Bucharest To Transylvania Day Trip: What To See & Do

This post will share the details of my Bucharest to Transylvania day trip.

For the second day of my trip to Bucharest, I decided to take the essential day trip to Transylvania.

At first, I was undecided about this tour, so I left it till the last minute.

By then, after asking a fellow British lady who had gone the day before for feedback, she said it was worth it, so I thought, why not?

Thankfully, it is the off-peak season, so I was able to grab some last-minute discounted tickets.

After booking, the tour company immediately emailed me the trip’s details, including all the cash I would need for entry fees.

Unfortunately, I forgot to get Euros from the UK, so I had to look for an ATM to use the night before to withdraw some Romanian Leu.

With all that settled, I was ready for my day trip.

Here’s What’s To See & Do On A Bucharest To Transylvania Day Trip.

As always, I booked my Dracula’s Castle, Peles Castle, and Brasov Old Town tour on Get Your Guide. I was given a pickup time of 7:15 a.m.

Unlike on my Bucharest to Bulgaria Day Trip, I wasn’t picked up from my hotel because this was a much bigger group, with up to 48 people.

So, I had to make my way down to the pickup point in front of University Square.

It took about thirty minutes to walk down there, and there was no way I was doing that at 6:30 in the morning, so I just took an Uber instead.

Also, I wanted to get there early enough to get a seat by the window.

This tour wasn’t fully booked compared to my Dubrovnik to Montenegro Day Trip in September, so I had the row myself.

II’mindsight, I’m glad I took an Uber because about five tour companies were at the pickup point, and I had to find the one with my name on the list.

Finding my tour bus in the dark took some minutes, but I could do so quickly because I got there early enough.

Itinerary

Here’s the proposed itinerary provided by the tour company;

• Peles Castle
• Brasov
• Bran Castle

Unfortunately, this itinerary was not modified for the season.

We wasted time in Brasov instead of going straight to Bran Castle after Pele Castle.

I understand that the tour operators were trying to be considerate and allow an early stop for lunch.

But it would have made a significant difference if we explored the Bran castle before it got dark.

Even at Bracouldn’tcouldn’t do much because it started raining.

So, I ended up sitting at the restaurant till it was time to go.

With that out of let’s, let’s see how the day went;

7:15 – 9:45 – Cornu, Romania

• As I mentioned, we had to join the tour coach at the University Square in the city centre.
• Thankfully, everyone was prompt and didn’t waste any time.
• For a tour of this size, we had a separate tour guide from the driver. Our driver guided six of us on my smaller tour to Bulgaria the day before.
• As we departed central Bucharest, the tour guide immediately started his job by explaining the history of the landmarks we met on the way. He also gave us a brief history of the city and the country.
• I appreciated this because I wouldn’t have an extra day to explore the city centre, so it was like killing two birds with one stone.
• With all my tour guides so far—I’ve had four—I’ve realised I’ve either had a hit or miss with them.
• This one was a miss for me. Despite being born and bred in Romania, he felt inauthentic because he had developed somewhat of an American accent sprinkled with British mannerisms. At some point, I had to ask him if he lived in the UK, and he said he never lived abroad. Despite being incredibly knowledgeable about his country, I found the entire thing with his voice and delivery jarring. He felt like an actor who had to fake an accent to get gratification. He tried to be as engaging as possible with his deadpan jokes, but it mostly fell flat, which I also think was down to the calibre of people in the coach, but that’s by the way.
• It’s safe to say that the tour guide impacted the day’s success because I had to listen to him all day.
• After about an hour of driving out of Bucharest, we stopped by a gas station for a coffee break, as usual. Since I had coffee in the morning, I also had the opportunity to use the bathroom.

9:45 – 11:45 – Peles’ Castle, Sinaia,Romania

• The first stop for the day was the 18th-century former Summer residence of King Carol I, which became an important European cultural centre at that time.
• We were dropped off at the entrance to the castle complex and had to work down to the castle.
• When booking, we were told to prepare 175 RON/€35 for adults or 100 RON/€20 for students in exact cash—this covered entrance fees and guided tour fees for both castles. Thankfully, my student ID doesn’t have a date so that I couldn’t use it.
• When we got to the castle, which was annoying because the plumbing was undergoing renovations, we met a couple of other tour groups and had to queue for about twenty minutes. I’m unsure if it caused the delay, but the tour guide mentioned waiting for the doors to open when we arrived.
• At this point, it was freezing because we were literally at the top of the hill overlooking the mountains, so I had to bring out my scarf. My coat pockets were warm so that I could get by without gloves. So, bring your scarf, gloves, and beanie if you come in the winter.
• After what felt like forever, we got in and started the tour guided by our tour operator.
• The castle was magnificent, and each room was packed with so much history that the tour guide explained.
• After about thirty minutes, we were left alone to explore the surrounding areas.
• After that, we went back to the pickup station.

12.40 – 14:45 – Brasov, Romania

• Next up was Brasov in Transylvania, where we stopped for lunch.
• Again, I thought we shouldn’t have stopped at all. It was raining, and we couldn’t even explore the city centre beside the square.
• If we had gone after the Bran castle, we probably would have been able to enjoy the city a lot more, but that’s just me.
• I found the nearest restaurant with familiar food, stayed there until it was time to return to the pickup station and grabbed a magnet on my way back.
• I tried to wander into the city square to take pictures, but everything looked depressing.

15:19 – 17:00 – Bran Castle

• Our final stop on this Bucharest to Transylvania day trip was Bran Castle, also known as Dracula’s Castle. Although I’m not necessarily a fan of the Dracula character, I’ve watched the Transylvania movies several times, which counts for something.
• Compared to Pele’s castle, Pele’s had no crowd, so we got in immediately.
• You must show your student ID at the entrance if you have a student ticket.
• We got in immediately, and once again, our tour operator was the tour guide.
• He explained the history/legend of Dracula and how it was loosely based on the actual story of Vlad the Impaler.
• After that, he left us to explore the castle.
• The Bran castle is much smaller than the Peles’ castle, and Peles had to go through many narrow stairs. Some of the rooms started getting spooky at some point, so I stayed away.
• At some point, I got lost in the castle and had to follow some random people until we got to the exit.
• Unfortunately, it was getting dark when we got out, and the Christmas lights had been turned on. I tried to take as many pictures as possible before it got pitch black, but I was so sad we hadn’t come earlier.

17:00 – 20:00

• When we left Bran castle, it was time to return to Bucharest.
• We drove for about an hour before stopping at the gas station for another break. Since I didn’t need to get out then, I sat still until we were ready.
• I napped for most of the journey, which was awesome because I had only slept a few hours the night before.
• We finally reached Bucharest and were dropped off at the University Square.

In Conclusion,

This Bucharest to Transylvania day trip is an essential activity.

Given how many coaches we saw, it’s also an incredibly popular activity, so you must prepare your mind for crowds.

Check Get Your Guide for the best time later to book for fewer crowds when it’s less busy.

Apart from the annoying itinerary and jarring tour guide, the day went okay.

It was so much better than exploring the Bucharest city centre on foot.