Brașov & the Southern Carpathians
Bran Castle
A medieval fortress on a rocky outcrop near Brașov, famous worldwide as “Dracula’s Castle”.
Photo: Traian Titilincu / unsplash.com / Unsplash License
Landmarks & places to visit
Beyond the legend: castles, citadels and painted walls
An independent guide to Romania’s royal palaces, medieval citadels, painted monasteries and wild landscapes.
A land of layers
Romania sits where the Carpathian arc meets the Danube and the Black Sea. Its history is shared among Dacians, Romans, Saxons, Hungarians, Ottomans and Romanians, and you can see all of those layers in its towns, churches and fortresses.
This guide covers ten places, from Bran and Peleș castles and the Transfăgărășan road to the painted monasteries of Bucovina and the wetlands of the Danube Delta.
Featured landmarks
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Brașov & the Southern Carpathians
Brașov Old Town and the Black Church
A Saxon old town centred on a large Gothic church, overlooked by Tâmpa Mountain.
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Transylvania
Corvin Castle (Hunedoara)
A Gothic castle with towers and a drawbridge, one of the largest castles in Europe.
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UNESCO World Heritage The Danube Delta
Danube Delta
One of Europe’s largest wetlands and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, rich in birdlife.
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UNESCO World Heritage Bucovina & Maramureș
Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
Churches such as Voroneț and Sucevița, covered inside and out with vivid fifteenth- to sixteenth-century frescoes. UNESCO-listed.
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Bucharest
Palace of the Parliament (Bucharest)
Ceaușescu’s colossal palace, one of the largest administrative buildings in the world.
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Brașov & the Southern Carpathians
Peleș Castle (Sinaia)
A lavish neo-Renaissance royal palace in the Carpathian foothills, built in the late nineteenth century for King Carol I.
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UNESCO World Heritage Transylvania
Sighișoara Citadel
A UNESCO-listed, still-inhabited medieval citadel with a clock tower and colourful houses, and the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler.
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Brașov & the Southern Carpathians
Transfăgărășan Highway
A spectacular road that switchbacks across the Făgăraș Mountains, passing Bâlea Lake. Open only in summer.
Explore by region
Regions of this country, from the capital to the far corners.
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Bucharest The capital and its communist-era giants · 1 place -
Brașov & the Southern Carpathians Royal palaces, castles and mountain roads · 4 places -
Transylvania Saxon citadels and Gothic castles · 2 places -
Bucovina & Maramureș Painted churches, wooden crosses and rural life · 2 places -
The Danube Delta Europe’s great wetland on the Black Sea · 1 place