The Ultimate Base for Exploring Transylvania (and it’s Surprisingly Affordable)

Brasov turned out to be the ideal base for a create-your-own-adventure getaway in Romania. We share all the highlights plus what it cost.
🛩 The logistics of our life on the road bit.ly/3L2PoxF
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○ This is the Romania that Most Tourists Never See bit.ly/3QI88Gx
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ABOUT US
Imagine finally ticking off all those experiences on your bucket list. Every Sunday, we share the inspiration and practical tips you need for enjoying your own freedom years. We're Stephanie and Gillian, a couple who said goodbye to our corporate careers after years of saving and investing. We've been traveling the world full time ever since.
MUSIC FROM KZbin LIBRARY
Copycat by R.LUM.R
00:00 Tour of Old Town
04:48 Mount Tampa
06:51 Peles Castle
08:13 Pelisor Castle
09:03 Bran Castle
09:34 Poiana Brasov
09:42 Traditional meal
13:09 Cable car
15:44 Airbnb tour
18:42 Costs

[@jps0117]

That's in my plan for next September! Thanks for posting!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Amazing! September is a great time of year to go. 😊

[@NaeOnYT]

$825 for that place is nuts! It looks like you had a great stay.

[@OurFreedomYears]

It was a wonderful stay and the price of our Airbnb made it even better! 😂

[@ronbatt756]

Awesome video. Beautiful historic buildings. My favorite line...." A mouthful of bliss"... that "little " lunch did look yummy.

[@OurFreedomYears]

All the food was so delicious, especially the papanasi! 😊

[@LesGeonautes]

It's been a few years since the lasr time I've been in Brasov and I'm glad to see it looks good and pretty clean too. Glad you enjoyed the restaurant I recommended and the papanași ;) In general, I'm really glad that you enjoyed your visit to my country!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Great recommendations - thank you so much! I almost convinced Gillian to go for a repeat visit to the restaurants...it was so good!

[@alteredillusions100]

Awesome video! That’s so cool that you travel with your dogs. Looks like I am going to Bratislava and Bravos based on your videos. Much love!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Wonderful! Glad to hear that we inspired your travel. 😊 You'll have an amazing time.

[@yiminzhang8163]

Thank you for such an informative video. Have fun, ladies!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Glad you enjoyed it! We had a great month in Brasov. 😊

[@annad3377]

Love Stephanie's new blouse!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thanks! I love it too!

[@snailtravelers]

Another terrific video! It's very helpful when you spell out the name of each place on the screen, so thank you for that.

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thanks! It's just a little extra work but it's very nice to know it's appreciated. 😊

[@moneyisenergy]

Very nice I liked the video and your energies 😁

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thank you so much 😁

[@superstrongr]

Great video.

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@sebit9731]

Great video! However, it's worth mentioning that Peles Castle is not in Transylvania. Sinaia is located in Prahova county, in Wallachia. Northern Wallachia but still Wallachia. Bran Castle, on the other hand, in southern Transylvania, had exactly this strategic position near the border of the two regions.

[@OurFreedomYears]

Great point - thanks for sharing! We had such an amazing time in Romania...it's a really beautiful country.

[@ucanttouchthis227]

super!👍

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thank you! 😊

[@LucindaREI]

Really enjoy your videos. What is the camera you are filming on, it is so crisp and clear?

[@OurFreedomYears]

You'll probably laugh when you read this...we do the majority of shooting on our phone, which is a Samsung S21. We also do some shooting on DJI Pocket 2 for walking and landscape shots, although we actually find the Samsung to be more crisp and bright.

[@sharonburkhart3528]

Great video as always. I’m curious how you spent a month each in Bratislava and Budapest, plus time in Prague and Vienna and can still meet Schengen rules in Portugal this fall?

[@OurFreedomYears]

We're actually staying in Canada for six weeks before going to Portugal. Those six weeks plus the time we spent in Romania gives us 90 days out of the Schengen. Romania is not currently in the Schengen but seems to be on a fast track to join.

[@sharonburkhart3528]

Ahh! Enjoy your time at home. I’m not far away on Georgian Bay. Love Portugal too…will be watching! @@OurFreedomYears

[@denise-stevens]

Loved this video. I found that woman puffing away on her cigarette at the restaurant to be a jarring sight. People still do that where others are dining? Gross. I LOLed at Stephanie on the cable car ride. Thanks for another awesome video! Your AirBnB for $825?! What?

[@OurFreedomYears]

We were also quite surprised by the number of people smoking at meal times when other people were eating...it was really common. Yes, scored quite a deal in Brasov...really made up for Budapest 😂

[@irenaspilea4548]

Wonderful video! How many days did you rent the car and how much? Would you mind sharing the company's information with us, please?

[@OurFreedomYears]

Hi Irena, we rented from a reliable small business called Donkey Drive. Here is the exact car donkeydrive.ro/en/logan-rent-brasov-donkey-drive/ We had it right at the end of our time in Brasov and included 2 days in this budget while keeping it another week to go off hiking in the mountains. ☺️

[@rundbaum]

i love your Waitress!! she was workin' overtime for you. love you guys. if i went to a restaurant like that i woud probaberly want to move there! :) . . .

[@OurFreedomYears]

I would have gone there everyday except that it was quite a distance from Brasov 😂

[@cristianmoroianu6716]

Brașov the most beautiful city of Romania !!! ♥️💛💙

[@OurFreedomYears]

Yes, it's very beautiful indeed! 😊

[@realjx313]

There is more in the city and a LOT more around the city. Especially outside the city so let's say the county, you have sampled very little, next to nothing. Also Brasov is about 240k people the city, more for the metro area but was over 300k people for the city at peak. And in terms of area it's quite large for its population. It might have felt small because your accommodation was so central.

[@OurFreedomYears]

We spent a week hiking village to village in Transylvania so we experienced quite a bit. You can see it in our previous video bit.ly/3QI88Gx

[@realjx313]

@@OurFreedomYears I have seen it and I was aware of it when I wrote that comment and again, there is a lot more. Maybe a bit later i add some details, at least partial as there really is a lot more

[@realjx313]

@@OurFreedomYears OK so let me try to add some details but it's gonna be a long list and also pretty much impossible to include everything or to know everything there is out there. In Romania the hard part is to find out about what's out there because there are so many things one can visit. I'll focus on the Brasov county as it's close to the city and there is a a lot and i one expands the area to other counties, the increase in number of possible objectives is exponential. Major mountains - Bucegi, quite large in terms of area, can easily spend many days hiking different trails and lots of nice spots plus some more. Piatra Craiului, very spectacular but don't do the crest unless you can handle it from a safety perspective, Ciucas, not large not difficult but has very distinctive rock formations. Piatra Mare, not large, not difficult, chill hike for the most part. Also note that sometimes mountains have lakes, waterfalls, caves or even springs that might stand out. Lets'go to fortifications. Bran Castle plus if there, there is a cave with rare bat species but try to not disturb the bats if possible, some nice spots.landscapes like Amfiteatrul Transilvania plus maybe a few more things that some might want to visit in the area. Rasnov, fortification but also a cave that might be worth visiting and there is some Dino park there, not sure who goes there maybe some folks would. Other fortifications in the county and outside the actual city, Fagaras, Rupea, Feldioara. Fortified churches many but maybe the ones that stand out more, Harman, Prejmer, Viscri -you have been to Viscri. In Racos, a lake with a nice color usually, an extinct volcano, some basalt columns and a small castle. Some villages in nice areas, just some examples as there are many, Pestera, Cheia, Poiana Marului. Somewhat very close to Brasov but outside the county there are some spots, like Sinaia with the monastery, Peles castle and you can also take the cable car or gondoal to 2000m altitude from there. Busteni has the Cantacuzino castle, super nice views of the mountains, great spot to start hikes from, a manastery that does't stand out but it's nice and the town is nice overall. Ialomitei cave is quite popular, again just outside of Brasov county. In Brasov the city there are a few more things too, if you want to chill there is Pietrele lui Solomon, there is Noua Park (a zoo there too, small, not worth it unless for kids), the fortress on a hill, Cetatuia de Straja, not sure if you missed it or not. The first Romanian school( so first school in Romanian, ever, anywhere). The small mountain in the middle of the city there are a few view points but most people go to just one. Another ski resort in the county is Predeal, not sure if worth going there nowadays when there is no snow. Close to Zarnesti there is the largest brown bear sanctuary in the world, it's not aimed at pleasing visitors, it's about the animals so visiting it is not all that spectacular plus the story of the bears is kinda sad but one can visit. Oh you can also spot bears just outside of Brasov, in an organized manner and safely - likely costs a bit but doubt it's much There is a Bizon reservation somewhat close to Brasov, not the largest in the country but another thing one can visit. A Daffodil reservation, Poiana Narciselor but only when in season. Anyway,. I'll stop here and likely i have missed some things but i tried to include maybe the most well known spots that you haven't visited. And ofc, in areas further away so in other counties, there is more

[@OurFreedomYears]

@@realjx313 What an amazing list of things to do in the region - thanks so much for sharing! I'm everyone will get a lot of value from all these ideas. 😊

[@ioanacristinabatrancea4811]

You guys keep saying "small town" and I'm like 🤦‍♀️...that is only the old town(or city center or whatever you want to call it) ... Brașov is actually one of the biggest cities in Romania. Glad you had fun anyway 😊

[@OurFreedomYears]

We did have a really fun time...Brasov was one of the highlights of our summer travels. 😊 We're from a relatively large city of 3 million people so many other cities seem quite small in comparison.

[@qwertyqwerty-zi6dr]

​@@OurFreedomYearsRomania s capital Bucharest is the largest city here and it has 2 milions people, I would not be surprised if you would say Bucharest is a small town"😂😂

[@foxtrotcalifornia5492]

HALLO I'M HAPPY FOR YOU I HOPE YOU WILL HAVE NICE MEMORY ABAUT MY CONTRY

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thank you! It's a beautiful country 😊