Bucharest 5 Day Castle Trip (No Traps)
Five days is our 4-day plan plus a genuine wind-down day back in Bucharest, not a fifth castle. Sighisoara, the deeper Transylvania stop, needs at least 6 days to do without making your last day entirely trains; if you have them, our 6-day version adds it properly.
Book these before you go:
- Your Bucharest hotel : for nights 1 and 5
- Your Brasov hotel : nights 3 and 4
- A Peles and Bran day tour : a guided option for the castle legs
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Est. daily cost (RON) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, Old Town settle-in | 20-50 min from OTP | 100-150 |
| 2 | Peles and Pelisor castles, Sinaia | 75-90 min each way by train | 250-350 |
| 3 | Bran Castle and Brasov, overnight in Brasov | 2h15-4h Bucharest to Brasov | 350-450 |
| 4 | Rasnov Fortress, Poiana Brasov cable car | short local bus or taxi from Brasov | 150-250 |
| 5 | Brasov to Bucharest, wind-down day | 2h15-4h by train | 200-400 |
Day 1: Land, settle in, don’t sightsee yet
Take the direct rail shuttle from Henri Coanda to Gara de Nord, about 6.50 RON, 20-25 minutes, or Express Bus 100 for roughly 3 RON, 40-50 minutes. There’s no metro shortcut yet, Line M6 to the airport is still under construction. Check into Old Town, eat, sleep early.
Day 2: Peles and Pelisor castles, Sinaia
Trains from Gara de Nord to Sinaia run several times daily, roughly 75-90 minutes each way, fares around 35-45 RON; check cfrcalatori.ro . Peles runs a timed-slot system since June 2025, 2,000 visitors a day capped, book ahead. Full entry is 100 RON adult, 25 RON student; see peles.ro for hours and booking. Pelisor adds 30 RON next door. Back to Bucharest for the night.
Day 3: Bran Castle and Brasov, overnight in Brasov
Direct trains from Gara de Nord to Brasov take 2h15-4 hours, roughly 30 departures a day, fares 35-145 RON by class. Bran’s “Dracula” tag is 1970s marketing, not history, Stoker never visited Romania and Vlad’s connection to the castle is largely debunked, but the hilltop fortress and Queen Marie’s real history still earn the roughly 120 RON adult entry; check bran-castle.com for current pricing. Stay the night in Brasov and spend the evening in its old town.
Day 4: Rasnov Fortress and the Poiana Brasov cable car
Rasnov, about 15km from Bran, costs 10 RON for anyone over 12, cards only; the interior is under rehabilitation, check cetatea-rasnov.ro for current access. The Postavaru cable car at Poiana Brasov runs Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-5pm, 20 RON one-way or 35 RON return, for mountain views without a hike. Second night in Brasov.
Day 5: Brasov to Bucharest, the honest wind-down day
Train back to Bucharest, 2h15-4 hours depending on service, and spend the afternoon on something that isn’t a castle. Therme Bucuresti, the thermal spa outside the city, runs roughly 70-90 RON for 3 hours in its cheapest zone, or wander Cismigiu Gardens for free and eat somewhere in Old Town you missed on day 1. This day exists because five days isn’t enough to also do Sighisoara properly, and a rushed add-on would just mean two tired travel days back to back.
Should you push on to Sighisoara on a 5-day trip?
Not really. The direct train from Brasov to Sighisoara covers just 67km but takes 3.5-4 hours on the regional line, meaning a same-day round trip eats 7-8 hours of pure travel for one afternoon in the citadel. On a 5-day trip that turns your last day into a slog. Sighisoara deserves an overnight, which means 6 days minimum, not a bolt-on to day 5.
Before you go
Book Peles and your Brasov hotel before you fly, both sell out on summer weekends. If you do decide to add Sighisoara instead of the Bucharest wind-down day, treat it as a full day of travel each direction, not a quick detour. And keep small RON notes on hand for the Brasov and Sinaia trains, card machines are inconsistent on regional services.