Longer version, 15 nights
Day | Start point | End point | Distance | Drive time | Speed | Leave start point | Time at stop 1 | Time at stop 2 | Time at stop 3 | Arrive end point | Explore end point | Comments/stops | Lodging | Map |
1 | Bucharest airport | Bucharest | 3.1 kms (walking) | 1 hr | 2:00 PM | 1 hr | 1 hr | 5:00 PM | 2 hrs | Fly in. Public transportation or rideshare from airport to hotel. Walk via Cismigiu Gardens, Romanian Athenaum, Central University Library. | Hotel Capitol | map | ||
2 | Bucharest | Bucharest | 8.7 kms (walking) | 2.5 hrs | 9:00 AM | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 5:30 PM | 1.5 hrs | Walk around central Bucharest. Via churches, synagogues, Palace of the Parliament, National Museum. Dinner at Cara cu Bere. | Hotel Capitol | map 1 map 2 | |
3 | Bucharest | Sinaia | 150 kms | 2.5 hrs | 54 kph | 9:00 AM | 1.5 hrs | 2.25 hrs | 2.25 hrs | 5:45 PM | 3.25 hrs | Rent car; via Natl Village Museum in Bucharest; via Sinaia Monastery, Peleș Castle. | map 1 (walking) map 2 (driving) | |
4 | Sinaia | Braşov (or Bran) | 56 kms | 1.75 hrs | 31 kph | 11:00 AM | 1.5 hrs | 1.5 hrs | 1.5 hrs | 5:15 PM | 4.75 hrs | via Caraiman Monatsery, cable car to Babele, Cantacuzino Castle | map | |
5 | Braşov (or Bran) | Braşov | 63 kms | 2 hrs | 31 kph | 12:00 PM | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 6:00 PM | 1 hr | Historic center inc. Black Church in AM; day trip to Bran Castle & Râșnov Citadel | map | ||
6 | Braşov | Sighişoara | 199 kms | 4.25 hrs | 46 kph | 9:00 AM | 4 hrs | 5:15 PM | 4 hrs | via 4 fortified churches inc. Viscri; Viscri also supposedly a beautiful village | map | |||
7 | Sighişoara | Sibiu | 123 kms | 2.75 hrs | 44 kph | 11:15 AM | 1 hr | 1 hr | 4:00 PM | 4.25 hrs | via Biertan, Valea Viilor. See ASTRA folk museum in Sibiu. | map | ||
8 | Sibiu | Hunedoara | 195 kms | 4.25 hrs | 46 kph | 10:15 AM | 1.5 hrs | 2 hrs | 6:00 PM | 1 hrs | via Calnic Fortress & Dacian hill fortresses | map | ||
9 | Hunedoara | Cluj-Napoca | 195 kms | 3.75 hrs | 52 kph | 9:00 AM | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 4:45 PM | 3.75 hrs | via Corvin Castle, Alba Carolina Citadel, Salina Turda salt mine? Dinner at Roata in Cluj-Napoca. | map | ||
10 | Cluj-Napoca | Săpânţa | 238 kms | 5 hrs | 48 kph | 10:30 PM | 2.5 hrs | 6:00 PM | 2 hrs | via 5 wooden churches, “Merry Cemetery” | map | |||
11 | Săpânţa | Voroneţ | 256 kms | 5.25 hrs | 49 kph | 10:00 AM | 1.5 hrs | 0.75 hrs | 5:30 PM | 1.5 hrs | via 3 more wooden churches, 1 painted monastery | map | ||
12 | Voroneţ | Suceava | 181 kms | 3.75 hrs | 47 kph | 9:00 AM | 5.25 hrs | 6:00 PM | 5.5 hrs | via 7 painted monasteries | map | |||
13 | Suceava | Iaşi | 161 kms | 3.25 hrs | 49 kph | 1:30 PM | 0.75 hrs | 5:30 PM | 6 hrs | Explore Suceava in AM; via 1 more painted monastery | map | |||
14 | Iaşi | Iaşi | Explore cultural stuff in Iaşi; Iaşi is the cultural capital of Romania. | |||||||||||
15 | Iaşi | Bucharest airport | 443 kms | 7.25 hrs | 61 kph | 9:00 AM | 1 hr | 1:45 PM | via Berca Mud Volcanoes; return rental car | map | ||||
16 | Bucharest airport | home | Fly out. | |||||||||||
total | total | 2268 kms | 49.5 hrs | |||||||||||
average | average | 163 kms | 3.54 hrs | 46 kph | 10:27 AM | 5:24 PM | 2.88 hrs |
Total accommodations cost: $1800
Total food cost: $480
Total rental car cost: $390
Total gas/petrol cost: $907
Total cost minus plane tickets & entry fees: ~$3600
As you can see, I’ve allotted three fairly leisurely days (days 4, 5, & 6) to get from Sinaia to Sighişoara; if you wish, you could easily cut that down to two by spending only one night in Braşov or Bran. Also, on Day 1, I do not have you leaving the Bucharest airport until 2 pm because I assume, whether you’re flying from North America or not, that you have to make a connection elsewhere in Europe that morning.
Shorter version, 10 nights
This version is identical to the longer version up through Day 6, but it does some cities in a different order and does not go north of Cluj-Napoca; it skips the wooden churches and painted monasteries, Suceava, and Iaşi. On the plus side, the last day driving back to Bucharest isn’t as long, and the last day does include a cool stop (the Clay Castle) that isn’t part of the longer version. Overall, this version features more than 900 fewer kilometers and 19 fewer hours driving of driving than the longer version, and requires less driving each day on average.
Day | Start point | End point | Distance | Drive time | Speed | Leave start point | Time at stop 1 | Time at stop 2 | Time at stop 3 | Arrive end point | Explore end point | Comments/stops | Lodging | Map |
1 | Bucharest airport | Bucharest | 3.1 kms (walking) | 1 hr | 2:00 PM | 1 hr | 1 hr | 5:00 PM | 2 hrs | Fly in. Public transportation or rideshare from airport to hotel. Walk via Cismigiu Gardens, Romanian Athenaum, Central University Library. | Hotel Capitol | map | ||
2 | Bucharest | Bucharest | 8.7 kms (walking) | 2.5 hrs | 9:00 AM | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 5:30 PM | 1.5 hrs | Walk around central Bucharest. Via churches, synagogues, Palace of the Parliament, National Museum. Dinner at Cara cu Bere. | Hotel Capitol | map 1 map 2 | |
3 | Bucharest | Sinaia | 150 kms | 2.5 hrs | 54 kph | 9:00 AM | 1.5 hrs | 2.25 hrs | 2.25 hrs | 5:45 PM | 3.25 hrs | Rent car; via Natl Village Museum in Bucharest; via Sinaia Monastery, Peleș Castle. | map 1 (walking) map 2 (driving) | |
4 | Sinaia | Braşov (or Bran) | 56 kms | 1.75 hrs | 31 kph | 11:00 AM | 1.5 hrs | 1.5 hrs | 1.5 hrs | 5:15 PM | 4.75 hrs | via Caraiman Monatsery, cable car to Babele, Cantacuzino Castle | map | |
5 | Braşov (or Bran) | Braşov | 63 kms | 2 hrs | 31 kph | 12:00 PM | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 6:00 PM | 1 hr | Historic center inc. Black Church in AM; day trip to Bran Castle & Râșnov Citadel | map | ||
6 | Braşov | Sighişoara | 199 kms | 4.25 hrs | 46 kph | 9:00 AM | 4 hrs | 5:15 PM | 4 hrs | via 4 fortified churches inc. Viscri; Viscri also supposedly a beautiful village | map | |||
7 | Sighişoara | Cluj-Napoca | 189 kms | 3.75 hrs | 51 kph | 10:45 AM | 1 hr | 2 hrs | 5:30 PM | 3.5 hrs | via Biertan, Salina Turda Salt Mine. Dinner at Roata in Cluj-Napoca. | map | ||
8 | Cluj-Napoca | Hunedoara | 187 kms | 3.5 hrs | 54 kph | 11:00 AM | 2 hrs | 2 hrs | 6:30 PM | 1 hrs | via Alba Carolina Citadel, Corvin Castle | map | ||
9 | Hunedoara | Sibiu | 195 kms | 4 hrs | 49 kph | 9:30 AM | 1.5 hrs | 2 hrs | 5:00 PM | 3 hrs | via Dacian hill fortresses & Calnic Fortress. | map | ||
10 | Sibiu | Bucharest airport | 314 kms | 5.25 hrs | 59 kph | 11:00 PM | 2 hrs | 6:15 PM | 2 hrs | See ASTRA folk museum in Sibiu in AM. via Clay Castle. Return rental car. | map | |||
11 | Bucharest airport | home | Fly out. | |||||||||||
total | total | 1358 kms | 30.75 hrs | |||||||||||
average | average | 136 kms | 3.08 hrs | 44 kph | 10:31 AM | 5:30 PM | 2.67 hrs |
Total accommodations cost: $1200
Total food cost: $330
Total rental car cost: $240
Total gas/petrol cost: $544
Total cost minus plane tickets & entry fees: ~$2300
If you feel up to some hair-rising driving, on Day 10, instead of the given route, take the famousTransfăgărășan pass essentially due south from the Clay Castle over the mountains to Curtea de Argeş, and then southeast to Bucharest airport from there. Allow 1 to 1.5 extra hours of drive time.