Forum category on Romania

I am planning a trip next year (2027).

I feel like both Romania and Albania are two up and coming destinations. I know Rick has no tours there, but we’ve had a number of questions on both recently. It makes searching for info so messy with no country specific categories.

We’re traveling to Romania in September.

I'm going to Romania later this month, but I'll be on a tour, so I'm not sure how much value I would have gotten from a separate category.

It would also be helpful if Beyond Europe was split into the categories of the other continents.

I went to Romannia a couple of times.

I agree that Romania should have its own forum. After all, Bulgaria does and I think that it’s a bit less traveled than Romania. I know that Rick has a tour there but still. I think the people going to Bulgaria often drift across the border to Romania and vice versa.

At the very least, they could add Romania to the Bulgarian forum.

I agree with Mardee about adding Romania to the Bulgaria forum, at the very least.

We are looking at Romania and Bulgaria for 2027, unless Morocco wins out. Or i can convince our travel partners to visit both.

I’ll be in Romania for ten days this April/May. I used this forum extensively in setting up my trip (thanks Mardee and TTM!), as well as Rick’s TV show on Romania. It would make sense to me to include a forum category for the country.

Thanks, ottawanderer! That Romania trip was a really good one! I may need another. Lol.

Romania maybe. Romania and Bulgaria? Never. Would be like Texas and California in one group.

@Wanderlust58,
Thank you for raising this subject with the webmaster, even though the outcome wasn't exactly positive. It is a bit, how to say it the right way, a bit confusing for me, how Romania and Bulgaria are viewed and promoted on all Rick Steves' channels. I am Romanian, and I worked with Rick Steves and his team in Bucharest 10 years ago, when they updated the Eastern Europe guidebook. I was a journalist before becoming a tour guide, so I like to think I can be pretty objective and form my opinions based on facts, not whimsical feelings or fake news.
This being said, I was surprised to learn that Bulgaria has more coverage than Romania. There is a tour of Bulgaria, a forum dedicated to Bulgaria, and more pages in the guide travel. From the touristic point of view, Romania has a more diverse landscape, a more diverse history and culture (Transylvania was inhabited by Romanians, Germans and Hungarians, while Dobrogea has an even more eclectic ethnic profile), the villages & towns have a more spectacular architecture and so on. Also, Romania is many times ahead of Bulgaria in terms of innovations, foreign investments and so on. Bucharest's International Airport is also better connected with Western Europe, which facilitates the long-haul flights to North America.
I would have, at least, created a sort of common travel forum or guidebook for these 2 countries. I would have also created a combined tour of Romania and Bulgaria, because I met so many tourists who had a Bulgaria Rick Steves' tour and decided to extend their stay to the neighbouring Romania. I have also got many requests for tours starting in Romania and ending in Bulgaria, because, as I said, it is convenient to arrive in Sofia and leave from Bucharest, or the other way around.
I don't know when the updates for Bulgaria & Romania are planned, it's going to be 10 years in May since the crew was in Bucharest the last time. But I hope that more and more people will put Romania on their travel list and that their inquiries will make the webmaster decide that Romania need a separate travel forum, like the rest of the European countries.
I am sorry if I exceeded the message length rule or if I said anything even slightly controversial when drawing parallels between Romania and Bulgaria. My intentions were just to raise some points I consider important.
Safe travels and enjoy your European adventures!

Ana Adamoae, I see you have contributed a little over the years. I am sorry you don’t do more because you are very good. I suspect as good with Switzerland too. I know its harder for you since there is no Romania forum to check in on, but if you put this in Google

site:ricksteves.com/travel-forum romania

it will take you to all the forum posts with Romania in the text. In the web browser tools, set the period to one week to filter out all the old stuff, then bookmark it so its one click away and you can be conveniently helpful.

Hi Ana, thank you for your thoughts on Romania!

As ottawanderer mentioned, I was one of those that was there recently for three weeks and loved every minute of it! It's an absolutely beautiful country, and the people are so warm and friendly and wonderful. I agree with TexasTravelMom that I would happily go back.

It's my understanding from what the Webmaster has said in the past that they are reluctant to add new forum categories quickly because once they are created, they are very hard to get rid of if they aren't being used. I understand that, but I really don't see how that would happen with Romania. It's just such a beautiful country and I don't see how anyone who goes there cannot help but love it. The fact that it's fairly inexpensive right now only adds motivation for many travelers.

Logistically, it can be a little difficult, as public transportation is weak in some areas, but I'm not sure that that would be too much of a deterrent. And the beauty of the country more than makes up for that, in my opinion. 😊

ETA: I was thinking about the idea of adding Romania to the Bulgarian forum, and the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Right now, that's where a lot of travelers are putting their Romania threads. If the Webmaster added Romania to the title, it's not really going to change much. His concern about it being underused and then having to be removed wouldn't really be an issue. Anyway, just my opinion. And what do I know? 😂

Ana Adamoae,
I would like to add that my husband and I spent 17 nights in Romania last September, and we loved every minute of our stay in your wonderful and beautiful country. We visited the painted monasteries of Bucovina, the wooden churches of Maramures, Transylvania, and Bucharest. We found traveling through Romania very easy. We had a rental car; my husband did all the driving; and it was easy. The majority of the roads are in good condition.

We had a wonderful dinner with TexasTravelMom and Mardee in Brasov, too!

We are going to Romania in September 2026 and seems anecdotally becoming more popular.

It would be a huge help to have a separate category, particularly in order to get feedback and comments on questions. I can search by keyword, but the category makes it that much easier for experienced travelers to notice our questions (as they are not necessarily searching the same way.) And for me to help others after my trip.

@Mr É 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇭🇺 Thank you for your kind words and for the tip on how to find the questions about Romania. Indeed, I would love to contribute more, but it's not easy since there's no dedicated forum. Also, I don't know about you, but I never get notifications when somebody replies to my comments or new comments are added to an existing topic. So I have to check on the website to see if there is a new activity.
Anyway, I am excited to see people want to visit or have visited my country and hope things will change for the better in the near future. Safe travels and enjoy your adventures!

@Mardee, It is such a pleasure to read your thoughts about my country. Indeed, once you get to Romania, no matter where in the country, it's hard not to fall in love. The problem is that not too many people get there to talk about it and spread the word, and our government has never seen the Romanian travel industry as a strategic one. This is why there's not much buzz about Romania as a travel destination in countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, or any Asian countries. Transylvania got its name out there because of King Charles, who loved it and bought several properties there since the early 2000's, and the infamous Count Dracula.
Getting back on the subject, I think your idea of adding Romania to the Bulgaria forum is a great start. I didn't know that many people asked their questions about Romania there. Maybe if you guys suggest this to the webmaster, they will reconsider the topic and rename the forum to include both countries.
Safe travels and enjoy your adventures!

@kmkwoo, That sounds amazing! Not too many travellers spend that much time in Romania. 17 nights allow you to travel and discover a great number of different regions of the country. I am not saying the whole country, because Romania is so diverse and its regions are so culturally, geographically, and historically unique that even 17 nights are not enough.
Good to hear about the driving; however, I want to underline that it may not be for everybody. Romanian drivers, especially those from Bucharest, who also use the main roads to different regions of the country, are quite aggressive and reckless sometimes. Also, having an international driving license - I think it's from AAA in the USA - is mandatory for renting cars in Romania.
Thank you again for the wonderful feedback about Romania. Hopefully, other people will follow your example to book a trip to my country.
Safe travels!

@Barb, I'd love to see a separate category for Romania, but it doesn't seem to be happening in the near future. Meanwhile, even adding Romania to the Bulgaria forum would be a great win.
If I may ask, what is your itinerary in Romania? Feel free to ask anytime for help with your planning, if you need. I'd love to contribute to your wonderful Romanian adventure. I think every traveller who loves their stay in my country can influence/convince at least another person to consider that destination for their future vacations. This is why it's so important for me to have as many happy travellers as possible because this is the best advertising a country can get.
Safe travels!

Thank you, @Ana Adamoae. I just posted our itinerary separately...the more Romania posts the better!

Romania Advice

We had a wonderful dinner with TexasTravelMom and Mardee in Brasov, too!

❤️❤️❤️ That was so good! The company was even better!

@Barb, that's a great idea. I was thinking about creating a topic myself, with some updates about Romania since the last info published by Rick Steves and his team dates back to 2016.
Thank you for being such a wonderful promoter of my country!

Ana, there are some people (besides me) who tend to go where it is easy to plan. I am trying to decide between Moldova, Romania, Estonia and Poland right now, and I am certain the location that is best represented by someone willing to work with me on the planning will get the business. Well, there are a few other factors, but that’s a huge one. So the more you contribute here and the more accurate detail you provide to questions the more help you will be to a lot of people.

@Mr É 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇭🇺, I agree, Romania is not winning lots of points on that, which is good and bad at the same time. Also, once you get to my country, it's not easy to understand our history, culture and traditions as it is in most of the Western European countries. Bucharest, for example. If one expects to see a very well-delimited historical centre (Old Town) with the oldest buildings/squares lined up and easy to visit, the reality couldn't be more different. Bucharest has several historical quarters, quite spread out through the city. The area advertised as the Old Town is one of those, if you ask me, not at all the most spectacular and not worth spending all your attention on it.
The architecture of the city is one of the most eclectic mixes one can find in Europe. We miss only 2 important historical eras - no Roman ruins and no medieval fortifications. Otherwise, if one studies architecture, a walk on one of Bucharest's streets takes one through all architectural styles.

Some tourists have a hard time understanding, only from reading materials or looking around, why Bucharest is like it is, why people act as they do, and why Bucharest feels like a city of contrasts. At least this is how I see it.
I guess this is also why I like to help as much and as often as I can to spread the word about my country.

Ana, what you say about Bucharest is interesting, but it doesnt provide a lot of pratical application for someone planning a trip.

Mr É 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇭🇺, You are right, I'll think about a way to transfer my knowledge into an itinerary people could use when travelling to BUcharest.

Excellent, Ana. We will be enjoying a week in Bucharest in August before heading out to Brasov and would love some ideas beyond normal guidebooks, especially about the revolution.

I will be traveling to Romania late this summer. Would be great to have a site on the forum where I could see and seek info on Romania as I prepare for my trip.

I think what Ana said about the size and scope of Bucharest was what surprised me most during my visit. Places of interest (and there are many) were spread out. Public transportation was good, and easy with a pass, but you had to figure it was going to take at least half an hour to get almost anywhere. (Note that Uber in Bucharest was good and affordable as well.)

I am not a city person but Bucharest was definitely intriguing - I could go back.

But the different areas of Romania provided real interest - and (for a non-tour person) made me very very glad I was in a car with Teo. I would have missed so much depth about the country as a whole.

Edit: I am linking our 3 trip reports here again, just to make them easier to find.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/trip-reports-on-romania-sept-2025

I will be traveling to Romania late this summer. Would be great to have a site on the forum where I could see and seek info on Romania as I prepare for my trip.

Jim, it's more difficult without a specific forum category, but not impossible. I don't know if you've used the search function on this forum, but it's relatively easy to use. It's not the greatest search engine, but it should give you enough to mull over while you're planning your trip. And you can make it as broad or as limited as you want. For example, when I just entered the word "Romania" into the search engine, I came up with a lot of forum posts but also many of the articles that Rick and his staff have written over the years.

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&filter=Travel+Forum&query=romania&utf8=%E2%9C%93

However, if you want to see forum threads only, click on the words "Travel Forum" under "Filter by Type". You can even narrow it down to threads that were generated in the last two years by using the "Filter by Date" option below that. That should give you quite a number of threads and articles to peruse.

Hi, Mardee. Yes, I am familiar with all of what you have suggested just now. Done so on various occasions and differing destinations. With much success. My post was primarily to voice support for a site for Romania on the forum, or for at least associating it with the Bulgaria site. Thanks,

@Wanderlust58, I am happy to hear your visiting Bucharest. August weather might quite hot and unpleasat. I have to say it's one of my least favourite months to be in Bucharest, because of the heat waves. However, the city is less busy and crowded because, like in other parts of Europe, families with children have their summer vacation. So, sometimes it feels like the city is yours to explore, if you are ok with hot weather. As for the off the beaten path suggestions, I'd like to know how much time you have in Bucharest and where you accommodation is located. This will help to narrow down the best places to go based on your time in the city and location. Otherwise, I might write a full novel about the hidden gems in Bucharest.

Hi Ana, We have a week in Bucharest. Our apartment is only described as in the city center, on Calea Victoriei. We’re ok with the heat, so no worries there. We move slowly, but are happy Uber users, so distances don’t generally stress us. I generally schedule one site/activity in the morning and one in the afternoon. We both like museums (ethnographic, history and art), street art, music, and learning about our hosts’ daily life (I’m a big fan of grocery stores!) government and politics. But, I’m also looking for ideas about things I wouldn’t see included in guide books —things that only local residents would know about. And, I’m definitely a big city girl. I look forward to reading your novel! My husband prefers the country and all that nature-y stuff, but that is ok, because we have a few weeks after Brasov to do that.

My post was primarily to voice support for a site for Romania on the forum, or for at least associating it with the Bulgaria site

Jim, that's great—thanks! I might try messaging the Webmaster and see if we can persuade him.

Wanderlust, Calea Victoriei it is a great street to be on. There's so much going on, and you can get just about any place from there. I stayed at an apartment just off Calea Victoriei when I was there at the end of my Romania trip and loved the location.

Bucharest does have a good bus system, but also has Uber although I used Bolt when I needed a ride as it was usually cheaper. Bolt is what I used to get to the airport on my last day there when I was heading to Budapest.

Time to get the Bolt app!

Here it comes my 'novel' about Bucharest. It's a huge text so I'll split it in several posts and hopefully I will not make the system crash. I have to say that this is a mere attempt to cover centuries of a very tumultuous and complicated history of a city that has quite a generous footprint.
I invented a sort of a system to label the different historical areas of Bucharest in a way that may be easier to understand/remember for people who are coming from countries outside Europe. I used some Romanian names to refer to some areas of the city because I know that the city maps sometimes have the Romanian names and not the English translations.
Keep in mind that the best way to discover and understand the city is by walking and using public transport - the subway network covers a lot of the places I have mentioned. Where not, feel free to get there by Uber or Bolt or by bus/trams. One more thing, my presentation is not exhaustive and doesn't even come close to what can be discovered during a guided tour.
However, I am confident it will be a useful information for those of you who plant to visit Bucharest. I'll start in a sort of a chronological order and hope it won't be too messed up when I hit enter to these several comments.

A beginner’s guide. How to grow discover and understand Bucharest

The Mahalas and the Old Town

 Medieval Bucharest can be hardly seen today because of a series of reasons, from foreign invasions to natural disasters. Its footprint was quite small compared to the city’s current layout and it only partly covered what is known today as the Old Town, Calea Victoriei, Unirii, Universtate and Romana squares. Often times, the innkeepers set shop further and further away from the city’s limits because of the high taxes they had to pay. Once an inn was up and running, it took only a short time until houses were built around them and the mahalas (Turkish word of Arab origins meaning quarter) were born. As a consequence, the Bucharest’s limits changed, these mahalas became part of the city and the innkeepers had to start all over again. Not many of these mahalas survived the invasions, natural disasters and, more important, Nicolae Ceausescu’s demolition spree. Most of them were demolished and the communist working-class huge apartment buildings were built instead. For example, we can still visit parts of the Cartierul Armenesc (Armenian Quarter) where is located one of the oldests private houses in town (Melic House 2nd part of the 17th century now a museum). Obor was one of the very famous mahalas but we cannot see anything from its former glory. However, the farmers market is still there, but surrounded by communist apartment buildings and located in a very modern construction.
 The so-called Old Town – this area has a few medieval ruins, all gathered in the Curtea Domneasca museum (where Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler and not to be confused with Count Dracula 😊 had his court while ruling Wallachia mid 1400s). Stavropoleos Monastery, a beautiful gem from early 1700s, and Manuc’s Inn (an impressive early 1800s caravanserai built by an Armenian merchant, diplomat and double spy) are two other important sites not to be missed in this area.

The Belle Epoque or Little Paris era of Bucharest
 Dealul Mitropoliei – Palatul Patriarhiei was built in the early 1900s to replace the old Parliament building. Communists used it to host their party meetings and the circular meeting hall was replicated, at a huge scale, in Nicolae Ceasescu’s gigantic governmental building not far from this hilltop. Now this entire area is used by the Romanian Orthodox Church.

 Calea Victoriei – the spinal column of the Belle Epoque age of Bucharest – The Royal Palace now the National Art Museum, The Athenaeum, The Carol 1st Foundation now the University Library, Grand Hotel du Boulevard, the Military Circle, Capsa Brasserie where the intellectuals, the artists and the rich classes of Bucharest spent their time 2nd part of 19th century, CEC Palace – first saving bank in Romania, Post Headquarters now the National History Museum of Romania

 Cismigiu Garden and Queen Elisabeth Boulevard – Cismigiu is the oldest park in Bucharest, whose design replicates the English gardens, and is guarded by beautiful old mansions and one of the oldest and most prestigious highschools in the city, Gheorghe Lazar College. The boulevard is the first modern boulevard of Bucharest, as famous and beautiful as Calea Victoriei. The Bucharest Town Hall is located on this street, right in front of the main entrance into the Cismigiu Garden. The members of the Royal Family and the elites of Bucharest spent their free time (and they had a lot, as you can imagine) both at the cafes, restaurants and hotels lining up Calea Victoriei and Queen Elisabeth Boulevard.

 University Square named after the University of Bucharest, located right there, is another major historical landmark of the city. Its history reflects both of the Belle Epoque and the communist past of Bucharest. It was one of the several squares where people revolted and got shot during the tragic events in December 1989. The building of the University still bears some of the bullet marks caused by the armed conflict between the military supporting Ceausescu and the students who were protesting against the regime.

 Cotroceni quarter – The neighbourhood started to take this shape 2nd part of 19th century, especially after the Royal Palace of Cotroceni was built for our 2nd royal couple. Nowdays, the Romanian President works inside Cotroceni estate, but in the wing built at Ceausescu’s request. When you visit the old wing, where King Ferdinand and Queen Mary resided, you can get a glimpse of where our President works too.

 Kiseleff Boulevard – Arch of Triumph, late 19th – early 20th century impressive mansions now used by many embassies, Kiseleff park split in 2 by the boulevard. This area was outside the city’s limits until 1930s. It’s the only street in Bucharest named after a Russian officer. During the Russian-Ottoman War early 19th century, Count Pavel Kiseleff, a career Russian officer, was the governor of Wallachia and Moldavia and lived in Bucharest. Before he went back home, the local authorities offered to built him a statue, but Kiseleff declined the offer and asked for the money to be used for the general benefit of the city. Hence the new impressive boulevard that prolonged the Calea Victoriei further north.

 Victoriei Square – the northern limit of Bucharest until 1930’s had different layout until the end of WW2. The current headquarters of our Prime Minister and his cabinet (Victoria Palace) was shadowed until late 1940’s by a very bizare and impressive private mansion that was demolished after the war. The streets behind Victoriei Palace are packed with impressive estates and beautiful private homes, most of them built before WW1. The streets were renamed after the communist regime fell and they make reference to important capitals and different countries around the globe.

The Communist past of Bucharest
 Contrasts of the communist regime - Obor area, Primaverii quarter and the Civic Centre

The working-class neighbourhoods were packed with grey dull 10 storey apartment buildings, in which 4 tiny units were designed per floor. Obor area is a good example, not far from the central areas of Buchares and has the best and one of the oldest farmers market in town.
Meanwhile, the communist elites were designed luxurious apartments in the new Civic Centre, some of them like the modern penthouses. If you walk from Constitutiei Square, in front of the Parliament Building to the end of Unirii Boulevard, at Alba Iulia Square, you’ll see those special apartment buildings and understand that some people were more equal than others.

Another important example is Primaverii Quarter, where both our communist leaders lived with their families, along with all the communist dignitaries and elites. This quarter was built in 1930s for the Electrical plant workers, but the war put a hold on it. When the communist took the power in 1948, our first leader decided to take over the entire project and make these houses luxurious and fit for a proper communist dignitary. In 1965, when Ceausescu came to power, he chose to live in the villa built for his predecessor, who died right before moving in. By the end of 1980s, Primaverii quarter was a communist stronghold, the street on which Ceausescu lived being guarded by the military day and night. No pedestrians were allowed to walk there unless they lived down that street.

 Parliament Building, meant to host Ceausescu and his wife offices, the entire communist government and the structures of the Communist Party, stands on top of what was for more than a century a very interesting old neighbourhood of Bucharest. Uranus quarter was bigger in size than Venice, in Italy, but less than 10% of it survived Ceausescu urbanistic vision. Walk around the area on the right side of Constitution square, having the Parliament building behind your back. There you’ll discover some hidden gems hid in plain sight as Antim Ivireanul Monastery, built around 17th century and partially moved on wheels to make room for the new Civic Centre project, and a few houses built around 1800s.

 Jewish Quarter, located behind Unirii Shopping Center – a very small percentage of this once thriving neighbourhood survived from Ceausescu demolition spree. If the 1989 Revolution would not happen, everything behind Unirii Shopping would have been demolished and the whole Jewish Quarter would have been completely wiped out.

I am loving catching up on this thread!

Ana, what a wonderful write up about the read of Bucharest! I had to stop and pull my map up again and compare your descriptions to where I went. It added depth to where I went and gave me incentive to go back to see some areas I missed! (I just looked at some pictures of the architecture in the Cartierul Armenesc.)

Wanderlust58, I am not sure where Mardee’s last apartment for 2 nights was near Calea Victoriei, but I spent a week in an apartment directly on the street a couple of blocks from the Museum of Art Collections. It is an absolutely lovely area, with a walk of a few blocks to some of those grand buildings Ana describes. There were a couple of bus routes down the street and many more connecting within a 5-10 min walk of my apartment. Just for my trip, I found I ended up taking busses more often from Bulevardul Nicolea Balcescue - only ended up on the metro once.

I didn’t use a car to get to or from the airport, but my experience within town was that Bolt wasn’t significantly cheaper than Uber within town (although I know that is sometimes the case). I think I only used it three times, though - once to the train station (it was raining), and once to and once home from Parliment Square because the normally easy bus routes were changed because of the music festival that week. I did find the bus from the airport to the city easy to use. I bought a weeklong paper ticket but upon a return, I would do what Mardee did and buy one through the app.

kmkwoo, dinner in Brasov was such a fun time! I love meeting new forum friends and comparing experiences!

TexasTravelMom Thank you, much appreciated. I could have add a few more areas that are worth seeing, but I am afraid it would have gotten out of control. In the end, not so many people plan a full week or even more than 2 nights in Bucharest. An yes, I agree that people should read my text with an open map of Bucharest right next to it. Otherwise, I would make it much easier to make a plan where to go, what to see and why it looks like that. There are many guided tours that cover one or more sections of the guide I wrote. I would highly advice travellers to take at least one private guided tour while in Bucharest. It will put things in a better and more complex context.
I always nicknamed Bucharest the city of contrasts and said it is a perfect outdoor crash course on architecture because you can learn so much just walking on one street.

Ana, excellent. Now bookmark it and when someone has a question where this will help its easy to direct them. I really do think that a lot of folks navigate to where the solutions are easiest to develop and this is how that occurs.

Thank you, I'll do that.

Hi Ana, I can’t thank you enough for your wonderful contributions about Bucharest. Next step for me is to find a good map of Bucharest and start laying out an itinerary. Your posts will help me immeasurably to do that. Thanks very much.