Romania and Bucharest is slowly becoming a more popular city break destination. With it’s varied landscapes and the different experiences it has to offer. From the lively cityscape of Bucharest to the enchanting snow covered mountains, it has something for everyone! Couple this with the short journey time and frequent flights from the UK, it makes for one of the best short breaks in Europe! So, if you’re planning to visit Romania, you need to see this itinerary for Bucharest.
Firstly, you need to try to get an early departure flight, or start your itinerary after your first night. You should then either catch a very late return flight or, a flight home on the 4th day so that you can enjoy this itinerary to the fullest! Fortunately, Bucharest is a easily accessible from many UK airports. Anyway, time for the itinerary!
Umbrella Street, Bucharest
Bucharest, Romania Itinerary Day 1 – Bucharest
When I visited Bucharest for my city break, I started my itinerary with a 6am flight out of Bristol. This got me to Bucharest by lunch time. This made it easy to start the trip with an afternoon of exploring the city itself. Now, you can opt for a taxi from the airport or you can catch a bus from outside terminal 1. Simply head out of the exit and follow the road to the right to the bus stops by terminal 1. If you choose this option you can catch the 442 or 403 bus to ‘pod baneasa’ which will take about 30 minutes to bring you to the destination one of your trip!
The first stop I suggest is Parcul Herastrau (the bus described above will bring you to the park). Parcul Herastrau is an incredibly beautiful park set in 18 hectares and features a huge lake which makes for a peaceful stroll. In the winter it is often covered in snow and in the summer, luscious treetops. This will take around 40 minutes to walk from one side to the other but is also big enough that you can get lost here for longer, if you wish!
When you eventually decide to leave the park you can head towards Arcul de Triumf and Piata Charles de Gaulle. Here you can find somewhere for lunch. Alternatively, there are places around the lake in Parcul Herastrau in which you can get some food. However, you will pay a premium for eating on the lake edge!
If you are enjoying the area of Piata Charles de Gaulle, you have some options which are a short walk (around 15 minutes). There is the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, the National Museum of Geology and the National Museum of Natural History. These are all close together so you can choose which one(s) to visit easily.
Once you’ve finished in this area you should get the bus from the Piata Victoriei area and aim for the bus stop called Piata 21 December 1989. From here, you can take a five minute walk to the Umbrella’s Street (Calea Victoriei). This is a simple alleyway but offers a beautiful canopy of colourful umbrellas hanging above your head. Honestly, it is a very pretty street and makes for a great social media photo, if that interests you! Also, there are numerous gorgeous cafe’s, restaurants and boutiques for you to explore. Then, once you get to the end of the street and on to the main road, simply turn left and keep walking straight until you get to the old town!
Truthfully, the old town is so gorgeous. You can get lost around the streets by simply taking in the architecture and vibrant atmosphere. Equally, there are several landmarks that you can visit. Namely, the Macca-Villacrosse Passage, Biserica Zlatari, the Church of the Stavropoleos Monastery, Voivodal Palace, Biserica Sfantul Anton, University Square and the famous Van Gogh Cafe (you will need to book if you want to go here!).
So, as you can see, there is plenty to keep you occupied in and out of the old town. Finally, once you have exhausted yourself, I would suggest dinner at a lovely restaurant called Casa Romaneasca. After this, you can either call it a day or head out for some night life, if this is what you’d prefer.
Peles Castle, Sinaia
Bucharest, Romania Itinerary Day 2 – Mountains and Castles.
For day 2 of my Bucharest city break itinerary, I started early to make the most of a paid tour/ excursion away from the city. For me, the best suggestion is to visit the Carpathian mountains and Transylvania area of Romania. The itinerary includes a visit to Peles castle, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Then, a lovely little town in the mountains called Brasov and finally, a visit to Dracula’s castle.
I would really encourage anybody to either do this excursion or organise the day for yourselves. I really enjoyed it and think it’s a must do activity if you’re in Bucharest. You can book the excursion here for £29.99. You will also need some extra money for entry to the castles. When I went it was 70 Lei (£12.00) entry for Peles castle and 50 Lei (£8.58) for Brans Castle. The only downside to this trip is that you are fitting a lot into one day and have a lot of travel to do. This means the trip is around 13 hours in total and includes around 5-6 hours of travel.
Nonetheless, arriving at Peles castle was absolutely spectacular. Especially since we went in January, the area was completely covered in snow. It felt like a real life winter Wonderland. The King at the time had the castle built in the late 1800s as a royal residence, and the royal family still visits it today.
The second stop of the tour was a pretty old town in a city called Brasov, which can be found surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, in Transylvania. You will find lots of beautiful cafes to enjoy some traditional Romanian dishes whilst you are in Brasov. Alternatively, you will need a packed lunch as you are out for the whole day!
Finally, we saw Bran’s (Dracula’s) Castle which is a castle built in the 14th century. Although it is most famous for being the inspiration for the castle in the famous Dracula novel. Due to this, there is a lot of focus on Dracula and the relation to the castle. Usually the tour will take you to Dracula’s castle first but we went the other way round. For me, this made Dracula’s castle a bit disappointing purely because of how incredible Peles castle was.
You will get back to Bucharest quite late, around 7 or 8pm so find yourself somewhere to eat and then choose between heading back to your accommodation or finding some nightlife.
Brasov, Romania
Bucharest, Romania Itinerary Day 3 – Therme and Home
For the third and final day of your Bucharest city break itinerary, I would suggest a visit to the biggest spa in Europe, called Therme. Here, you can spend some time relaxing after your busy first two days and recuperate some energy. You have several options for Therme. For example, admission for 3 hours, 4.5 hours or a full day. Also, there are 3 different sections. However, I would advise 4.5 hours with full access to all three sections which you can book here with transport. Alternatively, you can book a taxi which will cost somewhere between £13-15. A second option is using the bus which is extremely cheap (around £1.50) but will take longer than driving (just over an hour). Finally, you can pay for a transfer from the city centre to Therme for around £10.
Some of the features of Therme include, indoor and outdoor thermal pool with built in jacuzzis, numerous mineral pools all with different minerals and benefits, infra-red light therapy beds, over 10 different saunas and steam rooms all originating from different regions of the world, pool bars and relaxation beds. Although there are some additional things you can pay for, such as hydromassage beds, all of the features just listed are included.
If you are planning to visit Therme before you fly then you can either take you’re own towel or rent one for a small fee (around £4). Finally, getting to the airport is just a 30 minute bus or taxi ride.
Now, for those who do not fancy a trip to Therme but would like to do the rest of this itinerary. I would really suggest speaking to the tour operator of the day 2 excursion and ask if you can go with them one day and return the next day so that you can spend a night in either Brasov or Sinaia! Obviously, if this fits in with your flight schedule!
Views from Dracula’s Castle, Romania
Conclusion
That brings an end to this 3 day city break itinerary for Bucharest, Romania. For those who decide to take this itinerary for your trip, I hope you have an amazing time! For those who don’t, you’re missing out. If you want to make some changes to this itinerary you can see the best things to do in Bucharest and the best day trips from Bucharest. Another great thing about Bucharest is that it is very Affordable. I actually did this 3-day trip for under £250 which you can read about here.
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