Anyone who follows my travels around the world knows that I really love traveling inRomania.
It’s an inexpensive country, the nature is amazing, the people are warm and pleasant, and there’s something authentic about it.
So when my sister-in-law asked my advice on where to fly for a short couples’ weekend, Romania was of course my first recommendation. Even though her visit was short, she didn’t want to stay only in Bucharest but also to explore the Carpathians, a beautiful mountain range. So together we planned a short itinerary in Romania, a little taste of the country.
Meital, my sister-in-law, is already back from the trip. She enjoyed it so much that I asked her to share her itinerary with us.
Itinerary: Three Days in Romania
The visit to Romania was very short.
We flew out on Friday morning with Wizz Air, and the return flight was with Ryanair early on Monday morning.
Day One: Landing, Picking Up the Car, a Stop in Bucharest and the Drive to Brașov
We landed at 13:00. We’d booked a car in advance, and a representative of the company we booked through was waiting for us at the airport with a sign with my name. From the airport they drove us to the rental office (a 7-minute drive).
Book your car in advance and you’ll save yourself the hassle of comparing prices and looking for a reliable rental agency during your trip.
Once we’d finished all the car rental paperwork, we set off toward Bucharest.
First we bought a SIM card from Orange; the representative helped us and put the SIM in the phone.
From there we continued to the Chabad House for dinner at the Chabad House Restaurant (Bereshit restaurant): decent home-style food, not cheap by Romanian standards.
From there we continued toBrașov on a drive of about 3 hours, with a few stops along the way, to the apartment we’d booked in advance.
The apartment is called: Central Park Residence.
A very large, well-equipped apartment at a very low price, with private parking for the apartment at night (about 250 ILS, roughly 65 euros, for two nights).
When we arrived it was already dark, so there wasn’t much to do.
Day Two: A Drive to Sinaia and an ATV Tour
We drove to the cable car area in Sinaia, but instead of taking the cable car we drove up.
The whole road is snowy and you can stop at the side for photos, and there are paths you can continue on foot into the snowy forest.
The cable car takes you to the summit, whereas by car the road ends a little before it.
But the view from there was definitely enough for us.
It’s a climb with lots of hairpin bends all the way up, and at the end a small path leads to the hotel Cabana Stana Tarle.
At the highest point we reached there’s a sign warning about bears.
On the way back down there’s a small corner shop offering ATV tours (about 150 ILS, roughly 40 euros, per rider).
The tour is a loop and takes an hour: you ride all the way to the top, then into the forest and from there back down.
I’ll note that everything is snowy and slippery, and the ride is on a narrow road with lots of bends. But in the end it’s fun.
We went back to Brașov for another night in the city.
Day Three: The Drive to Bucharest and a Visit to Therme Bucharest
In the morning we tried to go back to Sinaia to ride the cable car, but the weather wasn’t suitable, so they’d stopped it for the time being. There were lots of people and a long line, all waiting to hear whether the cable car would open or not.
After a short while we decided not to wait and drove toward Bucharest.
After a two-and-a-half-hour drive we reached the aparthotel we’d booked in advance Bucharest Boutique by Jullie.
From there we wanted to go to the market, but by mistake we drove to a food market that interested us less, so we popped into the mall opposite, Veranda Mall.
After that we drove toTherme Bucharest: a heated water park.
It’s easy to get to by car, with plenty of parking.
There wasn’t much of a line at reception, and the clerk explained that there are several packages depending on how long you want to stay and where.
There’s an all-inclusive option (food and drink not included) for all the facilities, for various lengths of time (3 or 4 hours and so on), and there are options for kids only, for certain facilities only, with a spa or without.
We took the all-inclusive for 4 hours: 85 lei.
You get a wristband with a number on it: the number is your locker number, and the wristband is also the key (for the locker and for entry according to the package you chose; you swipe it like a card reader).
Therme has a heated pool with a bar inside, an unheated outdoor pool with a bar, hot tubs, water slides, sun loungers, a massage bed (10 lei for 15 minutes), massages and saunas (there are at least 6 sauna rooms, each at a different level; one of them, for example, had a cinema screen, and in another a guy gave us an interesting yoga session).
There are tidy changing rooms, hairdryers and lockers for your belongings.
After leaving Therme we went out to eat.
We went toChen restaurant at Strada Occidentului 41.
We arrived almost at closing time, so we were alone. Tasty home-style food, not cheap by Romanian standards.
Many thanks to Meital and David for sharing their experiences from their trip to Romania.
Looking for a longer itinerary in Romania? Click here for a one-week itinerary in the Carpathians.
Have you traveled in Romania? Tell us in the comments what you enjoyed most.
Happy travels,
Shir-Yam
