Are you planning a trip to Brasov, Romania? Then this post is for you!
It's true that the region is more known for the famous Bran Castle also known as the house of Dracula, but while that can be found still within the same county, a visit to the city itself is no less interesting and there are plenty of things to do just for a single day trip, as I and my boyfriend had.
During my college years, I used to take train rides to Brasov pretty often so I was sort of familiar with this place. But since I moved to a completely different part of the country I travelled a lot less to Brasov. Plus, my boyfriend has never been in this city so it was a pretty good excuse to get our train rides for a one-day trip.
And since I am usually the one who makes the plan for what to see when visiting a place, I thought about sharing this on here as well.
As you might know, I enjoy writing individual posts for every single place I visit, but while most of these have already been shared under separate posts already, I thought about giving it a try to approach everything altogether. I think it's a lot more useful for those who intend to visit Brasov as well.
I will start by saying that we arrived in Brasov at 7 AM in the morning and had our train back home at 7 PM, so just 12 hours are more than enough to see around 13 unique places in town (or more!) even with plenty of breaks for eating, hydrating or simply admiring the view and taking pictures of this.
But enough with the long introduction and let's see what our trip plan looks like! By the way, this is a very fresh trip we had, that happened just a couple of days ago!
1. Treptele lui Gabony (EN: Gabony Steps)
The first stop of the day was at Treptele lui Gabony which is more known as being one of the hiking trails that take you to Tampa Peak.
We decided to start with this one to enjoy everything before it got crowded and also to avoid the hot temperatures that were announced for the rest of the day.
However, what fewer people know is that Gabony represents the name of a Hungarian nobleman who supported the city's development a few years ago, and there are over 600 steps that resisted with the passage of time and which are building the hardest way to reach the peak.
There are some other options to reach the peak without following Treptele lui Gabony but after checking out all of them I still consider this the most spectacular one, talking about a bit of effort, lots of adrenaline, many scenic views over the city, being constantly in the woods and also getting to admire plenty of concrete benches and resting places dating since 1931. Every single thing of these mentioned contributes to a memorable and beautiful journey out there.
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2. Vf. Tâmpa (EN: Tampa Peak)
There is no way to follow the Gabony Steps other than either going up the peak or getting down from it, so as soon as you finish up with the historical hike you will reach pretty much the top of Brasov.
The route will take you behind the "Brasov" letters written up the mountain in the Hollywood Style, where most people stop, but that does not represent the peak of the mountain. From there you will need to hike around 10 more minutes until you reach the flag and the sign which writes very clearly Vf. Tâmpa.
Vf. Tâmpa is only 960 meters in height which represents a very small altitude for the Romanian mountains, but the thing that you get to see the whole city from the top is what makes it so popular, being pretty crowded during the weekends or at dawn.
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3. Piața Sfatului (EN: Council Square)
Our next stop for the day was at Piața Sfatului which represents the historical center of Brasov and which is amongst the most crowded places when it comes to tourists just because you have pretty much everything you need in a single location: food, music, touristic attraction, and plenty of other activities to enjoy.
However, back in 1520, this place used to represent a very important commercial center that also had social and cultural purposes for the people of that time because of everyone gathering in the same location to negotiate and trade goods.
4. Biserica Neagră (EN: The Black Church)
An unmissable place while walking through the Council Square is Biserica Neagră more known as The Black Church which has been dating since 1542 and is placed within the square.
This one represents one of the largest churches in Romania that follows a gothic architecture and its name was given after it was part of a large fire that destroyed most of the building. Happily, with all the challenges and historical moments this had to go through, the church is standing still even 600 years later since it was raised and occasional renovations are done to keep this safe for the future generations as well.
A less common thing for a church are the legends, but The Black Church comes with plenty of them that make a tourist's experience more or less enjoyable. One of them says that from a specific angle, the church represents a disciple who was killed out of envy by being pushed out from the top of the building. Another one is saying that the statue from the top of the church is a real mystery that gathers tourists all together because no one really can explain how that statue was built up there, the architects of the church not claiming it as their work.
5. Strada Sforii (EN: The Rope Street)
Still around the Council Square there is also The Rope Street which is 80 meters long and less than 1,35 meters wide.
Back in the 16th century, this was exclusively used by firemen to reach easier their emergencies but starting with the 21st century it turned into a real interest for the tourists who come by to see the narrowest street in Romania and also the 3rd narrowest one in Europe.
Sadly, no matter how many times the walls are repainted, people always find it interesting to stop by, scratch and/or write different messages on them. They do give a very urban and hip-hop look, but on sides, there are plenty of flats with people still living inside and it's a bit disturbing to see this happen. Not to mention that it's illegal and there are quite a few informative signs with this purpose.
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6. Poarta Șchei (EN: The Gate of Schei)
The Rope Street mentioned above makes the connection between Cerbului Street and The Gate of Schei so there was no chance not to stop by and take a picture. Plus, I've always missed taking a picture of this during my previous trips to Brasov.
Not only that the gate reminds me a lot of those seen in Treviso, Italy that are either used for pedestrians or as a road alternative for cars, but Poarta Șchei represents the single gate part of the Brasov Fortress that is standing still even centuries away since it was built.
Hence why, in 1955 the gate was officially recognized as a historical monument and ever since it has enjoyed occasional cleanings and restorations to preserve its degradation with the passage of time.
7. Poarta Ecaterinei (EN: Catherine Gate)
Still a gate, but a more interesting one in my vision, there is also Poarta Ecaterinei located nearby which was built with defensive purposes and to replace an old gate that was previously destroyed by a flood from 1526.
Just like The Gate of Schei, Catherine Gate was also part of the overall fortress surrounding Brasov which sadly didn't survive entirely but only the opening that was reconstructed countless times.
However, the atypical look that makes it seem like a tiny castle still stirs curiosity even if it's not so close to the tourists' eyes.
8. "Beth Israel" Synagogue
A way more recent point of interest for the tourists and also for me since I had no clue of this building's existence during my college years, is given by the "Beth Israel" Synagogue located just between the two gates shown above.
This synagogue not only that is very uncommon for Brasov and Romania in general, but it still plays its ritual role with a dedicated community seat and a kosher restaurant nearby.
What makes it less known is that even if Brasov had quite a large number of Jewish people who lived here way before the 15th century, it took hundreds of years to receive an official settlement permit and ever since the Jewish community decided to remain rather a secret community for the city than a famous one.
9. Piața Sf. Ioan (EN: St. John's Square)
From history and communities, we also reached another less known square of the town, but which promises to bring lots of colours into one's life.
Obviously, that's given by the large graffiti covering the center of it which I think is the largest one in town, but what makes it so interesting is that it's fully powered by renewable energy mostly given by the sun. This comes with free power for public lighting and for recharging all kinds of electronic devices.
The square is also famous for being home to various cultural and musical events that take place in town.
10. Strada După Ziduri
A more scenic view though, is given by a street that could be translated as "Behind the Walls" and which gives the best mood for contemporary and epoch times.
This is a symbol for Brasov which makes those passing by never forget what the city has been through and how bravely it survived in front of the historical challenges including protection for the locals in front of enemies and various invasions that left their scars on these walls.
The walls are so charged in history that remain one of the most mysterious and silent places you can walk by without being needed to read a story about but rather feel the pressure and tension of being around without living the fear of dying the next moment when this was surpassed by enemies.
11. Turnul Negru (EN: The Black Tower)
Speaking of history, by following the street from above you will run into a sign that will show you the way to The Black Tower which you can reach in less than 5 minutes after you pass the river and make it to the woods.
The role of the tower was to keep enemies away from accessing the city walls shown above, but it also ended up being one of the main targets before proceeding into town, getting through numerous fires which also brought its name as "The Black Tower".
However, while there isn't much to be seen other than a genuine piece of history, the tower gained more popularity when it comes to tourists for its view over the city that creates a great mix between the urban and outdoor sides of Brasov, The Black Church being more visible from this angle.
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12. Turnul Alb (EN: The White Tower)
Still close to The Black Tower there is also a white one, which does seem like representing its name a lot better. You can reach this either by walking down the walls shown before or following an unmarked trail on the valley from the other tower.
Both paths will take you to a tower which looks a lot more different from what you've seen before but which also comes with a higher level of effort to be reached due to the steepy stairs that make your access facile.
This one was built in 1460 and had a similar role to The Black Tower but ended up more representative still having holes in the walls that were used to shoot enemies or even to pour hot pitch on these.
13. Cetățuia de pe Strajă (EN: The Fortress on Straja)
Last but not least, there is an actual fortress that is standing still in the 21st century on a nearby hill of the town. We had planned to visit this during our one-day trip but due to plenty of dangerous storms taking place on the 2nd part of the day, we had to shelter ourselves and postpone the moment when we would meet again.
However, The Fortress on Straja represented one of those places that would come as a surprise for the enemies because it didn't belong to the main fortress surrounding the city.
That happened to have a safe area where people could shelter, but also to distract enemies from attacking the main part of the town or even bomb their invasion from both height and distance so they wouldn't have a chance to fight back.
Both the fortress and the walls were part of numerous attacks and that's why it was only recently open to tourists because of various restorations made that involved lots of time to bring it all together as close as possible to the initial architectural plan.
Brașov represents one of the main cities of Romania and it's often visited as being in the heart of Transylvania where legends feel like being home, but along with the county that has plenty of interesting places to offer for its tourists, there is also the city itself which I feel it needs more attention from time to time. Hence why I thought about creating this post.
It's also very easy to be reached from any part of Romania there being plenty of roads, buses and train rides taking you here. From the train station to the center of the town we walked for around 40 minutes for a 3,3km distance, but also in this case there are various options for public transport.
The overall trip made us walk for around 24km but this might differ from one person to another depending on what you pick for reaching the Tampa Peak that can be done via a cable car, as well as walking in town from one place to another than can also happen with a bus. You pick!
Gabriela Travels is the FOUNDER of "Festival Mania" who started this community from the passion of attending various festivals and with the purpose of encouraging more people to explore festivals all around the world and share their experiences. At the same time, Gabriela is an independent Graphic Design Freelancer since 2019 completing over 600+ orders in this time and collaborating with various businesses and people from all over the globe. Additionally, Gabriela has her own corner on the internet since 2017 where she writes various articles for her blog, the most popular being the travel ones (300+ articles written on this field), but also abording other topics as well, like game reviews, lets plays, movie and series reviews, photography posts, cooking recipes and more, boosting the total number of articles written to 700+ blog posts. Gabriela is also a gamer since she was 11 years old and gaming remains one of her biggest passions along with traveling, owning a YouTube channel for each of the two.
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