Part of that is because Western Europe has been so fully explored that, now, we’re all turning to Eastern Europe to see what magic can be found there.

Another reason is that, quite simply, Romania – and its capital city of Bucharest – is a place of deep history and natural beauty that’s been largely ignored by tourists until now.

So, is Bucharest worth visiting?

Yes, and here are a few things to do in Bucharest to help explain why!

One Day in Bucharest

If you only have one day, there are few things to do in Bucharest that you shouldn’t avoid.

Things that are truly memorable and special.

And all of them can be seen and done in the central area of Bucharest Old Town.

Photo by Christina Kirschnerova on Unsplash

Visit the Palace of Parliament

Romania’s most famous building (aside from Bran Castle of Dracula fame) is definitely the Palace of Parliament.

If you only have one day in Bucharest it’s vital that you see this building in all its glory.

Fortunately, it’s very hard to miss thanks to its enormous size.

Fun fact the Palace of Parliament is the heaviest building on the planet!

Heavier than even the tallest skyscrapers like Burj Khalifa and The Shard.

This is thanks to it being made almost entirely out of marble by Romania’s 20th Century Communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu.

While it might have been a waste of money at the time, it is nevertheless an amazing sight to behold, and visiting it is one of the best things to do in Bucharest.

Explore Stavropoleos Monastery

Bucharest has a lot of historic buildings, especially in its Old Town area, but none are quite as fascinating and captivating as Stavropoleos Monastery.

This building is one of the few that are actually built in the surprisingly rare neo-Romanian style of architecture, rather than a style influenced by the Ottomans, Hungarians, or French.

It’s also an untouched medieval building found in the heart of Bucharest.

Head inside this building and you’ll find as much beauty in its untouched medieval frescoes as there is on the outside.

And the building’s rear courtyard is full of the remains of churches that were demolished by the Communists.

What you see when you visit was saved by courageous locals trying hard to preserve their history.

The fact that this monastery survived is important, which makes paying it a visit a must.

Photo by Sherise . on Unsplash

Wander Around The National History Museum

The National History Museum of Bucharest is one of the most epic scale buildings in the city, and it sits on Victory Avenue – a historic street that was once a favourite hang-out for the city’s gentry decades ago.

What drew people to the building until recently was a hilariously ugly statue on its stairs.

The statue was of a Roman emperor standing completely naked, holding a dog (though the sculptor insists it was a wolf), and the dog has a strange tentacle extending out of its back.

The whole statue has some very awkward symbolism that makes for one of the funniest and most ugly statues in the world.

Accommodation in bucharest

Sadly, it’s currently gone, supposedly for maintenance.

If it never returns, however, visiting the museum itself is one of the best things to do in Bucharest.

Inside you’ll find exciting historic artefacts from as far back as when Romania wasn’t yet Romania – before the Romans, the Ottomans, the Hungarians.

When the country was populated by a Thracian tribe known as the Dacia (whom the car is named for).

Photo by Ioana Cristiana on Unsplash

3 Days in Bucharest

If you’re lucky enough to have more than one day in Bucharest and you can stretch to three, there are some more exciting things for you to see when you visit that take a little more walking and transport, but are certainly worth it.

Visit the Ceausescu Mansion

Ceausescu was the Communist leader of Romania during the late 20th Century.

He is not fondly remembered (in fact, he was executed on Christmas Day after an uprising).

But his house remains untouched today and is incredible!

From the outside, it resembles a romantic Spanish villa, and on the inside you can see detailed and elaborate French decor, including original paintings, rugs, chandeliers, and wooden furniture.

It’s the most remarkable place, and while it has a dark story it really is a beautiful building to explore.

It’s to the north of the city and can be accessed by subway.

Take a Day Trip to Sinaia

Sinaia is a beautiful town a little ways north of Bucharest.

You can take a train there from Gara de Nord station and it takes less than an hour.

Once there, you’ll find a medieval town that’s got enough going on to fill a day.

The most unmissable sight is Peles Castle, a German-style castle which now exists as a museum and can be fully explored in an afternoon.

If you happen to be in Romania during the snowy winter season, Sinaia is also a popular ski resort!

The Best Clubs in Bucharest

If you’re in Bucharest for a few days, it’s worth spending a night or two diving into the nightlife, and there are some great clubs to go dancing and drinking in.

Here are the best clubs in Bucharest.

1. Bamboo Club

The most expensive club in Bucharest is also, unsurprisingly, the most beautiful.

The elaborate and fancy decor makes for an unforgettable night and a great place to drink and dance after a day of exploring the city and trying the local food.

2. Player Club

A popular and very reasonably priced club in Bucharest that sells a good range of drinks and plays all the most popular music.

It’s a really great place to dance that’s spacious enough to have a good time and nothing is overpriced.

Bring friends and have a great time.

3. Club Guesthouse

For locals, this might be the most popular club in Bucharest.

What makes it stand out is its modern decor and the fact that it has a more chill and slow vibe.

If you love the club atmosphere but also enjoy relaxing with a drink, the music and tone here is what you’re looking for.

Other articles you will love:

• Traditional Romanian Food: 14 Must-try Dishes!
• 26 Unique Things to do in Romania
• How to Get from Bucharest to Transylvania + the best stops!

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Across this, open and rugged terrain are big modern cities like the capital of Bucharest, as well as the hundreds of medieval towns and villages found in Transylvania.

On the journey from Bucharest to Transylvania, you’ll leave the big city behind and pass through historic towns and cities filled with medieval architecture, lined with cobbled streets, and surrounded by endless forests, fields, and hills.

But how do you get from Bucharest to Transylvania?

And, when you do set out on this journey, what are the essential stops along the way – the castles and historic towns that shouldn’t be missed? Here is how to get from Bucharest to Transylvania.

Photo by Alexandru G. STAVRICĂ on Unsplash

Travelling by Car

The first, and arguably the best way to get from Bucharest to Transylvania is by doing it yourself.

Rent a car in Bucharest and set out on the open road, stopping at all the places mentioned below and spending as much time at each place as you want.

Renting a car can be a little scary in a new country but the best thing about renting a car in Romania is that it’s cheap.

You can rent a car in Romania for just a few dollars a day, meaning it’s something you could afford to do for up to a few weeks.

And, while driving in the bigger cities can be a little scary because of aggressive local drivers, driving between the towns and cities and across the Romanian landscape is chilled and blissful.

A great option is renting a car in Bucharest and heading north to Brasov.

Along the way, you can stop at the towns of Ploiesti and Campina, as well as Bran Castle and Peles Castle.

Once you’re in Brasov, stay for a few days and use your rental car to take a day trip or two to nearby smaller towns in Transylvania.

In just one day you can reach Bran Castle and Peles Castle (in case you missed them on the way to Brasov).

Make sure you have insurance when hiring a car.  I recommend SafetyWing or World Nomads.

Travelling by Train

Another option is to travel by train from Bucharest to Brasov.

The journey by train takes a little under three hours, is cheap and direct.

This is the simplest, quickest, and most stress-free way of getting from Bucharest to Transylvania.

Brasov is the southernmost city in the Transylvania area and, from there, you are free to take a day trip to whatever town or castle you feel like.

The downside is that taking day trips is so much easier with a rental car.

So, while you can take a train from Bucharest to Brasov, you’ll still need to hire a car once you’re there in order to take a day trip to Bran Castle and the other great nearby towns.

There is a benefit to this: hiring a car in Brasov is easy, and it has the benefit of avoiding the aggressive drivers of Bucharest completely.

With that in mind, taking a direct train from Bucharest to Brasov and renting a car for day trips from there is perhaps your best option.

Best Stops

Now that we’ve discussed the two different ways of getting from Bucharest to Transylvania, where should you stop along the way?

Or, alternatively, which day trip journeys should you take once you’re in Transylvania?

Bran Castle

Inarguably, Bran Castle is the most famous, most popular, and biggest must-see castle in all of Romania.

And, luckily, it is en route from Bucharest to Transylvania.

But why is Bran Castle the number one stop on the way to Transylvania?

Well, Bran Castle’s fame comes from its connection to both Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the book’s original inspiration: Vlad the Impaler, medieval ruler of Wallachia.

Bram Stoker’s world-famous gothic novel took its name directly from Vlad the Impaler, whose true name was Vlad III Dracula. Beyond that, the castle that featured in the novel is said to be heavily inspired by Bran Castle itself, meaning that fans of Dracula have been flocking to Bran Castle for decades.

While its unclear if this is historically accurate, the fact remains that Vlad Dracula was a Romanian ruler with a taste for brutality in war, and Bran Castle is nonetheless a dramatic and powerful medieval Romanian castle.

The 14th-century castle is now an open-air museum that houses much of the furniture and valuables of Queen Marie a 20th-century member of the British royal family who married the king of Romania and became their queen.

As is clear to see here, Bran Castle has a wealth of cultural and royal history to explore, making it an unmissable day trip from either Bucharest or Brasov.

Peles Castle

Lesser known than Bran Castle but arguably more beautiful, Peles Castle is a neo-renaissance castle built in the late 19th century.

While Bran Castle is dramatically medieval, Peles Castle is grand, colourful, and noble in its appearance.

Like Bran Castle, Peles Castle is also a museum which has so many untouched rooms to explore and marvel at.

While it was a royal residence initially, Peles Castle is now publicly owned, and as such the museum is thriving and beautiful.

It’s also beautiful all year round, changing with the seasons in a magical manner.

Photo by Daniela Turcanu on Unsplash

Brasov

Brasov is the final stop on your journey from Bucharest to Transylvania.

Once you’ve arrived at Brasov, you’ve made it into Transylvania.

Brasov, as such, is a great base from which to take frequent day trips to other historic and picturesque parts of Transylvania.

Brasov is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and within the city is a wealth of gothic, renaissance and baroque architecture.

When you first arrive in Brasov, the first three locations to visit, explore, and photograph are the Old Town Hall, the Black Church, and Council Square.

These three locales together are a perfect representation of the charm and historic beauty of Brasov.

The town also has defensive fortifications that have stood for more than five hundred years and were originally built to keep invaders from all sides out of the city.

Brasov is, in short, one of the most historic places in Romania.

Other articles you will love:

• 26 Unique Things to do in Romania
• 10 of the Best Cities in Romania to Visit
• Incredible Things to do in Sighisoara, Romania

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