Global Wanderer

6/12/24 – 8/12/24

There are a few trains that run between Hungary and Romania, but most are operated by Romanian Railways. The Corona, a Hungarian Railways sleeper train, plies the route between Budapest and Brasov, taking a somewhat circuitous route in order to serve Hungarian-speaking locales in northern Romania.

I’d chosen the Corona deliberately – because it is one of the few overnight trains in Europe that has both sleeper cabins AND a fully-functioning restaurant car. The allure of eating a cooked meal on a sleeper train was too much to pass up!

Boarding the Corona

After boarding the Corona, we were shown to our cabin – a 1960s era wood-panelled sleeper berth with two bunks, a washbasin, and a surprising amount of room.

Our sleeper cabin on the Corona

As we trundled out of Budapest, into the Hungarian countryside, we headed over to the dining car. The chef – a very large Hungarian man – was standing by the kitchen counter, and so I went up and asked what time the dining car closed for the evening. The (short) conversation went something like this:

Me: ‘Hi! Just wanting to know what time you are open until tonight?’

Chef: ‘Where you getting off?’

Me: ‘Brasov?’

Chef: ‘Then I stay open til Brasov.’

Simple answer – the restaurant car stays open throughout the train journey!

Interior of the dining car on the Corona

Joining us in the dining car was the sleeper cabin steward, and another train employee, who were sat chatting and knocking back shorts of whiskey and gin.

As we approached the border, the train came to a halt, and we watched as border guards searched the exterior of the train, and hopped on board to check the documents of the passengers. We stayed in the dining car, beer in hand, whilst the Hungarian officials checked our passports and continued on. Soon enough, we were moving again – but not for long, as this time we stopped on the Romanian side of the border for the exact same process. The reason being is that whilst Hungary and Romania are both in the EU, Romania at that point in time had only partially joined the Schengen Area (for air and land) – land border crossings still required a document check. Since Romania’s (and Bulgaria’s) full membership of the Schengen Area was confirmed, these document checks are no longer required!

To cap off our evening, I ordered a slice of apple pie, which I began eating in Hungary, and finished eating in Romania. As an Australian, land borders are hilariously strange!

Draught beer and apple pie, in the dining car of the Corona

We retired to our cabin for the evening, and woke up in the morning to the incredible sight of the frosty Transylvanian landscape flying past outside our window. Before reaching Brasov, however, we were treated to a cooked breakfast in the dining car – I opted for an omelette (cooked fresh!).

Transylvania at dawn

Eventually, we pulled into Brasov Railway Station, and began the hour-long walk from the station to the town centre. Brasov is the 6th largest city in Romania, and is apparently quite popular with domestic tourists wanting to escape the chaos of the capital, Bucharest. Eventually, we reached the bustling town square, where a Christmas tree was being set up, and market stalls were beginning to prepare for the evening rush.

Brasov’s Town Square

After dropping our bags off at our accommodation – the wonderful Prinz Gregor – we wound our way back down to the centre to check out some of the sights. First up was the Black Church, a Gothic church constructed in the medieval era, now one of Brasov’s most well-known landmarks.

Standing underneath the Black Church

Another significant Brasov landmark, able to be spotted from within town (weather permitting), is the Hollywood-esque ‘Brasov’ sign, constructed on the mountainside overlooking the city. When the mist clears, you can see the sign (And apparently, you can hike up to it too!).

The ‘Brasov’ sign, à la Hollywood

We continued our exploration of Brasov’s main sights, including St Catherine’s Gate, a defensive city gate constructed in 1559, and Strada Sforii, the narrowest street in Brasov (and apparently one of the narrowest in Europe). We also discovered that what used to be the Tourist Information office is now somebody’s house!

St Catherine’s Gate and Strada Sforii

As the sun began to inch its way towards the horizon, we headed out for Brasov’s Black and White towers, remnants of forts which were used to guard Brasov from hostile would-be invaders. The Black Tower is a little smaller, but provides some impressive views over the city, and is slightly easier to get to – the White Tower is located up a very steep set of stairs, but gives you a different, higher angle view over Brasov. We stopped at both, watching on as Brasov was lit up in a golden hue.

Brasov’s town centre, lit up by the setting sun, from the Black Tower, and the steep steps up to the White Tower

Taking the steps down towards the city walls, we made our way around the outside of the fortifications to a slightly newer part of the city, spying some grand old buildings (and the iconic Aro Palace Hotel), waiting for the city lights to switch on.

The Aro Palace Hotel, and an illuminated old building

Brasov certainly comes to life at night, especially during the Christmas period, as everything gets lit up and the markets open. We decided that checking out Christmas lights and evening markets was a tomorrow job, but it didn’t stop us seeing some of the decorations beginning to be switched on!

Signs of Christmas in Brasov

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we headed out to a nearby bus station, in search of the bus to Bran. Bran is a town of about 5000 people, located an hour and a bit outside of Brasov, and is home to the infamous Bran Castle, known for its association with Bram Stoker’s Dracula (apparently not a real association, but one which the Romanian government is more than happy to play up!). The bus was easy to find – the only one at the bus station at that point it time – and the drive was a straightforward one.

The bus to Bran drops you off in the town centre, which is conveniently right by the entrance to Bran Castle’s grounds. There are a few market stalls selling merchandise, as well some ticket machines selling entry passes to the castle – if you’re just planning on walking around the outside, like we were, access to the grounds of the Castle are totally free.

Bran Castle in the snow

Bran is a bit higher up in the mountains than Brasov, and the rain which had begun coming down in the city that morning was coming down as snow in Bran – it made for some very picturesque images of the castle! We walked up the path to the entrance, then took a circuitous route around the back of the castle – amazingly, the crowd of people visiting were confined to the entrance and interior of the castle – the grounds were empty, and we had the run of the place!

Even though the association with Dracula is tenuous at best, the Romanian government has leant into it as a big tourism drawcard (a colleague of mine described Bran Castle as ‘Disneyland for Dracula’), and because of that, it does have a bit of an eerie feel to it!

View of Bran Castle from the grounds

Once we’d seen all of the angles of the castle, and walked the length and breadth of the grounds, we headed back out – the bus back to Brasov was conveniently waiting right outside the exit.

When we finally returned to Brasov, we headed out further south in town to check out a church/monastery we hadn’t gotten to yet – the Church of St Nicholas. The church building is at least over 500 years old, and apparently, there are records of a church being built on the site in the late 13th century – making the St Nicholas church one of the oldest Orthodox churches in Romania. Like many Orthodox churches, it was dimly lit on the inside, with your eyes drawn to the paintings covering the walls, the gold chandeliers, and the impressive iconography – definitely worth the walk up!

The interior of the church of St Nicholas

As it was now getting dark, we decided to stop for something to eat. We’d spotted earlier a pub in the southern part of town – simply named Old City Pub. It was actually located in the basement of a building, and served some pretty tasty goulash – the bloke running the place seemed a bit confused at having total foreigners rock up, but was more than happy for us to come and eat!

Outside, it had begun snowing, and when we walked out of the pub, we were greeted with a thin layer of white across the pavement. We decided to take a walk back up to the Black and White towers to get some views of the city in the snow – and despite the slippery steps nearly getting the better of me, it was absolutely worth it.

Some pictures from our walk in the snow along the outskirts of the city

Walking back to our accommodation, we decided to take a few minutes to check out Brasov’s enormous Christmas tree and accompanying markets – it was absolutely packed with people (in a good way) – and from strictly eyeballing price lists at market stalls, Brasov’s position as a popular domestic tourism location was quite clear.

Brasov’s Christmas tree, lit up against the snowy night

Brasov is a very pretty city – absolutely worth checking out. It is popular with Romanians and foreigners alike, but doesn’t feel overly touristy either – it has a really pleasant atmosphere. This, however was to be our last night in Brasov – next, we are off to the Romanian capital, Bucharest!