7-day itinerary in Romania – Route full of nature and views on a low budget during August

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in Romania

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in Romania

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Places to stay at in Sibiu district, Romania

Update: this apartment is no longer available on airbnb, a nice apartment with a luxurious garden, a bit far from the city center – about a 20-minute walk. Suitable for those looking for a quiet place in Sibiu’s residential area. Next to an excellent restaurant.
Airbnb apartment in Gura Raului village (A half-hour drive from the city). Apartment with magical view in a charming little village in Sibiu district. One of the best apartments we’ve stayed at, while only costing 80 shekels a night! Link to extended post about the apartment.

On our final night we stayed at Floare de colt apartment house, relatively close to the Sibiu airport. The apartment doesn’t have an air conditioner, only a fan, and so it’s better from the cold months.

You can search for places to stay in Romania via Booking.

How much did our trip to Romania cost?

The whole trip (7 nights in Romania) cost us around 1300 euros , or even less. Including flights, lodging (200 euros for a couple, for 7 nights), a car we rented through Paapm Paapm for five days (230 euros), food and drink (Supermarkets, markets and restaurants).

Here’s our itinerary detailed by day in Romania:

Why ROMANIA should be your next destination?

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Days 1-2, Sibiu city

We found a cheap flight to Sibiu during August and decided to take advantage of the low price to keep exploring Romania (We traveled to Romania last year as well but visited different areas). We landed in the afternoon and the Airbnb apartment owner came to pick us up at the airport. You could also take a cab, as taxi prices are very low – a taxi, not during high traffic hours, will run you about 15-20 lei.

Afterwards, we went to an excellent local restaurant by the apartment, called Prima. Then, after getting some rest at the apartment, we went for a stroll around the old town.

The next day we kept on exploring the city, went up to a vantage point in a tower, went on the bridge of lies, visited some nice cafés, bought souvenirs at stalls and more. Here’s an extended post about the things you can do in Sibiu.

Day 3 – Ocna Sibului salt lakes

In the morning we collected the car we ordered through the Paapm Paapm rental cars search engine. We took the car from the airport, since it was cheaper that way, and could therefore return it straight there on the day of our flight back home (We didn’t rent it from day one since Sibiu really doesn’t require a car). After picking it up, we drove to Ocna Sibului salt lakes, which are half an hour away from the city.

We spent the entire day there and it was a ton of fun. It’s a great activity for hot days in Romania (Which don’t come around frequently, but it’s a great option when they do :)). I’ve written a full post about our experiences at the salt lakes, along with other important information. Link to post about salt lakes.

Day 4 – Gura Raului village

Our fourth day happened to be a Friday, so at first we drove to the local market in Sibiu, by the cathedral (The market is only open on Fridays, from 10:00 to 13:00). It’s a small market with good, local produce. We bought fruit, vegetables, honey and cheeses, then continued to an Airbnb apartment in the village.

It was a half hour drive from the city before we reached a beautiful, authentic, pastoral village. We had a picnic in the apartment’s garden with the products we bought (We also bought bread and sausages from the nearby supermarket), then we rested and walked around the village and in the evenings went to a romantic dinner in a restaurant in the adjacent village – Conacul Maria Theresa

Day 5 – Walking track in the Cindrel mountains

We really enjoy walking tracks and while were in the village, we decided it would be a good opportunity to look for a nice trek in the area. Since it was the middle of August, we looked for a track in the mountains, so it wouldn’t be too hot and lucky for us, then route we chose was shaded for the majority of the way, which made for a nice experience. We also ended the trek on an excellent meal at a restaurant with a breath-taking view of the mountains and greenery. Link to extended post about the walking track we went on and the restaurant.

Day 6 – Park and dam

Dam

15 minutes away from the village we stayed at is an enormous, impressive dam and a little river. We saw many families go there to have a picnic and get a tan, while the little kids played in the shallow waters. Arrival there is by a kurkar road, on the right (Map). If you continue on the paved road on the left side (Meaning, avoid turning onto the kurkar road and keep driving down road 106m), you reach the dam from above, and can even keep driving to the other side of the dam – which is beautiful.

Dumbrava Sibiului National Park

After visiting the dam, we continued to Dumbrava Sibiului National park. It’s a giant park with a lake, a museum – Muzeul ASTRA, with exhibits in different pavilions throughout the park, and restaurants.

It’s a great park to simply walk around, check out the museums exhibits, eat local food at the restaurants and just sit and enjoy the park. We ate at Cârciuma din Bătrâni (Map). The restaurant was full but service was relatively quick. We ordered Mămăligă, soup and a plate of starters. The plate had many fatty foods, so I didn’t enjoy it as much, the Mămăligă and soup were good (Not the best restaurant we’ve been to, but a good option for lunch if you’re in the park)

Day 7 – Transfăgărășan road

There’s a reason why this road is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. We drove there in the late morning hours on a Monday. We were lucky enough to have great weather and spent a whole day there. We spent two hours at lake Bâlea and stopped to take photos a ton of times, enjoying the views. I’ve written a full post with information about the road and our experience there. Link to post about Transfăgărășan road.