Bucharest to the Castles in 4 Days on a Budget
Four days: one night in Bucharest, one in Brasov, castles both middle days
Four days is enough for the two castles that matter most, Peles and Bran, plus one overnight in Brasov so neither day feels like a sprint back to the train. This plan skips Sighisoara entirely; it sits too far past Brasov for anything under six days. Want more mountain time, the 6-day plan adds Sighisoara, or the full 7-day version. Just the essentials, see the Bucharest guide for the full price breakdown behind these numbers.
| Day | Focus | Rough spend (2 people) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival, OTP transport, free Old Town walk | 150-250 RON |
| Day 2 | Sinaia: Peles and Pelisor castles, train on to Brasov, overnight | 500-650 RON |
| Day 3 | Bran Castle, Brasov old town, evening train back | 400-550 RON |
| Day 4 | Flex morning in Bucharest, departure | 100-200 RON |
Book these before you go:
- Peles/Pelisor timed-slot tickets : the June 2025 daily cap (2,000 at Peles) sells out on summer weekends.
- Bran Castle tickets : buy online for a summer-weekend visit rather than risk the walk-up line.
- A Brasov guesthouse : old-town rooms near the bus station fill up in July and August.
- Your Bucharest hotel : book the arrival and departure nights together to avoid switching rooms.
Day 1: land in Bucharest, walk it off for free
Henri Coanda Airport (OTP) connects to Gara de Nord by the direct airport train, about 6.50 RON and 20-25 minutes after a short shuttle bus to the platform, or Express Bus 100 for roughly 3 RON into Piata Unirii. Check into an Old Town or Gara de Nord-area room, then spend the evening walking Lipscani’s cobbled streets for free. Dinner is sarmale, mici and a bowl of ciorba at a mid-range restaurant, 60-100 RON per person, genuinely cheap by EU standards. Skip the street taxis outside the airport; use Bolt or Uber if you need a ride.
Day 2: Sinaia’s two castles, then on to the mountains
An early CFR train from Gara de Nord reaches Sinaia in roughly 2 hours, tickets about 25-50 RON one-way. Peles Castle costs 100 RON adult (25 RON student) and Pelisor 30 RON adult (7.5 RON student), both on a timed-slot system since June 2025, book your slot online before you leave Bucharest, especially June through September. Both close Monday and Tuesday, so confirm your day works before you buy. From Sinaia, another CFR train covers the remaining 30-60 minutes to Brasov, roughly 2.5-3 hours total from Bucharest. Check into a Brasov old-town guesthouse for the night, a cheaper bed than a same-day round trip and a shorter hop to Bran tomorrow.
Day 3: Bran Castle, then Brasov’s own old town
From Brasov’s bus station, a local minibus or a short Bolt ride reaches Bran in under an hour. The castle costs 120 RON adult, 60 RON for children 5-17, 90 RON senior, 80 RON student, and hours run 9:00-19:00 (May-Oct, Tue-Sun; Mon 12:00-19:00). It’s worth being honest before you go: “Dracula’s Castle” is a 1970s marketing label, not history, Bram Stoker never visited Romania and Vlad the Impaler’s link to Bran is thin. Bran still earns its ticket price as a real 13th-century hilltop fortress with genuine Queen Marie history. Back in Brasov by afternoon, walk the Black Church and Rope Street for free before catching an evening train back to Bucharest.
Day 4: a flex morning, then the airport
Use the morning for whatever got skipped, a return walk through Old Town, or the Palace of Parliament tour if you booked it by phone at least 24 hours ahead (60 RON adult, passport required at the door). Otherwise, a slow breakfast and the train or Bolt back to OTP is the whole day.
Is four days enough to see Peles and Bran properly?
Yes, as long as you accept one Brasov overnight rather than trying both as same-day round trips from Bucharest. Cramming Sinaia and Bran into single-day returns from the capital means over 5 hours of train time on top of two full castle visits; splitting it with a Brasov bed in between is both cheaper and less exhausting.
Confirm your Peles or Pelisor time slot online before you leave Bucharest on Day 2, not after you arrive in Sinaia, the walk-up line has no guarantee of an open slot once the daily cap is reached.