Bistrița is about 110 km east of Cluj-Napoca, the nearest large city and the easiest air access — Cluj International Airport has direct flights from across Europe, and the drive from there takes about two hours.
The town is on the rail line east from Cluj toward Suceava and Moldavia; trains are slow but cheap. The bus station has services to Cluj, Bucharest, Brașov and Vienna. Driving is the easiest option for exploring the surrounding mountains: the DN17 road north from town leads into the Bistrița-Năsăud highlands and on toward the Borgo Pass — the route Stoker's Jonathan Harker takes in Dracula.