Romania
Visa: Schengen Area Free Visa Check
Language: Romanian (a Romance language, related to Italian and French). English is widely spoken in cities and by younger people. In rural Transylvania, you may need gestures and smiles.
Currency: Romanian Leu (RON). Cards accepted in cities. Carry cash for rural areas, markets, and smaller guesthouses. ATMs widely available.
Transportation:
Train: CFR Călători runs the national network. Trains are slow but scenic. The Brașov–Sibiu–Sighișoara corridor is well-served.
Bus: Regional minibuses (maxi-taxi) fill gaps and are often faster than trains. Schedules can be found at local bus stations rather than online.
City transport: Bucharest's metro is reliable and covers the city well. Use the 24pay app or buy a contactless card. Uber and Bolt are widely available and cheap.
What To Expect
Romania is Eastern Europe's most underrated heavyweight. It offers the grandeur of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Transylvania, the raw wilderness of the Carpathian Mountains, and a capital city in Bucharest that oscillates between Belle Époque elegance and communist-era gigantism. The Palace of the Parliament, Ceaușescu's vanity project, is the heaviest building in the world and a must-see monument to hubris.
Transylvania is the headline act, and it goes far beyond Dracula. Brașov sits beneath Mount Tâmpa with a medieval old town that rivals anywhere in Central Europe. Sighișoara is a perfectly preserved 12th-century citadel and the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler. Sibiu has eyes. The houses literally have eyes: small attic windows that stare down at you from every rooftop. And the Transfăgărășan Highway, the road Top Gear called the world's best driving road, snakes through the Făgăraș Mountains in a series of hairpin bends and epic views.
Romania remains one of the cheapest countries in the EU. Excellent wine, hearty food (sarmale, mici, papanași), and guesthouse stays cost a fraction of what you would pay in Western Europe. The train network is slow but scenic, which suits the pace of this country perfectly.