Surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and part of the Transylvania region, this city offers a combined medieval vibe atmosphere with beautiful mountain landscapes. Brasov is also an excellent place to taste some of the local as well as international cuisine, some of the best places to start, being in the city center.
Black Church Brașov
Brasov is one of the largest cities in Romania with a population of approx 280,000. There are basically 2 parts of Brasov; the pretty Saxon old town and its square situated beneath Mount Tampa and then the surrounding concrete jungles of tower blocks and factories.
The old town is one of the best preserved old towns in Europe with splendid architecture and old fortifications and is well worth taking a few days to explore.The city has an amazing history with influences from Germany, the Austria-Hungarian Empire and the old communist state.
The city was founded in 1211 by Teutonic Knights and was developed by the Saxons. The Saxons living in Brasov were mainly involved in trade and crafts. The location of the city at the intersection of trade routes linking the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe, together with certain tax exemptions, allowed Saxon merchants to obtain considerable wealth and exert a strong political influence. They contributed a great deal to the architectural flavour of the city.
Brașov overview at night
The Fortifications around the city were erected and continually expanded, with several towers maintained by different craftsmen's guilds, according to medieval custom. Part of the fortification ensemble was recently restored using UNESCO funds, and other projects are ongoing. At least two entrances to the city, Poarta Ecaterinei (or Ekaterinentor) and Poarta Schei are still in existence. The city center is marked by the mayor's former office building (Casa Sfatului) and the surrounding square (piaţa), which includes one of the oldest buildings in Braşov, the Hirscher Haus, owned by a wealthy merchant. Nearby is the "Black Church" (Biserica Neagră), which some claim to be the largest Gothic style church in South-Eastern Europe.
Brasov basically became a German colony and the Romanians were denied several privileges by the Saxon settlers. They were no longer recognized as citizens of the city, and as such they were no longer able to continue to practice their crafts and operate their businesses. Additionally, their primary religion (Orthodox) was not officially recognized throughout Transylvania, especially during and after the 15th century. The Romanians were not allowed to live in the city and they mainly lived in the Schei district, which is well worth a visit. To enter the city they would have to pay a tariff at one of the main gates which are still visible today.
The town square is thriving with life during the summer with open markets and numerous restaurants scattered down the streets leading onto the square.
The mountains and forests surrounding Brasov are bustling with wildlife including one of the largest populations of brown bears in Europe, wild cats and wolves. There is a large ski resort on the outskirts of Brasov and Bran castle home of the infamous Dracula is only 20 minutes away.
More info here -> http://www.simplybrasov.com/brasovguide.html
How to arrive here?
Getting To Brasov
Brasov is located quite close to Bucharest; and the road distance (183 km/114 mi) can be easily covered in just about 2 ½ hours by car.
If you are wondering about traveling by plane, I am sad to say that there is no airport in Brasov. However here are the nearest airports to the city:
Sibiu – 85 miles west of Brasov (www.sibiuairport.ro)
Targu Mures – 105 miles north of Brasov (www.targumuresairport.ro)
Bucharest – 100 miles south of Brasov (www.otp-airport.ro/index.php)
More information about the International routes with service to/from Romania (either by plain and train) is offered by the airlines member of the Sky Team partnership (KLM, Alitalia, Delta and Air France).
However there is also Romania’s national airline Tarom which as most European Airlines, offers flights from cities in Western and Central Europe to Bucharest, Sibiu, Iasi, Cluj and Timisoara.
Furthermore cities like: Bucharest, Cluj, Arad, Bacau, Oradea, Craiova, Sibiu, Timisoara and Targu Mures are also connected with Europe’s cities by low-cost airlines such Carpat Air, Niki, Wizz Air, Air Berlin and Blue Air.
Getting to Brasov by train is another travel option, that is actually quite handy, especially as there are many trains daily and almost every hour leaving from Bucharest to Brasov.
However there are many other Romanian cities that have just as often schedule for trains heading to Brasov.
There are also daily international trains to Hungary (via Oradea), Budapest and the EuroNight (fast night train) connection to Budapest via Arad.
Most trains are quite comfortable, but if you want an increased level of relaxation and comfort, Intercity Express(IC) is a good choice because they are modern trains and reach a high standard of comfort demands (the approximate journey time is 2 ½ hours).
There are also other alternatives of trains that are more affordable, called “Rapid” and “Accelerat”.
“Rapid” trains are almost as fast as Intercity trains while “Accelerat” trains does not offer as much comfort as the other first two.
I would not however recommend choosing to travel by “Personal” trains (or abbreviated as P before their route number) as not only their level of comfort is low but are not nearly as fast as the other trains.
“Personal” trains stop at each station which will take nearly twice the time to reach your destination. But if you however do decide to travel by “Personal” train try at least to buy a first-class ticket.
Here you can check the latest train schedules for domestic routes where you will find detailed and complete information about domestic train schedules and fares. Just remember to always select “Bucuresti Nord” when selecting departures from/to Bucharest.
Source: https://www.romaniatourism.net/towns-cities/brasov-romania/
