Bucharest to Transylvania: A Point to Point Trip by Public Transport

Travel less, See More with this short itinerary taking in Peles and Bran Castle, Brasov, Sighisoara and the Libearty Bear Sanctuary

Many people visit Peleș Castle, Bran Castle and Brașov as long day trips from Bucharest. It works, but the balance often feels wrong, with more time spent travelling than actually being there, and little opportunity to do more than scratch the surface.

This itinerary from Bucharest to Transylvania covers the same headline sights, but adds Vlad’s hometown of Sighișoara, a visit to the Libearty Bear Sanctuary, and time at Bran Castle itself. It’s a practical, point-to-point journey by public transport, which can be done in anything from a few days to a week, depending on your pace and travel style.

By staying overnight in places that are usually overwhelmed by day-trippers, you get to experience them at their best, plus it’s far easier to enjoy the atmosphere and take people-free photos, too.

Below, you’ll find the route we took, with transport details, things to see and do at each stop, and practical suggestions on where to stay and eat, based entirely on our own experience.

Itinerary map

This guide may include a few affiliate links. If you choose to buy something through one of them, I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting One Small Bag and helping keep this resource ad-free and independent.

Bucharest: Where the journey begins

Some might say Bucharest is an acquired taste, and if you spend too long around Gara de Nord you’d be forgiven for judging it harshly. But after a few visits, the city has grown on me. It’s a big place, less suited to an aimless wander, and one where a little planning pays off.

What makes Bucharest interesting is its variety. You can lean into the Belle Époque “Little Paris” side of the city, explore Romania’s communist past, or focus on food, bars and nightlife. And if you’re like me and like a bit of everything, you might just love it too.

Things to see and do in Bucharest

If you only have one day, I’d focus on a few of the main events rather than trying to cram in everything. I’d focus your time here, I’ve also marked the main points of interest on the itinerary map.

• Palace of the Parliament: A guided visit is the most efficient way to see the building and get some wider context, with a visit to Ceausescu’s Villa and the village museum included. You’ll cover a lot of ground, seeing other city landmarks and neighbourhoods from the coach along the way.
• Old Town: This is an easy area to explore on foot and a good place to stop for food. It’s lively and central, Some of Bucharest’s main attractions are here and marked on my itinerary map.
• Calea Victoriei: Walk along this grand boulevard and enjoy the Belle Époque architecture,

If you have more time, I’ve covered the city in much more detail here:

→ 23 Best Things to Do in Bucharest – and One I’d Avoid Right Now

Food and drink in Bucharest

Bucharest has endless options, but these are places we’ve tried and would happily return to:

• Caru’ cu Bere – A Romanian institution and still worth it. Our recommendation is the pork knuckle .
• Manuc’s Inn – As much about atmosphere as food
• Van Goch Cafe – An instagram favourite. We tried papanasi here, one of Romania’s most well known deserts
• Cafe Capsa – Belle Époque glamour and excellent cakes
• The Urbanist – Reliable coffee stop

If you’re a beer fan, then Beer O’clock and Ground Zero Taproom are easy choices in the old town. If you’re more into cocktails then try the Skybar for a rooftop experience.

Where to stay in Bucharest

Bucharest is huge, so paying attention when you book accommodation is important. It’s also named by sectors which are like slices of pie, not rings radiating from the centre, so staying in sector 1 is not a sure fire strategy for landing something central. We stayed in this aparthotel close to Piata Romana and on the M1 metro, which is convenient for lots of the tourist attractions in the city, There’s plenty of choice in Bucharest, The old town is popular and we’ve stayed there before, but it can also be quite rowdy,

Bucharest to Sinaia by Train (For Peles Castle)

You’ll want to head for Gara du Nord train station to catch the train to Sinaia, a stop on the line before Brasov. Gara Nord is served by two metro lines M1 (yellow) and M4 (green).

Booking Tickets: The easiest thing to do is to book online in advance from CFR Calatori the national train operator, The faster services can fill up so it’s best to do this advance, There are other train services running the line, so you can find more options on this aggregator website. From there you should be able to find the relevant train website or book through 12go.asia (with markup). I don’t recommend trying to buy tickets at the station, not just because they might be sold out, but because there are multiple ticket desks for different train services and the whole experience can be a sorry saga (as we discovered on a previous trip). Once you have tickets, the platform is clearly marked so you should find your train easily and you should have a seat reservation number too.

The journey: It’s a frequent service to Sinaia, and can take anything from just over 1 hour to over 3,

I’ve marked the locations of the train stations in both Bucharest and Sinaia on the map. And once in Sinaia, you’ll immediately see an improvement on Bucharest Nord. How much nicer is this station? And you’ll know you’ve arrived in a welcoming place.

If you’re enjoying this kind of travel writing, I share more like it once a month.

Sinaia: more than just Peleș Castle

Peleș Castle is the jewel in the crown of Romania’s castles, and if you only visit one, this should be it. It’s easy to reach by public transport from both Bucharest and Brașov, and feels a world away from the more gimmicky experience at Bran, the so-called “Dracula castle” with its tenuous historical links.

Strictly speaking, Sinaia and Peleș sit in Wallachia rather than Transylvania, but they’re right on the border. That’s close enough for most itineraries, and very much part of the same journey.

What surprised me most, though, was that Sinaia is more than just a castle stop. The walk up from the station takes you past elegant parks, grand old residences, forested slopes and mountain views, and on the way back down we stumbled across Sinaia Monastery – a highlight that’s oddly under-mentioned given how attractive and atmospheric it is.

Visiting Peleș Castle

Before anything else, check the opening days and times. Peleș Castle is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and opening hours vary by season. Also, Peleș should not be confused with Pelișor Castle, its smaller neighbour a few Peles which is the main event.

From Sinaia train station, it’s around a 25-minute walk to the castle. There are buses on the route, but we were glad we walked. The approach is scenic and there’s plenty to see along the way.

Peleș is popular, so arriving for the first entry slot of the day with pre-purchased tickets is a sensible plan. Tickets are timed, visitor numbers are capped, and booking ahead is strongly advised. Additional tickets are available if you want to visit the upper floors as well as the ground floor.

Other things to see in Sinaia

Beyond the castle, Sinaia is a pleasant place to explore. I’ve marked several additional points on the map, including the cable car, the casino and parks, Do not skip Sinaia Monastery. It’s peaceful, attractive, and an easy stop on the walk back towards town. I’m genuinely surprised it doesn’t feature more prominently in most itineraries.

Food and drink in Sinaia

We did unexpectedly well for food in Sinaia. We’d been braced for standard tourist fare, but it ended up being one of our culinary highlights in Romania.

I’ve marked Carol Gastro Bierhaus, near the castle, where we had what may have been the best apple strudel of our lives (sorry, Germany). Bistro 27 served the best Romanian food we ate on the trip, with the possible exception of the pork knuckle at Caru’ cu Bere in Bucharest. It’s tucked between more touristy restaurants that didn’t particularly appeal, but we took a chance and it paid off.

Sinaia to Brasov by Train

And it’s another train. The service is frequent, although not necessarily timely with length of journey variable (1-2 hours) depending on which train you catch.. While you can book in advance, these trains didn’t seem busy and we wished we hadn’t for this second leg to Brasov. With our booked train delayed, we watched several go past from the other private train operators until our late one arrived. Tickets are simple to buy at Sinaia train station. It’s much smaller and much less messy than Gara du Nord in Bucharest. .You can find the aggregated train times here.

When you arrive in Brasov, it’s quite some walk into the city centre, but there are several bus lines running into the centre from the bus station right outside the train station. You shouldn’t have to wait more than 10 minutes. We paid contactless by tapping our card on the machine on the bus. There’s also an app and ticket machines at the station, full details on the Brasov bus website. I’ll also add Bolt and Uber were plentiful and the trips we made in Brasov were well priced.

Brașov: a classy base in the Carpathians

Brașov’s old town is compact and medieval, with cobbled streets, broad squares, and well-preserved Saxon walls, gates, and towers. Set against the backdrop of the Carpathians it has the feel of a ski resort or smart German or Austrian city. And the upmarket vibe continues in the restaurants and wine bars. It’s a popular place with visitors from Romania and beyond.

Brasov also works perfectly as a base for exploring further into Transylvania, particularly for visits to Bran Castle and the Libearty Bear Sanctuary.

Things to do in Brașov

We stayed for several days and fitted our time in Brașov around a visit to the bear sanctuary and an overnight stop in Sighișoara. We were unlucky with the weather, it rained almost constantly, so a few things, such as the cable car, felt pointless with dense cloud.

That said, these are the highlights I’d suggest. All are marked on the itinerary map,

• Council Square (Piața Sfatului) – the heart of the old city
• The Black Church – the largest Gothic church in Eastern Europe; well worth going inside
• For views: the cable car up Mount Tâmpa, plus the walk to the Black and White Towers
• The city gates, particularly Catherine’s Gate and Șchei Gate
• Independent shops, cafés and restaurants around the old town
• Rope Street – narrow, striking, and quick to see
• Brutalist architecture in the modern city, if that’s your thing

Visiting Libearty Bear Sanctuary and Bran Castle

The Libearty Bear Sanctuary is located in the forested mountains near Zărnești. You’ll need to drive, use Uber, or join a tour to get there. Bran Castle lies in the same direction, so combining the two in one day makes sense.

If you’re not familiar with Libearty, it’s the largest bear sanctuary in the world. The bears have all been rescued, often from extremely poor conditions in zoos, circuses, or private captivity. They now live out their lives in peace in a vast forest environment, with space, care, and medical support when needed.

I’ll be writing about this visit in more detail in a separate post.

Where to stay in Brașov

We booked fairly late, which limited our options within the walls themselves but found this budget choice just outside the city walls. It was convenient for the buses and about a 10-15 minute walk into the walled centre, The owner was a tour guide which was especially helpful. I’d recommend booking early though.

Brasov to Sighișoara by FlixBus

Trains are not your friend on this route. Services are infrequent and can take four hours or more, which feels excessive given the distance. The quickest and most practical public transport option is the bus from Brașov to Sighișoara.

FlixBus runs the route in under two hours, with tickets costing around €5 each way. There is one important caveat: the timetable doesn’t work well for a day trip. Add an overnight stay, however, and it becomes ideal, with afternoon services in both directions.

You’ll need to take a bus or Uber/Bolt to the coach station just outside Brașov, but in Sighișoara the bus stop is much more central.

And yes – I have an excellent suggestion of where to stay, right in the heart of the medieval citadel.

Visit Sighișoara, the birth place of Vlad the Impaler / Dracula

Sighișoara feels like Transylvania in miniature. Stepping inside the fortified medieval citadel is like entering another world, and for me, that sense of immersion is exactly what travel is about. We visited in pouring rain, which somehow made the whole place feel even more atmospheric.

Things to do in Sighișoara

Sighișoara is compact, so it’s easy to explore on foot. These are the main places to look out for, all marked on the itinerary map:

• The Clock Tower – the city’s most recognisable landmark
• The fortified towers along the walls
• The Scholars’ Stairs, leading up to the school and cemetery (night tours are available)
• Vlad the Impaler’s birthplace and his statue in the centre
• Time to wander, eat, drink, and soak up the atmosphere

I’ve also written previously about Sighișoara ( The kind of European places I want to keep writing about.)

Where to stay in Sighișoara

This one is easy. I have one hotel recommendation only, and no need to hedge it with alternatives. The location, the welcome, the room, and the breakfast were all outstanding, and it felt as far removed from an identikit chain hotel as it’s possible to get.

We only discovered after leaving that their papanași are ‘to die for’ which, I guess, gives us a very good reason to return.

Where to go next

From Sighișoara, we returned to Brașov by FlixBus. From here, it’s also possible to fly back to the UK via Brașov Airport, with limited services currently operated by Wizz Air. It’s a very new airport, and while facilities and access are still a work in progress, it’s clearly one to watch as routes expand.

If you have more time to explore Transylvania, this route also links neatly onwards to Sibiu, Târgu Mureș, and on to Cluj-Napoca – a journey we’re planning for a future trip.

Elsewhere in Romania, I’ve also written about Iași, the country’s second city in the Moldavia region. And if you’re open to something a little more unusual, I’d strongly recommend continuing on to Chișinău in Moldova. I’ve shared our experience of travelling there on the former Soviet-era sleeper train from Bucharest.

I hope you’ve found this itinerary useful. If you’re interested in similar point-to-point journeys by public transport I have more overland itineraries across the Balkans and wider Eastern Europe. And if you like practical, real-world travel tips, I’ve also shared exactly how I pack everything I need for multi-season travel into a single 24L daypack.

If you have questions about planning this route, or want to share your own experiences, I’d love to hear from you. You can also join my monthly newsletter for more grounded, experience-led travel ideas from across Europe. trip. And if you enjoy practical, real-world travel tips across Europe, feel free to join my monthly newsletter.

Give it a share!