-value stays on this route.SourceGo Visit Romania
Less time?
Short on time? Drop Sighișoara and run Bucharest, Brașov, and Sibiu. All three carry Wayside walking tours, the direct trains keep travel short, and you still get the capital, a castle base, and the Saxon squares without losing the heart of Transylvania.
Planning your route
How do I get between the cities without a car?
CFR Călători runs direct trains on every leg. Bucharest to Brașov takes about 2 hours 15 minutes, Brașov to Sighișoara about 3 hours 24 minutes, and Sighișoara to Sibiu about 1 hour 28 minutes, with second-class fares from about 8 to 63 lei depending on the leg. Buy online up to 30 days ahead to choose your seat.
SourceVirailCFR CălătoriWhere should I base myself for Bran Castle and Peleș Castle?
Brașov. Bran Castle is a short bus ride south of town, and Peleș Castle at Sinaia sits on the Bucharest to Brașov train line, so you can stop there on the way in or out.
Can I do this route with a rental car instead?
Yes, and it helps for the fortified churches and castle lanes around Brașov. Park on the edge of each old town; the centers are pedestrian, and a car is a nuisance inside the walls. Daily rentals start around 130 lei.
SourceGo Visit RomaniaMore of Romania
- Walking toursWalking tours in RomaniaRomania is the corner of Europe where a first visit still feels like a proper journey: Bucharest's grand boulevards and merchant lanes, then north into Transylvania's Saxon citadels, hilltop clock towers, and walled squares. The route that earns a week is Bucharest, Brașov, Sighișoara, and Sibiu, all linked by direct CFR Călători trains for a few dozen lei a leg. Bucharest, Brașov, and Sibiu each carry Wayside walking tours, so the old quarters come with a local's line through them, and the pacing is forgiving: mornings in museums and castle yards, afternoons moving on to the next town.
- Know before you goRomania essentialsThe national basics for a first visit to Romania: Schengen entry, the leu, trains and the rovinieta, plugs, holidays, and when to come.
Do it yourself
Follow it in the app
Download Wayside to walk Bucharest, Brașov, and Sibiu with a local's line through each old quarter.
Provenance · last verified August 20, 2026
Researched and routed by Wayside, with inter-city detail checked against the source.
SourcesGo Visit RomaniaFreedom Years TravelRomania Travel TipsCFR CălătoriVirailCFR CălătoriVirailVirail
Photo by Michael Michelovski on Unsplash