Two Castles in One Day – tips & recommendations

October 22, 2021

Here it is a shortlist of suggestions to help you have a smooth and unforgettable one day experience with TravelMaker while visiting Peles Royal Castle, Bran Castle, and the city of Brasov in south Transylvania.

Please make sure you will reach the meeting point in time for the 08:00 am departure

Aim to be there at around 07:45 am to have a margin of safety. Bucharest is a large city, and the traffic is the worst in the morning. Even if your maps app says that you will get there by taxi in x minutes, please double the number of minutes just to be sure
There is a large number of taxis in Bucharest, including the classic yellow cabs, Uber, Bolt, Yango, FreeNow, etc. Still they all seem to disappear after 07:15 am. Order an Uber before this time if you want some peace of mind or ask your reception to call a taxi for you no later than 07:15 am.
Please note that the cost of a taxi or Uber in Bucharest is not so high and it could be more convenient for you to take a taxi to the departure point. You can ask the reception of your hotel to order a taxi for you. Just tell the driver to take you to the Athenaeum (“Ateneu” in Romanian) in front of Hilton Hotel.
Most of the hotels serve breakfast after 7 am. If possible, the evening before, please ask your hotel for a packed breakfast to eat it later in the day.
The following hotels are within walking distance from the departure point, and there is no need for a hotel pick-up: Hilton Athenee Palace, Radisson Blu, Park Inn, Berthelot, Amzei, Novotel, Grand Hotel Continental, Ramada Majestic, Capitol, Capsa, Opera, Mercure City Centre, Ambasador, Carpati.
You are in the right place if you can see the main entrance of Hilton Athenee Palace Hotel, The Romanian Athenaeum and the garden in front of the Athenaeum. You can always call + 40 735 525 710 if you have any doubts.
The departure point is 8 minutes walking from the metro stop Piata Romana.

Food & lunch

Eating and drinking (except water) are not allowed in the minibus. However, you can have some refreshments at any stop along the route.
Lunch is not included, but you will have some time allocated for having lunch with your group or individually. Because the program of the trip is quite tight, the free time for lunch is usually limited to a maximum of one hour.
Please note that the service in Romanian restaurants is usually very slow. The food is not coming as fast as you would expect. This is mainly a cultural feature (Romanians like to socialize while waiting for the meal). It is also because the menus are usually extensive with many options, and the food is prepared on the spot. Our suggestion is to find a restaurant fast and tell the waiter you have to eat and pay in a maximum 45 of minutes.

Toilets

There are toilets at each stop along the way (at the gas stations, at Peles castle, at Bran castle, and in Brasov). If you need an additional stop, please talk to the guide.

Ofration

The truth is that we never know how long this tour will take on any given day. On a typical day with regular traffic, we should be back around 8-8.30 pm. If the traffic is bad, we are back around 9-9.30 pm. If the traffic is awful, we could return around 10-10.30 pm or even later.

The traffic is usually worse during the weekends, legal holidays, around Easter, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, etc. Arm yourself with patience if you book the trip for these days.