Bucureşt is a bit of a crumbling city. You see new buildings mixed with abandoned ones. The place is crowded and has a lot of pickpockets and beggers. Be careful of kids. The metro isn't really that developed {with only 2 lines, one going north and south, the other going east and west} so you might be better off taking the bus or trolly around. The place is also littered with dogs. They're cute and all but its best not to touch them. The people of Bucharest are, as a whole, unhelpful and indifferent. The train station is confusing and very few people speak english there. Strangely, half of the grafity I saw was in English.

Brasov is quieter and more upkept. There are still pickpockets, especially on crowded buses. A backpacker we talked to said he got pickpocketed by the same guy three times in a row on the number 4 bus (he caught him all 3 times). The buses are ok as long as they aren't crowded. There are also beggers. The metro is fast and usually clean. There is a lot to see in Brasov, like the Black Church, the narrowist road in Europe, the Black Tower, the White Tower and the first school ever created in Romania. The Train station in Brasov is more organized and they have signs that are easy to read.

Bran is a nice place, if a bit touristy. Vlad's Castle is here. You'll see cars and horse drawn wagons on the roads. The air seems cleaner here and its a nice change of pace from the bigger cities. There are not train stations here but there are mini buses that will take you to Brasov and Bucharest. The people are much nicer here and are willing to help. A good amount even speak english.