Author: Jessica Esa, Author at Travelling Balkans

How to Get from Sofia to Bucharest (3 Ways)

Romania and Bulgaria are two neighbouring nations with a shared history but also a fair amount of differences. The most notable being that the Romanian language hails from Latin, and so they write using the same alphabet that we do, while Bulgarians are Slavic and use the Cyrillic alphabet. But the two nations both came under the thumb of Communism in the 20th century and, today, are flourishing cities of brutalist architecture that hides a bustling art scene, a wonderful food scene, and a fascinating history. It’s easy to get from Sofia to Bucharest, and[...]

3 Romania Itinerary Ideas (7, 10, and 14 Days)

Romania is a unique and special country, thanks in large part to its size and the way that its towns and cities are so spread out. What this means for budding travellers hoping to explore the country at their leisure is that the country bends itself to your time schedule. Only have a week in Romania? That’s time enough to explore all of Transylvania. You’ve got two weeks in Romania? Then you can see Bucharest as well, and even head to Timisoara. Romania is huge, with a varying landscape of mountains and valleys that divide and separate its towns and cities[...]

Visiting Romania for the First Time

A Handy Guide to Rasnov Fortress, Romania

Before you head to the land of endless rolling hills, dramatic mountain ranges, and medieval towns that is Romania, there are a few things that are important to know. You’ll want to think about exactly how expensive travelling around Romania is, how safe the country is, the top places to visit in Romania, and even more besides. Here’s everything you need to know before visiting Romania for the first time. How to get to Romania There is a surprising number of options to choose from when it comes to how to get to Romania. The most obvious is to take[...]

Planning Your Epic Romania Road Trip

Romania might be the very best country in Europe to enjoy a road trip. It’s a deceptively massive country with all of its villages, towns, and cities separated far apart from one another. No two cities are anywhere near each other in Romania, and so the country is sending every visitor an open invitation to hop in a rental car and explore the landscape. Speaking of the landscape, it’s a varied and rocky ocean of tall snow-capped mountain peaks, deep and flat valleys, and rolling green hills. Romania offers some of the best views in all of Europe, and the be[...]

11 Incredible Things to Do in Timisoara, Romania

Timisoara is Romania’s third-largest city, after the capital of Bucharest and the second city of Cluj-Napoca, and yet it is a city that is often overlooked, with so many tourists heading to the smaller historical city of Brasov instead. But Timisoara is an incredible, colourful, and vibrant city that should not be overlooked. The city of Timisoara lies on the western edge of Romania, in the region of Transylvania, and it is such a perfectly sized city for all that you would want to see and do. While Bucharest can seem a little too vast and spread out for a lo[...]

Romania in the winter: is it worth it?

Romania is an enormous country, and much of its landscape is made up of mountains, hills, and valleys. Situated yourself in the centre of Transylvania and you’ll find yourself on a perfectly flat valley plain that spreads out for miles, but on every side of you on the horizon is a jagged and harsh mountain range. Romania is like a fantasy world of dramatic and sublime rocky terrain, dense forests, and rolling green hills. All of this changes dramatically in the winter months. It gets freezing cold, snow falls heavy, and all the green hills are coated with a w[...]

How to get from Brasov to Bran Castle

One of the most inspiring Romanian day trips that you can take is undoubtedly a trip to the famous Bran Castle. Built-in the 13th century as a fortress to protect the border between Wallachia and Transylvania, the castle towers over this border, perched almost precariously atop a slender and tall outcrop of rock. Looking almost as though it grew out of the stone itself, Bran Castle is one of the most delightfully and beautifully gothic buildings in all of Eastern Europe. Long associated with the Dracula legend, it is often the first place people want to go when[...]

A Handy Guide to Rasnov Fortress, Romania

The country of Romania is split into three provinces, the most famous of which is Transylvania. While Transylvania is not home to Romania’s capital city, it is instead a wide and expansive landscape of flat valleys and rising mountains. And all of this expansive landscape is peppered with medieval Saxon towns, gothic castles, and untouched hilltop fortresses. One such hilltop fortress is Rasnov Fortress (sometimes known as Rasnov Castle or Rasnov Citadel). Rasnov Fortress has sat overlooking the wide open valley below it for hundreds of years, and remains alm[...]

What to Do in Brasov, Romania

At the heart of Romania’s most famous province, Transylvania is the historic and medieval city of Brasov. While Bucharest might be Romania’s capital, Brasov is its city of history; one that’s full of fascinating attractions and has been injected with a vibrant nightlife and coffee scene. There are a lot of fantastic things to do in Brasov, even if you choose to visit Brasov in winter. There isn’t another city in Romania like it, and the city wins over visitors every year with its kind and happy locals, its hipster bars and cafes, its fantastic food scen[...]

What to do in Skopje, Macedonia: 11 things you can’t miss

Macedonia is one of the most historically exciting countries in Europe. An ancient Greek kingdom, a vital part of the Ottoman Empire, a former state of the Republic of Yugoslavia. And now, at last, an independent and thriving republic. All of this varied and rich history means that this colourful nation has a cuisine, a host of architecture and religious buildings, and a language that has been so influenced by the lands around it. This means that Skopje, Macedonia’s capital city, is a hotbed of exciting and fascinating historic sights and experiences. Most[...]