May, June and September are the best months in town — warm, dry, long evenings, fewer tour groups. July and August are pleasantly cool by Romanian standards (the city is at 600 metres) but the old town fills up and prices climb. The big summer event is the Junii Brasovului procession on the first Sunday after Orthodox Easter, when groups of horsemen in regional costume ride through the Schei quarter — a peculiar and very local festival.
Winter has its own appeal. The Christmas market on Piata Sfatului runs through December and is among the best in Romania. The ski season at Poiana Brasov runs from mid-December to late March; budget travellers should aim for the shoulder weeks at either end. Snow is occasional in town but heavier in the hills.
Spring and autumn shoulder seasons (April, October) are quiet and cheap, with the forested hills around the city at their most photogenic.