Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Interested to hear about those who've been. On my next trip to Europe (maybe next year if I'm lucky) I plan to include Romania in my itinerary (maybe be there for about 7-8 days). What are the must see sights if I only have a week?
I'm interested in Romania for it's scenery, history, architecture and it's quaint villages which are still sort of stuck in another era (in a good way), and the fact it just is more mysterious (yes even the name 'Transylvania' is so evocative, vampires aside) compared to Western Europe.
I've never been to Eastern Europe before, so am wondering about general things like cost but also transport and ease of travelling. Firstly, would you recommend a tour or is it pretty easy to travel free and easy? I'm mostly thinking about how to get to the main sights, especially if they're in small towns/rural areas, are there frequent/cheap buses to these areas? And once there is it easy to get around using transport/foot/bicycle?
Would you say the people are friendly? How many people know basic English there? How much would I be looking at spending if I stayed in budget accommodation, took local transport, ate at medium priced restaurants.inc entrance fees?
It depends on what you're interested in, and when you'll be going. In the summer, you can visit traditional folk festivals around Transylvania. If you're into hiking, there's a big national park in the western mountains in Transylvania, with local guest houses to stay in.
One highly recommended place to visit is the ski resort town of Sinaia. It's a beautiful town, and King Michael's palace is at one end of town, a really beautiful building and complex. There was a time when the main palace was open to tourists as a museum. Not sure if that's still the case. From there you can take a bus to see Dracula's castle (the real thing, not some tourist mock-up) in Brasov.
If you'll only be there a week, you won't have time to cover much ground. I'd suggest you focus on the Transylvanian "capital", Cluj, a university town (there should be plenty of people there who speak English). From there you can take a bus out to the mountains for hiking and local culture. How to get to Sinaia from there? IDK, maybe there are flights from the airport in Cluj. But the region around Cluj would keep you busy for a week.
Also look up Vladeasa Mountains, and the village of Rachitele, for photos, places to stay, hiking trails. Bus from Cluj to Huedin (hoo-ye-DEEN), then transfer from there (a few hours' wait) to a bus to Rachitele. It's in the middle of a national park.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 02-27-2014 at 11:48 AM..
Roughly the 3rd weekend in July is the Maidens' Fair in the mountains. This is a traditional festival when marriageable girls would be shown off, dancing, and displaying other skills (playing alpine horns, displaying their stitchery, etc.) Google "Targ de Fete, Muntii Apuseni" or "Targ de Fete, muntele Gaina" for photos. There are also youtube videos of this. Traditional crafts are demonstrated and are for sale. People from the villages all around the area attend in traditional dress.
The fair is in an area south of Cluj, nearest city: Alba Iulia.
The town closest to the fair is Avram Iancu. Here's a hotel there, to give you a general idea. http://www.vidradesus.ro/cazare-vale...ocalizare.html
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 02-27-2014 at 11:45 AM..
Thanks Ruth...I actually have a couple of friends in Romania, which is one reason I'd like to maybe visit them for awhile. If so maybe I would extend the time I spent there. I really have no idea what are the must see sights, I've looked at some itineraries and Brasov and Sibiu are mentioned, of course I'll be going to Bucharest, and the villages...
What is the best place to see wild bears in Romania (from a safe distance!)?
There are castles all over the place, if you're into history. Roman ruins in Cluj. In the NE of the country there are villages with medieval churches covered with frescos on the outside and inside. (Any Romanian tourism site will show that.)
You can look up the threads that are full of photos and videos of Romania, if that would help. There are a few vids of the Bucharest area.
There are castles all over the place, if you're into history. Roman ruins in Cluj. In the NE of the country there are villages with medieval churches covered with frescos on the outside and inside. (Any Romanian tourism site will show that.)
You can look up the threads that are full of photos and videos of Romania, if that would help. There are a few vids of the Bucharest area.
No national parks? Well I read Romania had the largest population of bears and wolves in Europe and it was comparatively easy to see them. I've also spoken to someone who travelled there and saw bears.
Yes, I know Carpathian posts a lot of those...hope he'll respond to this thread lol.
No national parks? Well I read Romania had the largest population of bears and wolves in Europe and it was comparatively easy to see them. I've also spoken to someone who travelled there and saw bears.
Yes, I know Carpathian posts a lot of those...hope he'll respond to this thread lol.
I was just wondering what the Europe forum was lacking - and here you pinpointed it. We need more posts about Romania from Carpathian. He has been remiss these last several months.
No national parks? Well I read Romania had the largest population of bears and wolves in Europe and it was comparatively easy to see them. I've also spoken to someone who travelled there and saw bears.
Yes, I know Carpathian posts a lot of those...hope he'll respond to this thread lol.
I said they don't have game parks, like in Africa, where you can go on a photo safari and be guaranteed to see big animals. I've never heard about being able to just drop by and see some bears.
Where in Romania are the friends you want to visit? You're not making it easy to recommend a good side trip for you. Do we have to drag it out of you? lol
I said they don't have game parks, like in Africa, where you can go on a photo safari and be guaranteed to see big animals. I've never heard about being able to just drop by and see some bears.
Where in Romania are the friends you want to visit? You're not making it easy to recommend a good side trip for you. Do we have to drag it out of you? lol
I haven't heard of anything like that, but I'll leave it to Carpathian.
Remember, though--where there are bears, there are also wolves. o.0
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
