photo: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g1644830-d3478786-Reviews-Vaser_Valley_Forestry_Railway_Day_Tours-Viseu_de_Sus_Maramures_County_Northwest_.html/The most beautiful railway tracks in the world: Take the mysterious Carpathian track in the footsteps of Dracula
If you want to explore the world of Dracula, mysterious castles, and medieval villages in the comfort of a means of transport, then enjoy one of Romania's most popular tourist attractions. It is called the Viseu Forest Railway, which still serves as the only way to export logs from impenetrable forests.
Boasting the status of a cultural monument since 2010, this narrow-gauge forest railway runs from Vișeu de Sus through the Vaser Valley to the Maramures Mountains near the Ukrainian border. Passengers can admire untouched nature from the open wagons pulled by the Mocanita steam train, including country houses, typical Romanian haystacks, grazing cattle, and horse-drawn carriages.
The narrow-gauge forest railway in Viseu de Sus has been operating almost continuously since 1932. It is currently the only one used for its original purpose - to collect timber from inaccessible mountain areas.
During the construction, the so-called "Bosnian gauge" nickname got picked, which seemed appropriate for the local winding track that copied the riverbed. While in the rest of Europe, timber transport ceased in the second half of the 20th century. In 1970 Romania operated more than 3,000 kilometers of forest railways. However, economic, and social changes in the 1990s meant closure for narrow-gauge mountain railways, and today only the Viseu de Sus operates in Romania.
If you can spend a few days wandering around Romania, then do not hesitate to use the Transylvania Triangle Train Tour program, which will allow you to see all the main sights of Transylvania on your own through the Romanian tracks. Depending on where they start their tour, passengers usually enjoy the Triangular Tour, whose "corners" are in Brasov, Oradea, and Timisoara. The starting position, located in Brasov on the eastern tip of Transylvania, offers a view of an impressive 14th-century castle, inspired by Bram Stoker to portray Dracula's Castle.
This gets followed by a day trip through the beautiful scenery of Sinai, as well as a trip from Brasov to Sighisoara, trips to Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Arad, and Timisoara. The triangular rail connection of the larger cities is impressive not only as an easy way to explore but it also allows passengers to explore Transylvania's most fascinating cities in a relatively short time, thus, turning an otherwise boring commute into a separate travel experience as such, as it offers a chance to admire the breathtaking scenery of mountains, forests, lakes, and picturesque medieval villages.