Romania, Romania

Discovery · Romania

Romania

Romania moves from lively cities and painted monasteries to Saxon villages, Carpathian forests and a Black Sea delta rich in birdlife.

Travel by Ildy tip

Highlights

Drive the last unpaved stretch to Viscri, a UNESCO-listed Saxon village whose fortified church grew from a small hall church of around 1100, ringed later by towers and a second wall.

Best time to visit

Best time to travel

May to June and September suit cultural routes and the Carpathians; the Danube Delta and winter mountains need specialist timing.

Travel tips

Travel by Ildy tips

  • Base yourself in Brașov for central Transylvania: Râșnov’s citadel and Bran Castle are short trips from the city, and Sinaia with Peleș Castle lies on the rail line towards Bucharest, so all work as day trips.
  • Look for brânză de burduf, a salty kneaded sheep's cheese packed into tubes of pine bark, which give it a faint resinous flavour – a speciality of Romania's mountain shepherds.
  • Plan the Transfăgărășan high road between late June and late October: snow usually closes it for the rest of the year, and even in summer bad weather can shut the pass.
  • In Săpânța, Maramureș, the Merry Cemetery's blue oak crosses carry painted scenes and witty verse epitaphs about the dead – a tradition begun by carver Stan Ioan Pătraș in 1935.

Travel by Ildy recommends

Follow the rhythm of the place first, then shape the journey around the experiences that feel most like your own.

Location

Romania on the map

Romania

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Where to stay

Stay ideas — Romania

Romania, Romania

Romania

Romania