Transylvania - has anyone been there?
Dec 12th, 2001, 02:06 AM
#4
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The chief Dracula sites vary. Bran Castle is heavily restored, and tarted up for tourists. His town house in Sighisoara is now a restaurant, and fairly good for atmosphere. The higher Carpathians have wolves, and an evening train journey at full moon through forest stirs your imagination.<BR><BR>Once you're in Romania you'll probably want to widen your range, to other places that are old and romantic. There's a fine large 15th century castle at Hunedoara and two walled tricultural cities at Sighisoara and Sibiu.<BR><BR>Sibiu has a fine old hotel, the Imperatul Romanilor, the Roman Emperor, with a good restaurant and low rates.<BR><BR>A good start on net would be three guide books, http://www.inyourpocket.com, a tenth of the text of the Lonely Planet guidebook: http://www.lonelyplanet.com, then "Destinations" and "Postcards", and the same for the Rough Guide: http://travel.roughguides.com/<BR><BR>Please write if I can help further<BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR> <BR><BR>Ben Haines, London<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
Dec 12th, 2001, 08:42 PM
#5
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We spent a little over a week in Romania in the beginning of May last year. It was absolutely marvelous and we loved every minute of it. It is obviousoy off the beaten tourist track, and the Romanians were so welcoming. Other than the beggars, we did not feel that we were American tourists just waiting to be ripped off as we have in other countries. WE traveled to Transylvania, Bucovina and the Maramures areas and wished we had had more time in the country. We flew into Budapest and rented a car there. We had no problems with driving there even though much of the info we had read said not to drive. The only other Americans we saw were in the fanciest hotel in town in Sibiu (they were on a tour) and when we met the local Peace Corps volunteers in the Maramures. A caution however, if you go to Romania don't expect a high level of tourist services. Do not go unless you are very flexible, are not expecting gourmet meals and are willing to live with different tourist standards than many people are accustomed to. However, if you are truly interested in learning about and living in a different culture, then Romania is quite a gem. e-mail me about specifics if you have further questions.
Dec 14th, 2001, 06:41 PM
#6
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I lived in Sibiu (Transylvania) for five months last year and was magnificent. I recommend it to everyone. I cannot understand why this country is such underrated even by people from Fodor's. There are not so many books about Romania and none about Transylvania and Sibiu, an area that has so much to offer. Moreover, the cost of travel is so low. The services are excellent if you find the right hotel and restaurant. If you like, I can send you more details by e-mail.
