May
Temperatures warm a bit in May, but expect intervals of rain. Romanians traditionally spend the Labour Day holiday (1 May) at the seashore, but it's still too cold to swim. Birdwatching starts in the Danube Delta.
zSibiu Jazz Festival
The second week in May brings headline jazz acts to Sibiu for the city's annual Jazz Festival.
June
The formal arrival of summer brings reliably warm, even hot, days and sunshine throughout the country. The Black Sea resorts get rolling and high-altitude zones are rich with wildflowers.
zInternational Theatre Festival
Sibiu's International Theatre Festival (www.sibfest.ro) ranks as the country's most prominent performing arts event. Held over a week in mid-June.
zTransilvania International Film Festival
The Transilvania International Film Festival takes place in June at dozens of locations around Cluj-Napoca.
July
The summer sun starts to boil. Bucharest and other large cities are often unbearable as temperatures can top 40°C. Locals hit the beaches on the Black Sea for relief.
3Electric Castle
The pop and rock festival Electric Castle unfolds over four days in July against the backdrop of Bánffy Castle, near Cluj-Napoca, and features electronica, house, metal and reggae.
zFestival of Medieval Arts & Crafts
The annual Festival of Medieval Arts & Crafts (www.sighisoaramedievala.ro) brings music, dance and folk crafts to Sighişoara in mid- to late July.
August
If you can take the heat, this is an ideal month to visit. Long days filled with sun bring crowds to the coast and the mountains. There's a mid-month holiday (15 August), so book hotels in advance.
zHora de la Prislop
A folk-music festival held on the second Sunday in August at the Prislop Pass in Maramureş celebrating the sheep returning from the mountains.
zUntold Festival
Untold is billed as 'Romania's biggest festival'; the focus is rock and indie music and it brings thousands to Cluj-Napoca in August.
Untold Festival, Cluj-Napoca | Salajean / Shutterstock ©
September
A great month to visit. The days are warm and sunny, with plenty of daylight. The start of mushrooming season pushes city dwellers into the woods in search of the perfect fungus.
zGeorge Enescu Music Festival
This highly acclaimed George Enescu Music Festival (www.festivalenescu.ro) runs over the month of September at Bucharest's elegant Romanian Athenaeum.
The Romanian Athenaeum, home of the George Enescu Music Festival | PhotoStock10 / Shutterstock ©
zBalkanik Music Festival
The Balkanik Music Festival (www.balkanikfestival.ro) brings high-energy Roma- and Balkan-infused world music to Bucharest over a long weekend in mid-September.
zSibiu Opera Festival
The Sibiu Opera Festival (www.filarmonicasibiu.ro) brings concerts and singers to Sibiu from around the world in September.
October
The cultural calendar is in full swing in cities and towns, with concerts and theatrical performances.
zInternational Astra Film Festival
Sibiu’s International Astra Film Festival focuses on the best regional documentaries. Held in mid- to late October.
zInternational Theatre Festival for Children
Bucharest's Ion Creangă Theatre is the host organisation for the International Theatre Festival for Children, which brings troupes from around the world.
November
The nation goes into hunker-down mode until Christmas and the cultural calendar grinds to a halt. Days are short and nights are cold.
December
The month begins with a national holiday on the 1st and then descends further into cold and darkness. By mid-month the sun is all but gone by 4.30pm each day. Christmas brings welcome relief, with parties, festivals and markets.
zWinter Festival
Sighetu Marmaţiei’s undisputed annual high point comes just a couple of days after Christmas, with the Winter Festival featuring food, music, masks and a colourful oxen parade.
Itineraries
Transylvania Castles & Cities
10 Days
Transylvania is Romania’s best-known region and arguably its most beautiful. It’s filled with rocky mountaintops, haunting castles and lively historic cities. This classic route is designed for travellers for whom this region is the prime focus. The tour starts in Bucharest, where most international flights arrive.
Hire a car in Bucharest or hop a train northward toward the mountains, stopping in Sinaia for a couple of nights and checking out Peleş Castle. From here, take a cable car into the Bucegi Mountains for a hike.
Drive or take a bus north to spend a couple of nights in Braşov, a lively hub with a cobbled centre. Use Braşov as a base for a day trip to the infamous Bran Castle.
If you have a car, spend a night in the Saxon village of Viscri before continuing to Sighişoara, where the dramatic citadel offers creature comforts and Dracula’s birthplace.
Head southwest for a night or two in the cultural hub of Sibiu. If you have a car (and it’s summer), drive south along the breathtaking Transfăgărăşan road. South of the pass, stop at the ‘real Dracula's castle’ of Poienari Citadel.
Itineraries
Classic Romania
2 Weeks
Romania is a deceptively large country, with physical barriers (such as high mountain passes) that make it difficult to get around easily. This tour highlights the most popular province, Transylvania, but conveniently tacks on neighbouring regions, including the capital, Bucharest, to help you make the most of your time.
Spend the first two nights in Bucharest, taking in the Palace of Parliament as well as a couple of museums and restaurants. Take the train or drive north to Braşov, and spend at least a day or two here. Use it as a base for visiting Bran Castle and the Saxon town of Viscri.
Head north to Sighişoara and its historic citadel. Spend the night before heading south to Sibiu, an eye-catching former Saxon stronghold.
From here, backtrack toward Sighişoara or head north through Cluj-Napoca, a big university town with an over-abundance of awesome cafes and clubs.
Push northward to the city of Baia Mare or to Sighetu Marmaţiei, to use as a base for visiting the unspoilt, agrarian region of Maramureş. Don’t miss the Merry Cemetery in Săpânţa or the pretty wooden churches in Budeşti, Surdeşti and Ieud.
Itineraries
Danube Delta & Painted Monasteries
1 Week
Eastern Romania receives the fewest number of visitors, yet possesses some of the country’s most important natural and cultural attractions. For the former, look no further than the serene Danube Delta, a sprawling protected wetland that’s perfect for birders. Northwest of here are the cultural wonders of the Bucovina painted monasteries.
The tour starts in Tulcea, the gateway to the Danube Delta, though it could be done in reverse, beginning in Suceava. Stay overnight in Tulcea and enter the delta via boating day trips. If you’ve got more time, skip Tulcea and grab a passenger ferry to deeper, more scenic Sfântu Gheorghe.
After getting your birdwatching and boating on, return to Tulcea and take the bus or drive north to Iaşi, Moldavia’s cultural hub and largest city. Spend a day taking in the sights. Use Iaşi as a base to explore the Agapia, Văratec and Neamţ monasteries.
From here, it’s a short hop to the regional capital of Suceava, which has good hotels and a number of companies offering tours to the nearby painted monasteries. Don’t miss the Arbore, Voroneţ and Suceviţa monasteries.
Regions at a Glance
Bucharest
Great Galleries
Bucharest is home to the country’s top museums of art, history and natural science, among many, many others. Lovers of folk art have both a quirky peasant museum and a grand, open-air collection dedicated to Romanian villages to choose from.
From Highbrow to Lowbrow
The capital has a thriving cultural calendar that runs from September through to spring, and is especially strong on classical music. In addition, nightly throughout the year, you’ll have your pick of jazz, rock, indie or blues at dozens of smaller music clubs. Many of these are concentrated in the Old Town.
Romania's Dining Capital
Bucharest is the food capital of Romania. It's the place where traditional Romanian fare clashes with international organic and farm-to-table culinary trends, and the results are superb.
Regions at a Glance
Wallachia
Roots of Romania
The modern Romanian state traces its roots back to the old principality of Wallachia, once ruled over by the feared Vlad Ţepeş. The princely courts of Curtea de Argeş and Târgovişte tell this history.
The Danube Turns Dramatic
The Danube River defines Wallachia’s southern border. In the west, below Drobeta-Turnu Severin, the fast-flowing river winds its way through a series of dramatic narrow gorges called – appropriately enough – the ‘Iron Gates’.
New Techniques & Artisanal Grapes
Wallachia is home to some of the country’s finest winemaking regions, including the Dealu Mare area north of Târgovişte, for excellent reds and whites, and a promising new region in the west, at Drăgășani.
Regions at a Glance
Transylvania
Counts in Black Capes
Who can blame author Bram Stoker for looking to Transylvania for inspiration on spooky castles? Bran is a national treasure, but don’t neglect Corvin Castle, at Hunedoara, or Râşnov, not far from Braşov.
Walking Along the Peaks
Transylvania’s natural borders are defined by a string of 2500m peaks that cut through the country in a sweeping arc. Many travellers are partial to the Bucegi Mountains, which are accessible by cable car from Sinaia.
Fortresses in the Middle of Nowhere
Isolated 17th-century villages, defined by towering fortress churches and ringed by majestic peaks in the distance, are par for the course in Transylvania. Don’t miss Viscri; other musts include Biertan and Măgura.
Regions at a Glance
Crişana & Banat
Western Wannabes
Western Romanian cities such as Timişoara and Oradea were heavily influenced by architectural styles in Budapest and Vienna. Oradea, in particular, was drenched in glorious art nouveau detail at the turn of the 20th century.
Apuseni Nature Park
Often overlooked for higher peaks elsewhere, the Apuseni Mountains, southeast of Oradea, offer miles of rugged, isolated trails and dozens of caves that can be explored.
Timişoara Opera & Theatre
Timişoara takes its performing arts – theatre, opera, dance and classical music – seriously. For something less highbrow, the city’s student complex is filled with bars and dance clubs that stay open till dawn.
Regions at a Glance
Maramureş
Back to Basics
The whole of Maramureş feels like one large open-air exhibition of peasant life as it was lived 100 or more years ago. Traditional crafts, including the making of strong plum brandy, still thrive.
The Roots of Folk
Much Romanian folk music traces its roots to Maramureş, and traditional song and dance is on display throughout the year at festivals such as the Hora de la Prislop, held in August.
Sombre Steeples
Simple, sombre wooden churches in villages such as Budeşti, Bârsana and Ieud are a testament to both the villagers’ piety as well as their immense woodworking skills. Try to take in a service during your visit.
Regions at a Glance
Moldavia & the Bucovina Monasteries
Objects of Faith & Works of Art
Bucovina’s painted monasteries, from the 15th and 16th centuries, are considered masterpieces for the way they harmonise colour and architectural style with the surrounding countryside.
Monuments to Medieval Conquest
Fortresses in Suceava and Târgu Neamţ recall some of the greatest military triumphs against the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century by Moldavian prince Ştefan cel Mare.
Hearty Regional Cooking
Moldavia is renowned in Romania for some of the best regional traditional cooking. They lay claim to mămăligă (cornmeal mush), but ciorbă Rădăuţi, chicken soup with mashed garlic and vinegar, is the real deal.
Regions at a Glance
The Danube Delta & Black Sea Coast
Rare Pelicans & Cormorants
The Danube Delta is an internationally protected wetland that stretches on as far as the eye can see. It’s ideal for boating, hiking, fishing and birdwatching.
Sunbathing & Moondancing
Romania’s coastline is dotted with beachfront from the Danube Delta to the Bulgarian border. Favourites include the isolated, sandy beach at Sfântu Gheorghe in the delta and the infamous party spot, Vama Veche, in the south.
Stomping Ground for Greeks & Romans
The Black Sea coastline was settled by the ancient Greeks as far back as 700 BC, and then came the Romans. Museums in Tulcea, Histria and Constanţa are particularly rich in finds from antiquity.
Bucharest
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Snagov Lake
Bucharest
Pop 1,900,000
Why Go?
Romania’s capital gets a bad rap, but in fact it's dynamic, energetic and fun. It’s where still-unreconstructed communism meets unbridled capitalism; where the soporific forces of the EU meet the passions of the Balkans. Many travellers give the city just a night or two before heading off to Transylvania, but that’s clearly not enough. Allow at least a few days to take in the good museums, stroll the parks and hang out at trendy cafes. While much of the centre is modern and garish, you'll find splendid 17th- and 18th-century Orthodox churches and graceful art nouveau villas tucked away in quiet corners. Communism changed the face of the city forever, and nowhere is this more evident than at the gargantuan Palace of Parliament, the craziest and crassest tribute to dictatorial megalomania you’ll probably ever see.
When to Go
AApr & May City parks erupt into colour as trees blossom and flowers bloom.
AJul & Aug Avoid Bucharest in midsummer, when temperatures can be oppressively hot.
ASep & Oct Cooler, but still sunny, and warm enough for terrace drinking and dining.
Best Places to Eat
A Caru' cu Bere
A Lacrimi și Sfinți
A Shift Pub
A Gargantua in the Park
A Modelier
Best Places to Sleep
A Rembrandt Hotel
A Vila Arte
A Little Bucharest Old Town Hostel
A Hotel Opera
A Hotel Amzei
Bucharest Highlights
1 Palace of Parliament Taking in the sheer enormity of former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s madhouse.
2 Statue of Emperor Trajan Getting that coveted Instagram snap of the city’s kookiest statue – a naked Roman Emperor Trajan holding a Dacian wolf.
3 Cişmigiu Garden Kicking back in Bucharest’s surprisingly peaceful central park.
4 Museum of the Romanian Peasant Learning why you might not appreciate granny’s wisdom enough at this quirky but cool museum.
5 Caru’ cu Bere Enjoying traditional food, along with homemade beer and an impromptu cancan performance.
6 Former Ceauşescu Residence Touring the luxe villa the Ceauşescus called home for more than two decades.
7 Grădina Verona Spending the evening drinking and talking in the open air at one of the city’s pretty gardens.
8 Romanian Athenaeum Experiencing the serenity of classical music
harmonising with classical architecture.