A few months ago, we received an invitation from the Nuremberg tourism board to come and tour the city and the area. It turns out there are now direct flights from Tel Aviv to Nuremberg, a somewhat unknown destination to the Israeli crowd.
After reading about the city and the surrounding area and seeing pictures of it, we decided it was a destination worth visiting and exploring.

Due to tight schedules on both our and the office of tourism’s parts, we ended up visiting for only 4 days. Since there were a ton of things we wanted to get done in Nuremberg and around it, we decided to construct a plan full of activity. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but we decided it was worth a try! I’ll tell you straight away that we managed to meet all of our objectives and even managed some things beyond the original plan ?

Information about Nuremberg

The name Nuremberg immediately takes us back to the Nuremberg laws and the holocaust, but we chose to visit it as we have other cities in Germany and Poland, as part of a memory of what was as well as a way to go on and keep living the present. Some can’t connect to that feeling and find it hard to visit these countries, which is understandable, but if you choose to visit Germany, Nuremberg and its surroundings will be a wonderful surprise for you.

Nuremberg is a modern city with many good cafés, local bars and good restaurants. You’ll find street food stalls and one of the foods I fell in love with: Nuremberg wursts (Small, delicious sausages). It has many unique museums like a vehicle museum with mostly trains and a toy museum. There are also many festivals and fairs and one of the famous Christmas markets in the world, running for 400 years. It has fascinating tours and a fun, jovial atmosphere. Nuremberg is close to Franconian  Switzerland, about an hour’s drive away (A stunning area to travel with many beer breweries).

How to reach Nuremberg?

We came to Nuremberg on a direct flight with the Germania Airlines company. This is a regular flight rather than a low cost, and so includes a suitcase per person and an airplane meal. So fun. We were already accustomed to flying low cost, so for us this was an upgrade. You can find cheap prices for a flight, around 180 dollars, if you book tickets a long time in advance – For example, for May 2019 (It’s now October 2018). On the flight our seats were upgraded to seats with more leg room (We’re both tall, especially Roman) and we also received a coupon for a free alcoholic drink on the plane. The leg room and the wine were a great start for our trip.

Renting a car

A car isn’t required in Nuremberg (The city has very comfortable public transport, and like every big city, parking is an issue), but we decided to rent a car since after Nuremberg we were planning to continue to the Franconian Switzerlnd area, which requires a car. We rented a car through the Papam Papam website, from Europecar company. We got a brand-new vehicle and the service was great as well.

Where to stay in Nuremberg?

We got to sleep in Melter hotel and apartments. A 4-star hotel in a central location. We parked our car at the nearby parking lot (A 5-minute walk away from the hotel, costs 16 euros a day or only 10 euros a day for hotel guests). We got our apartment which had a small kitchen complete with appliances. There was a coffee machine, a stove and mini-fridge, a shower room with a nice shower and a comfortable twin bed. There is also a food table which serves well as a desk (Great for those who work while traveling, hint, we do :)). There’s a comfortable sofa and a TV.

Breakfast

Adjacent to the hotel is the restaurant Mondo where you can have a buffet breakfast at 12 euros a person. The price also includes coffee, such as cappuccino, cold coffee and more.
The meal includes cheeses and hams, breads, pancakes with berries, jams, granola, vegetables and more. Definitely a good return on investment.
There’s the option of ordering a croissant, yoghurt and coffee for 4.5 euros for those not looking for a full breakfast.

The hotel’s location

The hotel’s location is excellent, right in the middle of everything. All the museums and attractions we visited were within walking distance. Moreover, the hotel is surrounded by shops, food stalls, restaurants, cafés and of course bars. We went out to two bars, 3 minutes away from the hotel.

A bit more about the hotel

Service at the hotel was great and the apartment itself was very clean and pleasant. Oh, and the Wi-Fi was excellent. The hotel is new and only opened two years ago, however, even before arriving we’ve seen great reviews for it, so I’m glad we got to stay there.
Hotel price comparison and additional reviews.

VAT refund at the airport

On most trips we don’t get to shop, since we usually only bring a trolley, but this time we had a large suitcase and decided to use it to buy some clothes for our winter trips. We visited good travel shops and the items were priced accordingly, however they were still cheaper than back home. It’s important to remember and ask them for a VAT refund form for the airport, otherwise you won’t be able to get a refund.

At the airport on the first floor you should turn left and continue straight to the end. At the end you’ll see the lost and found station, and next to it is the VAT station where you can get your forms signed. Since our flight was at 6am, we couldn’t visit the VAT station itself afterwards to get our money back (Only opens at 10am), in which case you should send the signed forms by mail to the Global blue company.

Arrival from the airport to the city center

We used the car we rented out, but if you aren’t renting the easiest option is to take the subway (U2 metro), which takes you all the way to the central station in the old town within 12 minutes. I recommend checking google maps, since you might want to get off at the central station and continue on foot or switch to another metro to a station closer to your hotel.

48-hour Nuremberg card

If you want to visit museums and explore the city a lot, I recommend purchasing the Nuremberg card. It’s a 48-card which allows you free entrance to all the museums and many other attractions, as well as free public transportation. The card costs 28 euros per person, for two days, which is a great value if you do end up visiting many attractions and using public transport (Link for purchasing the card and more information). The card can be preordered and collected at the info desk at the airport or the tourist information stations around town.

Things to do in Nuremberg

We visited the train museum, the toy museum, did a tour of cellars which once served as a beer brewery, a tour of the city itself, a visit to the castle and its gardens, watched a short show of a 50m deep well, shopping, street food, souvenir and food stall fair, a visit to the Nazi party museum, spent time at local bars and more. Everything we did and a recommended itinerary can be found in the post about a 3-day itinerary of Nuremberg.

We decided to visit Nuremberg because of an invitation by the city’s tourism board. We were invited on a trip which included both the city of Nuremberg and the Franconian Switzerland region.
Due to a tight schedule, we only visited for four days, spending a day and a half (Two nights) in Nuremberg. We arrived in the afternoon by a Germania Airlines flight and traveled on to Franconian Switzerland in the morning, two days later.

Tips before traveling to Nuremburg

SIM card

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in Nuremburg

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in Nuremburg

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Where to stay in Nuremburg

We stayed at Melter hotel & Apartments. An excellent 4-star hotel in a central location in the center of the old town. The apartment we got was large, clean and had a modern design. Adjacent to the hotel is the Mondo restaurant, which serves a great breakfast buffet. Hotel price comparison and additional reviews.

You can search for places to stay in Nuremburg via Booking.

The route I’ve described here is a 3-day itinerary, although we did it in a day and a half. Since I’m in favor of taking your time and not hurrying from place to place, I’ve spaced the itinerary out for you, this way you may enjoy the town in peace and quiet. We chose to do as much as possible in a short amount of time to provide content for the blog and present as many options of activities in Nuremberg as possible.

Here’s my 3-day itinerary in Nuremberg:

Day 1 – Arrival in Nuremberg, hotel check-in, stroll around town, shopping, modern local restaurant and bar

Arrival at Nuremberg in the afternoon (Landing at 4pm), collecting a rental car we pre-ordered through the Papam Papam website (A car isn’t required in Nuremberg, but since we were planning to travel  Franconian Switzerland later, we preferred to rent the car in advance at the airport and return it there before our flight back). You can reach the town center by subway from the airport (Metro).

Check-in to Melter hotel & Apartments

Strolling around town and trying the street food

Coming out of the hotel and turning to the right, you’ll reach a street stalls area within two minutes. Nuremberg’s sausages are especially worth a try. They serve three small sausages in a bun.

Shopping

The whole area surrounding the hotel has many shopping streets. There are known brands like Zara, Mango, etc, as well as local brands.

Dinner at Restaurant Etzerdla

We met Sarah and Johanna at this restaurant (Representatives of the Nuremberg office of tourism, with whom we’ve constructed the itinerary). The restaurant was a 12-minute walk from our hotel. Etzerdla restaurant (Map).
The restaurant has great reviews and is very popular with the locals, which is a sure sign that it serves good local food.

The restaurant has a beautiful, modern design and the menu is based on the local produce, therefore it changes according to the season and the available fresh ingredients.
We asked Sarah to explain the menu to us a bit, and eventually decided on two starter dishes, two mains and a dessert. For starters we ordered spiced cheese, served with bread and both regular and spring onions and a sausage dish served in vinegar. For mains we ordered the flag dish, a pork shoulder (Slowly cooked) and a dish of Nuremberg sausages with a side of slaw and potato salad.

All the dishes were successful and tasty. I usually don’t like pork as much, but the dish was crunchy and well made. Despite that, Roman had obliterated most of the dish while I had more of the sausages. The cheese starter was unique, and I enjoyed the cheese’s seasoning. The sausage in vinegar was less to my tastes, but Roman liked it a lot. For dessert we had potato pancakes and fresh apple purée. The pancakes weren’t sweet, and Sarah told us they’re used for savory dishes with ham and eggs, as well. I really liked the apple purée, it was honestly a light, delicious dessert. We also ordered an amber beer and Roman had a dark beer.

Local bar

To top off the night we decided to go to a local bar right by our hotel. The Hannemann bar (Map). It’s a bar designed like a living room with a fun, light atmosphere. Most people there are locals and it feels like sitting at a friend’s house. The place isn’t too big and is usually crowded, so you should visit as early as possible.

Day 2 – Train museum, Walking tour of the city, Castle and local bar

Tip: It’s recommended to buy the Nuremberg card for two days, which will allow you free entrance to all the places I’ll list here for free (Excluding the city tour). The card can be pre-ordered and collected at the information desk in the airport or the tourist information stations around town.

Breakfast at a restaurant adjacent to the hotel

We had a buffet breakfast for 12 euros at the Mondo restaurant (Map), which is adjacent to the hotel we stayed at. Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, you can visit this restaurant for their breakfast. The price is totally worth it, as it is a high-class buffet meal with hard cheeses, sausages, vegetables, breads, pancakes with berries and more. The meal also includes hot beverages like Cappuccinos, Lattes and more.

Train museum

The train museum (Map) is an impressive and fascinating museum. The entrance s free with a Nuremberg card and for an additional euro you receive an audio player which explains the museum exhibits by number (It’s recommended to opt for the audio).
The museum has two rather large floors. At first, you’re greeted by exhibits of old train cars, the oldest ones in Germany. There are then full-sized steam trains, one of which you may climb and see the engine room and how it used to be operated.

On the second floor is a Nazi Germany exhibit with trains from that era. There’s also an interesting show of a full miniature train system operated by a controller.
There’s another part with several train and ship exhibits, as well as retro suitcases.
There’s a souvenir shop outside of the museum. We were only there for about an hour but it’s definitely a museum that’s worth a visit.

City tour at 13:00

At every city we visit, we go on a guided tour of the city, usually a free (tip based) tour – which are a great way to learn about the city’s history, as well as discover the city’s major landmarks. The office of tourism offered us to join a tour by them which costs 10 euros a person, which is the tip we usually end up leaving the tour guide on the free tours anyway, so we joined the Tourism office tour (I recommend doing such a tour, so you can take one through the office of tourism or go on the tip based one).

We were a small, 8-person group (From Canada and the US) and our guide, Renate, who spoke excellent English. This tour is 90 minutes. The meeting point was at the tourist information by the fountain (Map). On the tour we passed major landmarks in the city.

During the tour we stopped by a local bakery which makes gingerbread (A kind of local cookie you’ve got to try). Renate managed to bring us a tasting platter to try. This is a recommended place, they make everything themselves.

A nice story Renate told us is about why they say “Everything’s butter”, meaning everything is good (Like we say “Everything’s honey”). As the story goes, they used to bring glassware from far away places, and to keep them safe, they would melt butter and keep the glass in the butter to protect it. Afterwards, they would melt the butter and take the glassware out. When the provider received them and was asked how they are, he would answer that everything’s butter.
We finished the tour by the Imperial castle, then proceeded to it on our own.

Imperial castle

Before reaching the castle, there is a nice vantage point over the city which you can visit any hour of the day (Map). The castle area is very pretty and well taken care of, and there is also the well show. At every turning of the hour there is a short, 10-minute show, at a 50-meter-deep well which took 10 years to dig manually. The show is really cute and worth visiting if you’re in the area.

The castle has a museum and gardens as well.
Entrance to the gardens is around the castle and is always open. (Map to the gardens). The museum itself opens at 10am.

The gardens are beautiful and have benches where you can just sit and enjoy the view of the city and the vegetation.

Kater Murr, local bar

Another local bar in walking distance of our hotel (Melter hotel). This is a very nice local bar with good music and a light atmosphere. We sat at the bar. Honestly, we were exhausted from the long day and didn’t feel like having alcohol, so we ordered passion fruit juice mixed with soda and relaxed. This bar also serves a mostly local crowd. Map.

Day 3 – Tour of dungeons used as a beer brewery, toy museum, Nazi party museum, lake and trendy neighborhood

Breakfast at the Mondo restaurant adjacent to Melter hotel

Tour of cellars which used to be a beer brewery

History rock cut cellars tour

On Saturdays and Sundays there are tours in the English language at 11:15am. We went on a Friday and so had to take the German tour, we did however have English audio (You press a number according to the exhibit), and despite the tour being in German, the guide speaks English as well and can be asked questions, which makes the experience just fine. The tour was about 75 minutes long.

The first stop is the entrance to the cellar, from which you go down and enter a 68-meter tunnel that is only 1.65m in height, so you have to walk slouched (Especially Roman since he’s really tall :)).
The cellar has four floors, the first being the oldest and the fourth being the newest. The further down you go, the higher the ceilings are. The first floor doesn’t exist anymore, since a parking lot was built in its stead.  

The place was established about 700 years ago to prepare and cool beers. They made very large quantities of beer, since people used to only drink beer (The water was contaminated). During the second world war the cellars served as a shelter from the bombings (Most of Nuremberg’s structures were destroyed during the bombings). People hid in basements contacted by tunnels which allowed escape in case of a fire.

The cellars were active until about 100 years ago, when modern refrigeration for beers was invented. The cellars were used to make pickles for a while, but that was stopped as well. Today the cellars don’t see much use, besides a boutique company which smokes Schnapps there, but at small amounts – so today the cellars are mostly touristic.  

At the end there are also beer and whiskey tastings (First beer tasting is free). Roman liked the whiskey there a lot and decided to buy a bottle to bring back home with two fancy glasses.
Shortly put, we enjoyed the tour a lot and I found it light and interesting.

Toy museum

This is a charming museum suitable for both kids and adults. There is also audio in English explaining every exhibition.

The toy museum has three floors. You start on the third floor, where there’s a board games for kids area. You then see toys sorted by decade, from the 20’s, 30’s, 30’s and so on.
We liked seeing the toys from our childhood (The 80’s-90’s). We saw toys we used to have, which was a nice, nostalgic experience – Like a troll doll and Furby toys. In essence, people of all ages can find the toys from their childhood there.

On the other floors there are many dollhouses from 1800-1900 which is really cool, as you can learn a lot about the period. How houses looked, the tools they used, the attire and so forth. There are miniature train models and larger dolls.
It’s a very nice museum which takes you back to your childhood, as well as allowing you to learn more about the past through toys. Map.

Lunch at a traditional, local restaurant

Bratwursthäusle restaurant. A recommended restaurant in the old town which delicious Nuremberg sausages (As you can see, I’ve become addicted to those :)). The restaurant is very popular with locals as well as tourists and is full most of the time (We joined a table with another couple, as there were not empty spaces). We ordered two dishes of 6 sausages with potato salad (Roman regretted not ordering a dish of 12, as he was really hungry, and they were delicious). We also ordered beer and received breads and bagels with them. The service is good and fast, and the atmosphere is fun and jovial. Map.

Nazi party museum

This museum is outside the old town and can be reached by bus.

It’s a museum teaching the history of the Nazi party. How it came to power and why people followed it so blindly and admiringly (Museum website).
There’s an option for audio in English (Recommended).

Tip: If there’s a long line waiting for the cashier and you have the Nuremberg card, you can simply go straight to the audio station and show them the card to get the audio without waiting in line.

I think it’s important to visit this museum even if you’re only visiting for a little while, as it’s a part of our history. One of the things I connected to the most in this museum was an exhibit regarding the holocaust. There is a train track with 60 thousand notes, each note with a name of a Jewish person murdered in the war, along with his information. Each such person represents 100 more who were murdered, since a 6 million note exhibit would require a 4km track!
Map

By the way, near the museum is a beautiful lake where you can rent a pedal boat, go on a hike or sit on the benches by the lake (As a break from the museum).

Goho neighborhood

A trendy neighborhood with cafés and cool store (The stores close at 7pm, so it’s recommended to arrive before that). Unfortunately, we arrived quite late and didn’t get to go in the shops, but we went to a nice café called Salon Regina (Map).

It was a bit chilly, so I decided to get a ginger, lemon and honey tea and Roman had bubbling pear juice. We also ordered Currywurst. (I’ve had enough sausage in Nuremberg to last me for the next couple of months). The dish came with a tasty salad and a bun.
The atmosphere at the café was very nice, it was constantly full of people and some even come in alone to have some coffee or work with their laptops.

To summarize, our experience in Nuremberg was really good, full of activities and too short ? I’ve no doubt we’ll be going back there, for a longer stay this time. Other than that, the area itself is gorgeous!

Costa Brava is the beach region of Catalonia in Spain’s north-eastern county of Girona. It’s an area with many beach towns, good hotels and night life. The more mountains part of the region holds many small, charming villages and the beautiful city of Girona.
Costa Brava is the perfect location for a relaxing vacation, as well as trips with amazing views. It’s an area suitable for everyone, Youngsters, families and adults. The region also has an intriguing history and many activities and attractions.

Tips before traveling to Costa Brava

SIM card

I personally recommend Esim, which is an electronic SIM. I like Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. 

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How will you know that your device supports eSIM ? Very simply go to this link and you will know.

Where to stay at Costa Brava?

You can stay in any beach town or in Girona, and those looking for a quiet and peaceful experience can stay at a small village in the mountainous area.
We stayed at Hotel Delamar in Lloret de Mar. Lloret de Mar is a beach town (Detailed post about our experience at hotel Delamar). Beyond the beach and night life, it also offers a museum, gorgeous gardens, a vantage point offering a view of the entire area, walking tracks and more.

How to reach Costa Brava?

We arrived at Costa Brava from Barcelona, in a car we had rented.
You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through it because it saves me time (instead of going to several websites) and it also has the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies. 

It’s possible to reach Costa Brava by train or bus from Barcelona, and there’s also an airport in Girona. If you’re planning to do a lot of traveling, I’d recommend renting a car/motorbike/ATV, but if you do decide to stick to public transport – You’ll have an easy time, as there are busses to every major area.

Things to do in Costa Brava

Day 1 – Lloret de Mar (Hotel), Tossa de Mar

Day 2 – Girona (Including a tour of the city), a small village by Girona, tour of Lloret de Mar
Day 3 – Lloret de Mar: Vantage point and coffee, Gardens and an amazing beach.

Attractions in Costa Brava

There are many more things to do in Costa Brava that we did not do and do not appear on the list. You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attraction site is called tiqets, the second is the site Get Your Guide or via Viator.

Day 1 – Arrival at Costa Brava, Hotel pool, Tossa De Mar, Evening stroll on the boardwalk and along the streets

Arrival from Barcelona

We arrived at Hotel Delamar in Lloret De Mar around lunch by car (We rented the car in Barcelona’s airport, through the Rentalcars website).
The hotel has paid parking, or you could park for free further away from the hotel.

Check in and pool

We received our room on the 6th floor, then came down to the pool in time for cheese tastings and wine (Every day at 17:30 the hotel offers cheese tastings and a glass of wine, free for hotel guests).

Tossa De Mar

We drove our car to the nearest town, called Tossa De Mar. Tossa De Mar is a beach town as well, with beautiful beaches, restaurants, bars and a castle on a hill with a beautiful view of the sea.

We parked the car about 15 minutes from the beach (We saw free parking and preferred not to drive on to a busier area), but there’s also a parking lot by the castle (Costs 3 euros an hour). We walked around town (Among all the shops), then decided to get takeaway coffee and pastry and go sit on the beach.

We spread the towels we’d brought with us and sat in front of the sea, enjoying the coffee and pastry and a good book :).
Afterwards, we went up to the castle, Vila Vella. (Map)
Tip: It’s recommended to go all the way to the end, to the lighthouse, there’s a café there with a beautiful view.
The climb up takes about 15 minutes by foot, and there’s also the option of taking a train going up and down the hill (At a cost).

Lloret de Mar
We came back to the hotel in Lloret de Mar, ate dinner there, then went for a stroll in town and on the boardwalk.

Day 2 – Girona, a small village and tour in Lloret de Mar

Girona city

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove our car to Girona (Approximately a 45-minute drive).
There’s a free parking lot, but it was full, so we parked at an underground parking lot which cost 3 euros an hour (The price is by minutes). Map.
We met Anna for a tour in the city, and it was a fascinating two hour tour. We then kept strolling around town and had lunch, and for dessert we had popsicles made out of sorbet in the shape of a lion and a nose. Here’s an extended post about all the things we saw and did in Girona.

Charming village

After Girona, we drove on to Santi Mari Vell village (About half an hour away from Girona). Map.
It’s a local village and there aren’t many attractions there, it’s simply green and beautiful there. We parked our car, headed up the stairs we found and toured the area.

Tour of Lloret de Mar

We went back to Lloret de Mar in the afternoon and went on a tour of the town with Martha the guide. It was a really interesting tour of the town and its history. I’ve written more information about this tour in the post about things to do in Lloret de Mar.

Cocktail at the hotel

We decided to stay at Hotel Delamar for a relaxing evening of cocktails by the pool.

Day 3 – Beach, vantage point with coffee, gardens and gorgeous beach

On the third day we were exclusively in Lloret de Mar. I’ve summarized our itinerary here, but you may read the detailed version in the post about Lloret de Mar.

Beach by the hotel

After breakfast we went to the beach closest to the hotel. We brought towels and a book.

Vantage point with coffee

One of the recommendations we got from the guide on our Lloret de Mar tour was to visit a hotel on the mountain (A 20-minute drive), where you can sit and have coffee while enjoying a view of the town and the sea. The hotel is called Sant Pere Del Bosc. Map.

Visiting the gardens

After the coffee and view we drove to Santa Clotilde Gardens, beautiful gardens with statues and a lot of greenery. Map.

One of the most beautiful beaches

The gardens are by a beautiful beach. We sat down for a meal at a restaurant on the beach first, then took a rest on the beach (On our towels). Cala Boadella beach. Map.

I hope my post helped you. If so, I would very much like you to respond here in the comments, and if you have any more questions, then you are also welcome to ask them in the comments or on the blog’s social networks: Facebook and Instagram. Looking for more information about Costa Brava ? I have in the blog more posts about Costa Brava and posts about Spain.

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Information about Girona

Girona is one of the largest cities in Costa Brava, it’s considered one of Spain’s oldest towns. It’s renowned for its medieval architecture and colourful houses by the river.
Girona is a city with a rich history and culture. It was developed by different communities and empires through history, including the Iberians, the Romans, the Arabs, the Jews and the Carolingian.

The old town has archaeological remains representing a variety of styles (Reflecting the different historical periods the city’s been through).
The city is really beautiful and unique, proved by the Game of Thrones series filming several scenes there. Girona is also known as a beloved destination for cyclists, thanks to its excellent bicycle trails (Lance Armstrong trained there). Additionally, there are beautiful walking tracks there.

How to reach Girona?

There are many ways to reach the city. First of all, it has its own airport (Mostly for domestic and private flights). Furthermore, you can reach it by car from Barcelona or another part of Costa Brava (We came from Lloret de Mar in Costa Brava). There are free parking areas (Usually full) as well as paid parking. There’s an option to arrive by direct train from Barcelona (A 40 minute ride), as well as busses from Costa Brava.

Things to do in Girona

Tour of town

We went on a guided tour of the city with our guide, Anna. She has lived in Girona her entire life, so it was nice to hear a local tell the city’s stories, as well as describing the excitement when Game of Thrones filmed a few famous scenes from the 6th and 7th seasons there.

I honestly recommend doing a tour of the city, as it has a fascinating history. Anna also took us through all sorts of shortcuts and we reached less known, less touristed areas. We visited several landmarks during this tour, so if you don’t do it, they are worth visiting on your own.
E-mail for booking a guided tour puntdebenvinguda@ajgirona.cat.

Landmarks in Girona

Bridges on the river

Along the river are short bridges leading to the old town. You’ll definitely pass over them, but they are important for me to note, since I really liked the view of the colourful houses with the river and the cathedral seen over them.

Girona Cathedral

Also known as the Santa Maria cathedral of Girona.

Its building began in the 11th century, in the Romanesque style and continued during the 13th century in the gothic style. In its design you’ll find mixed styles including Romanesque, gothic, Baroque and neo-classic. (Map.)

Tip: I recommend going up the cathedral stairs (Not to be lazy and avoid the 90 stairs :)), then go to the right and up another flight of stairs (Only 5 stairs this time). There you’ll find a hidden gem of beautiful, not touristed gardens – Jardins De La Francesa (Map). From there you can continue to walk on the city’s walls.

Arabian-styled bathhouse, Banys Àrabs

Entrances requires a fee (2 euros for an adult and 1 euro for child/student)
The building is in a Romanesque style, but draws inspiration from the roman bathhouse, the Arabian bathhouse and the Jewish mikvah, a tradition which was restored in the 11th century. From the 14th century onwards, the building has operated as a public bathhouse. In the 20th century the Arabian baths were restore to their original look (Map).
This is one of the areas where they filmed a Game of Thrones scene 🙂

City walls

There are two walls you may walk on, one is short and the other is longer (About a km).
If you have time, it’s recommended to walk both walls, as each one offers a different view. However, if you’re short on time, go straight for the longer wall (Map).

The walkable trail was created by expanding the Roman walls and is known as “Passeig de la Muralla”. Some parts are really ancient (Some claim they date back to the first century), but many parts are a restoration after planned deconstruction (Which was done to expand the city).

The Jewish quarter

Girona had a Jewish community for 600 years which lived in the Jewish quarter. The community enjoyed the protection of the king, which saw it as a profitable business (Thanks to the taxes they paid). It was the 2nd largest community in Catalonia. Over time, its situation deteriorated, as it did in all of Spain (The beginning of religious prosecution), and some of them converted, some were murdered, and some were expelled.
To preserve and immortalize the Jewish community, a Jewish museum was built in Girona.

Jewish museum

Together with Anna we also toured the museum itself. The museum’s main purpose is to preserve and reflect the history of the Jewish community in Catalonia and Girona in particular.
The museum is large and interesting, even without a tour it’s recommended to go in and look around. It’s divided in a very comfortable way, each part reflecting a different aspect of the Jewish heritage and their lifestyle in Girona. Some parts of the museum teach about the Jewish traditions, such as tefillin, the Pesach Haggadah, the marriage ketubah (There are examples of items and a written explanation of each).

Other parts contain original items from Girona, form the days of the Jewish community, such as tombstones (They’ve found tombstones in the backyards of people which used them for construction, there are photographs showing how they were extracted and brought to the museum), There’s a memorial wall commemorating the names of important rabbis who lived in Spain and more. There’s an organized trail, allowing the visitors to learn about the aspects of day to day life, the culture and history of the Jewish communities of Catalonia and Girona during medieval times. Map.

La Rambla de la Llibertat street

This is one of Girona’s main streets and is found outside the old town. It’s a modern street where you’ll find many cafés, restaurants and shops. Map.

Where to eat in Girona?

Konig 2 bar-restaurant

After our tour we asked Anna for a recommendation for where to eat. We told her we wanted something light, and she recommended a restaurant-bar she eats at sometimes. The place is called Konig 2 and serves a wide variety of dishes;

Local tapas, salads, sandwiches, as well as regular western food like pasta and hamburgers. It’s not an exceptionally good place, but if you’re looking for reasonably priced, light food, this is a good option. I ordered a bagel with avocado and salmon and Roman ordered patatas bravas (A local potato dish) and a hotdog. Map.

Super cool ice-cream shop, Rocambolesc ice cream

Anna had another good recommendation for us, to go to an ice-cream place after our meal, which sells popsicles in cool shapes and different flavours. It’s an ice-cream shop famous for casting raspberry sorbet and rose water into a nose shape on a stick (And other cool shapes like a lion on a pole).

The owners are three of the most influential people when it comes to Catalonian food – The brothers Roca, Joseph and Jordi. I got the nose shaped popsicle and Roman got the lion. The popsicles are quite expensive at 4 euros a pop, but it’s worth it for the pictures, and honestly the nose was really tasty too 🙂 Map

The shop has additional branches in Barcelona and Madrid.

Lloret De Mar is a beach town in Costa Brava. Beyond the beautiful beaches and the lively night life, you’ll find museums, gorgeous gardens, vantage points, walking tracks and more.

How to reach Lloret De Mar?

We got there using a car we rented through the Papam Papam website. The drive is just over an hour.
There’s also a train going there, after which you’ll need to take a short bus ride or a direct bus route from Barcelona. There is also an airport in Girona (Which you can get a bus from).

If you’re planning to travel a lot, it’s recommended to rent a car/motorbike/ATV. However, you can rest easy if you decide to use public transportation, as there are busses to every area.

Where to stay at Lloret De Mar?

We stayed at Hotel Delamar, a rally high quality 4-star hotel for adults only (18+). We were invited to stay at this hotel and decided to accept the offer when we saw the great reviews it had received. Upon our arrival, it was clear why it was reviewed so highly. It’s the perfect hotel for a calm, sunny vacation. It’s a minute away from the beach, is surrounded by places to eat at and by all of the city’s night life. An extended post I’ve written about our experience at the Delamar hotel. Reviews of the hotel and hotel prices comparison.

Things to do in Lloret De Mar

Activities offered by the Lloret De Mar office of tourism

Lloret De Mar’s tourism office invests a lot in free or symbolically priced activities for the town’s residents and tourists. You can find them on their website – A schedule of their activities per month.
We were on a tour combining the history of Lloret De Mar with a visit to Nicholas’ house (Which now serves as a museum). I highly recommend visit their website and checking out which activities are on while you’re there.

Tour of Lloret De Mar

During august, the office of tourism offered a tour of the town and Indianos’ house (Which now serves as a museum). Since there weren’t any tours planned for the duration of our stay (We were only there for three days), the tourism office of Lloret De Mar was really nice and arranged for us to take the tour privately, so we could experience one of the town’s tours.

The tour guide was Martha, who was very nice and interesting, as well as a local resident living right in the middle of things. The boardwalk was created by piling sand in the sea and pushing it back from the beach. The reason for this was an attempt to create more space for houses for the returning Indianos. The Indianos was a nickname for those who found their fortune in the United States before returning to their homeland. They usually built fancy houses, only two of which remain in Lloret De Mar.

The tour started at the boardwalk, which has a fascinating history – We then visited Iglesia de Sant Romà church, its exterior design reminding me of the palace from Aladdin. I was very excited by it.  A part of the church was destroyed during the civil war, but through considerable efforts, some parts were saved during the war and others were reconstructed. It was interesting to learn about what happened there.

We then continued to Cant Font, a house ordered by Nicolau Font i Maig. Nicolau was a 27-year-old man who returned from Cuba after building his fortune there (He was sent to work there when he was a boy). The house was built in 1877. It has a cellar, three stories and an attic, and is design in a modern fashion.

The house is really cool! It’s hard to believe it was designed 141 years ago. It seems Nicolau had an extremely modern taste which was ahead of its time. Lloret De Mar’s city council purchased the property in 1981, to conserve one of the original houses from the Indianos time period left in town. We really enjoyed the tour of this house. Most of the furniture is the original from the days of Nicolau, with only some of it being restored.

It was nice imagining him living there.
Tip: This house is very unique and has an interesting design. There’s no way to visit it on your own, so if you visit Lloret De Mar and there isn’t a tour to Cant Font while you’re there, you can visit this link ahead of time and arrange your visit in advance.

Santa Clotilde Gardens

If you’re looking for something mentally soothing, you’ll like these gardens. The gardens were designed by the famous architect Nicolau Rubió i Tuduri. They have fountains, stairs, trees, Mediterranean plants and one of my favourite things, a vantage point over one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. There are also benches to sit on and just enjoy the quiet.
Admittance is by a fee.
Map.

Cala Boadella beach by the gardens

While you’re at the gardens, you can view the gorgeous beach. I recommend not only viewing it, but actually going to visit it ? You can follow a path to reach it. There’s no way to access it directly by vehicle. You’ll have to park in the garden area and walk from there. There’s a turn onto the path (Landmark) and after walking for about five minutes, you’ll arrive at the beach.

We got there during lunch hours and were hungry, so we decided to first eat at a restaurant on the beach, before going to sit on the beach itself.
The restaurant is nice and has classic beach food. We ordered pasta, a hamburger and fries which were alright (The price is also good, coming out to about 20 euros for the whole meal).

Afterwards we laid down our towels and rested on the beach.  The sand itself is actually tiny rocks, rather than your typical sand, which for me was great, as it didn’t stick to our bodies. It’s also important to note that if you follow the beach to the right you reach a nudist beach, so make sure to avoid that direction if that’s less your speed ? Map

Sant pere del bosc vantage point with coffee

This place was recommended to us by our tour guide, Martha. Without her we never would have found it, and I think it’s a super cool and unique suggestion. This place is about 20 minutes away by car. There’s no way to reach it by public transport.

It used to be a sanctuary for vulnerable people , and now serves as a hotel.
First off, if you’re looking for a hotel in a secluded area for a few days of peace and quiet, this is one you might want to check out. It’s on the mountain side, as a pool and incredibly beautiful views.
We dove there to enjoy the view and what’s really nice is that there’s a small bar by the hotel pool, where we ordered coffee and then sat upstairs on the sofas opposite the amazing view of the sea and the surrounding area.

The hotel also has a restaurant where you can eat and another great option is visiting during dinner hours, There’s a restaurant just outside (Not belonging to the hotel) where you can have a romantic dinner across from the stunning view.

Map. Phone number for restaurant reservations: 972-36-1248 Additionally, there are marked walking routes if you want to go on a nice trek on the mountain.

Beach by the hotel

One of the fun things about Lloret De Mar is her beaches, after all, it is a beach town. Our hotel, Delamar, is situated right by the sea and we really enjoyed going over to it. You can rent a tanning bed with an umbrella or just bring a towel and sit on the beach.

Night life

Lloret De Mar is famous for its lively night life. Many people come there for the bar and party night life. Honestly, we walked so much during the day that we were too tired to enjoy the night life, but we did walk along the bar and restaurant filled streets, as well as the boardwalk. Those coming there to party won’t be disappointed.

A few months ago we visited a tourism convention in Berlin, at which we got to meet Anna, a hotel director in Barcelona and Costa Brava. She was excited by the blog and the Israeli audience and invited us to stay at their hotels.

After reading the reviews for their hotels and checking out their locations, the decision was simple, and we ordered flight tickets right away. The hotel we were invited to in Barcelona was the boutique Catedral hotel.

Catedral hotel in Barcelona

We arrived at the hotel by car. In principle, a car isn’t required in Barcelona and might actually prove redundant, but we rented one since we knew we would continue to Costa Brava. The hotel also had a parking lot which is excellent, since parking is difficult to find in Barcelona.

We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon and were really excited by its design, a meticulous, modern design – everything was clean and innovative. There is a lot of greenery and many sitting areas, such as the bar and restaurant area, seating outside, in the lobby, the bottom floor, and the pool area upstairs.

From the entrance to the hotel, reception is immediately in front and the bar is to the left. At the reception we were greeted with a smile, they told us that every day at 17:00 there is a cheese tasting and a free glass of wine for hotel guests, and that on Sundays there is an hour long tour of the gothic quarter and Wednesday evening there is a night fairy-tale tour (The tours are free for hotel guests). Since we were only there for two nights, from Friday to Sunday, we only joined the Sunday morning tour.

The hotel room

We got a room on the 3rd floor. The room was charming, with large windows and a view of the street. It has a luxurious bed (We had a hard time getting up in the morning), an armchair and desk with a coffee stand, a minibar and TV. The shower room has a bath and toilet. As usual I took a few pictures before messing up the room with all of my stuff, then we went up to the hotel’s crown jewel – The rooftop pool.

The pool

We arrived on a rather wintry day, but still had a good time resting on the reclining chairs, especially after getting up early, and felt like resting for a bit prior to exploring the area and grabbing lunch. On our last day in the hotel the weather was hot, so after our tour of the gothic quarter we decided to pass two hours in the pool and enjoy the perfect weather.

Of course, no Spanish vacation is complete without a Sangria, so we called room service from the pool and asked them to bring us Sangrias to the pool. We took a few photos and I read a book while Roman was in the water.

Cheeses and wine

At precisely 17:00 we came down for the cheese and wine tasting (It’s one of our favourite activities, so we definitely didn’t want to miss the opportunity). We took a plate of some quality cheeses, crackers and olives. We asked for two glasses of wine and sat down on the sofas next to the bar, enjoying every moment of it. At some point, I wanted to get some more Bree but discovered the cheese station had already been closed (So be aware that the cheese station only lasts 10-15 minutes, so arrive on time :))

Breakfast

Roman is a fan of buffet meals, while I enjoy eating à la carte off the menu. I was glad to see this hotel had a breakfast menu. You may sit inside or outside (There are very nice sitting areas outside). At first, our table was set with a pastry basket, a bread basket, a variety of jams, a plate of purée, a bowl of fruit and milk and coffee pitchers. The menu has a large selection of breakfast dishes and you can order as many as you’d like.

On our first morning, Roman ordered smoked salmon and an English breakfast and I ordered salmon. On the second day I had porridge (I explained to the waiter how I’d like it made and that was exactly what I got – A porridge with soy milk, banana and berries :)), and Roman had salmon and hard-boiled eggs.
There’s also a table with cereal, breads, fruit and desserts to pick from. I was also pleased to discover I could order a Cappuccino with soy milk.

The hotel bar and restaurant

The bar has a food and alcohol menu available to anyone, not only hotel guests. On our final day at the hotel, after spending two hours at the pool, we needed to continue to Costa Brava. We were already hungry and tipsy off the Sangrias 🙂 so we decided to have lunch at the hotel.

We ordered two dishes of poached egg with purée and truffle oil, I also ordered a fish ratatouille and Roman had meatballs with fish and ham. The dishes were excellent. I really liked the poached egg (The secret ingredient is the truffle oil) and the ratatouille with fish was great. Roman was very excited about his food as well, and honestly, the prices were very reasonable. The meal cost us 25 euros for 5 large dishes and a bottle of water.

Tour in the gothic quarter

As I mentioned in the beginning, the hotel offers two free tours to its guests. We joined the tour in the gothic quarter which leaves the hotel at 10am. There’s no need to sign up to it, just show up 10 minutes early and wait at the reception desk. We were a large group of about 20 people and got on our way. The guide gave us a short tour of the central areas of the gothic quarter and told us about the place’s history. It was a nice, light tour and a good way to get to know and learn a bit more about the area.

The hotel’s location

The hotel is located in the gothic quarter, which after this trip, we decided is our favourite part of Barcelona. It’s central and close to everything, yet quieter than Las Ramblas and Catalonia square. I’ve been to Barcelona twice already, staying in the areas I mentioned and honestly didn’t enjoy myself quite as much. Everything felt more touristic and with fewer good places to eat at.

In the gothic quarter are many small, high quality restaurants, as well as boutique cafés. The are itself, with its many little alleys, was much more exciting in my eyes. On Saturday we also went on a tapas tour, part of which was in the gothic quarter, which convinced me even further that it is the best part are to visit. Additionally, it’s close to the main touristic areas and Barcelona’s beaches.

A 3-minute walk away from the hotel is the Santa Caterina market (A smaller version of la Boqueria market), a minute away from the hotel is the only cathedral in Barcelona and about 20 minutes away is the sea. Rambla avenue is a 5-minute walk away. There is also public transport by the hotel.

A few months ago, we were at a tourism convention in Berlin where we met Anna, who is a director of hotels in Barcelona and Costa Brava. She was excited by the blog and the Israeli crowd and invited us to stay at their hotels.

After reading reviews about the hotel and seeing their location, the decision was easy, and we ordered tickets right away.

The hotel we booked in Costa Brava was Delamar hotel in Lloret de Mar.

Delamar hotel in Costa Brava

We arrived at the hotel with a car from Barcelona. It’s possible to reach Lloret de Mar by bus or by train then bus. The hotel has paid parking if you come by car and there’s also a free parking a bit further from the hotel.
We personally loved having a car on hand but it’s possible to travel the area by public transportation and taxis or rent motorcycles and ATV.

We arrived at the hotel during the afternoon, parked our car and went to the reception. We were greeted with a smile and received the card to our room. We were told that at 17:30 there is a cheese tasting, along with a free glass of wine, for hotel guests at the pool area. There’s a pool area downstairs as well as a terrace with a pool on the top floor. Additionally, we were given a straw hat (Which Roman really liked and wore the entire time) and a beach bag.

The room itself

We got a room on the 6th floor. The room was cute and basic with two beds, a TV, a room with a shower stall and a toilet. It had a nice balcony with a table and two chairs and view of the pool.
After we got the room we decided to go down to the pool.

The pool

The pool area is a lot of fun, there are sitting spots, some with tables and chairs and others with reclining chairs, tanning beds with mattresses and pillows, access to the hotel bar and a modern design.
We laid down on the reclining chairs and I read a book as usual, Roman was on his phone. Then we noticed it was already five and a half, which meant it was time for the cheese tasting to begin.

Cheese tasting and glass of wine

So, at precisely five thirty, they brought out a large table on wheels, covered with different varieties of cheeses, crackers and olives. A line of people waiting for the cheeses formed quickly, but we managed to be among the first and each of us got himself a plate of cheeses. Afterwards, we ordered two glasses of white wine from the bar and returned to the reclining chairs.

The bar

On our second day at the hotel we decided to have two cocktails after dinner. I ordered a sangria as usual and Roman has a Tequila sunrise cocktail. What’s nice was that we could have them on the tanning beds and just spent two hours there, talking and drinking our cocktails.

Food at the hotel

Our stay at the hotel included breakfasts and dinners. Breakfast is a buffet and is highly varied, there’s some of everything. There are fruits, vegetables, cheeses, sausages, breads, desserts, eggs to your taste, hot stews and more.

Dinner is a buffet as well, and what I liked about it is the option to order meat or fish straight off the grill. There were many stews, salads, vegetables, soups, breads, varied sides such as Risotto and pasta, as well as a dessert area which included a chocolate fountain for Fondue (There were fruits and marshmallows you could dip in the chocolate).

Dinner didn’t include drinks, so if you want light beverages or alcohol you may order them from your table’s waiter and get it for an extra price (The price is very reasonable).
We enjoyed the food a lot, the variety and quality of it. The dining room itself was very clean and felt like a restaurant.

More about Delamar hotel

The hotel has a gym we unfortunately didn’t get to try out due to a busy schedule. There is also the top floor with the terrace, which offers a beautiful view, it’s highly recommended to go up there during sunset. There are other sitting areas such as reclining chairs and tanning beds, and also the pool. Additionally, there are yoga classes in the morning and a massage room. There are also lockers to keep your things in (I really liked the concept of coded lockers, rather than a storage room).
The hotel is quite large and had many guests, but the feeling is very nice, clean and quiet.

The hotel’s location

The hotel is in a very central location, a two-minute walk away from the beach. The beach is nice and clean, with tanning beds and sun umbrellas for rent (7 euros per chair and 7 for an umbrella), though you can simply lie on a towel. The beach is actually made up of many tiny rocks rather than sand (I personally preferred it, that way the sand doesn’t end up sticking to your whole body). The beach was rather crowded, but you can find calmer areas. There are also water sports like boats with little slides and paragliding.

In the evening, the area by the hotel becomes lively and you are a minute away from all the action. There are many bars, restaurants, cafés, stores and clubs within walking distance. There is also the boardwalk, with more bars and restaurants. There’s fast food and a supermarket. Also next to the hotel is a bus stop for those without a car.
The Lloret de Mar museum is a few minutes’ walk away. Despite the central location, the hotel itself is quiet, as are the rooms. Put short, it’s an excellent location.

Our experience at the hotel

I must say I’ve had the chance to stay at many hotels in vacation towns. Most are crowded and noisy, not to mention – of lower quality. This hotel is a whole other hosting experience. The mere fact you are given a hat and bag, as well as the free tastings, is already a tell. Service is excellent, the design is modern and innovative, everything is clean and quiet.

There are many sitting spots by the bar as well, the cocktails were great, as was the food, and the location is central and comfortable.
I can understand why this hotel gets such a high rating and such positive reviews.

Before arriving in Barcelona, it was clear to me that one of the attractions we had to do over there is a food tour. Barcelona is known for its tapas and wine scene and I felt like trying out as much of what Barcelona has to offer as possible. I looked for a food tour which included wine and had a local tour guide and came across the tour with Adrian  (Link to the tour). It received great reviews and I ended up mailing a request for us to join the tour straight away.

Adrian replied to me and was very pleasant, so on Saturday, at 5pm (Early September) we joined the food tour. Adrian had a ton of energy and stories and I immediately knew it was going to be an interesting tour, and hopefully a tasty one. In retrospect, it was even better than I had anticipated.

Recommended Things to Do in Barcelona

Food tour in Barcelona

We had 4 stops.

Stops along the tour

We started the tour at the meeting point by the metro station. The group consisted of Roman and I and six other guys. Three guys from South Africa, a girl from the Netherlands and a couple from the USA. The first place we visited was a local bar. There’s no chance of you seeing a tourist there, there isn’t even a sign with the place’s name. Only the locals know it.

We got sparkling wine, Manchego cheese, Jamon (ham) and spicy sausage. Simple food, yet really delicious, especially for cheese and ham enthusiasts. Afterwards, we got a glass of Cava. Adrian told us about the food and drinks and the difference between sparkling wine and Cava. After the first stop I already felt a bit tipsy. Oh, and it’s also possible to purchase wines and other local produce.

We moved on to the next stop, a place that serves the best Potatos Batats (a very popular potato dish you’ll find in every restaurant). Adrian said it’s the recommended spot to have this dish. We also tried a tapas named Bomba which was spicy and delicious and for dessert we had bread with tomato tapas. There’s a whole ritual that goes into preparing the dish, which is simple and super tasty. At this stop we had a light beer mixed with lime soda (a fun, refreshing drink).

The next stop was at a lovely bar where they served us excellent olives, Chorizo and ratatouille (roasted vegetables) tapas on toast. We drank such delicious wine there, that by the end we decided to buy a bottle of it to take back to Israel with us.

The last stop was a restaurant-bar where we drank wine (Rosé) in the traditional manner (It didn’t sit well with me haha) and ate tomato salad with onions, friend anchovies (I was surprised to discover how tasty they are) and killer sausages (At this point I was stuffed and drunk and didn’t try them, Roman claimed they were excellent as well)

Experiences on the tour

During the tour, Adrian told us a lot about Barcelona’s history, I was surprised by how knowledgeable he was despite only living in Barcelona for only 3 years. He’s originally American and lived in many different countries. He knows every location in Barcelona well and showed us where we should hang out at night, where good bars are, where there’s really recommended food, delis and more during the tour. The people on the tour with us were super nice and there was a fun and light atmosphere.

This was my third time in Barcelona and I must say I wasn’t incredibly impressed by it, I found it very touristic and commercialized, but this tour made me realize I simply hadb’t visited the right places. Adrian managed to show us the authentic Barcelona with its unique, hidden locations, the goth quarter was very magical in my eyes, full of alleyways with cool bars, modern little cafés and different boutique shops.
If you want to fall in love with Barcelona, I highly recommend this  tour which will allow you to experience Barcelona through an experienced local guide who’s full of knowledge and affection for it.

Notes on the food tour in Barcelona

• Tickets for the tapas tour with Adrian can be purchased with a free cancellation option
• Come hungry!!!
• Bring comfortable shoes
• The tour is 3.5-4 hours long
• The tour started at Carrer del Doctor Aiguader and continued to the goth quarter.
  If you have any food intolerances or preferences you should notify in advance
• The tour price includes all food and alcohol
• If you’re looking for a highly class tour in terms of food and drink, as well as knowledge about Barcelona and its history – this is the one for you.
• Our participation in the tour was as part of a cooperation with the company.

Our itinerary in Romania. It took place during August 2018, but I keep it updated. I recently updated it on March 2024.

Sibiu city – Ocna Sibiului salt lakes – Gura Raului village – Walking route in the Cindrel mountains – Dam and park – Transfăgărășan road

A year ago we went on a different, 10-day trip in Romania. Link to 10-day itinerary in Romania.

Tips before traveling to Romania

SIM card

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in Romania

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in Romania

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Places to stay at in Sibiu district, Romania

Update: this apartment is no longer available on airbnb, a nice apartment with a luxurious garden, a bit far from the city center – about a 20-minute walk. Suitable for those looking for a quiet place in Sibiu’s residential area. Next to an excellent restaurant.
Airbnb apartment in Gura Raului village (A half-hour drive from the city). Apartment with magical view in a charming little village in Sibiu district. One of the best apartments we’ve stayed at, while only costing 80 shekels a night! Link to extended post about the apartment.

On our final night we stayed at Floare de colt apartment house, relatively close to the Sibiu airport. The apartment doesn’t have an air conditioner, only a fan, and so it’s better from the cold months.

You can search for places to stay in Romania via Booking.

How much did our trip to Romania cost?

The whole trip (7 nights in Romania) cost us around 1300 euros , or even less. Including flights, lodging (200 euros for a couple, for 7 nights), a car we rented through Paapm Paapm for five days (230 euros), food and drink (Supermarkets, markets and restaurants).

Here’s our itinerary detailed by day in Romania:

Days 1-2, Sibiu city

We found a cheap flight to Sibiu during August and decided to take advantage of the low price to keep exploring Romania (We traveled to Romania last year as well but visited different areas). We landed in the afternoon and the Airbnb apartment owner came to pick us up at the airport. You could also take a cab, as taxi prices are very low – a taxi, not during high traffic hours, will run you about 15-20 lei.

Afterwards, we went to an excellent local restaurant by the apartment, called Prima. Then, after getting some rest at the apartment, we went for a stroll around the old town.

The next day we kept on exploring the city, went up to a vantage point in a tower, went on the bridge of lies, visited some nice cafés, bought souvenirs at stalls and more. Here’s an extended post about the things you can do in Sibiu.

Day 3 – Ocna Sibului salt lakes

In the morning we collected the car we ordered through the Paapm Paapm rental cars search engine. We took the car from the airport, since it was cheaper that way, and could therefore return it straight there on the day of our flight back home (We didn’t rent it from day one since Sibiu really doesn’t require a car). After picking it up, we drove to Ocna Sibului salt lakes, which are half an hour away from the city.

We spent the entire day there and it was a ton of fun. It’s a great activity for hot days in Romania (Which don’t come around frequently, but it’s a great option when they do :)). I’ve written a full post about our experiences at the salt lakes, along with other important information. Link to post about salt lakes.

Day 4 – Gura Raului village

Our fourth day happened to be a Friday, so at first we drove to the local market in Sibiu, by the cathedral (The market is only open on Fridays, from 10:00 to 13:00). It’s a small market with good, local produce. We bought fruit, vegetables, honey and cheeses, then continued to an Airbnb apartment in the village.

It was a half hour drive from the city before we reached a beautiful, authentic, pastoral village. We had a picnic in the apartment’s garden with the products we bought (We also bought bread and sausages from the nearby supermarket), then we rested and walked around the village and in the evenings went to a romantic dinner in a restaurant in the adjacent village – Conacul Maria Theresa

Day 5 – Walking track in the Cindrel mountains

We really enjoy walking tracks and while were in the village, we decided it would be a good opportunity to look for a nice trek in the area. Since it was the middle of August, we looked for a track in the mountains, so it wouldn’t be too hot and lucky for us, then route we chose was shaded for the majority of the way, which made for a nice experience. We also ended the trek on an excellent meal at a restaurant with a breath-taking view of the mountains and greenery. Link to extended post about the walking track we went on and the restaurant.

Day 6 – Park and dam

Dam

15 minutes away from the village we stayed at is an enormous, impressive dam and a little river. We saw many families go there to have a picnic and get a tan, while the little kids played in the shallow waters. Arrival there is by a kurkar road, on the right (Map). If you continue on the paved road on the left side (Meaning, avoid turning onto the kurkar road and keep driving down road 106m), you reach the dam from above, and can even keep driving to the other side of the dam – which is beautiful.

Dumbrava Sibiului National Park

After visiting the dam, we continued to Dumbrava Sibiului National park. It’s a giant park with a lake, a museum – Muzeul ASTRA, with exhibits in different pavilions throughout the park, and restaurants.

It’s a great park to simply walk around, check out the museums exhibits, eat local food at the restaurants and just sit and enjoy the park. We ate at Cârciuma din Bătrâni (Map). The restaurant was full but service was relatively quick. We ordered Mămăligă, soup and a plate of starters. The plate had many fatty foods, so I didn’t enjoy it as much, the Mămăligă and soup were good (Not the best restaurant we’ve been to, but a good option for lunch if you’re in the park)

Day 7 – Transfăgărășan road

There’s a reason why this road is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. We drove there in the late morning hours on a Monday. We were lucky enough to have great weather and spent a whole day there. We spent two hours at lake Bâlea and stopped to take photos a ton of times, enjoying the views. I’ve written a full post with information about the road and our experience there. Link to post about Transfăgărășan road.

While this post was originally written after the trip we took to Romania in August 2018, it is updated for Summer 2025 with comments and corrections I received from friends and followers of the blog who visited Transfagaran up until June 2025. It means you can trust the prices and the content being up-to-date. Surely you are welcome to write me in the comments.

News flash: The road has opened early this year and starting Friday 06.06.2025 you may drive it from one end to the other!!

Last year we were in Romania and wanted very much to drive down Transfagarasan road, but unfortunately didn’t get the chance. So this time, while visiting Romania in August, we decided to drive down this road no matter what. We travelled the Sibiu district and the day before coming back home, we drove to Transfagarasan and spent the entire day there. We found a really good rental car deal through Paapm Paapm website and the actual car rental service provided by Autonom, a Romanian car rental company.

A bit about Transfagarasan

Transfăgărășan is considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world. It is a road that crosses the southern part of the Carpathian Mountains range. Its name literally translates to “crossing the Făgăraș Mountains,” which is the name of the mountains in this area. It was built in the 70s and is 90km long. It has many twists and turns, and passes adjacent to Bâlea Lake, Bâlea waterfall and Vidraru lake.
It starts out in Cartisoara village and ends in Curtea de Argeș village.

Make sure to check your GPS navigation to go through the actual Transfagarasan road and not through an alternative, parallel road.

How to reach Transfagarasan road

The closest cities are Pitesti and Sibiu.
Pitesti is 37km away (south).
Sibiu is 48km away (north).
Brasov is 105km away (east).
Bucharest is 154km away (south).

We arrived from the Sibiu area and got on the road within an hour. We started at Cartisoara village which is marked A on the map.

When is Transfagarasan open? Updates for Spring 2025

The road is open year-round, but a 25 km section between Piscu Negru and Bâlea Cascadă is closed during the winter due to dangerous driving conditions. This section remains closed from October 31st to July 1st. Additionally, other parts of the road may be temporarily closed in winter, depending on the weather and road safety conditions.

In the past I recommend following the Blogger Martin, who leads bike tours on Transfagarasan and posts updates regarding the weather and whether parts of the road are closed off but he is no longer actively sharing updates.

You may check this live video stream from a camera on the Balea Lake (Lacul Balea) at around 2,034 meters altitude.

The latest updates from travelers in March 2025 say that the road is only partially open, so you can’t drive to the top or cross to the other side. It’s expected to fully reopen on July 1st, 2025, between Bâlea Cascadă (Waterfall) in the north and Piscu Negru in the south.

If you’re coming from the north and find it closed, you can take the cable car to Bâlea Lake. It runs if the weather is good and there are at least 10 passengers. You can park your car at the Bâlea Waterfall parking lot.

Our experience at Transfagarasan road

We arrived at the road on an August weekday, in the late morning hours (Around 10am) with a ton of expectations, and we were delighted that the road met our expectations and even surpassed them. We happened upon a great day, with excellent visibility and without many clouds. Honestly, whenever a cloud popped up, it only added to the magical feeling on the road.

An unexpected stop

We started the ride and after a few minutes of driving suddenly had to stop, since apparently there was a rock collapse. Since we already started the drive up the mountain, the weather was pleasant so even the stop was a nice experience. Everyone left their vehicles and waited for the go ahead. I think we stopped there for about a half hour.

Transfagarasan road length

The road is 90km and at first, I thought we’ll quickly reach its end, but since its full of turns the maximum speed is 40km/h. Plus, you stop on the side of the road to take pictures every two minutes (Its really beautiful around there). Take into account that this trip takes half a day at the very least, perhaps even a full day.

Balea waterfall – cable car and hiking trail

At about the height where the forest ends and a treeless alpine area begins, you will see many vehicles stopping on the side of the road. This is the entrance to the cable car that goes up from the Bela waterfall to the lake. You can park for free along the road and I think there is also an internal parking lot for the restaurant which operates there.

The cable car goes up to Lake Bela (and as I mentioned we didn’t do it because we continued with the car to the lake). The price is 50 lei one way for an adult and 30 lei for a child and payment here is still only cash as of October 2024.

If you are visiting on a pleasant day and you like hiking, you can do a hiking route from here to the Bela waterfall – about an hour of climbing and another hour back to the parking lot. The route is steep and not recommended for children under the age of 5 according to several groups of travelers we met along the way who said it was difficult for them. If you are with a baby – the track is not accessible for strollers. Note that you are following the route marked with a red circle.

If you just want to dip your feet at the cold water – you can do it at the beginning of the route at the point where the route starts to rise from the parking lot.

Balea lake – The hidden, magical lake

There was a point when cars started slowing down and we realized we arrived at the lake (Map). You can’t see the lake from the road, you arrive at a parking area with many stalls. We parked our car at the lot, which cost 10 leu an hour (prices are updated on September 2024).

At the stalls we could buy local street food, such as a cheese filled Mămăligă ball, hot corn on a cob, different types of sausage, local cakes and more. There’s a food court with plenty of seats where you can buy local grilled food.

At one of the stalls that sold sausages, the woman said that one of the sausages was a bear meat sausage. I don’t know if that’s for real or not but that’s what she said. Anyway, you can also buy there the local drink – Ţuica made from plums.

From the parking and stall area you walk for less than 5-minutes and reach the hidden lake.

The fun part about it is that you can buy the local food and sit by the lake, have a little picnic an amazing view of the lake and the mountains.
I highly recommend arriving on a weekday and relatively early in the day, as it’ll be much less crowded. The lake is really beautiful, we had a fun time sitting there, watching it and taking photos.

Things to do at Balea lake

The lake area has walking routes, so if you’re looking for a nice physical challenge, you can visit and do a walking track.

The simple route is to go around the lake and is comfortable even with children and will take less than an hour. There are additional and longer routes and you can go up and go about a kilometer south to the other side of the ridge and return on foot through the Balea tunnel to the parking lot. We didn’t do this route and it is suitable for those with who love to hike. You should find out more details about this route in advance and prepare for it.

Another nice thing is two restaurants with balconies overlooking the lake. We visited the first restaurant from the top.

I ordered a cappuccino and Roman order Ciorba soup, as usual.
Although it’s a lake and the middle of August, since it’s located at a 2000m height, it’s relatively chilly up there, one might even call it cold. I wore a short shirt and scarf and was very cold.

So another recommendation is bringing long trousers and closed shoes, and bring a jacket (If you visit during another season, bring a coat and toque, since there are also strong winds).
There is also a cable car which goes along the road. As I mentioned we didn’t try the cable car as we drove the car, but it seems like a nice experience and you will have to take it if you want to get here once the roads are closed. There is also a really high and long Omega ride which seems really extreme.

Silly experience we had at the lake

Before returning to the vehicle, Roman decided to buy some sausages and I bought a local dessert and paid in cash at the restaurant. When we came to the car we realized we didn’t have enough cash left to pay for the parking. Apparently, there aren’t any ATMs in the area and we had to look for a couple of Leu to pay for parking. Eventually the guard at the entrance let us go, but we felt quite embarrassed and it wasn’t very pleasant. As of September 2024 – both parking lots at the lake operate electric gates and accept credit cards at the exit. The current cost is 10 lei per hour and they charge by every half an hour (15 lei per one hour and fifteen minutes for example).

Capra waterfall

The Capra waterfall is a relatively small waterfall that can be seen from the road when continuing south from Lake Balea. After passing through the Balea tunnel, the road begin to descend steeply and within a few minutes you reach a section of the road where everyone slows down. There are not many parking spaces near the waterfall, so one of the lanes is sometimes blocked and turns into a parking lot (because there are also no curbs to stop at). There is not too much to do except take pictures there and maybe buy something at the nearby stall.

Where do you see bears?

You can see bears all along the road, in different sections. Most of the reports from travelers who were there in September 2024 were about encounters with bears on the section of the road between Capra Falls and southwards to the Vidraru Dam and even a little south of it. You can meet the bears by driving slowly on the road, sometimes they will cross it or walk / stand next to it, on the side of the road or in the forest. It is difficult to pass the entire road without meeting bears. Even if you drive fast, you will probably slow down because of a car that has slowed down or stopped to take a picture of them, so pay attention and watch for unexpected stops or cars standing behind every turn.

Vidraru Dam (and lake)

The southern point of interest on the Transfagarasan Road is the Vidraru Dam – it is a huge dam that creates an artificial lake with the same name. You can park along the road and cross the dam on foot, take pictures and admire the view, the lake and the huge structure of the Dam. You can spend fifteen minutes there and move on.

Accommodations in the area of the Transfagarasan Road

We reached the Transfagarasan road from Sibiu , but if you want to sleep in the area of the road, here are some places I found with good reviews:

Hotel Posada Vidraru

Simfonia Boutique Hotel

Casa Sima guesthouse

Complex Pastravaria Albota

There is also a guesthouse at Balea lake if you want to stay in the road’s vicinity.

Questions and answers about Transfagarasan Road

Q: Are there any attractions or activities nearby along Transfagarasan Road?

A: Many people come to the road and have picnics along the way, there are stopping places along the entire road. Some even go camping there. There are several hiking trails and picturesque observation points along the route. In addition, you can stop at the Vidraru Dam, one of the highest dams in Europe, or visit the historic Poienari Castle, which stands on a cliff overlooking the Argeș River.

Q: What are some safety tips for driving on Transfagarasan Road?

A: There are many cyclists and motorcyclists on the road so you have to drive slowly and carefully. It is important to drive carefully and adhere to the speed limit, because the road is narrow and winding with a steep descent. Be prepared for sudden changes in weather, including fog and rain, which can reduce visibility. In addition, make sure that your vehicle is in good condition and equipped with tires suitable for driving in the mountains.
It is recommended to reach the road in the morning and in the middle of the week, otherwise there can be traffic congestion, especially in the area of Lake Bala.
We went mid-week in the morning, when we made the way back from the other side (around five o’clock in the evening) there was quite a long traffic jam in the lake area.

Q: What clothing is recommended to wear when visiting the Transfagarasan Road?

Bring warm and long clothes with you, even in the summer months. I didn’t do it and it was really cold for me to go outside the car.

Q: Are there places to eat along Transfagarasan Road?

A: There are food stalls and a restaurant at Lake Bala and stalls occasionally along the road.

Q: When is the best time to visit Transfagarasan?

A: The road is usually open to traffic from the end of June to the beginning of October, depending on the weather conditions. The best time to visit is during the summer months when the weather is milder and the road less likely to be blocked by snow or ice. As I mentioned already, I think it is best to enjoy the road during weekdays rather than the weekend or public Holidays, so it gets less crowded. Note that every year, during the last week of August, there is a holiday in Romania, and traffic on the road is heavier than usual. If possible, try to visit on other days or at least arrive very early—the road is relatively calm until 10 AM.

Q: How much time to spend in Transfagarasan Road?

A: We spent the entire day, from morning to evening. Consider just crossing the 111km or road will take you approx 3 hours of driving, from one end to the other. Some people actually spend the night or few nights along it, so they can enjoy the sights in a more relaxed schedule.

Q: Can I enjoy the Transfagarasan Road with public transportation?

A: I actually checked and didn’t find any public transportation services to go through the Transfagarasan Road. There is a bus and rail service which goes on a parallel way to the west, between Râmnicu Vâlcea and Sibiu which you can take but it would only be 20km to the west of the Transfagarasan Road. You can find few tour operatours via Get your guide and Viator to take you for a guided trip, but personally I really like to drive around myself with a rental car and stop whenever I want.

Q: What is the meaning of Transfagarasan Road?

A: The road was built in the early 1970s as a strategic military route by the regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, the former communist leader of Romania. It was designed to provide quick access over the mountains in the event of a Soviet invasion. Today, it is known for its stunning scenery and challenging driving conditions, attracting tourists and driving enthusiasts from around the world.

Q: What are the most worthwhile places along Transfagarasan Road?

A: One of the most iconic features of the Transfagarasan Road is the Balea Lake and waterfall, located at an altitude of over 2,000 meters. The second place not to be missed is Lake Vidraru and Vidraru Dam. In addition, there are several tunnels and canals along the route, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Q: What is the distance between Transfagarasan Road and major cities?

A: Bucharest: The distance between Bucharest and the Transfagarasan road is about 160-180 kilometers, depending on the exact starting point in Bucharest. It takes about 3-4 hours to drive from Bucharest to the beginning of Transmigration Road.

Sibiu: Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, located about 50 kilometers from the Transmigration Highway, depending on the specific route taken. The trip usually takes about an hour.

Brasov: Brasov is another city in Transylvania and is located approximately 90-110 kilometers from the Transmigration Highway, depending on the starting point in Brasov. It usually takes 1.5-2.5 hours to drive from Brasov to the Transfiguration road.

Cluj-Napoca: Cluj-Napoca is located further north in Romania and is about 250-300 kilometers from the Transmigration Highway. The trip usually takes about 4-5 hours.

These travel distances and times are approximate and may vary depending on factors such as the specific start and end points, road conditions and traffic. It is always a good idea to check with Navigation apps like Waze or Google Maps before traveling, just make sure it actually takes you through the Transfagarasan road and doesn’t navigate you around it like it originally happened to us.