Travel to Romania (Bucharest, Brasov and Dracula castle)

5 days trip to Romania

I went to Bucharest on 9th June 2015 for a conference. I will share my experience of Romania and particularly Bucharest, Brasov and Bran castle (Dracula castle) .

Before travel fear:

I live in Czech Republic and all I knew that all Gypsies and all labor workers comes from Romania. This made me feel that the city would be highly unsafe in night and there will a lot of homeless, beggars and pickpockets on the streets. My flight was from Turkish airline, as Istanbul is worth transiting :), the only drawback was that I was reaching in the night at 21:00 and the reviews on internet made me feel that the taxi driver will mob me and if I take the bus the late night streets could be dangerous. I decided to ask the hotel for the pickup and that cost 30 Eur which is very high as compare to any transport; but still I took it.

Visa:

Most of the Europe doesn't needs visa and anyone with multiple entry schengen card can visit Romania without visa. Just keep your hotel reservation in hand encase immigration person asks you. you can find more detail at http://www.mae.ro/en/node/2035

First impression:

The view from the airplane is impressive and looks like an organised city with less population as compared any other capitals in the world. The airport is small and not much crowded, the immigration police men behave good with a smile. after immigration you can now change your money to their currency LEI as its the only acceptable way payment in buses,taxi and local market.( Its necessary to show passport for money change and takes nearly 5 min for the process). There are few conveyor belts and easy to see where your luggage is coming and exit is in front and take your luggage and takes hardly a minute to pass the airport door.( The custom people stands there and mostly do not check anyone).

Transport:

I was afraid and I took expensive pickup service but after arrival I saw the airport is much easy and safe. you can take a bus number 783 to directly go to center and buy ticket from machine or take a taxi by ordering from KIOSK arranged at the exit of the airport. The allotted taxi comes with the number printed on your receipt and you pay to the driver end of the journey ,which is utmost 10-15 euro for a journey to the center. The bus time table can be found here http://www.ratb.ro/docpdf2/783%20PIATA%20UNIRII.pdf

Where to stay:

There are many hotels in Bucharest and much chepaer as compared to other EU capitals. I like living near the town center so the night life can be seen by walking and easy to access the hotel. The main road

 Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu has a lot of hotels, 

flats and pension and perfect place to live. The

 metro

 line and the bus stop Piata Romana is also near, 

the fast foods like Mcdonalds and KFC are just

 within 200m range.

Most of the Hotels accept credit card and Euros.

What to do:

Most of the city places are accessible by foot and much enjoyable walking and seeing. the Metro also runs to most of the famous places 

Prices:
- 2 rides ticket: 4 RON
- 10 rides ticket: 10 RON
- 1 day pass: 6 RON
- 1 month pass: 32 RON
The metro system is efficient and clean and tickets are punched when entering the station and then no limit how much you stay,even there are McDonald inside the stations.
First things first
whole city famous places can be seen in 1 day :)
Following places are a must see places in Bucharest
1-Old Town (go by walking, eat, see some churches and cit in some cafes.
2-palace of parliament (entry cost nearly 15 Eur ,I think it was too much ,but the building is the 3rd biggest building in the world)
3- Herastrau Park ( give you ID card and take a bicycle for 2 hours free and see the park)
4- Village Museum & Triumph Arch ( you can take metro to reach Aviatorilor, near to the Park and good historical place)

or just take a hoppon hopoff bus costing nearly 13 Eur for 1 day and see the city, If you dont jump out it takes nearly 1 hour to show all the city.
walking around you can see interesting places like churches,old cemetery and old cafes.
** avoid photography in church**
City neaby:
Brasov and Bran castle are two famous places in Romania and takes nearly 3 hours by train to reach.
Brașov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 kilometers (103 miles) north of Bucharest and 380 km (236 mi) from the Black Sea. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and is part of the Transylvania region. you can take a complete tour of bran castle including Brasov of nearly 59Eur per person per trip or take train yourself from the main train station which cost nearly 3Eur one way ,from Brasov take a taxi or bus to go Bran castle which is nearly 30km from Brasov. Whole trip can be easily managed in 1 day and train is the cheapest way to go. The Bran castle or Dracula castle is not spooky, in fact it is nice building with a beautiful country yard.

Lastly:
The City is SAFE, people are warm welcoming and transport system is good.
The poorness can be felt after seeing the buildings; some of them looks burnt and decaying. The souvenirs are expensive.2 days are enough for the complete city tour of  Bucharest.


A beautiful HOSPITAL building