Romania and Bulgaria Road Trip

From Dracula to Painted Monasteries

Recommended days	14
Budget	££
Difficulty	Medium

This was probably the most ambitious road trip we’d done, through Romania and Bulgaria. It may seem pathetic compared to people that drive across Ethiopia or Bolivia but everything is relative and the site is all about realistic road trips!

I know that Romania and Bulgaria are in the EU but they are separated from Western Europe both by time and distance. It was a fascinating, challenging and learning experience and I am so glad we’ve done it.

Despite flooding in Gatwick delaying our departure for nearly 3 hours we eventually landed, to gorgeous sunshine, in Bulgaria. After a quick drive we arrived at the hotel, dumped our stuff and headed out in to the city.

Bulgaria: Sofia

The metro system in Sofia is excellent – easy to use and navigate and very cheap – 70p a ticket. We spent a few hours walking around the old centre of the city. There are some beautiful 19th century buildings although sadly a lot of them seem in the terminal stages of decay.

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We found a couple of the old Byzantine churches and the ongoing excavations to preserve the Roman city that is buried here. The inside of the Saint Nicholas cathedral was lovely to sit in and listen to the chanting.

The building was damaged in the 1920’s by a communist bomb attack but has been mostly restored. It is surprising (coming from the west) to see such a degree of mystical religion still – people venerating icons and relics.

We watched the changing of the guard (every 30 minutes so they don’t bake!) and then ambled back to the hotel, stopping for dinner on the way. We rounded off the evening with a lovely gym session, just to prove that masochism doesn’t fade on holiday!

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The next morning we had a mellow start and walked a lot further than needed because we followed my direction sense instead of the map! We headed to the Alexander Nevsky cathedral which was a formidable Byzantine style building built about 100 years ago to commemorate Russian losses in the war of liberation against the Ottomans. It was impressive outside but much too dark to see the frescoes inside.

Across the road is the old church of Sofia and we visited that too. The inside was unrendered brickwork as it had collapsed after an earthquake and all the interiors were destroyed. Underneath was an excellent excavation of the old tombs and necropolis.

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After a very nice light lunch we wandered down to the Archeological Museum – some very impressive Thracian gold as well as Bronze Age and Roman artifacts. We then ambled back to the hotel, via a gelato shop and a couple of parks, to sit inside and plan what to do next.

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After a very lazy start – no gym – we checked out of the hotel at about 8.30. Driving through Sofia wasn’t too bad and we then had a brief jaunt on the motorway before getting on to A roads and heading to the border.

We drove past fields of sunflowers that just lit the plain up, only interrupted by the occasional glimpse of a prostitute waiting for trade in a lay by – although it was difficult to look around as the car drivers were mostly psychos!

Romania

After about 4 hours we reached the Danube and the border crossing where we had to wait as the bridge was one way only due to road works. We then crossed to Romania – not a good first impression – potholed roads, tarmac replaced with gravel and a fair smattering of horse drawn transport.

The first hour or so was through some pretty impoverished countryside, I think we forget how agricultural some European countries are. After skirting round Bucharest we then headed into the mountains. The houses changed to Austrian style chalets and the wooded hills were quite spectacular with roads on the sat nav like a snake on the screen.

Sadly the driving didn’t improve, I have no idea what you need to pass your test in Bulgaria or Romania but maybe you should try it here Russ! We finally arrived in Bran after nearly 9 hours driving, a brief stop to cross the border and a stop for fuel.

Damned hard work but the villa here was a lot better than expected with nice views from the balcony and loads of space. Now I could relax and Deb take over with cooking duties.

Romania: Bran Castle

Woke to the sound of birds chirping in the trees surrounding us and nesting under the eaves. It’s an amazing racket that they make, especially the little ones being fed. After breakfast we walked to Bran Castle, arriving just after it had opened and joined the queue, I guess going on a Sunday wasn’t the best of ideas.

Once inside the castle we let the masses stream ahead and then took our time in the rooms, even reading the info boards! There isn’t much to do with Dracula here but there was some very interesting stories about the Romanian monarchy in the 19/20th century. The rooms were nicely furnished and the route took you to the castle ramparts before heading down again.

There were a couple of parties of kids there – quite stunning how much noise children make! We then headed into the grounds to get a better idea of the castle from the outside. We also had a look at a rare breeds cat show in the grounds – loved the Abyssinian and the hairless cat (I could relate to them).

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Romania: Sinaia Monastery

We wandered back through the stalls around the castle and stopped for lunch before walking back to the villa. After a brief refresh we then headed out to Sinaia for the palace and monastery. The drive was over an hour due to the windy roads and getting behind people who were surprisingly slow, guess they have Sunday drivers here too.

The guide book said to park in the town and take the 20 minute uphill walk to the monastery so we ignored that and parked almost outside the monastery, far more sensible. The monastery is a modern building, barely a hundred years old, but there is a 16th century church in the grounds too.

The murals in the monastery were very good, almost photographic rather than the more usual stylised representations. The decor was quite art noveau too. The church was obviously more traditional with decorations showing the deaths of various martyrs outside (I think).

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Romania: Peles Castle

We walked back to the car and then took a scenic 5 minute walk along a wooded path to reach Peles Castle. The castle is again modern, finished in 1914 I think and more of a palace than a castle. The gardens were very pleasant although we didn’t go inside as we were too late for the last guided tour.

Being a Sunday it was extremely busy with people, damned tourists! After Deb succumbed to the souvenir stalls lining the route back we finally reached the car to drive home. Not a long day but tiring nonetheless due to the heat.

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Romania: Brasov

I take back what I said earlier about it being lovely to hear the birds. The little sods woke me at 4.45 today with their incessant chirping. I must adopt a stray cat whilst we are here!

After breakfast we headed to Brasov, one of the nearby Saxon towns. We parked in the centre next to a beautiful garden with peacock planters and flower beds. From there it was a few minutes walk to the Council Square – the medieval centre of the town with the Black Church (named due to a fire discolouring it I think) dominating the area.

The square was very pretty, it could have been anywhere in Hungary, Czechoslovakia or Austria really. We walked round the outside of the church (closed Mondays) and then past the Blacksmiths Bastion and up the wooded path to the Black Tower (named due to a fire, not very original), also closed on Mondays but good views.

The path then continued up hill to the White Tower (guess when it was closed?) with a very dilapidated viewing platform and steps but a worthwhile panorama of the town. We took the direct route down some steps to the town and then followed the line of the walls and eventually back to the Square.

This was a bit busier – and warmer – now so we had a welcome drink in a cafe. I succumbed to a cake but Debbie had more willpower and it wasn’t as nice as it looked anyway.

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From here laziness got the better of me so we headed home and I had a 3 hour (!) nap whilst Deb did the washing and prepared dinner instead of just relaxing herself. Wimmin. Ended the evening in a local bar with crepes and beer, other than the thunderstorm as we walked back, great fun.

After shutting all the doors and windows to deaden the bird sounds, we actually slept until nearly 8AM! Sofia had sent through pics of her prom and it sounded like she’d had a great time. Nat was busy enjoying herself in Pisa.

We were intending to leave at 8.30 to travel to Sighisoara, one of the Saxon towns, but the combination of sleeping in and rain meant we decided to revisit Brasov instead.

Romania: Brasov Revisited

We parked in the same place and this time actually used the map to look for places. We headed to the Weavers Bastion and the intact part of the city walls. There were great views over the city and all the medieval fortifications and after a bit of work we discovered the entrance to the bastion and history museum.

The lady inside spoke no English and we spoke nothing but English but with some shrugs, gesticulation and grunts we got the gist of what she was saying as she showed us around. There is an excellent model of the city which showed all the defences and the street layout, as well as the dominating size of the churches. The bastion itself was also impressive but was mostly closed, even though it wasn’t a Monday.

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We headed back into town via Rope Street, about a metre wide, and had a very healthy salad for lunch. I blame Natalya’s bad influence. As the weather seemed to be clearing we went back to the car and headed to Rasnov Citadel.

Romania: Rasnov Citadel

Clearing was obviously optimistic because just before we got there we had a torrential thunderstorm. Once this died down we got in one of the carriages and let the tractor pull us up the hill.

We had seen the citadel from the road a few times but once you get up close you can see how impressive it was and how it must have dominated the area, even though it was just for a village to shelter in. We wandered round for a while, taking in the views and then walked down the hill and came home, just in time to miss the next thunderstorm!

A chilled evening back at the villa, we did go to the hotel bar but it was closed and the wifi was so slow it was unusable so we gave up on that and watched Versailles on iPlayer

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Another dull start but as we have loads of driving I can put up with that! Left around 8 to drive towards the Moldavan border – should be spectacular scenery. The roads got worse rather than better and the driving didn’t let you relax for a minute.

The vastness of the Danube basin is difficult to envisage but we certainly had some ‘big sky’ views. The countryside was incredibly rural, that may seem obvious but I mean that we saw shepherds tending flocks of sheep, goats or cattle – ever seen that in the UK?

Horses on the roads towing carts were fairly common, sometimes with hay in the carts, sometimes people. There were little old women wearing black and headscarves that could have come from anywhere in SE Europe or the Middle East.

Maybe half the new houses were unfinished, not sure if the owners were in Western Europe and sending money back piecemeal to finish building or if they just got bored. Lots of the older houses were very run down, like a lot of places it seems maintenance happens less than just letting something fall down and building a new one.

Romania: Neamt Castle

After maybe 6 hours we reached Neamt which had an incredible castle. I had to restrain Debbie from leaping out of the car and rushing up the hill such was her enthusiasm 😉 The castle was built as a defence against the Turks and had a pretty unique design.

It had also been largely restored so you could actually see what it looked like rather than just being a tumble of ruins. After walking back down the wooded path we headed to our hotel in Guru Humorului which was another 90 minute drive, most of it at 30mph…

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Romania: Bucovina

The hotel was a lot better than expected and we had a balcony room on the sixth floor so views across the town. I took some very careful photos from the balcony as I really hate heights. We had a quick walk around the town – a mix of churches and bars before dinner.

Although I have no interest in food the evening was very enjoyable as the restaurant manager was such a character. We had our main courses and then I encouraged Deb to have a dessert and I couldn’t decide what to order so he bought me out a selection of 9, by the end I was replete. All the good work of burning calories for the last few days was gone in an evening, but it was a fun evening 🙂

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Not a good nights sleep due to the heat but at least we will get to the monasteries on time! A very welcome and refreshing shower before breakfast. Both the monasteries we went to today are run by Orthodox nuns, dressed all in black with little pill box hats and headscarves on.

Romania: Humor Monastery

Humor was surrounded by beautiful rose gardens and was an oval shape, the whole exterior being covered in frescoes – hence the name ‘Painted Monasteries’! Parts had faded to nothing from the sunlight, it was surprising that nothing was done to protect them. I climbed the tower for views – the last set of stairs were so tight I had to turn sideways! It was a very creaky walkway at the top too but the views were worth it.

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Romania: Voronet Monastery

Voronet Monastery was inside a fortified enclosure but very similar (to the uninitiated!) theme – I’m afraid you are going to hell Zeynep (all Turks were being burned in a river of lava!) but you won’t be alone, we’ll pretty much all be there as so are all adulterers, murderers, people that like dogs, those that eat fish (might have misinterpreted that one), drunks and heretics so that’s religion bringing peace to the world!

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Being a masochistic idiot I decided to choose a ‘scenic’ route, across the mountains and along Lake Bistrita. Over eight hours driving with one pause to get a drink along roads that weren’t actually that bad but the drivers were abysmal. I don’t know what the Romanian driving test involves but I am not sure it includes anything to do with a car.

Overtaking on blind bends, driving on the wrong side of the road, overtaking on a zebra crossing in a town, driving 2m behind the car in front were all normal. This is on roads that have potholes that will shred tyres (we lost count of the number of cars stopped to change a wheel), animals roaming freely on an unfenced roadside and horse drawn vehicles accounting for maybe 20% of traffic. Today was a long day!

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Romania: Snagov Monastery

Well when I told Debbie that I had worked out a route that allowed us to visit another monastery you should have seen her little face light up! Snagov monastery was founded by Vlad Tepes and is where he is buried, luckily it only added about an hour onto the 3 hour drive to Bucharest so was worth doing.

Other than the usual lost-for-words shock at the driving tactics here the journey was uneventful. We parked near the monastery and the smiling old attendant came out and demanded 10 lei (I had read this already on Trip Advisor so was prepared) – no wonder he was smiling as state pension is 330 a month so he’s on to a good little earner.

We walked across the bridge and Deb had her fan out already as the temperature was in the mid 30’s. the lake looked lovely and there were some very nice houses bordering it.

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The monastery itself was ok, a bit bland looking but maybe we had just overdosed on them. The interior was painted and quite pretty. There was some info on the history of the monastery and the Romanian view of Vlad Tepes too, in English, so that was good to see. The grave itself was a plain slab so who knows. It is one of the more persistent stories though.

Romania: Bucharest

Anyway from here we drove to the hotel through Bucharest traffic and eventually parked and checked in. Our room had a nice balcony, very welcome AC and – just for Deb – free wifi! Deb needed a rest after putting up with my driving so I went to the gym and did a much needed run.

I have to say the gym was lovely – up on 22nd floor so great views over the city and nicely air conditioned. I had been intending to do longer but it was so hot 10km was enough and i headed downstairs to cool off and then have a shower.

Finally, by about 7PM, we were ready to go and eat. The hotel was rather out of our price range so McDonalds it was! Until I looked at the fat content I had been quite enjoying my burger. We then wandered through a park past the drunks and soon to be drunks and sat in Starbucks doing some people watching. So much for immersing ourselves in local culture!

The city didn’t feel as pleasant in the evening as the other places we have been recently so we headed back to the hotel by about 9.30, the temperature still in the mid 20’s.

Someone is now off my Christmas list. Deb set her bloody alarm for 5.30 so we could go to the gym before going out. At 6 o’clock we were stood outside waiting for it to open, not even bleary eyed, I hadn’t got to that stage of wakefulness yet! Did a gentle 6k and then had a shower and we were out by 8 to get breakfast nearby.

We wandered through the old city (it’s not really that old, mostly less than 200 years) and saw the ridiculous Parliament building built by Ceausecau. Even before 9 it was getting quite warm so we walked through the Cismigiu Gardens – these lacked the sophistication and tidiness of western gardens but they were probably better used. It was lovely to see people playing chess and dominoes outside and there were boats available to go out on the lake.

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A couple of minutes walking in the shade later we came to the National History Museum. As well as some superb displays of bronze age gold they had a full size reconstruction of Trajans Column. Now who could fail to find that thrilling? Well, Deb could.

I was happy to look at the panels telling the story of Trajans invasion of Dacia and eventual conquest and subjugation but she sat that one out. After such heady fun we needed a drink and food so we found somewhere local, playing old music that I recognised and did decent food so that kept us busy for an hour. We then headed back to the hotel, keeping to the shade as it was now 36 degrees which is just a silly temperature.

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Had a lovely 3 hour snooze when we got back and then another hour in the gym before a shower and heading out again, getting a routine now! It was interesting walking around the city but I have to say it wasn’t my favourite place and probably not somewhere I’d choose to revisit.

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On the road trip we saw some amazing sights in Romania and Bulgaria and it really was incredible the diversity of lifestyles within Europe. Normally the tourist focus in this area is on the beaches of the Black Sea but there is so much more to do. We’d certainly love to go back, probably avoiding Bucharest this time. I’ll just make sure I’m more realistic in my estimation of driving times!

2016