What is Budget Routes?

Budget Routes is a travel blog focused on smart travel on any budget. We publish curated guides, tips, and deals.

Is Budget Routes free to use?

Yes, Budget Routes is completely free. There is no paywall and no subscription.

How much does travel in Romania cost per day?

Around 35 to 55 euros a day including a private guesthouse room, meals out and transport. Hostel dorms run 10 to 18 euros and a restaurant meal 7 to 14. Romania is among the cheapest countries in the EU, and outside Bucharest and the Black Sea coast in August, prices are consistently low.

Are Romanian trains or buses better?

Trains are slower but comfortable and scenic on the mountain routes, particularly Bucharest to Brașov through the Carpathians. Minibuses called maxi-taxi are faster on many routes and depart more frequently, though they are cramped. For the Transylvania circuit the train is pleasant enough that the extra hour is worth it.

Is Bucharest worth visiting?

A day or two. The Palace of the Parliament is the second largest administrative building in the world and worth touring, and the old town has good food and nightlife at low prices. But Bucharest is less immediately rewarding than the Transylvanian towns, and most itineraries treat it as the arrival point rather than a destination.

How do I get to Bran and the painted monasteries?

Bran Castle is an easy bus from Brașov, about 45 minutes, and is heavily marketed on a Dracula connection that is historically thin. The painted monasteries of Bucovina in the northeast are far more remarkable and considerably harder to reach — realistically a rented car or an organised day trip from Suceava.

Romania on a Budget: Transylvania and the Trains

Romania is the size of the UK with a fraction of the transport speed, so the useful budget decision is to pick Transylvania and do it properly rather than attempting the whole country. The circuit is compact, the towns are close together, and it is among the cheapest travel in the EU.

The Transylvania circuit

Brașov — the natural base. A Saxon town with a large square, the Black Church, and a mountain rising directly behind it with a cable car to the top. Two to three days.

From here, Bran Castle is 45 minutes by bus. It is marketed on a Dracula association that is historically thin, and it is busy — go early, and treat it as a pleasant castle rather than a pilgrimage.

Râșnov fortress nearby is quieter and better value.

Sighișoara — a walled medieval citadel two hours north, small enough to see in a day and lovely to stay in overnight once the coaches leave.

Sibiu — arguably the prettiest Romanian city, with the distinctive eyelid dormers watching from the rooftops. Two days.

Cluj-Napoca — the student city, with the best food and nightlife in the country outside Bucharest, and prices to match its student population.

The Transfăgărășan road — open roughly July to October, a mountain pass that is genuinely spectacular and requires a car or an organised trip.

Costs

Item	Cost
Hostel dorm	€10–18
Guesthouse private room	€25–45
Restaurant meal	€7–14
Train, Bucharest–Brașov	€8–14
Castle or museum entry	€4–10

A daily budget of €35–55 covers private rooms and eating out. Guesthouses — pensiuni — are the accommodation to look for: family-run, often including a substantial breakfast, and cheaper than hostels once two people share.

Transport

Trains are slow but comfortable and the Bucharest to Brașov line through the Carpathians is genuinely scenic. Book on the national railway site; fares are low and reservations are included on intercity services.

Maxi-taxi minibuses are faster on many routes and leave more frequently, at the cost of comfort. They are how Romanians actually travel between towns.

A rental car becomes worth it for the Transfăgărășan, the painted monasteries of Bucovina and the Maramureș wooden churches — all of which are difficult to reach otherwise and are among the best things in the country.

Bucharest

Worth a day or two rather than a week. The Palace of the Parliament is the second largest administrative building in the world, built by Ceaușescu at enormous human cost, and the tour is genuinely worth doing.

The old town is dense with cheap restaurants and bars. Beyond that, Bucharest is a working city rather than a sightseeing one, and most travellers use it as the arrival airport and move on.

Practical

Currency is the leu, not the euro, at roughly 5 to the euro. Cards are widely accepted in cities.

Stray dogs remain a feature in some towns and rural areas. They are usually harmless but worth not approaching.

Distances deceive. Romania is large and the mountain roads are slow. Four towns in a week is comfortable; eight is a bus timetable.

When to go

May, June and September are ideal. July and August are hot and busier, though still cheap. Winter is very cheap and the Carpathian ski resorts — Poiana Brașov, Sinaia — cost a fraction of Alpine equivalents, with the caveat that the Transfăgărășan and many mountain roads are closed.