The historic city of Brasov is in Transylvania in central Romania, and has a population of some 300,000 people. Brasov Romania has a fascinating history and comes complete with the biggest church in Europe, and a central medieval square. No visit to central Romania is complete without a visit to the beautiful Brasov.
How to Visit Brasov Romania
You can easily get to Brasov by car, train or bus. It’s about 170 km north of the Romanian capital Bucharest, which is roughly a 2 hour drive on good quality roads.
We visited Brasov as part of a day tour we booked through our favourite tour booking platform GetYourGuide.com. The tour was called Romania’s 2 Most Popular Transylvanian Castles in 1 Day. First we visited Peles Castle, then stopped at Brasov for 2 hours for lunch and a guided walking tour. After Brasov the tour headed off to the nearby Dracula’s Castle.
Brasov Town Square and Old Town Hall
We spent most of our time in Brasov around the beautiful medieval Town Square. The Old Town Hall is the centrepiece, which was built in the 13th century. The Old Town Hall comes complete with the trumpeters house, which was used in medieval time as the watchtower for incoming attackers. Now the Old Town Hall is a history museum.
The Black Church
Just on the edge of the medieval Town Square is the Black Church, built in the late 14th century. It’s called the Black Church due to the massive Brasov fires in the year 1689, which destroyed the town and turned the walls of the church black.
Then it took almost 100 years to restore the church and to build the tower. This remains to this day the largest Gothic church in all of Eastern Europe. It also houses the largest Church bell in the whole country, which weighs in at a massive 7 tons.
Brasov Old Town Restaurants
As you explore the Town Square you are surrounded by alfresco style restaurants on the edge and and surrounding streets. Hence there are countless dining choices of authentic romantic cuisine, with a wide range of international style restaurants. This is a fantastic and moderately priced way to enjoy lunch, in a fascinating historical town.
Catherine’s Gate
Also very close to the Black Church, about a three minute walk, is Catherine’s gate. This was built in the year 1559. The town used to be surrounded by bastions, rock walls, and gates for protection. This is the last surviving gate, and is an important glimpse into medieval history.
Hollywood Sign
One of the unique things about Brasov is the Hollywood style sign high up on the hillside overlooking the town. It sure looks great as a backdrop in your photos. Also if you have time you can take the cable car up to the top of the mountain to enjoy the view. The mountain is some 3,200 feet high and has a great few over Brasov.
The cable car is called the Tampa Cable Car, and tickets cost a mere 10 Lei for a one-way adult ticket. This will take you to a viewing point 1,400 feet above the city of Brasov.
Free Guided Walking Tour of Brasov
We were fortunate enough to have a free guided walking tour through the Brasov Town Square and surrounding points of interest. But if you decide to visit Brasov outside of a guided tour, there are plenty of free walking tours available starting from the Town Square.
During summer the free walking tours leave at 10:30 AM and 6 PM every day, and the duration is two hours and 30 minutes. Although the cost is free, the usual thing is to offer a tip to the tour guide at the end of the tour.
Brasov Romania is Not To Be Missed!
If you want to see some authentic examples of medieval Romania, then Brasov is the number one place to go to. It’s easy to get to and not too far from Bucharest. The number one attraction is the Town Square, including the nearby Black Church (just a 1 minute walk). If that’s not enough, there are heaps of other great attractions within walking distance on your visit to Brasov.
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