Romania itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Pick the row that matches your days, then read the route notes below. Nights are the minimum that does each stop justice; the parent country guide uses the same numbers.

Fly into Bucharest and out of Sibiu or Cluj where you can. That removes a long backtrack and usually costs no more than a return ticket.

This is the default first trip and the one most readers should book. Two nights in Bucharest covers the Palace of the Parliament, the Old Town and the Village Museum. Take a morning train to Brașov via Sinaia if you want Peleș Castle on the way; otherwise go direct and use Brașov as the base.

From Brașov, hire a car for one day to cover Bran, Râșnov and a Saxon village such as Viscri. Trains and buses reach Bran and Râșnov too, but the village stops are slow without a car. Then one night in Sighișoara inside the citadel walls, and two nights in Sibiu for the squares, the museums and a day trip to a fortified church.

Fly home from Sibiu if your airline allows it. If not, the train back to Bucharest takes most of a day, so book an afternoon flight and treat the morning as travel.

Ten days lets you sleep in a Saxon village and finish in Cluj-Napoca instead of doubling back. Keep Bucharest at two nights, give Brașov three so you get a full day in the mountains, then one night in Viscri or a similar village, one in Sighișoara, two in Sibiu and one in Cluj.

Hire the car in Brașov and drop it in Cluj. That one-way hire usually carries a drop-off fee; check the total before you commit, because it can change the maths against the train. Between July and September, route Sibiu over the Transfăgărășan to Bâlea Lake if the road is open; outside those months it is normally closed by snow.

Cluj is worth more than one night if you want the Turda Salt Mine or the Apuseni mountains, but one night is enough for the centre and a flight out.

The 14-day line adds Maramureș, the wooden churches and the Merry Cemetery, which need three nights because the villages are spread out and the roads are slow. Run the Transylvania stops as above, then Cluj two nights, then north to a Maramureș village for three, and back to Cluj to fly out.

This is a car trip. Trains reach Sighetu Marmației and Baia Mare, but the villages themselves are not walkable from the stations, so without a car you lose most of the point. Budget a full driving day each way between Cluj and Maramureș.

If you would rather not drive that far, swap Maramureș for Bucovina: two nights in Suceava or Gura Humorului covers the painted monasteries and is a shorter run from Cluj.

With three weeks you can do Transylvania, Maramureș and one of the eastern or coastal extensions. Bucovina's painted monasteries sit two nights from Suceava and pair naturally with Maramureș on a northern loop. The Danube Delta is the other option: three nights in a fishing village near Tulcea, reached by boat, best in May or September for birds and fewer mosquitoes.

Do not try to bolt the Delta onto a Maramureș loop in the same week. The distances are long and the transport is slow; pick one extension and do it properly. The Black Sea coast around Constanța and Vama Veche is a third option for a summer trip, but it is a beach add-on rather than a sightseeing one.

Three weeks also lets you take the train more and drive less, which suits travellers who do not want to hire a car at all.

Trains are cheap and connect Bucharest, Brașov, Sighișoara, Sibiu, Cluj and Timișoara, but they are slow on the mountain lines. Buses fill gaps to villages and are often faster than the train on the same route. Check timetables close to your dates; services change with the season.

Book accommodation in Sighișoara and Viscri early for summer and for the December Christmas markets in Brașov and Sibiu. Village guesthouses are small and sell out first.

Prices are a 2026 estimate and move with the season. Carry some cash for village guesthouses and small restaurants; cards work in cities. Tipping is expected in restaurants, usually around 10 percent. Check current entry rules for your passport before booking.

May to October is the safe window for the mountain and village sections. July and August are hot in Bucharest and busy on the coast, but they are the only months the Transfăgărășan is reliably open. December works for Brașov, Sibiu and the Christmas markets, with short days and cold weather.

Maramureș and Bucovina are best May to October; the Delta is best in May and September. Winter trips should stay on the train corridor and skip the village driving.