suejohntoots

We were thinking of going to Romania next year for about 10days-two weeks. From what I've read so far it seems their tourism industry is not very developed. Sometimes that's a good thing! But does anyone have any recent knowledge or travel tips for us? We like the outdoors as well as historic attractions. Thanks for your help!

trvlgrl

No it's not very developed, and while it's getting better, it's still a very poor country. Going to the major sites, you shouldn't have any problem finding a hotel, though quality is variable. Depends on what you want to do... mountains, Black sea, Transylvania, monasteries, castles, spas, etc. It would be a good trip, but adventurous (more so than for most of the people posting on this forum...) You may want to check out the Rough Guide as I think it has the best advice, but also look at the Lonely Planet guides. I have been there many times on business, and gone to many parts of the country. I haven't been there in about two years, but have friends who still go there regularly. Going it alone would be rewarding, but challenging too.

Wayne

I know this isn't a direct answer to your question, but I would suggest you travel to Bulgaria instead. It's also a bit behind in its ability to accommodate visitors, but the Bulgarian people are very friendly and helpful. Good luck.

julies

We visited Romania 2 years ago this spring. It was one of our favorite trips ever. We too like the outdoors and historical places, and I am sure that this country would more than meet your expectations. We are more adventuresome than many people who use this board, and our expectations as to services, tourist accomodations and amenities are quite low. If you really want to see a beautiful country with friendly people go to Romania. On the other hand, if you need a lot of hand-holding, fancy hotels, good dining etc. I probably would rethink this trip. When we were there, even the grocery stores were very very sparsely stocked. We basically ate what we could find when we could find it.<BR><BR>We flew into Budapest and rented a car there. We made it a rule to not drive after dark and that worked out fine for us because there really wasn't any place to go anyway. We had read about the poor conditions of the roads, but they certainly didn't seem that bad to us. The Romanian countryside is some of the most beautiful I have seen, but it was spoiled by the litter that is all over. In most parts of the country they have no facilities for recycling and trash removal and many times people just stop at a convenient spot along the road and dump their trash. I remember one day when we were driving along a very scenic mountain stream. We wanted to stop for a picnic, but every place we pulled over to stop had trash dumped. It kind of spoiled the idea. <BR><BR>We travelled without reservations for the most part, but you do have to plan ahead because there might not be another place to stay for 50 miles or so. One of the highlights of our trip was a 3 night visit to the Maramures area (an isolated area which really hasn't changed much in the past 60 years). We stayed with a host in a homestay and also hired him as a tour guide (something we have never ever done before). I am embarassd to tell you how cheap it was--$15 a person a night for room and board and an additional $20 a day for all day guide services. <BR><BR>We did not visit Bucharest as we hadn't heard anything too appealing about it. The Romanians really need our tourist dollars, and they have a lot to offer the intrepid traveller. If you can accept the cautions I've outlined, I'd definitely tell you to go for it.<BR><BR>One more thing, if you plan to travel to Romania, you will probably want to visit your local travel clinic beforehand to see what types of immunizations you need. We decided it was better to be safe than sorry on that point. However, when we had our homestay, the host's wife was the village doctor; she laughed when we told her about the immunizations and said they really haven't had any problems at all with some of the diseases that we were immunized against. We also, drank only bottled water during our entire trip. I'll watch this board for the next few days to see if you have any more questions.

suejohntoots

Thank you all for your help!<BR>Julies, how did you find your host guide, homestay place?<BR>We are usually independent travelers, but were debating whether to go with a tour group on this one if it would be too hard to get around.<BR>Any trouble getting around with English?<BR>I've heard there are some problems with crime, but basically just petty theft. Did you feel&quot;safe&quot;?<BR>I've heard there are some wonderful handcrated items to buy at bargain prices, like rugs, religious items, wine, etc. Any suggestions on where to shop? Is bargaining customary?<BR>Thanks again!

julies

Sue--<BR><BR>I tried to post a response yesterday, but it was lost in Fodor's cyber space somehow. I am thinking it was perhaps too long and became deleted that way.<BR><BR>We never felt fear in Romania. but at times in the larger cities, particularly, we felt uncomfortable. There are a lot of beggars and we were approached by so many that I felt compelled to learn the Romanian phrase equivalent of, &quot;GO away and don't bother me.&quot; We also kept our car windows rolled up, and the doors locked, when driving through the larger towns because when you stop at the lights there are always people approaching your car and asking for money. This wasn't just us, but all cars they approached. In some places there are men who come up and want to help assure you a parking place (for a price of course). The border crossing from Hungary into Romania was also full of rather scuzzy people who were trying to change money I think. But, don't let this scare you, these were really isolated incidents and for the most part, we found Romanians to be extremely friendly. In fact, it was probably the only place we have ever been where they were really thrilled to meet Americans. This friendliness was expecially true in the more rural areas.<BR><BR>We are not big shoppers and the few stores that we did go in weren't very interesting anyway. What I did buy was hand-crafted items that were sold by vendors outside of the major tourist sights. I got a beautiful large hand-embroidered tablecloth for around $40, and 2 hand-woven rugs (one was $12 and the other around $35). One thing though, if you see something buy it; don't assume that you'll see more for sale later on in the trip. I think we only saw 2 places that sold rugs and 2 places tht sold tablecloths. I may have done a bit of bargaining, but felt somewhat guilty doing so because it is such a poor country and our dollar buys so much there. I have since done a little research on the rugs and the type I bought are at least 4 to r time more expensive here (if you can find them).

julies

Sue--<BR><BR>Decided to do this in 2 posts since I had trouble yesterday.<BR><BR>We only knew about a dozen Romanian words, but were still able to get by just fine since we did have a good phrase book with us. I had read that many of the older generation speak French, but I think this must be among the more highly educated classes as i never found anyone to speak French with. Many of the younger people know English, so this does help, but don't count on finding English speakers to help you. Also, for the most part there are no typical tourist offices that you find all over elsewhere.<BR><BR>WE did find our homestay host through a tourist office however (the only one that ever responded to my inquiries by e-mail). When in Romania we met the Peace Corps volunteers who were assigned to this (the Vadu Izei) tourist office; their assignment was to help the area develop tourism. I found their e-mail address in the Lonely Planet guide. I used this book and the Rough Guide to plan our trip, and then also took along a Blue Guide which gave a lot of very detailed historical and cultural background.<BR><BR>Our host's name was Nicolae Prisacaru, and his direct e-mail address is [email protected]. You could contact him directly as he was trying to establish a tourism related business to support his family (he speaks fluent English). If you go to the Maramures area, see if you can arrange your visit to be there the 1st Monday of the month. We asked Nicolae to take us to the local livestock market in Siegetu. It was incredible with all the people in their native dress and all of the animals for sale.<BR><BR>We are pretty adventuresome and have visited the Czech Republic and Hungary (in addition to the more typical Western European countries) on our own also, and have never taken a tour. I don't think you should have any problems going on your own even though a lot of people are somewhat incredulous when they hear you are going to Romania on your own. We hope to be able to return for another visit in the next few years as we feel that the 8 days we had there didn't give us enough time to do justice to the country. We would also like to have some time in the future to do some outdoor activities there. <BR><BR>In retrospect, we probably would have skipped Sighisoarsa (sp?) as it didn't call to us that much. Transylvania and the Brasov area were interesting and we wished we'd had more time there. We stayed at the new Villa Bran in Bran and thought it was a very pleasant place. It was a long 6 or 8 hour drive to the Bucovina area from Bran, and we wished we'd had more than a day after we got there. The drive from there to the Maramures was also rather long. It is appalling to see what Communism and Cescaeu (sp?) did to this marvelous country, but I think you will be fascinatd once you get there.<BR><BR>One final tip, be sure not to have too have exchanged too much money at the end of the trip. We had about $150 worth of lei that we were not able to exchange back to any currency. No place wanted the lei because of its low value. Normally this would have bothered us, but we just wrote it off a as a worthy donation to a country that really needs all the help it can get. And, you can help by visitng them and adding an influx of hard currency to their economy.

suejohntoots

Julie, thanks again for all the great info and being so kind as to take the time to write all this for me. Now I really want to go, we've never been to Eastern Europe and hopefully we will have the opportunity to go next spring. Good luck in your travels!<BR>Sue<BR>

miko

Hi Sue,<BR><BR>I live in Romania and would suggest that you check www.antrec.ro for best homestays. I am sure they will manage to accommodate you almost anywhere in the country as they have quite an extensive network at very decent prices (about $15 a day with some meals included). It's better than staying at the hotels. I would also consider including Danube Delta in my visit if you are a fresh fish/outdoor enthusiast. Indeed, tourism is not developed but the experience can be very rewarding if carefully planned. <BR><BR>I will check this board to see if you need more help for this trip. <BR><BR>

suejohntoots

Thanks, Miko! I'll definately check out that website for the homestay info.<BR>If we can make this trip, it would likely be next April. I know weather is unpredictable, but can you recommend what kind of clothing we should bring?<BR>Also, do you happen to know of anyplace that would do a horseback tour with nice scenery? Or any escorted hiking tours? Thanks alot for your help!

miko

Sue,<BR><BR>I did a quick search and found these two addresses www.horseriding.ro and www.riding-holidays.ro. Hope it helps. I understand they can also do customized trips. <BR><BR>As for the weather in April, it's pretty sunny but it surely is cooler in the mountains with temperatures at night dropping as low as 5-10C. Bring some light clothes for daytime and warm clothes for late evening/early morning in the mountains. Also expect occasional rain. <BR><BR>Other places in Romania worth a visit: Sighisoara, Brasov area and certainly Bucovina monasteries. <BR><BR>

suejohntoots

Thanks again, Miko !<BR>I recently found a website for an outfit called &quot;Transylvanian Adventures&quot; that gives you airport transfers, meals and lodging, and equipment needed for outdoor treks through Transylvania. I believe they were based in Bran. Each day they take you for something different, like horseback riding, kayaking, climbing, hiking, jeep touring, and a Dracula Tour. I think dinner/overnight stay at the castle was involved. I thought that sounded like alot of fun and the prices were reasonable. Does anyone know of this outfit? Are they reputable? It sounds like they're willing to customize trips as well. The photos on their website of the country were absolutely gorgeous!<BR>

busterla

Some years ago I spent 3 weeks in Romania on a chorus tour. My info isn't up to the minute, but I did leave Romania with the feeling that 3 weeks was a lot more than enough.<BR><BR>Of course, it always depends on what you like doing and if you just want to tramp through the Transylvania Alps, you may easily fill the time. <BR><BR>I would suggest however that you put together some contingency alternatives in case you feel like you've had enough Romania. Plan a possible side trip to Bulgaria or Moldova or something, just to leave yourself the option.<BR><BR>Oh! and the Romanian word for &quot;match&quot; or &quot;light&quot; (as is &quot;do you have a light&quot is pronounced something like &quot;fock&quot; We had some naturally upset travellers who felt they were being assaulted on the streets or in parks by cigarette-weilding men until we cleared this up.

julies

Sue--<BR><BR>Just thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth. The most we ever paid for lodgin was around $35 a night (and that was at a very nice hotel in Sibiu). Meals were quite cheap--maybe $4 or $5. I'm just telling you this to give you some perspective on what food and lodging costs are in Romania. That way maybe you can determine whether this package is such a good deal. Only you can figure out the added in value of the extra services and adventure portions of the package.<BR><BR>One final note, pretty much all of the guide books pooh pooh the Dracula castle in Bran as nothing really worth visitng. But, I also know the country is trying its best to promote tourism around the Dracula theme which is why tht is frequently included in tour packages. Personally, we skipped visiting it even though we were actually in its parking lot; we decided to visit some of the other more noteworthy historic attractions.