Hello everyone,

My husband and I are planning on visiting Romania and Hungary in September. This trip will be no more than 21 nights on the ground, including both countries. I am currently thinking that we will spend 16 nights in Romania and 5 nights in Budapest.

I have come up with a preliminary itinerary and would appreciate your advice. For planning purposes, I have been using the Rough Guide to Romania (the version published in 2024), and I have read the amazing trip reports from KJA and shelemm. I hope they will see my post and respond. I have Lonely Planet’s Budapest & Hungary guidebook but to be honest, I’ve only glanced at it for now. I’m more concerned right now with my Romania itinerary.

We are interested in seeing the painted monasteries in southern Bucovina, the wooden churches in Maramures, and towns, castles, and fortified churches in Transylvania, along with beautiful rural scenery. Our current plan is to fly into Iasi, Romania, where we will pick up a rental car. When we are finished sightseeing in Romania, we will fly from Bucharest to Budapest. And then fly home from Budapest at the end of our stay there.

Here is my preliminary itinerary with sights we would like to see:
Iasi – 2 nights
· Church of the Three Hierarchs, Ethnography Museum & Museum of Art

Gura Humorului – 2 nights
· Sucevita Monastery, Humor Monastery, Moldovita Monastery & Voronet Monastery

Mara – 2 or 3 nights
· UNESCO World Heritage wooden churches, such as Desesti, Budesti, Barsana, Poienile Izei, and Rogoz. There are more but not sure how many we will have time to visit.
· Sighet Prison Museum, Elie Wiesel’s childhood home, Merry Cemetery in Sapanta

Sighisoara – 2 nights
· Saxon fortified church of Viscri, Clock Tower & History Museum in Sighisoara, explore Sighisoara

Sibiu – 2 or 3 nights
· Visit Biertan and Alma VII on the way to Sibiu from Sighisoara
· Burkenthal Palace & Museum, Evangelical Church, History Museum, and Muzeul ASTRA

Brasov – 2 nights
· Hopefully we will have time to drive up the Transfagarasan Highway as far as Balea Cascada & Balea Lac. Then backtrack and continue on to Brasov.
· Explore Brasov, Black Church, Ethnographic & Art Museums, and Bran’s Castle. (I know it’s touristy but I’ve read Bram Stoker’s Dracula and have seen several movie versions, so, yes, I’m a Dracula fan

Visit Peles Castle in Sinaia on the way to Bucharest.

Bucharest – 2 nights
· Village Museum (open air museum), Museum of the Romanian Peasant, explore the Old Town

Then fly from Bucharest to Budapest where we will spend 5 nights to include a daytrip to Szentendre. Should we stay on the Buda side of the river or the Pest side?

What do you think of my allocation of nights? We can spend 3 nights in two places; all the other places would have to be 2 nights. Are there places other than Sibiu and Mara where we should spend 3 nights instead?

Thank you so much for reading this post! I know it’s lengthy.

I'll be following with interest KarenWoo as am starting to plan Budapest and Vienna trip. My friend whose parents came from Budapest says the Pest side is where most of the sights (not all) are and across the river in Buda it's a little more hilly and more residential, and very lovely apparently.

raincitygirl, so it sounds like the Pest side is the more logical place to stay. I prefer to be closer to the sights. Thanks for this information!

How many nights are you allocating for Budapest?

From my trip to Budapest I allocated 4 full days (5 nights) and it suited my interests. YMMV.

Stay on the parliament side of the river not the castle.

Here's my trip report from long ago with a reference to Clifton's trip report (highly recommended):

Trip Report: Hungary & Romania, May-June 2005. Re-posted to eliminate errors.

Any reference to pictures probably does not work, so here are the relevant albums:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjp7Ehdb

https://flic.kr/s/aHskDQ8rCm

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjp7vvcd

I think you are going to have a wonderful trip, KarenWoo!

Re: Iasi: I had two wonderful dinners, one at Toujours and one at Trufanda. I'm happy to recommend each!

Re: the painted monasteries: You should be able to visit the four you list in the time you have, but do think through your route.

Re: your time in Mara: IME, you’ll need one full day for Sighet, but the wooden churches are all small and so you can see quite a few in just a day or two. If you plan carefully, you can see some on your way from Gura Humorului to Mara, some on your way to Sighet, some on your way out of the area…. Note that with many, you’ll have to call a caretaker once you reach the church; IME, they would get there within 15 minutes or so to let you in.

I’m glad I visited Sighisoara, but it’s tiny – a half a day and you’ve seen everything. It might be worth considering visiting it as a day trip from Sibiu rather than staying there. Unless things have changed a lot, it’s still manageable in the middle of the day when there are other day-trippers.

Whether you visit Sighisoara from Sibiu or not, consider giving Sibiu at least 3 nights. ASTRA can easily take a full day and there’s more than enough in Sibiu itself to keep you busy for a day. If you visit Sighisoara from Sibiu, you might add a night – I trust you’ll work out the timing to see what makes sense.

You might want more time in Bucharest. Depending on how much time you spend at ASTRA, you might consider skipping the Village Museum – it’s more crowded than ASTRA and, IMO, not as well laid out. That said, I should acknowledge that I spent very little time there. In contrast, the national museums of history and art are each well worth a few hours, IMO. The Museum of the Romanian Peasant was closed when I was there – I’m envious of your chance to see it!

It's been a long time since I visited Budapest, but I think a stay of 5 nights would be great. I stayed on the Buda side, but very close to the Chain Bridge, so it was convenient for visiting everything I wanted to see when there.

Hope that helps!

I think 4 nights and we will stay in Pest although Buda sounds lovely. I am taking my son and his wife on this trip and they only have so many days to be away ( it doesn't matter for me, I will stay on and go to Italy after) and we would like to spend a few days in the Austrian countryside as well as Vienna. My daughter in law is a classical musician so Vienna has many things she wants to see.

Travel_Nerd, I will take this under consideration. Of course, we have the option of not doing the daytrip to Szentendre if we think we don't have enough time for Budapest after we arrive.
Thank you!

bilboburgler and raincitygirl, will definitely consider staying in Pest.

Michael, I read part of your TR and it is hilarious and so interesting! I love your descriptions of your home stay, sleeping in the living room turned into a bedroom, chickens running around outside; and dodging all the potholes; it's priceless! Will read more tomorrow and look at your photos.

KJA, thank you so much for your detailed response. I have a few questions.

So, you are suggesting that if we visit Sighisoara from Sibiu, we should then spend 4 nights in Sibiu? The only problem I can see is that I really want to visit Viscri; if we don't spend a night in Sighisoara, when would we be able to visit Viscri? Right now I am planning on visiting Viscri from Sighisoara.

Will plan on seeing some wooden churches on the way to Mara from Gura Humorului. And to see some on our way out of Mara. And on the way to Sighet. So, in this case, would 2 nights be enough in Mara instead of 3?

And will consider omitting the Village Museum in Bucharest since we plan on visiting ASTRA.

Thank you!

Yes, my recommendation would be four nights in Sibiu, giving you one day for Sibiu itself, one day for ASTRA, and one day for a day trip to Sighisoara and perhaps Viscri. You could also visit Viscri on your way to Brasov instead -- but perhaps not if you are trying to drive the Transfagarasan Highway (which I skipped).

I managed just about all of the UNESCO-listed wooden churches AND Sighet with just two nights in Mara -- but as I think you know, I travel HARD. And Mara might not be the best place for you and your husband to rest your heads -- Mara is tiny and the fishery at which I stayed is, to say the least, very basic. I think you would do well to look at your lodging options in that area. You might even want to stay in (or nearer to) Sighet. My guess (which could be wrong) is that a decision about where to base for Sighet and the wooden churches will dictate whether two or three nights will better suit your interests.

KarenWoo, I didn't stay at all in Bucharest, as you already know. I can only imagine that the skansen there would be repetitive after seeing ASTRA in Sibiu.

I feel strongly you should see Viscri, such beauty, and eat at the restaurant Cafe & Artisanal, my best meal in Romania. It is easy to visit form Sighi or Brasov.

If you can, you should arrange to eat lunch at Alma Vii. Alas, I did not know about this in advance, but they can fix a meal for you with notice. I think this would be a very special experience. The manager at Alma Vii can also arrange for a place to stay in the village.....again, it's the kind of thing I wish I knew about.

Sighi is indeed tiny. I enjoyed seeing the cemetery which cascades down from the church, but the church as well as the walk up is nothing special. If you are looking for the best use of your nights, I would cut that down to 1 night.

Here are two things I didn't do that I wanted to do:

From Sinaia, take one of the big cable cars into the mountains. From Brasov, hike the 7 Ladders Trail (Canionul 7 Scări)
https://canionul7scari.ro/

I am sure you will have a wonderful trip!

Staying on the Pest side is easier as it is flat while the Buda side is hilly. You can see the Buda side in one day, while there will be enough to occupy you on the Pest side for a few days. There are several hotels close to the Chain Bridge.

Karen, we spent five full days in Budapest end April 2024 and while we did get to see a lot during the time we had there, I would certainly have liked an extra day or two.

Must-sees IMO:
- Buda side for old castle district and St Mathias church. The old Gellert hotel with its Art Nouveau spa and baths, in use since the 15th century

- on the Pest side we did tours of both the Parliament building and Opera, the latter is magnificent. Heroes Square near the City Park, St Stephen’s Basilica, Liberty square near the Parliament, all of which make for a good walk.

- evening cruise on the Danube, if only to see the illuminated Parliament and the many bridges. The cruise itself was rather cheesy, with a sickly sweet glass of so-called ‘champagne’, the taped commentary wasn’t in sync with the monuments we were passing, but the sight was definitely worth it. We took a basic cruise, 1 hr I believe, but you have more fancy ones with dinner, etc which are probably much better.

- half a day at a spa, I suggest the Szechenyi Baths, again one of the oldest in the city. You can buy passes on their website, make sure to also book a booth to change in and keep your belongs. There’s a huge outdoor thermal pool, then several smaller ones inside, with hot and dry sauna, salt vapor chamber, etc, etc. We spent about 3 hrs there and surprisingly I enjoyed it too, despite my earlier reservations.

- Jewish quarter with synagogue and the Great Market, we didn’t get to tour the former. Lots of restaurants, pubs and ruin bars in the area, one place we went to was like a rabbit warren with dozens of small bars over two floors. Average age under 30, we stayed to have a drink and left my niece, nephew and wife to party the evening away!

Most of our group sampled Hungarian fare, including goulash, etc, though I don’t remember names of the restaurants. Meager pickings for my niece and I, the two vegetarians. We went on to Cracow and Warsaw, and it was the same there too, probably the rare trip where I found food a problem!

We did two half day walking tours, one each of the Buda and Pest services sides. Quite a lot of walking (we easily clocked 20000+/day), we also used the excellent metro and tram system. Buy passes at any metro station and make sure to carry them on you, lots of spot checks on the metro.

We had an Airbnb, but my sister came in a few days early and stayed at the Queens Court Hotel & Residence. Near the Jewish quarter, it’s a classic old hotel and spa, booking on their website gives you additional perks. Excellent breakfast my sister said, she also used their pool and sauna.

queenscourthotelbudapest.com

We also have a friend who stayed at Casati Hotel a few months back, just off Andrassy Avenue and minutes from the Opera and public transport. Less grand, but definitely to be considered.

info@casatihotel.com

Karen, my apologies for the typos in my post above, some my own and others spell check!

Do try and take in an opera or music concert, we didn’t get a chance as it was probably rather early in the season. We did listen to a Chopin piano concert in Warsaw, but would have enjoyed something in Budapest too.

I didn’t mention it above, but you’ll enjoy a walk along the Danube, and across some of the bridges. Especially the iconic Chain Bridge, go a little before dusk, so you’ll enjoy it both in daylight and with the lights on as it gets dark. You’ll of course see it on the Danube cruise too, but actually walking across is definitely to be experienced.

I found Budapest to be a city of unexpected elegance and charm, reminded me of Paris, with its wide boulevards and Haussmanian buildings.

lf you have time, or are driving from Romania, consider 1-2 nights at a wine region near Budapest. My sister spent 2 nights at Eger, a short train ride from Budapest, took the local bus which tours several wineries and spent an enjoyable day. The town itself has several wine bars and restaurants, can’t remember where she stayed, but there must be several options.

Hi Karen,

In Bucharest these two attractions give a definitive understanding of life in Buchaest thirty years ago under the rule of Nicolae Ceausescu.
HIghly suggest both.
Watch for pickpockets in Bucharest !
Love the people and the food!-

The Palace of the Parliament (Romanian: Palatul Parlamentului), also known as the House of the Republic (Casa Republicii) or People's House/People's Palace (Casa Poporului), is the seat of the Parliament of Romania, located atop Dealul Spirii in Bucharest, the national capital.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_the_Parliament

-The “Ceauşescu Mansion” was for a quarter of a century (1965-1989) the private residence of Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu and of their children, Nicu, Zoia, and Valentin.

https://casaceausescu.ro/en/about/

Thank you to tripplaner001 and geetika for recommending staying on the Pest side of the river. That is where we still stay. geetika, I looked up the Queen's Court Hotel and it looks lovely. I will seriously consider this hotel. Thank you so much. And thank you for your list of recommended sightseeing. I am sure we will like the food in Hungary. We visited Krakow about 20 years ago, and we loved the city and the food. I am of Polish and Ukrainian descent, and grew up on Polish/Ukrainian food. I remember my grandmother making pierogi, golompki, borscht, and cabbage soup from scratch. And of course we had lots of kielbasa!

KJA, was the fishery in Mara clean? It looks like a very interesting place to stay. But probably not for 3 nights. We do like to stay in unique, interesting places as long as they are clean. But like to be near other restaurants, too. I will research other places as well. Will check out Sighet.

shelemm, thank you for your very helpful and detailed comments. Viscri and Alma VII are definitely on our list. I will change our stay in Sighisoara to either a one-night stay or to visit as a daytrip from Sibiu.
I need to look up drive times, etc., look at the map again, and will make adjustments to my itinerary based on your suggestions and KJA's suggestions.

Thank you to everyone! You are all so helpful! And to mendota98 for your suggestions for Bucharest.

Karen, interesting your being of Polish and Ukranian descent. My sister and niece took a pierogi making class in Krakow when we visited Auschwitz, she’d been previously and my niece had visited Dachau and didn’t want to see another concentration camp.

I don't remember any concerns about cleanliness! But it is a very rustic, basic accommodation. From what I know of your travel preferences (which is, admittedly, limited), I wouldn't think it the best option you would have. I could be wrong!