Brasov
Dec 20th, 2000, 12:57 PM
#1
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Brasov
has anyone ever visited Brasov, Romania? What's it like? Is it cheaper to fly into Bucherest or fly to another large city in a near by country (Germany, Italy or Hungary) and bus from there? I'm traveling to see my girl friend who has no idea yet.
Dec 20th, 2000, 02:21 PM
#2
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Brasov (pronounced Bra-shoff) is about 170km from Bucharest and 700km from Budapest. I would fly in via Frankfurt International airport.
I visited this town in 1966 when Ceausescu was in power, but before he got around to destroying the Romanian economy. It was a very pleasant place then, as I recall, with a minority German-speaking population. It is in a beautiful mountain setting. The ski resort of Sinaia is 50km south. Now, however, you might be in for a shock at how run down the place is: dilapidated buildings, food and power shortages etc.
Good luck,
Harzer
I visited this town in 1966 when Ceausescu was in power, but before he got around to destroying the Romanian economy. It was a very pleasant place then, as I recall, with a minority German-speaking population. It is in a beautiful mountain setting. The ski resort of Sinaia is 50km south. Now, however, you might be in for a shock at how run down the place is: dilapidated buildings, food and power shortages etc.
Good luck,
Harzer
Dec 20th, 2000, 03:22 PM
#3
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Just got back from Romania...took a quick tour a Brasov...it's a nice town...plenty of scenery...sidewalk cafes...
I flew into the Bucharest and hired a driver with a van that I had arranged prior to getting there.
Brasov is an hour or so from Bucharest and is a pleasant drive in the summer.
I wouldn't do it in the winter...they have pretty good trains and the buses aren't bad either.
Some of the locals say the buses are the best...some say the train.
Either one will get you there.
But the taxies at OTP airport are EXPENSIVE and are not afraid of adding a few hundred thousand lei to the price they quoted you.
So it can cost you 800,000 lei just to get from the airport to the train station.
That's $32 U.S!
And there's not a shortage of clowns waiting to 'help' you when you come waltzing out of the airport - so put on a mean face and just say "NU!"
I flew into the Bucharest and hired a driver with a van that I had arranged prior to getting there.
Brasov is an hour or so from Bucharest and is a pleasant drive in the summer.
I wouldn't do it in the winter...they have pretty good trains and the buses aren't bad either.
Some of the locals say the buses are the best...some say the train.
Either one will get you there.
But the taxies at OTP airport are EXPENSIVE and are not afraid of adding a few hundred thousand lei to the price they quoted you.
So it can cost you 800,000 lei just to get from the airport to the train station.
That's $32 U.S!
And there's not a shortage of clowns waiting to 'help' you when you come waltzing out of the airport - so put on a mean face and just say "NU!"
Dec 20th, 2000, 07:16 PM
#4
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You can read the considered views on safety of five consuls
from Australia on http://www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice
from Britain on http://193.114.50.10/travel
from Canada on http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/menu-e.asp, under "Travel Reports"
from France on http://www.dfae.diplomatie.fr/voyage...s/alphabet.asp
from the USA on http://travel.state.gov, under "travel warnings"
Some experienced American travellers find the American site over-cautious. It is therefor useful to check all five sites.
from Australia on http://www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice
from Britain on http://193.114.50.10/travel
from Canada on http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/menu-e.asp, under "Travel Reports"
from France on http://www.dfae.diplomatie.fr/voyage...s/alphabet.asp
from the USA on http://travel.state.gov, under "travel warnings"
Some experienced American travellers find the American site over-cautious. It is therefor useful to check all five sites.
Dec 21st, 2000, 02:35 AM
#5
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Posts: n/a
Fodors
Dear Mr Baron,
Sorry: those notes in safety had no bearing on Brasov. Here's what I meant to transmit.
Yes I have, and Iliked it, but that was thirty years ago. The guide books suggest that Brasov has grown since, but has not changed the buildings of the attractive city centre. I see that like other cities of Romania Brasov has lost many of her Saxons -- but there are still some, and plenty of Hungarians. I find both (small) Sighisoara and (large) Subiu a touch more atrractive than Brasov, because more romantic, but they are easy day trips, Sighisoara two hours away and Sibiu three hours.
It's usually cheaper to fly into Bavaria, Austria, or Hungary, and carry on with a sleeper or couchette on the Dacia Express from there, than to fly into Bucharest. If you're starting from London you can check fares on http://www.cheapflights.co.uk, and if from Amsterdam on
http://www.nbbs.nl/. Also, in Dutch, http://www.vliegtarieven.nl
and in English a company which collects deals of other companies -- they specialize in package vacations, but you can sometimes get flights as well: http://www.d-reizen.nl/.
A EuroCity restaurant car express leaves Munich Hauptbahnhof at 1238. You change across the platform at Salzburg 1455 to 1510 and reach Vienna West at 1842. Time for supper or a stroll, then the Dacia Express, with couchettes, sleepers, and Hungarian restaurant car, leaves Vienna West at 2005, leaves Budapest at 2320, and reaches Sighisoara at 0939 and Brasov at 1131. Due to a time shift these feel like 0839 and 1031. Also, the Josef Haydn restaurant car express leaves Frankfurt airport station at 1219 and reaches Vienna West at 1950. Other restaurant car trains leave Frankfurt airport at 0803 and 1003, and reach Vienna West at 1550 and at 1747: the 1003 involves a change at Nuremberg. Both give you a taste of Vienna.
In January this year the basic second class fare from Vienna to Bucharest was 110 US dollars. Supplemenrs were 15 dollars for a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, and 45 for a berth in a 3-berth sleeper. I have on disc a note on enjoying couchettes and sleepers, which I can copy you if you so ask. And in general, please write if I can help further.
Ben Haines, London
Dear Mr Baron,
Sorry: those notes in safety had no bearing on Brasov. Here's what I meant to transmit.
Yes I have, and Iliked it, but that was thirty years ago. The guide books suggest that Brasov has grown since, but has not changed the buildings of the attractive city centre. I see that like other cities of Romania Brasov has lost many of her Saxons -- but there are still some, and plenty of Hungarians. I find both (small) Sighisoara and (large) Subiu a touch more atrractive than Brasov, because more romantic, but they are easy day trips, Sighisoara two hours away and Sibiu three hours.
It's usually cheaper to fly into Bavaria, Austria, or Hungary, and carry on with a sleeper or couchette on the Dacia Express from there, than to fly into Bucharest. If you're starting from London you can check fares on http://www.cheapflights.co.uk, and if from Amsterdam on
http://www.nbbs.nl/. Also, in Dutch, http://www.vliegtarieven.nl
and in English a company which collects deals of other companies -- they specialize in package vacations, but you can sometimes get flights as well: http://www.d-reizen.nl/.
A EuroCity restaurant car express leaves Munich Hauptbahnhof at 1238. You change across the platform at Salzburg 1455 to 1510 and reach Vienna West at 1842. Time for supper or a stroll, then the Dacia Express, with couchettes, sleepers, and Hungarian restaurant car, leaves Vienna West at 2005, leaves Budapest at 2320, and reaches Sighisoara at 0939 and Brasov at 1131. Due to a time shift these feel like 0839 and 1031. Also, the Josef Haydn restaurant car express leaves Frankfurt airport station at 1219 and reaches Vienna West at 1950. Other restaurant car trains leave Frankfurt airport at 0803 and 1003, and reach Vienna West at 1550 and at 1747: the 1003 involves a change at Nuremberg. Both give you a taste of Vienna.
In January this year the basic second class fare from Vienna to Bucharest was 110 US dollars. Supplemenrs were 15 dollars for a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, and 45 for a berth in a 3-berth sleeper. I have on disc a note on enjoying couchettes and sleepers, which I can copy you if you so ask. And in general, please write if I can help further.
Ben Haines, London
