Romanian Drivers Needed
Jul 14th, 2016, 08:40 AM
#1
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Romanian Drivers Needed
I am a lady travelling alone to Romania in September, and I am having trouble finding reasonably priced drivers (no guide needed). My goal is to avoid hotel stays for drivers. Here is what I propose for my "driver schedules":
Driver A, who lives in Sibiu:
September 12 - Day trip to villages, return to Sibiu
September 13 - Drive one way to Sighisoara, stop at villages en route
Driver B, who lives in Sighetu Marmatiei (in Maramures area):
September 15 - Pick me up in Sighisoara, drive to Sighetu, stop at sites along the way
September 16 - Day trip around Sighetu
September 17 - Day off for driver while I explore city, including Elie Wiesel House
September 18 - Drive me one way to Suceava, stopping at sites along the way
I have asked several hotels for referrals, and they generally suggest agencies, who want at least 120 euros per day. One hotel did refer me to Primus Rent A Car in Sibiu, and they quoted 60 euros per day for Driver A, but I am have difficulty getting them to confirm.
Does anyone know of a Driver A or Driver B? I was hoping not to pay more than 60 euros per day, maybe a bit more for long distances.
Thank you.
Driver A, who lives in Sibiu:
September 12 - Day trip to villages, return to Sibiu
September 13 - Drive one way to Sighisoara, stop at villages en route
Driver B, who lives in Sighetu Marmatiei (in Maramures area):
September 15 - Pick me up in Sighisoara, drive to Sighetu, stop at sites along the way
September 16 - Day trip around Sighetu
September 17 - Day off for driver while I explore city, including Elie Wiesel House
September 18 - Drive me one way to Suceava, stopping at sites along the way
I have asked several hotels for referrals, and they generally suggest agencies, who want at least 120 euros per day. One hotel did refer me to Primus Rent A Car in Sibiu, and they quoted 60 euros per day for Driver A, but I am have difficulty getting them to confirm.
Does anyone know of a Driver A or Driver B? I was hoping not to pay more than 60 euros per day, maybe a bit more for long distances.
Thank you.
Jul 14th, 2016, 11:12 AM
#2
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[email protected]
Catalin is a gem...very well educated, careful driver who at least knows the territory exceptionally well. I am a writer who took 16 of my readers on a tour f Romania and Bulgaria on a tour of the country. I will post his pic at one of our stops. I highly recommend Catalin Rata.
stuart tower
Catalin is a gem...very well educated, careful driver who at least knows the territory exceptionally well. I am a writer who took 16 of my readers on a tour f Romania and Bulgaria on a tour of the country. I will post his pic at one of our stops. I highly recommend Catalin Rata.
stuart tower
Jul 14th, 2016, 11:18 AM
#3
I think you would do better to wait until you get there. Those quotes are much higher than I those I got a couple of years back. You can either ask at your hotel or negotiate directly with taxis.
You might do better to have a Sighisoara driver take you to Sighetu and get another driver there. Depending on how keen you are on seeing sights along the way, the bus and train systems in that area aren't bad, they are what I mostly used.
You might do better to have a Sighisoara driver take you to Sighetu and get another driver there. Depending on how keen you are on seeing sights along the way, the bus and train systems in that area aren't bad, they are what I mostly used.
Jul 14th, 2016, 11:21 AM
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Picture of Catalin Rata.
https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...57563968616146
Feel free to glance at all pics by click on the right and left arrows...for a good view of Romania
https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...57563968616146
Feel free to glance at all pics by click on the right and left arrows...for a good view of Romania
Jul 14th, 2016, 04:59 PM
#5
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stuart: Thank you for recommending Catalin. I will write to him today, but I am hoping he will not be too expensive for my budget. BTW, your pictures are marvelous, particularly of all the synagogues. I was thinking of taking a day trip from Suceava to Iasi to see some of the Jewish history there--do you think it's worth the schlep?
thursdays: I am so glad you chimed in. I tried to contact you from your wordpress website, but it must not have gone through. You reaffirmed my thoughts that 1) the driver prices I'm being quoted are high, and 2) I may have to wait until I get there to arrange drivers. So allow me to ask you--what price range is reasonable for some of these day trips? If I approach a taxi driver on the street, do I accept his first price, or should I keep negotiating? Is a random taxi driver capable of taking me from village to village in the countryside, and pacing the day? What did you do?
I changed my strategy a bit as follows. So thursdays, or anyone else, please chime in, particularly on the logistics:
Sept. 10 - Late night arrival in Sibiu from Poland, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 11 - Day trip to some of the 18 villages of Marinimea Sibiului, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 12 - Day trip to the Saxon villages, such as Viscri, Bunesti, Mesendorf, Crit, and Saschiz, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 13 - See the city of Sibiu on my own, take direct train to Sighisoara at 7:35 PM, arrive 10:48 PM, sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 14 - See the city of Sighisoara briefly on my own, head to the Breite Plateau for an afternoon nature walk, sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 15 - Use Sighisoara driver to get from Sighisoara to Sighetu Marmatiei, with stops en route, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 16 - See Sighetu on my own, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 17 - Day trip around Sighetu, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 18 - Use Sighetu driver to take me to Suceava, with stops en route, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 19 - Day trips to painted monasteries, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 20 - Day trip to Iasi or more monasteries, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 21 - Leave Suceava for two nights in Bucharest
And if anyone else has ideas on "economical" drivers, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thank you.
thursdays: I am so glad you chimed in. I tried to contact you from your wordpress website, but it must not have gone through. You reaffirmed my thoughts that 1) the driver prices I'm being quoted are high, and 2) I may have to wait until I get there to arrange drivers. So allow me to ask you--what price range is reasonable for some of these day trips? If I approach a taxi driver on the street, do I accept his first price, or should I keep negotiating? Is a random taxi driver capable of taking me from village to village in the countryside, and pacing the day? What did you do?
I changed my strategy a bit as follows. So thursdays, or anyone else, please chime in, particularly on the logistics:
Sept. 10 - Late night arrival in Sibiu from Poland, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 11 - Day trip to some of the 18 villages of Marinimea Sibiului, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 12 - Day trip to the Saxon villages, such as Viscri, Bunesti, Mesendorf, Crit, and Saschiz, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 13 - See the city of Sibiu on my own, take direct train to Sighisoara at 7:35 PM, arrive 10:48 PM, sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 14 - See the city of Sighisoara briefly on my own, head to the Breite Plateau for an afternoon nature walk, sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 15 - Use Sighisoara driver to get from Sighisoara to Sighetu Marmatiei, with stops en route, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 16 - See Sighetu on my own, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 17 - Day trip around Sighetu, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 18 - Use Sighetu driver to take me to Suceava, with stops en route, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 19 - Day trips to painted monasteries, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 20 - Day trip to Iasi or more monasteries, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 21 - Leave Suceava for two nights in Bucharest
And if anyone else has ideas on "economical" drivers, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thank you.
Jul 14th, 2016, 05:30 PM
#6
I checked my notes from 2014.
I had a car and driver for one afternoon while I was in Sighisoara, booked through my (second) hotel without negotiation. That was 193 RON for the car and admission to the churches, which appears to have been 55 USD, so maybe the numbers you are getting are not so far off. I used the same driver, at his suggestion, to get to Targu Mures the next day, that was 130 RON.
Taxis for trips in town in western Romania ran from 6 to 18 RON.
If you leave a comment on any of my blog posts I should see it without it going live on the site, and that will give me your email address. Or you can email me at the blog name on gmail.
Just make sure you do not use Ciprian Slemcho for the painted monasteries, he was my "tour guide from hell" in 2006.
Oh, and I would not want to arrive in Sighisoara after dark. I had to search a bit for a taxi from the station, and you are certainly not going to want to walk it if you are staying in the old town.
I had a car and driver for one afternoon while I was in Sighisoara, booked through my (second) hotel without negotiation. That was 193 RON for the car and admission to the churches, which appears to have been 55 USD, so maybe the numbers you are getting are not so far off. I used the same driver, at his suggestion, to get to Targu Mures the next day, that was 130 RON.
Taxis for trips in town in western Romania ran from 6 to 18 RON.
If you leave a comment on any of my blog posts I should see it without it going live on the site, and that will give me your email address. Or you can email me at the blog name on gmail.
Just make sure you do not use Ciprian Slemcho for the painted monasteries, he was my "tour guide from hell" in 2006.
Oh, and I would not want to arrive in Sighisoara after dark. I had to search a bit for a taxi from the station, and you are certainly not going to want to walk it if you are staying in the old town.
Jul 15th, 2016, 10:00 PM
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Thank you, thursdays, for doing all that research on my behalf. I really appreciate it.
The earlier direct train from Sibiu to Sighisoara leaves about 3 PM, which will ruin the day. I will contact my hotel and see if they can arrange a driver to meet me. Thanks for the heads up on that one.
OMG, my Suceava hotel had arranged for your pal Ciprian Slemcho to drive me around. I remember reading your blogs and travel reports last year, but I didn't put two and two together. I better notify them right away. Is this guy the only driver in Romania?
I am determined to figure out this driver challenge. I wrote to the local tourism board in Sibiu, and they sent a list of rent a car companies. I'll see if any of them come with drivers.
Thanks again.
The earlier direct train from Sibiu to Sighisoara leaves about 3 PM, which will ruin the day. I will contact my hotel and see if they can arrange a driver to meet me. Thanks for the heads up on that one.
OMG, my Suceava hotel had arranged for your pal Ciprian Slemcho to drive me around. I remember reading your blogs and travel reports last year, but I didn't put two and two together. I better notify them right away. Is this guy the only driver in Romania?
I am determined to figure out this driver challenge. I wrote to the local tourism board in Sibiu, and they sent a list of rent a car companies. I'll see if any of them come with drivers.
Thanks again.
Jul 17th, 2016, 05:11 PM
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Califonia Lady...all depends on how much time you can spare...Suceava and Radauts are ywo active synagogues in Bukovina..Elie Wiesels shul in Sighetul is to be visited too. In Piatra Neamts en route to Iasi (Yash) has the 17th century Baal Shem Tov wooden synagogue which I include on my pix is a good stop. Yash is a university town and quite modern. The 1670 shul is open to visitors. Catalin has been to all of these when he escorted us in 2005. I'm in in Ojai California.
Jul 18th, 2016, 04:02 PM
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Stuart - I did write to Catalin, and I am awaiting a reply. Thank you for all the synagogue suggestions, I will try to get to as many as I can. I'm going to Poland first, and it seems to have faced more destruction during WWII, so it will be nice to pay homage to those in Romania. Ojai is beautiful, BTW, one of my sons played in a tennis tournament there once.
thursdays - I decided to switch around my itinerary a bit. I now have a driver that can take me to Sighisoara. That late night train sounded depressing for a princess like me. Thanks again for all your help.
So, to everyone, I found a car rental company called Primus, that will drive me on a day tour around Sibiu, and take me to Sighisoara the next day. Each day is 60 euros, with no extra charges, and includes the driver. Has anyone heard of them?
I will work on getting the other drivers soon.
Here is my revised itinerary. I am open to suggestions about the itinerary, and am seeking names of drivers. Thank you!
Sept. 10 - Late night arrival in Sibiu from Poland, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 11 - See the city of Sibiu on my own
Sept. 12 - Driver from Primus Rent a Car: Day trip to some of the 18 villages of Marinimea Sibiului, sleep in Sibiu,
Sept. 13 - Driver from Primus Rent a Car: One way tranfer to Sighisoara, stopping at Saxon villages, such as Viscri, Bunesti, Mesendorf, Crit, and Saschiz. Sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 14 - See the city of Sighisoara briefly on my own, also walk around the Breite Plateau, sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 15 - Driver B: One way transfer from Sighisoara to Sighetu Marmatiei, with stops en route, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 16 - See Sighetu on my own, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 17 - Driver C: Day trips around Sighetu, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 18 - Driver C: One way transfer from Sighetu to Suceava, with stops en route, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 19 - Driver D: Day trips to painted monasteries, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 20 - Day trip to Iasi via train, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 21 - Leave Suceava for two nights in Bucharest
thursdays - I decided to switch around my itinerary a bit. I now have a driver that can take me to Sighisoara. That late night train sounded depressing for a princess like me. Thanks again for all your help.
So, to everyone, I found a car rental company called Primus, that will drive me on a day tour around Sibiu, and take me to Sighisoara the next day. Each day is 60 euros, with no extra charges, and includes the driver. Has anyone heard of them?
I will work on getting the other drivers soon.
Here is my revised itinerary. I am open to suggestions about the itinerary, and am seeking names of drivers. Thank you!
Sept. 10 - Late night arrival in Sibiu from Poland, sleep in Sibiu
Sept. 11 - See the city of Sibiu on my own
Sept. 12 - Driver from Primus Rent a Car: Day trip to some of the 18 villages of Marinimea Sibiului, sleep in Sibiu,
Sept. 13 - Driver from Primus Rent a Car: One way tranfer to Sighisoara, stopping at Saxon villages, such as Viscri, Bunesti, Mesendorf, Crit, and Saschiz. Sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 14 - See the city of Sighisoara briefly on my own, also walk around the Breite Plateau, sleep in Sighisoara
Sept. 15 - Driver B: One way transfer from Sighisoara to Sighetu Marmatiei, with stops en route, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 16 - See Sighetu on my own, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 17 - Driver C: Day trips around Sighetu, sleep in Sighetu
Sept. 18 - Driver C: One way transfer from Sighetu to Suceava, with stops en route, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 19 - Driver D: Day trips to painted monasteries, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 20 - Day trip to Iasi via train, sleep in Suceava
Sept. 21 - Leave Suceava for two nights in Bucharest
Jul 19th, 2016, 09:17 PM
#12
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Good point, thursdays, I wanted to see Brasov, but I didn't want to stay too long in Transylvania and miss the north. The international flights go into Sibiu, so that's where I'm starting. I'm seeing so many town squares in Poland, that I wanted to make Romania less about architecture, and more about walking in villages. But thanks again for all your help.
Update on drivers, this is pretty funny...
My dialogue with the guy at Primus Rent A Car in Sibiu:
Him: The 120 euros include everything!
Me: So is gas included?
Him: No, but very cheap!
Coincidentally, I got a reply at the same time from sixt rent a car, in Sibiu, and they will drive me for only 100 euros, total for the two days. I'm going to try to use them is Suceava too--they're a large German car rental company, and they willingly add drivers.
Update on drivers, this is pretty funny...
My dialogue with the guy at Primus Rent A Car in Sibiu:
Him: The 120 euros include everything!
Me: So is gas included?
Him: No, but very cheap!
Coincidentally, I got a reply at the same time from sixt rent a car, in Sibiu, and they will drive me for only 100 euros, total for the two days. I'm going to try to use them is Suceava too--they're a large German car rental company, and they willingly add drivers.
Sep 15th, 2016, 06:03 AM
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California lady,
I am going to retire in Romania with my (Romanian) wife in a few years. We already bought a condo in Sibiu, and she has a house in a nearby village. You have given me a great idea for how to keep busy and make a few bucks when I get there-- I'm sure some folks wouldn't mind an American expat driver to show them the sights.
It's too bad I wasn't already there for your trip. Please post how your trip went and how you liked your drivers. We'd all benefit from your experience. Hope it went well!
PS it sounds like you had a great itinerary planned. Sleeping in each place more than one night is definitely the way to go. And arriving in a strange town well after dark is not! One last thing: Thursdays was right, it's a pity you didn't include Brasov on your trip; it really is worth it.
Dave B.
I am going to retire in Romania with my (Romanian) wife in a few years. We already bought a condo in Sibiu, and she has a house in a nearby village. You have given me a great idea for how to keep busy and make a few bucks when I get there-- I'm sure some folks wouldn't mind an American expat driver to show them the sights.
It's too bad I wasn't already there for your trip. Please post how your trip went and how you liked your drivers. We'd all benefit from your experience. Hope it went well!
PS it sounds like you had a great itinerary planned. Sleeping in each place more than one night is definitely the way to go. And arriving in a strange town well after dark is not! One last thing: Thursdays was right, it's a pity you didn't include Brasov on your trip; it really is worth it.
Dave B.
