Whenever I am planning a longer trip to a new city, one of the key things I research is the worthwhile day trips from that city. Romania has a plethora of great day trip options from its most popular cities to visit. You can take three of Romania’s best day trips from top tourist cities Bucharest and Brasov. There is something in each of these day trips for nearly every type of traveler.
I believe these experiences work best as day trips rather than overnight or multi-day trips for a few reasons. They are not that well-connected to major cities and can be a bit difficult to access via public transit. Additionally, there is not much to do in these areas outside of these sites. It is unlikely you’d end up in this area on an overnight trip unless you have a lot of time/money and/or are seeking a quieter stay outside of major tourist cities.
Here are three of Romania’s best day trips:
#1 – The Legendary Bran Castle
The first entry on this list of some of Romania’s best day trips has to be the iconic Bran Castle. Located about 30 minutes from Brasov or a little over 2.5 hours from Bucharest, Bran Castle is most accessible via car or a group tour.
Seeing Bran Castle in person had been on my bucket list for awhile. The reality of visiting was honestly a little disappointing, but I think that was because I had skewed expectations.
Here are a few things to know to avoid disappointment when visiting Bran Castle:
- It’s not really related to the Dracula lore. Bran Castle’s biggest claim to fame was that it inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But…that’s mostly a myth. There is no evidence that Bram Stoker ever even visited Bran Castle. Dracula was inspired by a real Romanian ruler named Vlad the Impaler who was once thought to be imprisoned in Bran Castle. But that also turned out not to be true. Its connection to Dracula is really tenuous at best, despite that being its biggest claim to fame.
- Most of the castle is about Queen Marie’s legacy and interior decorating habits. Queen Marie was credited with Romania’s great success in WWI, as she convinced her husband not to back Germany in the war. Bran Castle was her reward, and it became her favorite summer residence.
- There are a lot of crowds. I visited Bran Castle during peak season, but on a weekday before European summer holidays. It was still super crowded, and the castle’s passageways are quite narrow, with relatively small rooms. If you’re claustrophobic at all, this day trip may not be for you unless you’re visiting during low season.
Still, even with these drawbacks, I believe a visit to Bran Castle is one of Romania’s best day trips. Here is why:
- The castle has so much history. Bran Castle was originally built in wood in the 13th century. Eventually, the Saxons built the castle in a more sturdy stone in the 14th century. The castle’s location in Transylvania made it quite strategic as a border checkpoint for decades. You learn all of this history and more when visiting the castle, especially on a group tour.
- You still get some vampire lore. Despite the weakness of the Dracula connection, the castle’s exhibits still lean into its claim to fame. After all, the castle is spooky enough to make you feel the connection. There are exhibits related to vampire mythology, inclusive of a vampire hunting kit. It also explains the Dracula connection to Vlad the Impaler, and has an optional exhibit on medieval torture practices.
- Bran Castle and its grounds are beautiful. The medieval gothic style of the castle truly transports you into the past. Within the castle walls, Queen Marie’s changes to bring in more light and warmth really come to life and help you understand why it was a favorite royal residence. She also added gardens to the grounds, which you can visit and enjoy.
If you want to visit Bran Castle, I do recommend visiting as part of a tour from Bucharest or Brasov. Aside from making transportation easier, the castle really is best experienced as part of a guided tour. There are a few explanations of things you’ll see throughout the castle on a self-guided tour, but they are a bit sparse. A good guide will truly make the castle’s history come to life.
I visited Bran Castle on a group tour from Brasov, which also included a visit to a Palinkaria and to a Brown Bear Sanctuary. That brings me to another of Romania’s best day trips.
#2 – The World’s Largest Brown Bear Sanctuary
Romania is home to Europe’s largest population of brown bears. In fact, before visiting Brasov, I read that the city’s biggest danger was not running into an unsavory human but a brown bear.
The fact that Romania has such a large and thriving population of brown bears is largely due to major conservation efforts throughout the last decade or so. The brown bears were once far more threatened in Romania and still don’t have many protections in some nearby countries.
I was mildly concerned about running into a brown bear on the streets or in the woods, but was interested in seeing one safely. Libearty – the world’s largest brown bear sanctuary – is the best place to see a brown bear safely and ethically.
Libearty is located about 40 minutes outside of Brasov. You can visit with your own car, via taxi or as part of a group tour. You can only visit in the morning because that time offers the best chance to actually see one of the bears (sightings are very common but not guaranteed).
The woman who started the sanctuary did so after meeting a brown bear named Maya who was imprisoned in a tiny cage outside of a restaurant in Romania. During Romania’s communist era and for some years after, it was common to use brown bears as props outside tourist attractions, restaurants and hotels to attract patrons. They were kept in small cages and treated horribly. It was also legal to use brown bears in circus acts in Romania up until the late 2000s.
Sadly, Maya, the inspiration for the sanctuary, died before her rescue.
But her plight has inspired over 100 bears, wolves and other animals in Europe to be saved. Libearty tours begin with a video explaining their story and mission, then you walk through the sanctuary with a guide.
Libearty was named one of the most ethical wildlife sanctuaries by National Geographic. And after visiting, there are several things that they seem to be doing right to maintain that reputation.
Here is what they’re doing right:
- No guaranteed animal sightings. Libearty houses over 100 brown bears, along with wolves and other rescued animals. You will most likely see at least the bears and wolves when you visit, but there’s no promise.
- They offer limited tours each day, only in the mornings. Libearty only offers a few daily tours between 9-10:45 a.m. Limiting tours means less stress on the animals.
- There’s a higher likelihood of seeing a bear in the morning because that’s the only time they’re fed.
- They strictly limit how close you can get to the animals. Libearty obviously has no human-animal interaction at the sanctuary. The tour guides also keep a close watch on how close tourists get to the animals’ fences.
- Libearty encourages animals to use their instincts. The keepers at Libearty do not feed the animals in the same location or at the same time every day. It encourages the animals to use their natural instincts to locate their food, keeping them relatively sharp.
- They do not breed the bears. Libearty only takes in bears that cannot survive in the wild and do not believe in breeding them into captivity. That means bears that got too used to human interaction or cubs that would otherwise die.
- There is plenty of space for the animals. Libearty has a lot of land, and they do cap the number of animals they take in for each species. They also keep animals in different areas based on factors that affect their temperament.
Our tour guide said they only host tours to pay land and food expenses, but would prefer not to do it at all. It is up to you if you’d prefer to visit, “adopt” a bear for a fee or just pass on a donation without visiting.
#3 – Biking through Romanian Wine Country
There are two things I really love on a warm, sunny day: A fun bike ride, and a good glass of wine.
Romania has a handful of wine regions throughout the country, with a couple accessible to Bucharest. I’ve explored wine regions around the world by car, foot and bicycle. And bicycle is hands down my favorite method of transportation. I think it is the best way to see the vineyards and beauty of wine country up close.
When I was in Bucharest, I found one such bike and wine tour about 90 minutes outside of the city via Airbnb Experiences. It was a pretty good deal as it encompassed:
- Transportation to and from the town of Urlati
- Guided bike tour of the vineyard
- A light lunch
- A bottle of wine split among tour group
- Cellar and winery tour
- Very generous wine tasting with charcuterie board
The cycling was a bit more difficult than your average wine and biking tour. It was about 2 hours through loose gravel vineyard paths and a couple of slightly steep climbs and descents. Luckily, all the biking happened before the wine tastings, and helmets were strictly enforced.
After biking, we sat in the garden of the winery and enjoyed a simple lunch of sandwiches accompanied by a bottle of wine to share. Then, we toured the winery and cellar to learn how they make their wine, along with the history of the winery and mansion.
Finally, it was time for the wine tasting. We tasted a variety of reds, whites, a rose and the winery’s specialty black wine – named for its dark color.
I definitely recommend visiting Tohani winery as a day trip from Bucharest. And book the bike tour if you enjoy a good bike ride.
Those are three of Romania’s best day trips from Brasov and Bucharest.
If you’re planning a trip to Romania, feel free to ask me about any of Romania’s best day trips!
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