← Cluj-Napoca Marathon·3 nights

Sighișoara, Brașov and Bran: Three Nights

A night in Sighișoara, two in Brașov, and a half-day bus ride out to Bran Castle, with a bus back to Cluj on the final morning.

Duration3 nights
TransitCFR train from Cluj-Napoca to Sighișoara, about 2 hours 45 minutes, then onward by rail to Brașov
DepartsCluj-Napoca railway station

After the Cluj-Napoca Marathon: Sighișoara, Brașov and Bran

The Route: Cluj-Napoca → Sighișoara → Brașov → Bran → Brașov → Cluj-Napoca → Cluj Avram Iancu Airport Logistics: Train to Sighișoara, rail to Brașov, a local bus to Bran and back, and a long bus to Cluj at the end. Three nights. Marathon Month: April Duration: 3 nights

Cluj-Napoca ──(about 2h45 train)──> Sighișoara ──(rail, allow 3-4 hrs)──> Brașov ──(about 50 mins bus)──> Bran
                                                                             │
Cluj Airport (CLJ) ◄──(about 26 mins A1)── Cluj-Napoca ◄──(about 3h50 bus)───┘

The marathon finishes on a Sunday morning. On Monday this route takes the train to Sighișoara. Tuesday is Brașov. Wednesday is Bran. By then the legs have had three days, which helps with the castle's stairs.

April in Transylvania: the castle's longer opening hours start on 1 April, and evenings are cold. Some restaurants keep shorter hours in spring. If the weather is poor, the Black Church and the castle both work as indoor visits.

Night One: Sighișoara

The CFR train from Cluj to Sighișoara takes about 2 hours 48 minutes, around three times a day, for roughly £6 to £20. Book at bilete.cfrcalatori.ro.

The citadel is a walled hill town. The Clock Tower is 64 metres high, and the Covered Stairway has 175 steps and dates from 1642. Skip the stairway on Monday. The square, Piața Cetății, is the level part of the citadel, and the main sights take five to six hours. Casa cu Cerb and Casa Wagner (7 Piața Cetății) are the two old-town hotels worth booking. Dinner is at the restaurant in the Vlad Dracul house on the square.

Nights Two and Three: Brașov

Take the rail connection to Brașov on Tuesday morning. Allow roughly three to four hours; check the CFR planner for the day.

Piața Sfatului and the streets round it are flat. The Black Church is at Curtea Johannes Honterus 2 and opens 10:00 to 19:00 Tuesday to Saturday in April, noon to 19:00 on Sunday and Monday. Buy the ticket online. Strada Sforii, Rope Street, is a short walk from the square.

Stay at Drachenhaus Hotel or Aro Palace Hotel, both within about 350 metres of the square. Ask the hotel to book dinner, since April hours vary.

Day Trip from Brașov: Bran Castle

Bran is about 30 kilometres from Brașov. A bus runs from Bus Station No. 2 to Bran-Moeciu in about 50 minutes, every 30 minutes on weekdays and hourly at weekends, for about 13 lei. A taxi costs about 150 lei and takes 35 minutes.

From 1 April to 1 November the castle opens Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 19:00 and Monday from 12:00 to 19:00, with last entry at closing. A standard tour costs approximately 100 lei, and the castle's site gives a lower figure for some tickets, so check before you go. The castle is sold as Dracula's castle. Stoker's novel names no real castle, so the link is a marketing one. Expect stairs throughout; the site publishes no step-free details.

The village at the foot of the castle has souvenir stalls and cafés. Take the bus back in the late afternoon.

Getting Home

Return to Cluj-Napoca by bus on Thursday. The journey takes about 3 hours 50 minutes, with Edimond running two buses a day, for roughly £20 to £35. The CFR train takes about 6 hours 36 minutes. From Cluj, bus A1 reaches Cluj Avram Iancu Airport (CLJ) in about 26 minutes on an ordinary day. Leave a margin of four hours between the bus arrival and a flight, and check the day's bus times before you book anything tight.