Is Busteni in Romania Worth Visiting & Things To Do

Busteni is a picturesque town in the mountains of Romania and a great place to visit. I visited for a day trip from Brasov and had a great time. It’s a popular destination with tourists from the cities and abroad. Busteni has many attractions for visitors, the main ones being Cantacuzino Castle, the Cable Car and Caraiman Monastery.

Busteni is a popular place to visit for a weekend away, for a skiing trip or for some hiking in the mountains. It also has many options for hotels and restaurants too.

Things To Do In Busteni in Romania

There are various things to do in Busteni, Romania, including historic sites and various outdoor activities.

Cantacuzino Castle

Cantacuzino Castle is a lovely castle to visit with interesting things to see, and the grounds have wonderful views of the mountains. The castle is also famous for being the filming location for Wednesday, a popular TV show, and some other movies. The castle is a short walk from the central areas of Busteni and the train station. Thus, the castle is easy to visit from Bucharest and Brasov.

They completed building the castle in 1911, which is on the site of an old hunting lodge. It took them five years to complete Cantacuzino Castle. They built Cantacuzino Castle with carved stone on the exterior and brick inside. As well as the interesting building, there are lots of gardens to explore. The gardens have many sculptures, fountains and statues.

To visit the inside of the castle, you need to purchase the tour ticket at the entrance gate. There are various options for tickets, including the grounds only, a tour or all areas, including the special exhibition.

Inside Cantacuzino Castle there are some interesting things to see when on a tour of the site. This includes stained glass windows, unique decor and some mosaics. The tour tells the story of the castle and its owners, which is quite interesting.

They also have a restaurant at the castle and a cafe-bar with a terrace that overlooks the mountains. I enjoyed a few beers here while taking in the epic views. Overall, the castle is a great place to visit when in the area.

Visit Caraiman Monastery

Visiting Caraiman Monastery was something I was keen to do after enjoying the nearby Sinaia Monastery. The walk to Caraiman Monastery was pleasant as I took a route through the forest.

Caraiman Monastery is an Orthodox place of worship, rather young for a religious site. Father Gherontie Puiu founded the monastery in 1988.

Caraiman Monastery is free to enter, and the grounds have some fantastic views into the mountains, with the monastery as the backdrop. Unfortunately, they have some major building work, adding more buildings on the site.

The gardens and buildings are lovely to see, and there are places to sit and enjoy the views. They also have wildfowl to see, including peacocks. Various hiking trails start at the monastery, including those towards some mountainous waterfalls. You can find details of these on the Komoot website.

Visitors can visit the inside of the main church building here, which has some stunning frescoes and décor to see. You can’t take photographs inside any of the buildings at Caraiman Monastery, unfortunately for me.

They also have accommodation at the monastery for believers, which you can find out more about on their website. Overall, Caraiman Monastery was well worth visiting.

Cable Car

Riding the Busteni Babele Cable Car was the primary draw for me when planning the trip. However, this is closed on Tuesdays; thus, I delayed my hiking adventure in the mountains until my next visit.

The Busteni Babele Cable Car takes you high into the Bucegi mountains that overlook the town. Some things to see at the top, including the Sphynx and the big iron cross that overlooks the town.

I visited the cable car station to see what it’s all about and gather information. The route into the mountains from the bottom looks epic and really whets my appetite to revisit.

Hiking And Outdoor Activities

Busteni is a hotbed for visitors who enjoy outdoor activities, including lots who enjoy hiking. There are many options for hiking in the town, including seeing waterfalls and the lower parts of the mountains. You can also take the cable car and enjoy various hikes near the top of the Bucegi Plateau. You can find many route suggestions on the Komoot website. Other outdoor activities include archery, paintball or enjoying an ATV adventure.

Combine With A Trip To Other Towns in The Prahova Valley

If in the area for a short time, there are other towns and villages to visit in the Prahova Valley. The most popular is Sinaia, which is home to some pretty castles, a monastery and a ski resort with a cable car. The top attraction there is the picturesque Peles Castle.

A fun thing to do in Busteni is to take a jeep trip into the mountains in a 4×4 vehicle. These were being advertised all over town, especially near the cable car. These take you up off-road mountain trails and have various route options, including across the Bucegi plateau or to various local attractions. It’s definitely something I’m interested in trying.

How To Get Here?

Busteni is on the main road that links Bucharest with Brasov and the other towns of Transylvania. This is easy to reach by road. It is also on the major train line that connects Bucharest with Brasov and beyond. The night train from Bucharest to Budapest also passes by.

I visited from Brasov which was a 45-minute trip through the beautiful Prahova Valley. The train was cheap, on time, and had many empty seats.

Is Busteni in Romania Worth Visiting?

Busteni is an interesting place with a few attractions to see. The principal attraction for me is the mountain views and scenery. This was enhanced during my visit with the autumn colours. Busteni is well worth visiting if you enjoy outdoor activities, hiking, castles or winter sports. I will be returning in the near future for further adventures in the mountains nearby.