🚌 Transport
Getting around Brașov
The Old Town is a walk, Poiana Brașov is one bus, and on Fridays the bus is free. What RATBV tickets cost in 2026, how to pay with a card on board, which lines a visitor actually uses, and the honest truth about driving and parking.
RATBV fares
| Ticket | Price | Valid |
|---|---|---|
| Single ride, urban | 5 lei (≈ €1) | 90 minutes, all city lines incl. Poiana |
| Two-ride pack | 10 lei (≈ €2) | 90 minutes per ride |
| Urban Pass, 1 day | 20 lei (≈ €4) | The day of issue |
| Urban Pass, 3 days | 50 lei (≈ €10) | 3 days |
| Urban Pass, 7 days | 90 lei (≈ €18) | 7 days |
| Metropolitan single | 12 lei (≈ €2) | 90 minutes, any RATBV line |
Adult fares, checked September 2026 on the RATBV site. Travel is free on Fridays on every city line, Poiana included. Towns in the metropolitan area have their own through fares (Râșnov 7 lei, Zărnești 8 lei, Predeal 8 lei). Source: RATBV
Walking first
The historic centre of Brașov is small, flat at its heart and made for walking. From Piața Sfatului to the Black Church is two minutes; to Strada Sforii and Catherine's Gate perhaps ten; to the valley station of the Tâmpa cable car, along the lime-shaded Aleea de sub Tâmpa, about fifteen. The climb up to Schei Gate and the First Romanian School is gentle. A first day in the Old Town needs no ticket at all. Wear shoes that forgive cobbles.
The buses: RATBV
Brașov has no tram or metro. RATBV runs the city buses, and one urban ticket covers every line in the city, Poiana Brașov included.
- A single ride is 5 lei and is valid for 90 minutes — change as often as you like inside that window.
- Day passes: 20 lei for one day, 50 lei for three, 90 lei for seven.
- Fridays are free. Since April 2026, under the „Vinerea Verde” scheme, public transport costs nothing on Fridays on every urban line and to Poiana.
How to pay. The simplest way is to tap a contactless bank card (Visa or Mastercard, or a phone wallet) on the validator on board — it charges one fare and the tap is your ticket. The 24pay app sells tickets and passes; paper tickets and reloadable cards are sold at kiosks and machines. SMS tickets no longer exist; any guide that tells you to text a number is out of date. Inspectors do check, and a fine costs far more than a fare.
The lines a visitor actually uses
- Line 20 — Livada Poștei ↔ Poiana Brașov. The one that matters. From Livada Poștei, on the edge of the Old Town, it climbs the hairpins to the resort every 20 minutes through the day (06:00–23:30 in the timetable valid from June 2026, every 30 minutes in the evening). In winter it fills with skiers; at weekends go early. In summer a double-decker also runs the route.
- Line 4 — the station and the centre. It links Gara Brașov with Livada Poștei, the Black Church stop and Piața Unirii in Șchei.
- A1 — the airport. From the railway station via Livada Poștei and Bartolomeu to Brașov-Ghimbav airport, roughly hourly. The airport page has the times.
- Winter shuttles to Poiana. In the 2025/26 season RATBV added line 100 from the railway station straight to the Poiana cable cars, and line 60 inside the resort, free with a Poiana Mică parking ticket. Both run only during the ski season — check whether they are back for 2026/27 before relying on them.
Taxis and ride apps
Bolt and Uber both operate in Brașov, and for most visitors they are the easiest option: a price before you get in, and no language barrier. Uber's own published rates put a 5 km ride in town at around 28–30 lei. Metered taxis are cheap by Western standards; take one from a rank or call one, and check the tariff printed on the door before you set off. Late at night, or with luggage to the station, a car is worth it.
Driving and parking
Inside the old walls, don't. The streets are narrow, much of the centre is pedestrian, and the paid spaces around it fill early. Leave the car at the hotel or in a public car park and walk.
Parking in the centre is currently 3 lei an hour, charged 08:00–20:00, free on Sundays. A new, pricier scheme — 5 lei an hour on weekdays and 10 lei at weekends in the centre and Poiana — is only a proposal, in public consultation until 9 October 2026; see the notice above. Pay at the machines or through the city's parking app.
Driving up to Poiana in winter
The road from the city to Poiana Brașov is about 12 km of hairpins through the forest — around 20 minutes on a clear weekday morning, a good deal more on a winter Saturday. Winter tyres are legally required on snow- or ice-covered roads in Romania, and here that means most of the season; carry chains if your car rental has them. On busy ski weekends the resort car parks fill by mid-morning: the multi-storey Poiana Mică car park, below the resort, is the practical answer; in the 2025/26 season line 60 ran from there to the lifts. Or take bus 20 and leave the driving to someone else.
Walking up Tâmpa
The mountain above the Old Town is a walk as well as a cable car. Marked paths climb through the beech forest from Aleea de sub Tâmpa to the summit (960 m) in roughly an hour; the cable car does it in minutes. Stay on the path, go down before dark, and remember that Tâmpa is a protected area with brown bears in it — see bears and safety.
The prices for everything else are on what it costs, and the practical rest is in essentials.
