Winter Travel in Transylvania, Romania

While Romania, and especially the region of Transylvania, is castle heavy and famous for inspiring the movie Dracula from Vlad the Impaler, it has so much more to offer. Some moments driving through the country were like taking a step back in time – like when we would pass horses and carriages carrying loads of wood for their fires, or when we would pass people moving furniture on small hand carts instead of in a car. From fortified churches to the architecture of castles and homes, winter travel in Transylvania, Romania is one of a kind and definitely worth a trip.

Stephen and I barely scratched the surface of this country. We will be returning to finish the rest of our list one day. Our trip consisted of 4 days and 3 nights. In reality, it was only 2 full days because of travel time. I didn’t feel like we were there long enough; and as much as we loved it, we have already talked about a return trip.

We drove as much as we could. This is one of my favorite things to do when visiting a country. See the landscape, the mountains, the towns, and get off the beaten path. And this was part of the allure for us when making our travel plans to Romania – countless hours driving across open fields, rolling hills, and through small towns. But one thing I also love is getting out and doing activities with the locals – like hiking and skiing. For us, there’s a sense of locality attached to meeting and interacting with people in nature more so than when visiting a tourist-filled city. Read all about our trip driving through the country and enjoying winter sports with the locals below.

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Romania Travel at a Glance

Here are some things we noticed about Romania right off the bat:

• They take their outdoor activities seriously and, in the winter, there are a plethora of things to do.
• They’re ruthless in their driving habits and will pass you no matter how far over the speed limit you’re going.
• We passed more sheep than I ever saw in Scotland.
• Things you’ll see when driving: hitchhikers (they get picked up frequently too!), horse and buggies, bicyclists, and beautiful landscapes.

Winter Wonderland in the Făgăraș Mountains

Romania had ever-changing terrain, wildlife, and the most amazing mountains full of hiking trails and snow. Our first full day in the country was exhausting but in the best way possible. To get here, we drove from Cluj-Napoca (where we flew into) through Sebes, Sibiu, and then finally among the Transfăgărășan Highway, which is labeled “the best road in the world”. The plan was to visit and hike around Bâlea Lac (lake), which is a glacier lake in the southern part of the Carpathian Mountains. However, because of the amount of snow, the road was closed and we couldn’t go any further.

We saw cars parked by the edge of the road and decided to pull off and park there alongside them, out of curiosity. The only way we knew there was a waterfall up ahead was by the name of the hotel and a few odd signs here and there denoting Cascada Bâlea. Most trail signs were covered deep in snow; we followed the people and the footpath in knee-deep snow up to the waterfall.

Having no idea how far it was from the car, we trudged along and finally, over an hour later (it was actually only 1 km later…) we reached a point and could hear the waterfall! We couldn’t actually see it because of the snowstorm and wind, so we waited a few minutes and AT LAST, it was clear enough for us to see this incredible waterfall. I snapped as many photos as I could before my hands froze, and then we trudged our way back down the mountain.

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If you’re ever traveling in Romania, hiking in the Făgăraș Mountains or the Carpathian Mountains is a must if you love the outdoors.

Skiing at Poiana Brașov

Poiana Brașov is an extremely popular Romanian ski resort. It’s located not too far from Brașov. On our second full day of travel .n Romania, we split our time between skiing and castle hopping. The hotel where we stayed, Drachenhaus Hotel, had a free ski shuttle bus, but it was within 700 km walking distance to the lift, so we ultimately chose the walking path. We rented our skis, poles, and boots from Interski, conveniently located right next to the lift. (We had brought our helmets and goggles with us from Italy). It only cost us 110 lei (~$25USD) for rentals.

Unaware of the big snowstorm coming into town, we were surprised when one of the main ski lifts was shut down and everyone skiing flocked to the few other open ones… which only ran to one blue and two red slopes.

It was one of my best skiing days; I even moved up to the reds. The only downside to skiing in this area was that the ski lifts work off a point system – and we bought way too many points and ended up wasting about 100€. Each lift is 3 points and we both got about 60 points. We kick ourselves for that, but you live and learn. The slopes were great, not icy or mushy, and the reds were about the same level as blues in Italy. We skied about half the day and then returned our ski rentals and headed back to the hotel to change before castle adventures! You can find a map of the ski routes here.

Related post: 5 Outdoor Activities You Should Try This Winter

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Dracula & Castles

Our first stop was Peleș Castle. It’s officially a palace with 160 rooms but is most often referred to as a castle. It is famous for being a royal residence for the kings of Romania. We encountered heavy traffic along the way to the castle and even managed to enter into a snowstorm, but that didn’t deter us. It was an incredible place and I don’t think pictures can do this place justice.

Parking in the castle parking lot costs 14 lei (~$3USD) and then you can walk the rest of the way. You can also tour the inside, but we ran out of time that day.

Peleș Website for more info & opening times (you’ll need Google Chrome to translate): http://peles.ro/

Bran Castle had already closed down by the time we got there, so we weren’t able to go in, but the castle sitting up on a hill looming over the town just screamed “Dracula” to me. The castle is often referred to as “Dracula’s Castle”, and is thought to be where Vlad the Impaler lived.

Bran Castle Info & Times: http://www.bran-castle.com/

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Costs & Other Info

Travel in Romania is by far one of the most budget-friendly things we’ve done. We spent less than half of what we normally do on a 4-day weekend. Here is a quick overview of what it cost for Stephen and me to travel, eat, and stay for four days. Note: The currency in Romania is the lei, which compares to the USD at about 4 leis to 1 USD. But, for the sake of convenience, I will provide our expenses in dollars.

Flights for the two of us through Wizz Air were around $90 from Venice Treviso (TSF) to Cluj-Napoca (CLJ). We rented a car for the entire trip for less than $100 and only filled up on gas once costing us $55. (If you’re planning on renting a car, use my affiliate link here which helps me maintain my blog!) The average hotel room runs about $50-$70 — we paid this for the first night — then paid a bit more to stay in the ski resort town of Poiana Brasov (we paid $100/night). Food-wise, we spent less than $100 the entire time!

TIP: When you rent a car, you’ll definitely need an International Driver’s Permit and make sure to get winter tires or snow tires during the winter season.

In the winter, you’ll find hot wine called vin fiert. It’s similar to mulled wine (also known as gluwhein in Deutsch, and vin brule in Italian). The drink is super cheap and we found it at the ski slopes and at the waterfall. Our favorite restaurant in the area of Poiana Brasov was Restaurant Vanatorul. They require reservations, which you can make in person, and it’s more expensive than most other places, but their rack of ribs are phenomenal!

Related Post: How We Afford to Travel

For our short trip, the focus was more on outdoor activities and really getting to know the countryside of Romania. I felt like we met those expectations and I was in heaven surrounded by so much snow. Romanians are surprisingly friendly and they speak impressively good English (Italy, I’m glaring at you right now!). While the towns are gorgeous and so colorful, there’s nothing I love more than fields and fields as far as the eye can see covered in snow where I can easily spot deer, sheep, cows, and hawks. Take my word for it when I say: it’s worth it to travel to Romania!