# Road trips in Romania > 7 road trips and 32 hand-picked places in Romania, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. Source: https://camping-spirit.com/roadtrips/romania/ 7 road trips and 32 hand-picked places in Romania, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. ## Road trips through Romania - [Transylvania: castles and Saxon towns](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/transylvania/): Brașov, Bran Castle, the citadel of Sighișoara, Sibiu and the Transfăgărășan. - [Maramureș: wooden churches and the Merry Cemetery](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b7-maramures/): Tall shingled churches, carved gates, haystacks and horse carts in Romania’s most traditional corner, up to the Prislop pass. - [Dobruja: the edge of the Danube Delta](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b7-danube-delta/): Granite hills, the delta towns of Tulcea and Murighiol, lagoon fortresses and Greek ruins on the way to Constanța. - [Transalpina and the monasteries of Oltenia](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b16-transalpina/): Down the Olt gorge to Cozia and Horezu monasteries, then over the Transalpina, Romania’s highest road, to the citadel of Alba Iulia. - [Western Transylvania: Turda salt mine to Corvin Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b16-west-transylvania/): South from Cluj through the Turda salt mine and gorge, the white village of Rimetea and Alba Iulia to the Dacian capital and Corvin Castle. - [Bucharest to Sighișoara: Peleș and the Saxon fortified churches](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b16-peles-saxon-churches/): From Bucharest up the Prahova valley to Peleș Castle, Râșnov and Brașov, then through the Saxon villages of Prejmer and Viscri to Sighișoara. - [Bicaz Gorges and the painted monasteries of Bucovina](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b16-bucovina-neamt/): From Piatra Neamț through the Bicaz Gorges and Lacu Roșu to Neamț Citadel and the painted monasteries of Voroneț, Humor, Moldovița and Sucevița. ## Places worth the detour in Romania - [Transfăgărășan](https://camping-spirit.com/places/transfagarasan/): A dramatic road over the Carpathians, reaching 2,042 m at Bâlea Lake. Usually open July to October. - [Surdești Wooden Church](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-surdesti-church/): A UNESCO-listed oak church with a slender shingled spire more than 50 m high, among the tallest wooden structures in Europe. Ask in the village if the door is locked. - [Merry Cemetery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-merry-cemetery/): Hundreds of bright blue carved crosses, each with a naive painting and a humorous verse about the person buried below. Come early before the tour buses. - [Enisala Fortress](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-enisala-fortress/): A medieval fortress on a limestone hill overlooking Lake Razim and the reed beds towards the sea. Especially good at sunset. - [Histria Citadel](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-histria/): The oldest Greek city on Romania’s coast, founded in the 7th century BC and now in ruins on the shore of Lake Sinoe. A small museum explains the site. - [Transalpina, Urdele Pass](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-urdele-pass/): The highest point of the Transalpina road (DN67C), at about 2,145 metres in the Parâng mountains, the highest paved road in Romania. Open only in summer; bring warm clothes, and expect fog and grazing sheep on the road. - [Turda Salt Mine](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-turda-salt-mine/): A former salt mine turned into an underground park, with a Ferris wheel and rowing boats on a lake deep below ground. It stays cool all year; bring a jacket and expect queues at weekends. - [Corvin Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-corvin-castle/): A Gothic castle of the Hunyadi family with towers and a high wooden bridge over a stream. Allow two hours inside; the classic view is from the road on the opposite side, and parking is by the entrance. - [Peleș Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-peles-castle/): The summer castle of King Carol I in the forest above Sinaia, a neo-Renaissance building with lavish rooms. Tours are timed and it is closed on Mondays, with fewer open days out of season; park in Sinaia and walk up the lane. - [Viscri Fortified Church](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-viscri-church/): A whitewashed fortified church on a small hill above a Saxon village of pastel houses, listed by UNESCO. Parking is at the village entrance; the tower gives a view over the fields. - [Bicaz Gorges](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-bicaz-gorges/): A narrow limestone gorge where the DN12C road squeezes beneath overhanging cliffs several hundred metres high. The tightest part is called the Neck of Hell; stop only in the lay-bys, as the road is busy. - [Voroneț Monastery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-voronet/): The best known of the painted churches of Bucovina, founded in 1488, whose Last Judgement on the west wall is painted in a deep blue. A UNESCO site; dress modestly and go early to avoid the tour groups. - [Bran Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/bran-castle/): A castle on a crag above the pass into Wallachia, sold to visitors as Dracula’s. - [Bârsana Monastery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-barsana-monastery/): A modern monastery built entirely in the Maramureș wooden style, with a church spire of about 57 m, gardens and small shingled chapels. - [Ieud Hill Church](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-ieud-church/): A small UNESCO wooden church on a hill above the village, with wall paintings from the 18th century. Ieud is one of the most traditional villages of the Iza valley. - [Prislop Pass](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-prislop-pass/): A 1,416 m pass between Maramureș and Bukovina, with views of the Rodna mountains. There is a small monastery and a meadow for a picnic at the top. - [Măcin Mountains](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-macin-mountains/): Some of the oldest mountains in Europe, worn down to bare granite ridges above the steppe. Short marked trails leave from the national park visitor centre near Greci. - [Constanța Casino](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b7-constanta-casino/): An Art Nouveau casino on the seafront promenade of Constanța’s old town, restored after decades of decay. Walk on to the Genoese lighthouse and the Roman mosaic. - [Cozia Monastery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-cozia-monastery/): A monastery founded in 1388 by Mircea the Elder on the bank of the Olt in its narrow gorge through the Carpathians. The church has fine frescoes; there is a small car park by the main road. - [Horezu Monastery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-horezu-monastery/): The finest example of the Brâncovenesc style, founded by Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu in 1690 and listed by UNESCO. Dress modestly; in Horezu town nearby, potters sell the region’s distinctive painted ceramics. - [Polovragi Cave](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-polovragi-cave/): A limestone cave at the mouth of the Olteț gorge, visited on short guided tours along lit passages. The Polovragi Monastery stands at the gorge entrance; the forest road into the gorge is narrow. - [Alba Carolina Citadel](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-alba-carolina/): A large star-shaped Habsburg fortress with carved gates, cathedrals and museums, where the union of Transylvania with Romania was declared in 1918. Walk the ramparts; a guard-changing ceremony takes place at midday in season. - [Turda Gorge](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-turda-gorge/): A limestone gorge about three kilometres long, with a path along the stream beneath tall cliffs and caves. Park at the eastern entrance near the cabana; a small fee is collected on the trail. - [Rimetea](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-rimetea/): A Hungarian-speaking village of white houses with green shutters beneath the limestone Piatra Secuiului rock. The village has won heritage awards; a trail climbs to the rock for views over the valley. - [Sarmizegetusa Regia](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-sarmizegetusa-regia/): The mountain capital of the Dacians, with stone sanctuaries and a circular calendar in a forest clearing, a UNESCO site. The approach road from Orăștie is long and narrow; the last stretch is on foot. - [Râșnov Citadel](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-rasnov-citadel/): A medieval peasant fortress on a hilltop above Râșnov, built by Saxon villagers as a refuge, with houses, a chapel and a deep well. Walk up or take the small lift; views reach the Bucegi mountains. - [Prejmer Fortified Church](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-prejmer-church/): The largest fortified church in south-eastern Europe, a Gothic church enclosed by thick walls lined with hundreds of storage rooms on four levels. A UNESCO site in a village a short drive east of Brașov. - [Lacu Roșu](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-lacu-rosu/): A lake formed in 1837 when a landslide dammed the valley, with the stumps of drowned trees still sticking out of the water. Walk the shore path or rent a rowing boat; car parks by the resort. - [Neamț Citadel](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-neamt-citadel/): A 14th-century fortress on a wooded ridge above Târgu Neamț, strengthened by Stephen the Great and reached over a long arched bridge. Park below and walk up the short paved path. - [Humor Monastery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-humor-monastery/): A painted church from 1530 with red-toned outer frescoes, including the Siege of Constantinople, inside a walled courtyard. It is a few kilometres north of Gura Humorului and much quieter than Voroneț. - [Moldovița Monastery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-moldovita/): A painted church of 1532 inside strong walls, with well-kept exterior frescoes in yellow and blue. It is on the road over the hills from Sucevița; parking is by the gate. - [Sucevița Monastery](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b16-sucevita/): The largest of the painted monasteries, a fortified complex from the late 16th century whose north wall shows the Ladder of Virtues. The road from Moldovița crosses a scenic pass with a viewpoint. ## FAQs **What are the best road trips in Romania?** Popular routes include Transylvania: castles and Saxon towns, Maramureș: wooden churches and the Merry Cemetery, Dobruja: the edge of the Danube Delta and Transalpina and the monasteries of Oltenia. CampingSpirit has 7 trip guides that pass through Romania, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map. **Which places in Romania are worth a detour?** Our editors recommend Transfăgărășan, Surdești Wooden Church, Merry Cemetery, Enisala Fortress, Histria Citadel and Transalpina, Urdele Pass. **Do you need a vignette or pay tolls in Romania?** Vignette needed for motorways. Buy the e-vignette online before you drive on motorways. Rules and prices change. Check official sources before you travel. **What is the motorway speed limit in Romania?** 130 km/h on motorways for cars, unless signs show otherwise. **Are there low-emission zones in Romania?** Few or none.