Self-Launched East European Discovery: Romania, Transnistria & Gagauzia

Morning train from Bucharest Gara de Nord to Sinaia (~2h, £6-8 on CFR — book online at cfrcalatori.ro, 2nd class). Leave your bag at Sinaia station lockers and walk or take the local bus up to Peles Castle (£5 entry, closed Mondays; Neo-Renaissance interior is the highlight). Continue by train Sinaia–Brasov (~1h, £3). Check into a hostel or pension in the old town, then do your own walk: Council Square (Piata Sfatului), the Black Church (£3 entry), Ekaterina Gate and the fresco-covered Orthodox church of St Nicholas in the Schei district. Evening: covrigi and a plate of ciorba in a cellar restaurant off Strada Republicii.

🚌CFR train Bucharest–Sinaia–Brasov, ~£10 total

🛏Hostel or pension in Brasov old town, dorm or double (~£20)

• →Peles Castle self-guided visit via local bus from Sinaia station
• →Self-guided walk: Council Square, Black Church, Ekaterina Gate, St Nicholas Church

Take bus 22 or a minibus from Brasov's Livada Postei to Bran (~45 min, £2), arriving before the crowds — Bran Castle (Dracula's castle) opens at 9am, entry ~£8. Do the interior independently with the English panels, then walk the village lanes and cheese stalls. Return via Harman and stop at Prejmer fortified church (~£3 entry, one of the best-preserved Saxon peasant fortresses in Transylvania) — local buses run Brasov–Prejmer frequently, £1.50. Back in Brasov for the evening; optional cable car up Tampa mountain (~£5) for sunset over the red rooftops.

🚌Local buses Brasov–Bran–Prejmer, ~£6 return

🛏Same Brasov hostel/pension (~£20)

• →Bran Castle entry
• →Prejmer fortified church entry
• →Optional Tampa cable car

Long travel day north. Take the early bus or train from Brasov to Suceava (~6-7h, bus £12-14 via Targu Mures or direct minibus; trains are slower). From Suceava, local bus or maxi-taxi to Gura Humorului (~50 min, £2) — the base for the painted monasteries. Settle into a guesthouse, then visit Voronet Monastery (~£3 entry), famous for its 'Last Judgement' blue fresco, plus the nearby Neculai Popa folk mask museum in Tarpesti (£2, reachable by taxi ~£5 shared).

🚌Coach Brasov–Suceava ~£13, local bus to Gura Humorului £2

🛏Guesthouse in Gura Humorului (~£18)

• →Voronet Monastery
• →Neculai Popa Museum

Morning local bus to Sucevita (~1h, £2) to see the fortified painted monastery (£3), quieter than Voronet and arguably better preserved. Return to Suceava, then take the afternoon bus or train south to Iasi (~3.5h bus, £7; train ~3h). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Piata Unirii and walk Iasi's 'golden square' mile independently: Roznovanu Palace (city hall), the National Theatre, St Nicholas Church, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Church of the Three Hierarchs — all free or donation entry and within 20 minutes on foot.

🚌Local bus to Sucevita ~£2, coach/train Suceava–Iasi ~£7

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Iasi (~£20)

• →Sucevita Monastery
• →Self-guided Iasi old town walk

Take the morning minibus from Iasi's bus station to Chisinau (~2.5-3h, £6-8). Bring your passport: you cross the Prut at Sculeni and get a Moldovan entry stamp (UK/EU passports visa-free for 90 days). In Chisinau, get a Moldovan SIM (Orange or Moldcell, ~£4 for data) and lei from an ATM. Afternoon free: wander Stefan cel Mare Central Park, the Nativity Cathedral and the bustling Piata Centrala market. Evening on Strada Ismail or in the Old Town with placinte (Moldovan pies) and local wine.

🚌Minibus Iasi–Chisinau ~£7

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in central Chisinau (~£18)

• →Border crossing at Sculeni
• →Stefan cel Mare Park, Nativity Cathedral, Piata Centrala market

Take minibus #192 or a marshrutka from Chisinau's Autogara Centrala to Trebujeni (~1.5h, £1.50). Walk the ridge to Orheiul Vechi's cliff-carved cave monastery, the 15th-century church ruins and Raut river gorge — entry by donation. Budget 3-4 hours to hike between the monasteries and the village; pack water and snacks. Return to Chisinau late afternoon and use the evening for the National Museum of History (£2) or the Fine Arts Museum.

🚌Marshrutka Chisinau–Trebujeni return ~£3

🛏Same Chisinau hostel (~£18)

• →Orheiul Vechi complex
• →Cave monastery
• →Optional museum entry

Hire a shared taxi or use the Chisinau–Causeni minibus to see Tighina (Bender) Fortress (~£2 entry), then continue to Milestii Mici, the world's largest wine cellar (200km of underground galleries) — book a tasting directly by email/phone in advance, tours from ~£12 including samples. Afterwards, marshrutka or shared taxi from Chisinau to Tiraspol (~1.5h, £2). At the Transnistrian 'border' you'll get a migration card — keep it, you need it on exit. Evening walk down 25 October Street past the Soviet mosaics and the tank monument.

🚌Minibuses/shared taxis Chisinau–Bender–Milestii Mici–Tiraspol, ~£8

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse in Tiraspol (~£22)

• →Tighina Fortress
• →Milestii Mici winery tour and tasting (book direct)
• →Soviet Tiraspol evening walk

Morning in Tiraspol: the Kvint brandy factory shop and the Suvorov statue. Then travel south by marshrutka via Bender and Causeni to Tvardita and Beshalma (~2-3h with changes, £4), two Bulgarian-founded villages in Gagauzia known for wine cellars and home stays — knock on doors or arrange a tasting through a Comrat guesthouse. Continue to Comrat, the Gagauz capital (~40 min, £1.50). Evening: Gagauz food (gozleme, kyufta) and a look at the Lenin statue that still stands in the main square.

🚌Marshrutkas Tiraspol–Causeni–Tvardita–Comrat, ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Comrat (~£18)

• →Tvardita and Beshalma village wander
• →Wine cellar tasting
• →Comrat main square and cathedral

Minibus Comrat–Chisinau (~2h, £3). In the afternoon take trolleybus/bus to Cricova (~30 min, £0.50) and join a Cricova wine cellar tour with tasting — book via their website or a GetYourGuide/Klook reseller in advance, from ~£15 including the underground train ride through the cellars. Return to Chisinau for a final evening: the Chisinau historical centre, the Parliament and Government House, and a last dinner of mamaliga with branza.

🚌Minibus Comrat–Chisinau £3, local bus to Cricova ~£1

🛏Same Chisinau hostel (~£18)

• →Cricova winery tour and tasting
• →Chisinau historical centre walk
• →Optional National Museum of History

Breakfast and a final wander through Stefan cel Mare Park. Bus 30 or a taxi to Chisinau Airport (~£2-5, 30 min) for your flight out — or, if you want to loop back, the daily overnight train Chisinau–Bucharest (departs evening, arrives early morning, ~£25-30 sleeper) is a cheap and atmospheric way to return to Romania. No visa or exit fee required; make sure your Transnistrian migration card was stamped on exit on Day 8.

🚌Airport bus/taxi ~£3, or optional sleeper train to Bucharest ~£28

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Stefan cel Mare Park
• →Optional onward sleeper train to Bucharest