3 Days in Bucharest: The Castle Run
Three days buys Bucharest as a base for two real day trips: Peles Castle at Sinaia, then Bran Castle and Brasov as one long round trip. You stay in the capital both nights. Only got two days? Drop day 3 and see the 2 day version . Got more time? The 4 day and 7 day routes push further into Transylvania.
Book these before you go
- Peles and Pelisor timed entry slots , online booking mandatory in peak season, capped at 2,000 and 1,500 visitors a day
- Bran Castle tickets , especially for a weekend visit
- A central Bucharest hotel on Booking.com for both nights
- A combined Peles, Bran and Brasov day tour on Viator if you’d rather not drive or train it yourself
Day 1: Arrival and the Old Town at night
Land at Henri Coanda Airport (OTP), take Express Bus 100 (about 3 RON) or the direct rail shuttle to Gara de Nord (20-25 minutes). Line M6 does not reach the airport yet in 2026, so skip any metro plan. Check into a central hotel, then walk Lipscani’s Old Town for a sarmale and mici dinner. Save your energy: two long days out follow.
Day 2: Peles and Pelisor, Sinaia
Train from Gara de Nord to Sinaia takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours through the Prahova Valley. Peles Castle, built for King Carol I between 1873 and 1914, is a genuine royal residence, carved walnut paneling and stained glass, not a marketing invention: the full tour costs 100 RON adult / 25 RON student, a ground-floor-only ticket runs 50 RON / 12.5 RON. Pelisor next door adds about 30 RON adult / 7.5 RON student. Book your timed slot online before you leave Bucharest, both castles have capped daily visitor numbers since June 2025. Return to Bucharest by evening.
Day 3: Bran Castle and Brasov, a long day
This is the marathon day: a 2.5 to 3 hour train each way to Brasov, plus a 30-45 minute taxi or bus hop out to Bran, round trip in a single day. Bran’s “Dracula’s castle” branding is a 1970s tourism invention, Bram Stoker never visited Romania and the historical Vlad the Impaler’s link to the building is thin at best, most historians point to Visegrad in Hungary for any real imprisonment. Go anyway: the hilltop fortress and Queen Marie’s rooms are worth it on their own, standard adult entry runs about 120 RON. Spend your remaining hour or two in Brasov’s old town, the Black Church and Council Square, before the long ride back.
Is a 12 hour Bran and Brasov day trip actually worth it?
Yes, if you accept it as a full day, not a relaxed one. Round trip transit alone runs 5 to 6 hours between the trains to Brasov and the local hop to Bran, leaving a genuinely tight window for both sights. It works because Bran and Brasov sit close together, but if that pace sounds exhausting, the 4 day itinerary relocates to Brasov overnight instead.
Do you need euros anywhere on this route?
No. Romania is in the EU and full Schengen since January 2025 but has not adopted the euro, everything from the Peles ticket machine to a Brasov coffee is priced in lei (RON). Expect roughly 4.55-4.6 RON per US dollar and about 5.2 RON per euro in 2026, check the same-day rate since it moves. Cards work in Bucharest and Brasov; carry some cash for Sinaia’s machines and small vendors.
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Rough daily cost (RON) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, Old Town dinner | 20-50 min airport to center | 200-300 |
| 2 | Sinaia: Peles and Pelisor | 1.5-2h each way by train | 300-380 |
| 3 | Bran Castle and Brasov | 5-6h round trip plus local transfers | 350-450 |
Book the Peles slot and the Bran ticket in the same sitting, both sell out on the same summer weekends.