Gara Brașov: the railway station

Gara Brașov

Gara Brașov stands on Bulevardul Gării in the modern part of the city, about 3 km north-east of the Old Town — too far to walk comfortably with a suitcase, close enough that the ride takes ten or fifteen minutes. It is a big, busy post-war station on Romania's main line from Bucharest into Transylvania, currently wrapped in scaffolding (see the notice above). The coach station Autogara 1 is right beside it.

From the platform to the Old Town

• Bus 4 runs from the station stop (Terminal Gara) to Livada Poștei, the Biserica Neagră stop by the Black Church, and Piața Unirii in Șchei. One 5 lei ticket, paid by tapping a contactless card on board, covers it; on Fridays it is free. See getting around.
• Bus A1 leaves the same terminus roughly hourly for Brașov-Ghimbav airport, via Livada Poștei.
• Taxi or app. The taxi rank is in front of the station, and Bolt and Uber pick up here. It is the easy answer with luggage or after dark.
• For Poiana Brașov, take bus 4 or a taxi to Livada Poștei and change to line 20. In the 2025/26 ski season RATBV also ran a direct line 100 from the station to the Poiana cable cars; check whether it returns for 2026/27.

How long the trains take

Approximate times from Brașov, read from the timetable in September 2026 — confirm on the CFR site before you plan around them:

• Bucharest (București Nord) — about 2 h 15 min on the fastest trains, around 2 h 30 min on most, many times a day. The line climbs over the Predeal pass and down the Prahova Valley: sit on the right-hand side heading south for the Bucegi cliffs. Private operators run on this line too. Trains stop at Predeal, Bușteni and Sinaia — the easiest car-free way to Peleș Castle.
• Sibiu — about 2 h 50 min on the direct InterRegio trains, nearer four hours on the slow Regio ones, a handful a day. The road is often quicker.
• Sighișoara — about 3 h 30 min to 4 h 30 min, over a dozen trains a day. The line is being modernised and times are slow for the distance; by car it is closer to two hours.
• Cluj-Napoca — roughly 6 h 30 min to 7 h, via Sighișoara.

International trains

Two international trains call at Brașov, both overnight. The Dacia (IRN 346/347) links Bucharest with Budapest and Vienna via Sighișoara; between 21 September and 12 December 2026 its timings inside Hungary are altered by engineering works. The Ister (IRN 472/473) runs from Bucharest to Budapest via Sibiu and Arad. Sleeper and couchette cars are sold through CFR Călători; book early for a private compartment.

Practical

• Book ahead for Friday and Sunday trains to and from Bucharest, and for any train at Christmas or on long weekends.
• Luggage. Check on arrival whether left-luggage is open during the works; do not count on it.
• At night, treat the station like any large station: keep your bag close and use the rank or an app.

Day trips by rail

The train is the calm way to Sinaia and Peleș (about an hour), to Predeal for a walk or a ski day on Clăbucet, and to Sighișoara for a long day. For Bran Castle, Râșnov and the Saxon villages there is no useful rail line — go by bus, car or tour.