In this video, we’ll take you to Breathtaking Brasov! Specifically, we’ll show you how to get to its Old Town from Bucharest Otopeni Airport, as we experienced it. USEFUL LINKS: How to Plan your Dream Europe Trip: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2016/11/sample-europe-itinerary-expenses-budget-1-month/ Europe Budget Travel Tips: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2019/11/europe-budget-backpacking-trip/

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Ipinuntot ang folaw ng Illima

Nung malasasagay na bumunarian ni Romania

ang mga Estanggogy lang tayong

Naging tayong nainipin ng Manila

tinyan tayong nang madali tayo

na Brașov ang nagtatagal natin.

Ito ay maraming ditsto to

sa mga pagpakainian na makakailangan namin,

maraming bahusat ng sitwa

at ang grabang bandahan sa utara

Noong ba resonated mo kay bya?

Hey there, poor traveler!

We are Vins and Yosh!

In this video,

we'll take you to breathtaking Brașov!

Specifically,

we'll show you how to get to its old town

from Bucharest-Otopeni Airport

as we experienced it.

Before we begin,

please support us by making sure

you're subscribed to this channel.

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Currently, Romania's capital Bucharest

is served by two airports.

The older and smaller one is called

the Aurel Vlaiku International Airport.

Okay, again, again.

The older and smaller one is called

the Aurel Vlaiku International Airport.

Also known as Baniasa Airport

or Bucharest City Airport.

Only a few flights use this

and many of them are seasonal.

By the way,

I might be murdering many of the Romanian words

in this video,

so I apologize in advance.

But feel free to correct me

in the comment section below

so I get to learn Romanian too.

The other one is Henry Cuanda Airport.

It is also called Otopeni Airport

because it is located in the town of Otopeni,

north of Bucharest.

But because it also serves the larger Bucharest area

and most air traffic uses this gateway,

it is also often referred to as simply Bucharest Airport.

As Romania's largest and busiest airport,

it's usually what airline and booking websites

would present to you

when you're searching for Bucharest flights.

So for the purpose of this video,

when we say Bucharest Airport,

we mean the Henry Cuanda or Otopeni Airport.

Bucharest is bursting with noteworthy attractions.

But if for whatever reason

you wish to go straight to Brasov,

you'll be glad to know it's easy to pull off too.

There are two primary ways to get there

from Bucharest Otopeni Airport,

by bus or minibus,

and by train.

The bus or minibus is the easier way

because there are direct trips from the airport

all the way to Brasov Bus Terminal,

which is close to the old town of Brasov.

One of the popular operators is a company called Direct Airport,

which uses smaller minibuses or minivans.

Initially, we wanted to book this.

In fact, we already reserved seats online,

which was fairly easy to do.

Just visit www.directairport.ro

and toggle the language button to English.

You'll find a widget there where you can book buses.

But this part remains in Romanian language,

which can be quite a struggle.

Anyway, you can use Google Translate or...

mmm...

Context Clues and you'll get by easily.

Just select Otopeni Airport in the origin field

and Brasov in the destination,

and it will load the available times for this route.

It runs 24 hours,

with a vehicle leaving every 1.5 to 4 hours.

Travel time is 3 hours,

and fare is 100 lei per person.

By the way,

lei is the official currency in Romania.

And the acronym used is RON.

You can pay online or just reserve a ticket without paying.

We actually did reserve in the beginning,

but we changed our minds and canceled it

because we decided to take the scenic route instead.

The Train

Getting from Bucharest Airport to Brasov by train involves two journeys.

The first leg is from the airport to Bucharest Nord Station,

which is where you'll catch another train to Brasov.

Multiple companies fly this route

and it is possible to buy tickets on-site.

But it is highly recommended to book in advance

to make sure you'll get on your target train.

Online tickets are also discounted,

so that's another incentive to book online.

To reserve, visit the official CFR website.

CFR is the state-owned railway carrier in Romania.

At the homepage,

toggle the language button at the top-most menu in English.

Not everything will be translated,

but you'll be able to wing it easily.

Then, enter your origin,

which is Aeroport Henry Kuanda,

and your destination, Brasov.

Select your preferred travel date

and it will present a list of options,

most of which, if not all,

entail a transfer at Bucharest Nord Station,

breaking the journey into two legs.

For the first leg,

the travel time from Bucharest Airport

to Bucharest Nord Station is 25 minutes.

There's a train almost every hour,

and fare is 6.75 lei.

But for the second leg,

the train from Bucharest Nord to Brasov,

you'll be bombarded with options.

And these options are not all the same.

Travel times vary too.

Some trains are faster,

taking as short as 2 hours and 14 minutes,

while others take much longer,

up to 4.5 hours.

So make sure you check the travel duration

and the arrival time when selecting a journey.

The fares also vary widely,

depending on the class and train type.

Let's discuss class first.

Going to Brasov, we traveled on second-class coach.

But on our return journey,

we traveled first class just to see the difference.

The biggest difference is the space.

First class is roomier with only three seats per row,

while second class has four seats.

This doesn't look much on paper,

but it is considerable when you're already on board.

Not just because of the space,

but because of the noise.

There are fewer people,

so it's significantly quieter,

which is great if you're trying to rest.

The racks for luggage were also bigger.

Our second class ticket costs 56.3 lei or 11.35 Euro,

while our first class ticket costs 81 lei or 16.35 Euro.

That's only a 5 Euro difference.

But this doesn't apply to all trains.

Some train fares are higher and others,

like the slower ones, are much cheaper.

Because you see, there are many types of trains available in Romania,

but for this route,

you'll probably encounter just three main types.

IC, IR, and R.

IR refers to inter-regional trains,

which are for long-distance travel.

IC stands for intercity,

and IC trains link Bucharest to the smaller cities and towns across Romania.

These trains are faster.

And R means regio, formerly called personal trains.

These are local commuter trains that are much slower

because they stop at every station along its route.

And again, travel times are different per individual train.

But the fastest we found was an IC train

ferrying passengers to Brasov in 2 hours and 16 minutes.

The slowest was an R train, which can take as long as 4.5 hours.

You'll also be able to choose the coach and the exact seat.

Then, you'll need to create an account,

verify your email,

and then enter the passenger names and other details.

It's important to make sure that the names you enter

match the names on your passport

because these will be checked on board.

And then, proceed to payment via credit card.

Once paid, you'll receive a confirmation via email.

It has a QR code in the upper left corner.

Print it out and save it on your phone.

Once you have a ticket, it's time to travel!

As soon as you emerge from the Otopeni Airport's arrival hall,

you'll immediately spot the train station in front of you.

Just cross the street and voila!

You'll be greeted by this breathtaking terminal.

Since you're already booked online, no need to buy tickets.

Ignore these machines and just hop on.

But keep a copy of your digital booking and passport handy

because an inspector will come and check them.

They will scan the QR code and see if the names on your passport

match the names on your booking.

Then, alight at Bucharest Nord Station.

If your train to Brasov is coming soon,

you can just look for the right platform and wait for it.

If your layover will take hours,

you can kill time at a cafe or fast food in the area.

Toilets for pay are also available.

But there's also one inside this McDonald's store.

But you'll need a code printed on the receipt,

so just buy something first.

When it arrives, transfer to your Brasov train.

Allow plenty of lead time because it can be confusing looking for the right car.

In our experience, cars are numbered and you'll find a lot of numbers on the train.

But apparently, what we should be looking for

were the numbers written on a white bond paper haphazardly attached on the window.

To be sure, ask a train staff member.

Inside, find your seat number.

If you have luggage, you may place it on the overhead ledge

or at the luggage racks near the doors.

Note that most trains do not terminate in Brasov,

so you have just a few minutes to get off.

Don't oversleep and miss your stop.

And start preparing to leave as you approach Brasov Station.

Brasov Station is small, at least compared to Bucharest Nord,

so it'll be easy to navigate.

As you exit the terminal building, you'll be greeted by taxi drivers.

But what we recommend is to take Uber to your hotel.

Some taxi drivers take advantage of unsuspecting tourists,

so it's best to take Uber.

It's also what our host endorsed to us.

It's also pretty cheap in Brasov.

Our apartment is located within the Old Town,

and we only paid 13.96 lei or 2.82 Euro for the Uber.

And we were a group of three, so that's only almost 1 Euro per person.

That's it! We arrived in Brasov Old Town safely.

When going back to Bucharest or Bucharest Airport,

it's highly advisable to book online ahead of time too,

following the same steps as I mentioned earlier.

Then, simply trace your steps back.

Take an Uber to Brasov Station, catch a train to Bucharest Nord,

and another train to the airport.

By the way, it's important to allot plenty of time for your transfers in case of delays,

which are not uncommon in Romania.

If you have a flight, a bus, or another train to catch,

be sure to have a few hours of allowance to be safe.

Our train to Bucharest was delayed for more than an hour, so there's that.

In our next video, we'll share with you how we crossed the border from Romania to Bulgaria.

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