Romania's highlights, at an easy pace: 7 days
Everything worth seeing in southern Romania, arranged so no day holds more than two stops and no drive exceeds two hours. Gentle mornings, long lunches, and time to actually enjoy each place.
Day 1: Bucharest, the beautiful side
The Romanian Athenaeum is the loveliest building in the city; even without a concert, the frescoed concert hall is worth the visit. Then a slow wander through Old Town, which is small, flat, and full of terraces for a long lunch.
Day 2: The Palace of Parliament
One sight today, and it earns the day: the Palace of Parliament is the heaviest building on earth, and the guided tour through its marble halls is genuinely astonishing. Book the tour a few days ahead and keep the afternoon free for rest.
Day 3: Into the mountains
Ninety minutes north, Peleș Castle rises out of the Sinaia forest like something from a storybook. Take the guided tour, then check in to a guesthouse in Brașov, forty minutes further on.
Day 4: Brașov old town
The Black Church and Council Square are next door to each other, so today is more sitting than walking. Benches, cafés, mountain air. If energy allows, the cable car up Tâmpa does the climbing for you.
Day 5: Sighișoara
An hour and a half north, Sighișoara Citadel is a lived-in medieval town on a hill: cobbled lanes, the clock tower, covered wooden stairs. Take it slowly; it is small, and that is the point.
Day 6: Sibiu
Piața Mare in Sibiu is one of the grandest squares in Eastern Europe, ringed by pastel baroque houses. One square, one museum, one very good dinner. That is the whole assignment.
Day 7: Bâlea Lake
Finish above the clouds. The Transfăgărășan road (summer) or the cable car (the rest of the year) brings you to Bâlea Lake, a glacial lake at 2,034 meters with an easy flat path along the shore. Then home, gently.
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