Leaving Turkey and Gallipoli was easy and after a quick car disinfection at the border into Bulgaria (yes, you heard right, I actually had to pay 3 Euro to get the car sprayed) I was in Bulgaria. Yes, I went through Bulgaria to get back to Romania (I will back there later). So, before heading into amazing Transylvania I went to see the capital city of Romania. But, as I am a small town person, let’s see between Bucharest and Brasov. Which one is better?
By now, I am definitely the only foreign car on the road, I haven’t seen anybody with a foreign rego sign since Croatia, so I do stand out a bit. Most tourists hire cars locally or travel with the tour bus. Being foreign however helps when trying to fight the traffic and push my way through the big cities. Romanian drivers are crazy!
Before stopping in Bucharest however, I briefly stopped in Constanta on the Black Sea. It was a little bit disappointing, I must admit. The city was really run down with lots of ruins and empty building/shop fronts.
Shame, as I really like Romania.
Bucharest
I was looking forward to Bucharest. After all it is the main capital of Romania. I have to say there are parts of it that were unexpected. By now I am used to run down old communist buildings and graffiti, but I will say Bucharest has grand, wide roads that really have an impact. This creates a different feel to the chaotic places I have been in so far, but is unfortunely somewhat negated by crazy drivers. They come at you from all sides and you just have to drive along with it.
The old town is gorgeous! It is full of vibe, young and stylish people and beautiful streets that offer lots of spots to dine. However, after walking around for a bit, it was a bit disappointing to see that the menus were all the same. Everywhere! Not sure if it was purpose or not? Romanian cuisine is tasty though.. lots of stews and polenta!
The city is big and busy, but it is nice and green though with parks and trees along the main roads, which softens the look a bit. You can see that it had its prime time and was once called ‘little Paris of the East’. The architecture is amazing, however very run down. That said you can see that it is preparing and renovating for the next years to come. I really liked Bucharest however I found that 24 hours were enough to see it all.
Brasov
Thinking it would be a quick drive to Brasov (170km) it took me an hour to get out of Bucharest in the morning. After that it was an easy drive throughout the flat country until the mountains started to show. Passing a few small country towns along the way I was excited to be in Dracula country and Transylvania. Who would have thought?!
The City Brasov ended up being bigger than I was expecting but once I was in the old town area I fell in love with it.
It is full of cute small and idylic buildings, little streets and lots of vibe. I am definitely a smaller town person and feel more at home in places like this. Not to mention that it had more individuality, less tourists and therefore much cheaper. It also has the narrowest street in whole Europe, apparently!! (see main photo).
I could have settled here for a few more days, discovering all the streets, but Dracula and the castles were calling so it was time to continue on with my journey!
Bucharest and Brasov – Summary
So, Bucharest and Brasov which one is better? Both cities have their beautiful aspects and are worth a visit. At the end however, I once again realised that smaller works better for me. As much as it is nice to see the capital cities of each country, the smaller towns seem to have more charm and interest to me. But that is my opinion here.
Although I do like the smaller cities, I absolutely loved the big city Athens. See my blog about Athens here. And I still have to see the capital Sofia in Bulgaria, Budapest in Hungary and many more! So stay tuned xx
