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Planning a Self-Drive Trip in Transylvania – Looking for Advice

Posted by (Poland) on

Hello everyone, I don't know why my last post was deleted. So I try to repost it.

I'm new to the Rick Steves Forum.I’ve heard that this forum is one of the best places to get reliable advice from experienced European travelers, so I thought I’d ask for some guidance.

I recently came across several photos and travel stories about Transylvania, and I was surprised by how beautiful the landscapes are and how distinctive the towns look. It has really caught my interest.

My current idea is to fly into the most convenient airport in Romania for visiting Transylvania, rent a car, and explore the region at a relaxed pace. My budget is fairly flexible, and if it makes sense, I'd be happy to stay in one place for several nights.

I would really appreciate any advice on the following:

  1. How many days would you recommend for a deep visit to Transylvania?
  2. For renting a car, is it better to book one online before the trip, or simply rent from a company near hotel I stay after arriving?
  3. What are your favorite places to visit or local foods to try? Since I'll have a car, I'm also interested in some places and foods in the surrounding area.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

Posted by
12680 posts

Well, I think that obviously the more days you have there, the better. I traveled with a few people last year and we toured Romania for about three weeks but could easily have gone for longer. We started in Bucharest, and other places we went to in the Transylvania area were Brasov, Sighișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Alba Iulia, and Sibiu. We also visited Bucavino and Maramures, which are farther in the north but really lovely and interesting. Sibiu was one of my favorite places, but really, I loved just about every place we went to.

With regards to renting a car, my advice is to do things like that early. You can always change it if you want, as most car rental bookings are cancellable. That way you can more easily compare prices and reviews. Auto Europe is a good place to start, as you can plug in the place where you want to pick up the car and it will show you all the options available.

Here is a link to our trip reports from last September. They should help get you started. There are 3 of them, mostly covering the same ground, but you will still find different info in each, so it's worth reading them all. There are also other trip reports of Romania on the forum and I would encourage you to do a search for them as well.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/trip-reports-on-romania-sept-2025

Posted by
24185 posts

This is a double post with the same question under transportation.

Posted by
26 posts

@Mardee Thank you so much for taking the time to share those threads. After reading through them, I felt that the itineraries and advice were incredibly detailed, and they've made me even more certain that I want to visit Romania. I really appreciate both your help and this wonderful Rick Steves community.

Your recommendations have answered most of my questions. Based on what I learned, I've decided to spend at least two weeks exploring the region so I won't have to rush. I also found that car rental on the platform you mentioned, so thank you for teaching me. As for places and food, your posts already contain so many great suggestions. I'm also thinking about hiring a local guide to help customize my trip.

@Frank I think I'm also starting to understand how this forum works. Next time, I'll search previous discussions before creating a new post so I can avoid asking questions that have already been answered and make better use of everyone's time and the forum's shared resources. My apologies for doing so this time.

Thank you all again for your kindness, your detailed advice, and for helping make this such a welcoming community.

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