Romania Holidays

Romania holidays give you Transylvania castles, Black Sea beaches and one of Europe's best-value city breaks in Bucharest, all on a budget that makes the rest of the continent look expensive.

Romania Holiday Highlights 2026

• Transylvania's fairytale castles – Bran Castle (yes, the Dracula one) and Peles Castle are two of the most photographed buildings in Eastern Europe, and both are easy day trips from Bucharest or Brasov

• Black Sea beaches – Mamaia's 8 km sand strip is Romania's answer to a proper beach holiday, with Constanta and the bohemian village of Vama Veche further down the coast

• Bucharest city breaks – grand Belle Epoque architecture, a properly lively Old Town bar scene and the second-largest administrative building on the planet (the Palace of Parliament, because subtlety wasn't really the brief)

• Unbeatable value – a sit-down meal for two with wine comes in under €30, a beer is €2-€3, and hotel prices make Western European city breaks look like a scam

• Carpathian Mountains – hiking, brown bear spotting and ski resorts in winter, with some of the last properly wild forest left in Europe

• Direct flights from the UK & Ireland – Wizz Air, Ryanair and British Airways fly direct to Bucharest in around 3 hours, with seasonal routes to Cluj-Napoca

☀️ Good to Know

• ☀️ Weather – Summers hit 30°C+ with long sunny days (June to August is peak beach and city break season). Winters drop below freezing, especially in the mountains, with proper snow from December to March.

• 💶 Money – Romania uses the Romanian Leu (RON). A sit-down lunch runs €8-€12, a beer is €2-€3 and a coffee is €1-€2. Card payments accepted in cities but carry cash for markets and rural areas.

• 🏰 Fun Fact – The Palace of Parliament in Bucharest is the heaviest building in the world. It has over a thousand rooms and its own nuclear bunker, because Romania doesn't do things by halves.

🗣️ Local Lingo – Talk Like a Romanian 🇷🇴

Romanian is the official language, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas. A few phrases will go a long way!

• Buna, BOO-nuh, Hello

• Multumesc, mool-tsoo-MESK, Thank you

• Cu placere, koo pluh-CHAIR-eh, You're welcome

• Noroc, no-ROK, Cheers

• Nota, va rog, NO-ta vuh ROG, The bill, please

🏰 Best Places to Visit on your Romania holidays

From medieval towns to mountain escapes, Romania is full of hidden gems

Bucharest – the buzzing capital with nightlife, history, and grand architecture

Brașov – a charming Transylvanian town surrounded by mountains

Sibiu – colourful houses, cobbled streets, and a fairytale feel

Cluj-Napoca – youthful, lively, and packed with culture

Constanța – coastal vibes and access to Black Sea beaches

Transylvania – castles, forests, and Dracula legends

🏨 Best Hotels in Romania

Whether you're after boutique charm, city-centre convenience, or a touch of luxury, Romania (especially Bucharest) has plenty to choose from.

💑 Couples

• The Marmorosch Bucharest, Autograph Collection is the headline couples pick. A converted 1930s bank building with an indoor pool, spa and the kind of lobby that makes you feel like you have just walked into a period drama. Five-star Marriott property on Calea Victoriei, putting you within walking distance of the Romanian Athenaeum and Old Town.

• Grand Hotel Continental Bucuresti is pure neoclassical elegance, with a spa, banquet-worthy interiors and a location on Calea Victoriei that gives you the Belle Epoque Bucharest experience from the moment you step outside. Five-star, consistently well reviewed.

• Peakture Hotel is the modern boutique option, with a wellness centre, sauna and a quieter feel than the big heritage properties. Four-star with strong guest reviews (4.5/5) and a spa that punches above its price bracket.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• Novotel Bucharest City Centre is the natural family base, with a pool, children's playground and Turkish bath for the grown-ups. Four-star, central, and one of the most consistently reviewed hotels in Bucharest (4.3/5 with over 2,500 reviews). The casino is a bonus for parents looking for an evening out.

• Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town puts families right in the Old Town with an outdoor terrace, open-kitchen restaurant and 24-hour fitness centre. Four-star with strong reviews (4.6/5) and the kind of reliable Hilton consistency that takes the guesswork out of booking.

• ibis Styles Bucharest Erbas is the budget family pick, with a dedicated kids' club, playground and rooms that were renovated in 2018. Three-star but well rated (4.6/5) and properly set up for families who want to spend the budget on days out rather than the hotel.

🎉 Groups

• Moxy Bucharest Old Town is built for socialising, with a communal living room, 24-hour cafe and a bar that doubles as the reception. Three-star Marriott brand right in the Old Town, so the pub crawl starts at your front door. Budget-friendly and designed for groups who plan to be out more than in.

• Leonardo Hotel Bucharest City Center has a central location, recently renovated gym and a social lobby setup that works well for groups splitting and regrouping. Four-star with a healthy breakfast buffet that will get everyone fuelled for the day.

• Hotel Liad City Center has a rooftop terrace and sits close to the Old Town nightlife, making it the group pick for anyone whose evening plans start on a roof and end in Lipscani. Compact and well-priced.

👉 Romania hotels

🏨 Where to Stay on your Romania holidays

💑 For Couples

Brașov – romantic old town, mountain views, and cosy stays

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For Families

Bucharest – easy transport, parks, museums, and plenty to do

👯‍♂️ For Groups

Cluj-Napoca – nightlife, festivals, and a lively student vibe

🗺️ Romania Holidays 2026/2027 Travel Guide

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• Therme Bucharest is one of the largest thermal wellness centres in Europe, with indoor and outdoor pools, waterslides and a palm-tree-lined beach area that operates year-round. About 20 minutes from the city centre.

• Palace of Parliament guided tours let the whole family wander through the heaviest building in the world, through over a thousand rooms of marble, chandeliers and Cold War-era excess. Passport or ID required for entry, tours run daily in English.

• Village Museum in King Michael I Park is an open-air museum with over 270 traditional buildings transplanted from villages across Romania. Kiddos can walk through farmhouses, windmills and churches from different centuries, and the park itself has plenty of green space for running off energy.

• Bran Castle day trip from Bucharest takes about 2.5 hours each way. Whether or not Dracula actually lived there is debatable (spoiler: probably not), but the castle is impressive, the mountain scenery is stunning and children who have read anything vampire-related will lose their minds.

• Bucharest Zoo and Botanical Gardens sit next to each other in the north of the city, making a solid combined day out. The zoo has been recently modernised and the botanical gardens cover 17 hectares with glasshouses and rose gardens.

💑 Couples

• Old Town (Lipscani) evening is the classic Bucharest date night, with rooftop bars, candlelit restaurants in converted merchant houses and live jazz in basement venues. Caru' cu Bere (open since 1879) does traditional Romanian food under stained-glass ceilings with live folk music.

• Peles Castle day trip to Sinaia (about 2 hours from Bucharest) takes you to one of the most beautiful royal palaces in Europe. Neo-Renaissance architecture, room after room of hand-carved woodwork and stained glass, set against a Carpathian mountain backdrop that looks like someone designed it for Instagram.

• Romanian Athenaeum concert evening puts you in a 19th-century concert hall with a painted dome ceiling and some of the best acoustics in Eastern Europe. The George Enescu Philharmonic performs here regularly, and evening concerts are properly affordable.

• Bucharest food tour through Obor Market lets you sample the city's produce scene, from fresh covrigi (Romanian pretzels) to tuica (plum brandy that locals drink before lunch, not after). The market is one of the largest in the city and far more local than anything in the Old Town.

• Snagov Monastery sits on an island in Snagov Lake, about 40 km north of Bucharest. According to legend, Vlad the Impaler is buried here. The boat ride across the lake and the monastery itself make for a peaceful half-day escape from the city.

🎉 Groups

• Old Town pub crawl through Lipscani is the obvious group night out, with cheap beer (€2-€3 a pint), rooftop bars, underground clubs and enough variety to keep everyone happy from early evening cocktails to 4am techno. Bucharest's nightlife is genuinely underrated.

• Untold Festival (August) in Cluj-Napoca is Romania's flagship music festival, regularly pulling 300,000+ attendees across four days. Think Tomorrowland energy at a fraction of the price. Direct flights from the UK & Ireland to Cluj-Napoca run seasonally.

• Therme Bucharest group day works surprisingly well for groups, with different zones for relaxation, waterslides and a Palm Garden area with beach vibes. Evening sessions with DJs and themed lighting make it feel more club than spa.

• Hiking in the Carpathians from Brasov or Sinaia gives groups access to properly wild mountain trails, cable cars to ridge-top viewpoints and mountain huts where you can stop for traditional food and tuica. The Bucegi Mountains have some of the most accessible trails.

• Electric Castle Festival (July) at Banffy Castle near Cluj-Napoca is the alternative to Untold, with a more eclectic lineup across a castle ruin backdrop. Four days of music, art installations and camping in Transylvania, which is a sentence that sells itself.

🌍 More Destinations to Explore

Hungary – thermal baths, Budapest views, and rich culture

Bulgaria – beaches, mountains, and great value holidays

Poland – historic cities, culture, and vibrant nightlife

Czech Republic – fairytale cities and world-famous beer

Slovakia – castles, mountains, and hidden gems