The beginning of a short beautiful road trip in Transylvania. Arrived in Bucharest and rented a car from the airport.

Arrived in Sinaia, a mountain resort. Visited the town and Sinaia Monastery. Spent the nght in Sinaia.

Took the cable car to the top of the mountain. 

From there hiked to a panoramic point on top of the mountain

Also visited the Sphinx, a rock with sphinx like features.

ended the day in Brasov, town in Transylvania. 

Visited the Black Church and Strada Sforii, a narrow passage street, iconic place in the city.

another beautiful city in Romania. A point where different cultural influneces met: Romanian, Hungarian, German. Picturesque streets. Spent the night in Sibiu.

one of the most beautiful roads in Europe, through the mountains with stunning views. There are many trails that you can follow if you want to hike.

4 days in Transylvania 

While we were in the beautiful medieval town of Brasov, in Romania's Transylvania region, we took a day trip to a beautiful area of Saxon villages situated on hills and valleys area.

Our first stop was Viscri village, the most famous of the Saxon villages in the area due to the fact that Prince Charles himself (yes, of Great Britain) has a house in the village. That's why the village became so famous after all. We took a walk in the lovely village with renovated Saxon houses and visited the fortified church there.

The fortified church in Viscri is a UNESCO World Heritage site now. It's a beautiful church dating from 1100s with walls and towers added later.

Back on the village streets, we bought hot bread from a bakery. It was a huge round bread that we almost ate all as it smell divine and was so good.

We then drove to another Saxon village, Saschiz, and visited the village and the Peasant Fortress situated on a hill there. Beautiful views from there.

We then drove to one of the most isolated villages in the area. Malancrav is the village with the largest German ethnic population in the region and is one of the most beautiful villages around. We visited the village, the large mansion Apafi Mansion and the fortified church.

The last Saxon village we checked on our way back was Cincsor and its beautiful church with towers where you can climb and admire the view.

Back to Brasov after a beautiful days on Transylvanian hills and villages. It's a scenic road we took and we checked some really beautiful places. 

One Day Trip from Brasov

Arrived in Cluj, Romania's vibrant city, with vibrant night life as well.

Visited around. I liked this neighbourhood on a hill with nice view over the city.

Also, Botanical Garden Museum is very nice. 

Rented a car and went tu Cheile Turzii are, beautiful mountainous formations. Did a hike there with nice views from there.

Then visited Turda Salt Mine, huge and unique, with an amphitheater and fun attractions.

Visite Rimetea, one of the most beautiful villages in the country. It is small, with white and green houses and with spectaculat mountain rock in the "backyard".

You can hike up to the peak, in Piatra Secuiului. Absolutely gorgeous.

Went to a mountainous resort, Marisel. Had luch at "Cabana Moţilor" hut, traditional Romanian food, super delicious. Then hiked the Transylvania hills around.

Four Days In and Around Cluj, Romania

Bucharest is the capital and the largest city of ex-communist country Romania. Today it's slowly becoming a cool destination of Europe, with its interesting combination of new architecture and remains of communist era. There are plenty to see and do in the city and it attracts more and more tourists.

I started my tour of the city with the enormous building of Palace of Parliament. It was ordered by ex communist leader as part of the plan to reconstruct Bucharest. To build it, an entire beautiful neighbourhood standing on a hill was destroyed. Todat, it houses the Parliament of Romania.

I continued my walk with one of the green areas of Bucharest, the small Izvor Park, near Palace of Parliament. It's a nice park, close to the riverbank.

I then took a walk along the riverbank. Dambovita River crosses Bucharest from West to East. 

And then stopped at Energiea for lunch. It's a intimate gastropub in town, with good food and cool atmosphere. Must try its potatoes. ;)

I walked through Cismigiu Gardens, in the city center, one of the most beautiful parks of the city. 

I walked up Calea Victoriei, one of the central veins of Bucharest. During the weekends, the boulevard is closed to for cars and the pedestrians occupy the big boulevard lined with many shops, theatres, cafes, restaurants and ice cream shops.

We ended up in Victoriei Square, which is a large open square, where there's the government building on one side of the square and some museums on other sides of the big square. It's here where pleople usually gather to protest and the city is no strangers to this kind of social events.

I paid a short visit to The Romanian Peasant Museum as a fair with local products was taking place. In the summer days, the space is used for open air cinema as well, as it has a nice courtyard.

I ended my tour of Bucharest with dinner and a beer at Alt Shift, another cool place of today's Bucharest. I enjoyed the city and would return for a longer stay sometimes.

Bucharest in One Day

While in the Transylvania city of Cluj-Napoca, in the heart of Romania, we went on a weekend trip a bit further from the city I already knew to discover some beautiful areas. We left the city early in the morning.

Our first stop was to visit The Citadel Alba-Carolina in the town of Alba Iulia. The Citadel Alba-Carolina is a star shaped fortress built by Habsburg rule in Transylvania back in 1700s, now home to museums, churches and cafes, bars and restaurants.

We continued our journey South with one of the most spectacular road I took, Transalpina Road, that goes over the Parâng Mountains in the Carpathians and reaches the altitude of 2000 meters above sea level. Spectacular views on this road that was once the King's Road. It is open during summer months only.

We stopped to eat at Ștefanu Sheepfold, which is a touristic sheepfold where you can eat some traditional rustic dishes like polenta with cheese and sour cream or stew prepared in a big pot outside by the fire. After we rested for a while at that altitude watching the mountain peaks, we continued our journey


After a long beautiful drive, we got of the mountain and visited our last point for the day, The Woman's Cave, which is a beautiful cave known for the discovery of ancient human and bear remains.

Ended the day in the small city of Targu Jiu.

We visited the famous monuments, the workart of famous Romanian sculptor, Constantin Brancusi: Infinity Column, The Gate Of The Kiss and The Table of Silence, situated in different parts of the city center. They all honour the Romanian soldiers in First World War.

We took another scenic road, along Defileul Jiului National Park, a beautiful road along the River Jiu.

Our next stop was to visit Corvins' Castle in Hunedoara city. It's an impressive Renaissance fortress rebuilt in the 19th century, with Gothic towers and a history museum.

Our final stop was in a small village, less touristic, to visit the Roman Baths there. It's a beautiful site.

Weekend Getaway from Cluj, Romania

Sibiu is a beautiful small Transylvanian town situated in the heat of Romania, pretty close the Carpathians Mountains. Its name comes from the Cibin River crossing the town. The town also has a German name as it was founded by Saxons settlers some 800 years ago. Its German name is Hermannstadt, after its founder. Today the town is one a cultural hub in the country.

When walking towards the city old center, just when stepping in the old part of the town, there are two lines of medival walls. The area between them is now a park with a nice alley you can walk on.

The Large Square of the old town in a beautiful big square where all major events and festivals take place. It's also the place for Christmas Market. Around the square there are museums and historical buildings.

Brukenthal, former residence of the Transylvanian governor, is one of the finest art museums in this part of Europe. 

We moved then to Small Square, near the Large Square, lined with cafes and bars. We climbed in Council Tower for a beautiful of the town from above. We could even see the mountains in the distance as it was a beautiful day outside.

We then stopped at a cafe at a beautiful coffe with nice view over the city and over the beautiful roofs of the houses in Sibiu. The roofs in Sibiu have eyes, windows in the shape of eyes. You feel the whole city looking at you. :) They also have delicious cakes at the cafe.

Astra Museum, a bit further from the city cener, revives the atmosphere of traditional Romanian villages. It's a large museum displayig more than 300 houses from different area of the country.

We went back in the center after visiting the village museum and checked another small beautiful square in the town, Huet Square, with colourful buildings and doors. We spent the night in Sibiu.

After the breakfast and another short walk in the lovely town of Sibiu, we left towards the mountains.

The next day we travelled to a mountain resort not far from Sibiu, Paltinis. We spent most of the day relaxing in the cool air of the mountains and taking easy hikes around the place. The resort has also some nice ski slopes in winter.

Weekend in Sibiu and Surroundigs

While I was in Cluj, the beautiful Romanian city, I took a trip to discover a beautiful area not far from the city.

First stop was at Turda Salt Mine, a huge saltmine that can be visited and it's worth going. It's actually ranked as one of the most beautiful and spectacular tourist attractions in the world.

When we had enough salty air in our lungs, we drove further to a good looking village in the heart of Transylvania, called Rimetea. It's a beautiful quiet village with white houses and green window shutters and a special landscape with Mount Secuiului guarding the village.

We hiked up there on Piatra Secuiului Peak to watch the village from above as well. It's a beautiful and peaceful spot.

We climed down in Coltesti Village and visited the ruins of Trascău Fortress in the village just as the sun gone down. It was the end of a rewarding day trip with nice places and lascapes.

One Day Trip From Cluj, Romania

Brasov is a nice medieval town in the heart of Romania, in Transylvania region, close to several mountain ranges. It's one of the most visited cities and a starting point of many mountain trails.

The Council Square is the main square of the old town and the most popular place where people gather and where major events are taking place. It's surrounded by beautiful medieval buildings and many cafes and restaurants.

The Black Church, close to the Council Square, is the largest Gothic church in Eastern Europe. It's called "black" due to a fire that burst in 1689 and darkened the walls.

While walking on the old city center's narrow and beautiful streets, you can step on one of the narrowest streets in Europe, called the String Street. It has 53 inches at its widest point and just 44 inches at its narrowest.

We took a hike up the mountain that stands just above the city center, Tampa Mountain. It's an easy hike, in around one hour we were up, but you can also take the cable car. There are beautiful views of the city from there.

We returned from the mountain and visited Catherine’s Gate, which is the last standing medieval gate in of the walls that surrounded the old city.

There are many excellent places where you can eat and drink in Brasov. We chose a cool one. :) They have great tasty dishes in a quiet place of the city, in the heart of Brasov.

And there are, of course, plenty of coffee shops you can choose from. We chose Nola Coffeeshop as it's a lovely place with a cosy feeling and welcoming host. :)

Spend One Day in Brasov

While in Bucharest on a hot summer, we wanted a refreshing, but relaxing weekend getaway and came up with the great idea of a weekend on the north Bulgarian coast at the Black Sea.

We drove east, towards the Black Sea, there's quite a long way, some four hours till we reached our first stop, on the Bulgarian coast, in Tyulenovo. Tyulenovo is a village and small seaside resort known for its dramatic cliffs on the shore of the sea. We hiked along the sea shore for a km or so and returnes to the car.

We drove to Ezerets beach, also on the north side of the Bulgarian coast. Just above the beach of Ezerets, there's a nice pine forest where there's a free camping site. Just pitched the tent and the hammock between the pines  and went down on the quiet beach. We relaxed and enjoyed the afternoon on the beach only.

We spent the first part of the day on the beautiful beach of Ezerets and reading in the hammock at the shadow of the pines and even took a nap in the afternoon.

Towards the evening we got back on the car and drove to Cape Kaliakra, a bit to the south, on the coast, where there's a narrow strip of land above the sea. We visited the fortress right there and witnessed a spectacular sunset before heading home.

Back to Bucharest after a refreshing weekend by the Bulgarian sea.

Bulgarian Northern Coastline

This is a road trip in beautiful Romania's Transylvania region. Before arriving in Romania, I did not know what to expect, alll I knew was Dracula's castle. Well, Romania is much more than that and we really loved our time there. Our tour we visited some fine major cities, super cute villages, drove on green hills area and admired tall mountains in the distance.

We arrived in Cluj, the biggest city in Transylvania region. It's a vibrant city with a large numer of young people as it's a university town, so there are plenty of cool cafes and trendy restaurants and the atmosphere is relaxed and cosy.

We had a full day to visit the city of Cluj. The city is quite small, so it's pretty easy to visit it in one day. We walked the beautiful streets of the old town, this is where we spent most of the time. We started from Union Square, visited the gothic St. Michael Church in the square and then got lost on those lovely streets of Cluj center.

We loved Cetatuia Park and area as it is located up on a hill with lovely views over the city. 

When it comes to restaurants and cafes, there are plenty of options in the city center. We were reccommended Varzarie by locals and indeed it was a great culinar experience.

Today we rented a car after we had breakfast and started out road trip in Transylvania.

Our first stop was at this stunning salt mine, not very far from Cluj. It was listed as one of most "unbelievable travel destinations you didn’t know existed" and indeed we were blown away. It's an enormous undergrpund salt mine with several levels and chambers and even an amusement park down there.

After we were done visiting the huge salt mine, we stopped to eat on the other side of the road. At Sarea-n Bucate they serve traditional Romanian great food.

We then made our way to another city in Transylvania, Sibiu. It's a really beautiful town with cute city center. We visited Large Square, Small Square and the nicest streets in the city center. The most beautiful thing about the city is the hoouses with eyes. In Sibiu, the houses have eye. :) There are windows in the houses attics in the shape of the eyes. You feel they are looking at you.

We had a great breakfast at Cafe Wien in Sibiu. It's also a beautiful place by the city walls with fine view over the city.

We left Sibiu and hit the road towards one of the highest roads in Europe and also one of the most spectacular. It's over the Carpathians Mountains and it gets to 2000 meters altitude. It's only open during summer months.

We stopped high at Balea Lake to admire the lanscape on top of the mountains. There's a graet glacial lake there. We took our time to enjoy that beautiful landscape. It's pretty cold up there, so take some jackets with you.

We drove further to Brasov, another major city in Transylvania. We arrived in the evening and spent the night there.

We visited the city center of Brasov. It's very beautiful, we walked on the narrow streets in the center, we visited the Black Church, the largest medieval church in south Eastern Europe, and stepped on the narrowest street in Europe, called the String Street.

What's nice about this city is that it has a mountain peak right on top of the city center. We took the camble car towards Tampa Mountain and admired the beautiful view from there.

Friom Brasov, we went to see, of course, the Dracula Castle. It's a beautiful medival castle filled with narrow staircases and fairly plain rooms. Our favourite spot was the inner courtyard.

We got back to Brasov in the evening and spent the night there. 

We stopped in Viscri, which is a very nice Saxon village with colourful houses and a fortified church up on a hill in the village. The viilage is UNESCO heritage site and the cool thing is that Prince Charles owns a house in the village.

We moved forward to the beautiful little town of Sighisoara. The road is very scenic, with green hills and small villages on the way. Sighisoara is also also a UNESCO site. It'a a beautiful medieval town standing on a hill and surrounded by walls. We took time to walk within the old medieval walls, on cobbled stone streets with colourful houses. We spent the last night of our trip in Sighisoara.

We had a late breakfast in the beautiful town and departed towards Cluj.

All the roads we took in Romania were very scenic with some nice landscapes on the way. We got back to Cluj and back home from there.

Beautiful Romanian Road Trip

Arrived in Bucharest, got checked in and went for a walk along one of main city streets, Calea Victoriei. 

Explored the city on foot, went to Herastrau Park, then to Arch of Triumph, then towards the city center, to Magheru Boulevard. Spent the evening at Verona Garden in the center, had a drink and something to eat.

From Tulcea we took a boat towards the Danube Delta, in the remote village of Sfantu Gheorghe. We spent the next few nights here. In this period was running a film festival right in the village, we stopped by in the evenings, was a beautiful atmosphere.

Spent most day at the beach in Sfantu Gheorghe. It's a very nice long wild beach here, we simply loved it. In the evening, we watched the sunset exactly where the Danube River runs into the Black Sea. Such an amazing moment.

Took a boat ride around Danube Delta canals, we saw so many bird species, so beautiful.

Another day in Sfantu Gheorghe, having delicious meals, fish soup and fresh fish with mashed potaoes prepared by local people. Absolutely delicious. The only inconvenient while in Danube Delta is that in the evening there are so many mosquitoes, you cannot imagine. But such a beautiful place!

Another day in Sfantu Gheorghe, having delicious meals, fish soup and fresh fish with mashed potaoes prepared by local people. Absolutely delicious. The only inconvenient while in Danube Delta is that in the evening there are so many mosquitos

From Bucharest to Danube Delta

Arrived in Cluj, an important city of Romania. It was the cultural capital of Europe some years back. Visited around the city.

Rented a car and headed to Maramures county in north of Romania. First stop, Baia Mare city. Walked around the city center.

Headed to Breb village, one of the remaining authentic Maramures village. It has nice wooden architecture of houses and gates. It's a nice circuit you can go walking on in the village that takes by the most iconic places and houses in the village.

Today was hiking day. Went to Creasta Cocosului, which means Rooster's Crest. You can see it from the village as well.

Visited Merry Cemetery in Sapanta Village - a "funny" graveyard called "merry" for its colorful, hand-painted crosses and the "lyrics" on the crosses.

Visited Memorial to the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance in Sighetu Marmaţiei.

Took a ride on a steam train, called Mocănița, it runs super slowly, you can admire the beautiful mountainous area.

Visited an old wooden monastery, Bârsana

and a touristic family farm in Petrova village

Back to beautiful Breb village with its green hills and hey smell and stacks for the last time.

One Week in Maramures Region, Romania

I had a full day in Bucharest, capital of Romania and the largest city in the country. It’s vibrant city, an interesting mixture of old communist buildings, new architecture and full of hipster coffee shops.

Started the day with an avocado toast at the cool M60 Space in the city center to get some energy for the day.

I rented a bike and started my proper tour around the city. Be aware that Bucharest is not the best friend of bicycles, it's just starting to pay attantion to this subject. You won't find bike routes everywhere, so be careful if you ride a bike! I first visited  Ceausescu Mansion, the ex communist leader's house. The house is decorated with luxury furniture and artworks, in a complete contrast with how the people used to live. Do book in advance if you go!


I then visited Village Museum in Bucharest. It’s an open air ethnographic museum in Herăstrău Park with authentic peasant houses from all over the country. Beautiful and peaceful place.

On the way back to the city center, had the best eclair at French Revolution cake shop. 

Then stopped at Alt Shift, another hip place in the city center, to grab some food. The food is delicious, I might say.

Then passed through this nice passage in center, Vicoria Passage covered with colourful umbrellas.

I paid a visit to Stavropoleos Church, which is an 18th century masterpiece of Brâncovenesc architecture style, with interesting mixuture of Oriental and Italian Renaissance elements.

Palace of Parliament is probably the most famous building in Romania, a landmark of Bucharest. It's a huge administrative building ordered by the ex communist leader as part of his plan to reconstruct Bucharest. Today, the Palace of the Parliament hosts the Parliament of Romania, but also houses one of the most important art museums in Bucharest, the National Museum of Contemporary Art.

I ended my day at "Pâine și Vin" restaurant, which means "Bread and Whine". I had one of the best pizzas ever.

Hip Day in Bucharest, Romania

Took a triip to Romania, in Eastern Europe. It's a trip full of history, fairy tale castels and medieval towns. Strated with the capital, Bucharest.

Took a guided tour of the city. It's a vibrant city with a mix of communist builduings (including huge Palace of Parliament), 18th century architecture of the Old Town and glass towers with sky bars.

Visited Peles Palace - former private retreat of Romania’s royal family, in Sinaia, at the bottom of the mountains.

Next was Bran Castle, known as Dracula's Castle. 

visited Brasov city center, in Transylvania, had lunch in the city.

Visited Rasnov Citadel, a nice medieval fortification situated on top of a hil.

a Saxon village with a beautiful fortified church.

Ended the day in Sighisoara, ne of the best preserved medieval citadels in Europe.

Probably the most beautiful Saxon village in Transylvania. Visited the Fortified Church.

medieval marvel of Transylvania. Was European capital of culture some years back.

incredible scenery on one of the most spectacular roads in whole Europe. It crosses the Carpathians and it gets as high as 2000 meters altitude. It is only open from June to October.

Romanian Week

I was in Bucharest, capital of Romania, in August. As it was super hot in the city, we decided to have a day escape to the mountains, not very far from the city.

We took the train from Bucharest to Sinaia, a nice mountain resort at the bottom of the mountains, on Prahova Valley.

From the station we walked towards Peles Castel, former royal residence palace, which is now a museum you can visit. It's a spectacular palace with huge beautiful gardens from where you can admire mountain peaks in the background.

From Peles Castle we walked on the steep streets of the city with nice houses and hotels to the starting point of a cable car.

We took the cable car to the top of the Bucegi Mountain, part of the Carpathians. Finally, we could enjoy the cooler air on top of the mountain along with beautiful peaceful landscape.

We walked on the mountain plateau, a easy walk that lasted about two hours till we reached Babele, also on top of the mountain. Babele means Old Ladies and the name refers to the interesting rock formations there. We took a while to rest and admire some more beautiful view over the mountain, then headed to Babele cable car.

We took the cable car from Babele to Busteni mountain resort back to Prahova Valley.

And from Busteni, took the train back to Bucharest capital, where we arrived in the evening.

Mountain Escape from Bucharest

Arrived in Bucharest. For the first day, we went sightseeing a bit. Was impressed by the massive, communist-era "Palace of Parliament".

Took the day to walk the streets, feel the vibe of the place. It has a lot of pubs, terraces, tea houses, there's a fresh atmosphere. I very much enjoyed Infinitea teahouse, a bit further from the city center, it has a gorgeous back garden. And loved Cismigiu Park.

Had breakfast and headed to the main railway station.

Took the train and went to Brasov, visited the city. It stands right below Tampa Mountain. It can be easily reached by gondola or on foot. The Black Church is an iconic image for the city. Also this very narrow street called "Rope Street". Many cool places to drink and eat something.

Continued with the medieval town of Sighisoara, in Transylvania region. Up on a hill, the old town within the fortress of Sighisoara is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Super nice cafes and restaurants in the old town. Spent the night there.

Continued with the medieval town of Sighisoara, in Transylvania region. Up on a hill, the old town within the fortress of Sighisoara is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Super nice cafes and restaurants in the old town. Spent the night there

Today we rented mountain bikes from Sighisoara and headed on the hills of Transylvania. Beautiful scenery up and down the hills and through the forest to the small village of Saschiz. It's a small Saxon vilage (there are several in the area).

From Sighisoara, took the train to Sibiu, another lovely town of Romania. Walked the streets of old center, stopped at Wien Cafe, they have some super delicious cakes. This city has eyed-roof houses, like they looking at you all the time. :)

From Sighisoara, took the train to Sibiu, another lovely town of Romania. Walked the streets of old center, in the 

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