The Transylvanian town of Brasov was our home for 4 wonderful days! The charming old town surprised us with bustling main streets, alleyways filled with excellent restaurants, a great coffee culture, and a stunning main square. All of this with the impressive spectacle of the mountains in the background.
We arrived in Brasov from Bucharest with minimal expectations. Walking through the streets in the initial few minutes of our stay, we both knew we had made a great decision to stay here. “This is so cute” was exclaimed many times. And cute Brasov really is! The town feels like a melting of Austrian, Czech, German and Romanian influences. The coloured houses are well maintained, and the streets much cleaner than Bucharest where we arrived from.
Make sure to check out the old town, wander the streets off the main road/square, visit the lovely park just outside the main town (Parcul Nicolae Titulescu), admire the street art (Picture Murala), and just enjoy being a little ‘off the tourist path’!
Our stay was 4 days, which allowed us plenty of time to check out the old town, try a number of the local restaurants and cafes, whilst also exploring the neighbouring towns. The whole region of Transylvania is impressive and you could easily spend a week or 2 exploring if you have the time, however for a shorter stay, 3-6 days would likely be appropriate depending on your plans.
We visited Transylvania to explore the surrounding small towns with one of Tess’s good friends, Alex. We were lucky Alex spoke Romanian, which aided our interactions with the locals (however many spoke excellent English). The big surprises in Brasov were the charming old town and high quality food scene (but step off the main street), and a great café culture! The other big positive of our stay in Brasov was that is formed the perfect base to explore Transylvania from!
Why Brasov is the perfect base to explore Transylvania!
Brasov is located around 2.5hours from Bucharest by train. The trains were overall reliable, and comfortable (but spend the extra few $$ for 1st class – don’t expect 1st class but it’s still worth it). Brasov has the best nightlife and restaurant scene from all the towns we explored, making it ideal to stay in as a base. Additionally, it was located within driving distance from popular and recommended day trip locations (stay tuned for our future blog on this) like Sibiu, Sinaia, Sighisoara, Transfagarasan Highway and more.
Best Coffee in Brasov:
- CH9 Specialty Coffee – This cute coffeeshop delivered great coffee, a good quiche, and a lovely view of an impressive old church. One to add to your list!
- Tipografia – Located just off main street, the have excellent coffee and sandwiches
- Meron – good coffee in cute handmade cups situated on one of our favourite streets of the old towns. We visited multiple times!
- Nola Coffeeshop – a small shop at the edge of the old town with cute vibes and good coffee.
Top Restaurants & Bars in Brasov:
- Trattorian – This wine bar is worth checking out! Offering great Italian wines and antipasto platters, Trattorian is the perfect place for a late afternoon or evening stop!
- Bistro De L’arte – Offering modern Romanian food, we had one of the best meals of our stay in Brasov here! The roast chicken was particularly good! Make sure you book ahead as there is often no space during peak season.
- Dei Frati – This Italian restaurant had great food, excellent vibes, and good service! However, it’s popular and busy! Book ahead! Try the pasta paired with some of the excellent wines!
- Pilvax – Offering great Romanian food and a massive array of wines, Pilvax is worth visiting. The stews and soups were a highlight for us!
Want to stay in Brasov?
We stayed in a lovely apartment in the heart of the old town. This spacious apartment had a kitchen, living space, and was in the perfect location. Check it out here if interested! If you’re looking to snag ever more of a bargain, or look at alternative accommodation, take a look below at some other options we liked but didn’t stay in.
- A beautiful modern 5-star hotel at great prices!
- A modern well located apartment in Brasov.
- Stay in this well-reviewed central guesthouse.
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WANT TO SEE MORE food recommendations & TRAVEL MEMORIES?
Check out more from one of the unexpected highlights of our trip and hidden gems of Europe, Transylvania!
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