The Carpathian Loop: two weeks through Romania's mountains and citadels

This is the loop we keep recommending to friends: start in the royal resort of Sinaia, work through the castles and fortified towns of Transylvania, cross the Transfăgărășan, and finish with a few easy days in Bucharest. Two weeks is comfortable; it also compresses to ten days if you drop a night here and there.

Sinaia (2-3 nights)

Peleș Castle is the headline and it earns it. Go on the first morning tour, before the buses, and pair it with the quieter Sinaia Monastery down the road. On the second day, take the cable car up toward the Bucegi plateau for Babele and the Sphinx if the weather is clear, or visit Cantacuzino Castle in Bușteni if it isn't. The gondola queues by 10am on weekends, so start early.

Râșnov and Brașov country (4-5 nights)

Base yourself around Râșnov. The citadel above town is a good half day, Bran Castle is twenty minutes away (go at opening time, it fills fast), and Brașov's old town deserves a full day on its own: the Black Church, Council Square, and the Tâmpa viewpoint if your legs are willing. Families should keep a day for the Libearty bear sanctuary at Zărnești (book a morning tour) or Dino Parc next to the citadel.

Sighișoara (1-2 nights)

The prettiest small town on the route. The clock tower museum and the covered Scholars' Stairs up to the Church on the Hill are the essentials, and the citadel itself is the pleasure: just walk it in the evening when the day trips leave.

Sibiu (2 nights)

Piața Mare and the Bridge of Lies are the postcard, but budget real time for the ASTRA open-air museum in the Dumbrava forest. It is one of the best ethnographic museums in Europe and needs at least half a day.

Over the Transfăgărășan to Curtea de Argeș (1 night)

Check the road is open first; it usually closes from late autumn to early summer. Leave early, stop at Bâlea Lake at the top, and take the serpentines slowly. The monastery at Curtea de Argeș, with its stone lace and the legend of Manole, is the reward on the far side.

Bucharest (3-4 nights)

Book the Palace of Parliament tour a few days ahead and bring your passport. Balance the heaviness with the Village Museum and a walk around Herăstrău lake, and keep one evening for the old town. Therme, the huge spa just outside the city, is the best rainy-day or rest-day plan in the country.

Want this as a starting plan? Open the planner and import the sample Carpathian Loop trip from the Advanced section on the home page, then move things around to fit your dates.