It is hard to put my experience in Romania into words. It was beyond everything I could imagine. I arrived in Bucharest over a long weekend; if you intend to explore outside Bucharest, you should plan more than a long weekend.

I wanted to spend some time outside Bucharest, and the most efficient way to do that was with a day trip with a tour company. I chose the TravelMaker Bucarest Day Tour as they had all the stops I wanted and had great reviews. The tour is a full-day tour that started at 8 am with three stops at Pele's Castle, Brasov, and Dracula's Castle.

I looked into doing this tour on my own but renting a car would have been the most efficient/effective way to do that. That was not an option for me; the other alternatives being taking public transports were not very efficient. If you want to see everything I got up to during this road trip, you can visit the Romania highlights in my instagram profile.

Here is a photo diary from the three stops on tour - Peles caste; Brasov and Bran castle

Stop 1—Peles Castle in the neo-renaissance Castle in the Carpathian Mountains near Sinaia. There was a camera fee for the Palace if you intend to take pictures. I did not pay, so I don't have pictures of the interior; however, it is spectacular. I was on a very strict/tight budget because I did not want to spend the 25 RON taking pictures. Although in high sight, I probably should have done that to get the pictures to share with you. It is very different from other Castles in other parts of Europe I have visited. Still, it looks like something out of a fairytale movie. That is why I was not surprised to read that the exterior was used to depict the Palace set in several movies, including A prince for Christmas and its respective sequels.

Stop 2. Brasov is the gateway to Transylvania. This medieval city is very different from Bucharest; it has a more relaxed pace which I enjoyed. I had planned an itinerary for our stop in Brasov, but I decided to quickly wander in the town center and then grab lunch since there was no lunch stop on tour. I had a lunch of lamb stew and polenta, and it was delicious. I did from my itinerary exploring Piata Sfatului, a square at the center of town, a great place to watch, grab a meal, and a great view of the Brasov sign. Other items on my itinerary that I did not get to - visit the black church; find one of Europe's narrowest streets; Catherine's gate to the fortified city. If you spend more than a day in Brasov, you should consider visiting Rasnov fortress. You can take a train from Bucharest to Brasov for 40 Lei (10 Euro). The train ride takes about 3.5 hours.

Stop 3 - Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle, because this was the Castle that inspired Dracula's Castle in the novels and movies. Even if you are not a fan of books or movies, this is still a great stop if you have a free day in your Bucharest itinerary. Again, this is very different from Castle in other parts of Europe (and this Castle is very different from Pele castle as well). One of many interesting facts I discovered during my trip was that Bram Stoker, who created the Dracula series, never visited Romania. Still, he depicted the Castle accurately based on the description of the Castle. If you are staying in Brasov, you can take a bus to Bran Castle 7 Lei (1.5 Euro). The trip takes about 45 minutes.