tcreath

My husband and I, along with my younger brother, are considering visiting Romania in October of this year but I’m a little overwhelmed in the planning.

My husband and I are both in our upper 20’s and my brother is 22. Dh and I travel to Europe several times a year and are quite addicted. My brother went to Rome with us in 2005 and fell in love with the city and is anxious to visit other parts of Europe. We are using ff miles so we may have to fly into Budapest, although I will have to work that all out with AA before I make any final decisions.

The reason why we are considering Romania are that we love the mountains, we love quaint and medieval towns and villages, we love castles, and my brother is hoping to save a little money. We are also considering going back to southern Bavaria, but are keeping our options open.

I guess my questions are 1) lodging. We were thinking of renting an apartment or two. Is this as popular of an option in Romania as it is in other parts of Europe? 2) Driving. I have read a little bit about the roads. I’m assuming its okay to rent a car in Hungary and drive into Romania? Are the roads pretty slow-moving in general? This will help me get a feel for how much land we should attempt to cover. 3) We only have 8 nights. If we are coming from Hungary, are there any particularly great towns within a reasonable distance? We were thinking Timisoara or Sigiasoara, but again I am in the initial planning stages and am still researching. Also, my brother is a little more of a nightlife person than we are. He's not into clubbing, but he likes to go to a pub and have a beer or two in the evenings. We would probably be looking for a slightly larger town with a little more going on so he won't get bored in the evenings. And finally 4) Food. I hate to admit it, but I am a very picky eater. I don’t eat “weird” things. I know I know…sad but true. I am very happy eating veggies, chicken, pork and beef but don’t stray too far from that.

Any advice would be so helpful.

Thanks!
Tracy

tcreath

I know Romania isn't a very popular subject on here, but I'm topping this with the hopes that somebody can offer some information for me!

Tracy

tcreath

I also have one more question to add to those above. I was ust doing some reading on here and it seems like most people hire a tour guide for Romania. With the exception of a private tour guide to take us to Montenegro and Bosnia for a day from Dubrovnik, we have never used a guide before. We are typically do-it-yourselfers, but would hiring a tour guide be adviseable? If we went this route, would we have imput into where we would like to go, and would we have time to ourselves to explore?

Thanks!
Tracy

noe847

Tracy, Romania is not particularly high-profile, but that means that you can find all the available info on this forum pretty easily! Given your stated goals, Romania will more than meet your expectations. You can and should stay in the larger medieval towns of Transylvania: Sighisoara, Brasov, and Sibiu. Each is beautiful and has adequate restaurants and beer! Non-weird food is plentiful and very tasty. October is a great time to travel - we were there Sept 22-Oct 2 and it was harvest time with clear weather and interesting sights for seeing.

To start you off, you should read the trip reports of Michael: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34659808
and Clifton: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34543931
They are detailed, but each drove in Romania and each rented a car in Hungary.

There are many other, shorter, trip reports that will help you as well. Mine is written (first draft) but not posted. If you post your email, I will be happy to send it to you. We absolutely loved our trip - it's not like the rest of Europe, and not for everyone, but the charming medieval towns and villages, and the traditional rural life (tons of horsecarts!) are fascinating. Go now before it changes following its entry into the EU.

To answer your last question: We hired a guide and had plenty of input on the route - we were able to change as each day went on (although our nights lodging was set.) We thought the guide added to our enjoyment; others had a great trip without a guide.

noe847

Also, here's the thread from when I was planning our Romania trip:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34832950

Delta is starting a route NY/Bucharest in June, and I am seriously thinking of returning this summer/fall. I know you have AA miles; I think Clifton flew AA through London, connecting British Airways to Budapest.

tower

Hello again, TC...I helped Noe a bit for her trip and compared notes with Clifton also....I'm an old time Romanian travler (late 1970's to 2005)...long, long before it started to become even slightly popular! The 80's, pre-revolution, and the 90's...and most recenly (2005)I led a group of my readers through the country and also into Bulgaria. Please write...we'll keep it off line so we don't bore too many people. And that way I can more easily share many pix with you, too.

Stu T....if you recall we talked about Croatia before your recent trip, too.

tower

TC: here is my e-mail address:
[email protected]

stu T.

noe847

Oh, don't keep it too much off-line! It could help so many of us (including those that just 'lurk' and don't have the courage to post, and those that will research a few months down the road). Stu, your help to me was invaluable, and I'm sure Tracy will find the same thing.

Tracy, one other thing - for now! You probably won't have to do apartment rentals. The hotels aren't that expensive (although their rates have been rising from previous dirt-cheap levels.) We stayed at 3 star and found the hotels quite nice.

tower

Noe:

Right...we'll just start it offline and switch back when going into details.
I'm very happy that you enjoyed your visit..and dad and brother, too.

Stu T.

tcreath

I'm so happy to get some responses! I was worried that my post would be lost in fodorland somewhere! Thank you both so much. I am going to do some research and read the trip reports (I started rereading Cliftons, which I believe I read it when he was posting it) when I get back from Ireland (I leave tomorrow!). Romania looks beautiful and fascinating and I'm certainly intrigued by the country from what I've read and seen.

Stu, I will certainly e-mail you. You were a tremendous help with my Croatia planning so I would be delighted to correspond with you.

Many thanks!
Tracy

tcreath

Oh and noe847 I would love to read your trip report! My e-mail address is [email protected] (as in my love for all things Rome!). I'm leaving for Ireland tomorrow morning so if you send it and I don't respond right away please don't think I'm rude!

Thank you for the offer!!

Tracy

bilboburgler

Roumania is a bit touchy for a number of reasons so that may limit feedback Also i will be cained by some fodorites but since this is important you get it warts and all. I biked around Transylvania for 2 weeks a couple of years back and down to the Capital and noted the following

1) One of the the most corrupt countries in the EU. I seriously suggest dress down.
2) Bucheresti has a serious wild dog problem. Do not get caught in a back street late at night without a sizable rock for the dogs.
3) The population is made up of a number of ethnic groups. Hence you will find in each villiage one group living in squallor while another lives in clean houses.

Despite these very clear issues the actual people I met and the sights I saw were very pleasant. Outside the central tourist areas (ski and beach resourts) accomodation is hard to find that is not either the old official relics or "a room at the back" leading to double price negotiation (one to get in and one to get out!).

A number of Roumanians have earned good money in Western EU and taken it home to build hotels etc. One such good place is Panzio Lobogo in Homorodfurdo (my partner had a three day migraine there and they rented us the whole top floor for $35 a day) and I found www.udvph.ro was helpful in transalvania.

The towns mentioned by others are all interesting but watch out for the skull museum in sigis....

The language is not too bad. If you can read french you may be able to read Roumanian. However if you can speak French it is no help at all in speaking Roumanian.

Wines: Tamiousa is the thing

Finally I doubt if a Hungarian car rental guy will let you take a car in to Roumania but ask.

If you want more info ask. I have other pleasant hotels from touring but would need to dig

bilboburgler

Sorry food is a bit on the meet and two vedge style. The roads are poor and often have collapsed gypsey wagons on them.

Always ask to see the room before you book in. The seller would expect it and it saves dissapointment

thursdaysd

I loved Romania, although I only saw the north - Maramures and Bucovina. I usually use public transport, but I hired a guide (whom I can't recommend0 as it seemed lacking in the north. The Lonely Planet Romania author has blogged about driving there at http://www.killingbatteries.com/, and it sounds pretty bad, but likely better with a rental than the Dacia he bought.

You can read my trip report at http://www.wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html

Michael

tcreath,

If you want to see the inside of the wooden churches in Maramures, it might be best to get a local guide. I believe that I mentioned the name of the principal Romanian organizer of B&Bs in Maramures who is also a guide in my trip report. He might be the best connection for that area.

julies

Tracy--

It's been 6 years, I think, since our Romanian trip, but it is still on the top of our list of favorite places to visit.

We flew into Budapest and rented a car from there and drove ourselves through Romania. We had no problems, but we made it a rule to never drive after dark becaue there are too many horse-drawn wagons, wandering animals and drunks on the roads. Our one problem driving ended up turning into a fascinating little adventure for us. While touring the open air museum outside Sibiu (I think it was this town; I'd have to go back and check my album)someone backed into our rental car and dented it. The man, and his family, waited patiently until we came back to the car in the parking lot. We had to accompany them to the police station to report the damage, and then they invited us to their apartment for lunch. We went. It was an opportunity to actually talk with Romanian citizens and see how they lived. Driving ourselves also gave us other opportunities to meet people. One day in the Bucovina area we picked up a hitchhiking nun from the local monastery. She spoke English, and it was interesting meeting her.

I can't remember our exact route, but we never had any reservations (with the exception of a homestay in the Maramures) ahead of time and relied on guidebooks to help us find lodging when we arrived. I don't think you need to worry about weird food as what we ate was pretty basic meat, potatoes and vegetables.

We too had almost exactly the same amount of time in the country you had, and it isn't nearly enough to really see Romania. We limited ourselves to the Maramures area, Bucovina, Bran area (forget Dracula's castle)and the Sibiu area. Driving was very slow, and we only ended up with one day in the Bucovina area (not enough) because we had to make the slow drive to the Maramures. We didn't visit Bucharest because I'd read nothing about it that sounded appealing. Perhaps things have changed in the past 6 years, but we found very few grocery stores with the type of picnic supplies we normally pick up.

We did an e-mail arrangement ahead of time to arrange our Maramures homestay, and it was the highlight of our trip. When we were there, the Peace Corps had sent people to the Maramures to help them set up tourism, and they were very good about responding to requests for lodging. As far as food in the homestay, we just ate what we were served, but none of it was at all strange. In this area, there was absolutely no nightlife, and in fact, there really weren't any restaurants at the time we visited.

Seeing Romania is like taking a step back and seeing how rural Europe was a century ago. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous, and if you want to hike in the mountains, you could easily do so. The only things that bothered us were the beggars in the larger towns and the incredible litter all over the country.

We still talk about returning for a more indepth trip. Go for it!

MilenaM

Definitely visit Sigisoara, Sibiu, Bran, Brasov and if you can drive south to Sinaia, visit the Peles Castle. If you choose to spend the night stay close to the castle, in a tiny square that is reminscent of Germany. The hotel is called Economat and offers various types of rooms. If not, close to Bran Castle and Brasov you'll find another fortress Rasnov that can make for a short stop. In Bran you will find plenty of small B&B that you won't need reservations for. Go for lunch at the Taverna Lupilor where you will also find a hotel and a supermarket to stock up for the road. Sibiu will probably offer the most in terms of the nightlife your brother wants. Stay at Imparatul Romanilor Hotel, bit expensive but worth the good night sleep and breakfast in the morning.
I don't think you'll have any problem with the food, stay away from organs, but do order sarmale, perisoare soup, and clatite (crepes) for dessert.
And regarding dogs, the problem is less of a problem in Bucharest. Of course, they are part of the biotic environment anywhere you go in the country side.
Enjoy your trip.

bilboburgler

Not sure you are right about the dogs in Bucherest. The internal ministry states that there 250,000 ferel dogs in the city alone and the battle between steralisation and breeding will take to 2015 to complete.

noe847

I have heard that the dog situation in Bucharest is much better now than previously. When we were in Bucharest in September, we only saw one stray, which was near the train station.

alyssamma

hehe...as bilboburgler said, Romania is a bit touchy

tcreath, I did a trip similiar to what you are thinking of. My wife and I flew into Budapest, rented a car, and explored Hungary and Romania. If you click on my name you'll see my trip report along w/some tips.

I've been to 20 countries in Europe, and loved all of them except...Romania I *loved* the people. Actually met some friends I kept in touch with there, but the country itself...the roads and the conditions, were hard for me to take.

The worst was seeing dead dogs on the side of the road.

Obviously I am in the minority here...most travellers love Romania. So, take what I say with a grain of salt

But I wanted to share my experiences with you so you have all views.

Kevin