Weekends

Your weekends are usually free and, depending on how many volunteers are overseas with you, you are based in the same area which means that you can easily go travelling at weekends. Our location in Romania means that you are close to some of the it's most popular attractions.

The historic town of Brasov is fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and is resplendent with gothic, baroque and renaissance architecture, as well as a wealth of historical attractions.

Ever since Saxon settlers arrived in the early 12th century, invading Mongols, Turks and others gave them a tough time, repeatedly destroying the old settlements. Thereafter, the Saxons set themselves to building fortifications around their town, many of which survive to this day.

You can wander around the old town, across the massive council square, and visit the 13th Century Old Town hall, previously used as a meeting place for the town councilors, but now home to the Brasov History Museum.

Across the old town square sits the 14th century Black Church, the largest gothic Church between Vienna and Istanbul.

Brasov nestles at the foot of Mount Tampa and you can gaze down on the Old Town from its peak. Walking to the top takes about an hour or you can elect to take the cable car to the summit.

Travel out and about from Brasov and visit the historic Bran Castle. Reputedly the home of Dracula, links to Bram Stoker’s character are tenuous but it is thought to have once been home to Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), who was the inspiration for the vampire.

A bus journey away from Brasov is the popular ski resort of Poiana Brasov. Unlikely to challenge the experienced skier, the slopes are however ideal for those looking to learn to ski or snowboard and instruction is relatively inexpensive.

The stunning citadel of Sighisoara still stands as one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is famed for it’s cobbled streets, burgher houses and ornate churches rivals the historic streets of Old Prague or Vienna for atmospheric magic. It is also the birthplace of Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462 and his house is one of the many places to visit.

Those looking to travel further afield will find the cosmopolitan capital city of Bucharest an interesting visit, a city that still bears the scars of the revolution. If visiting in the summer, the Black Sea coast can be a great place to chill out and catch some sun!