Romania?

A driver could be a good way to maximize your time and sightseeing opportunities, especially if you might not speak Romanian. My one experience with the country was back in 2004, when we took a night train from Bulgaria to Bucharest, just to catch a cheap plane to Venice. We arrived in the morning, had time to get some money from an ATM and get breakfast, then walk around a bit before catching a bus to the airport.

The sidewalks back then were crumbling, uneven, and frankly, pretty dangerous and unnerving. Our Bulgarian friend had joked that we'd feel like millionaires when we got money out of an ATM, as a single Romanian leu was worth so little back then, the denominations on the ATM bills were huge!

Breakfast was good, as I remember, and we were able to order it with a little help from our Lonely Planet guidebook. Haven't made Romania a priority for a return visit, so far. If you go, hope you have a great trip!

Hi Ann,

I will try to provide some help below. Hope you will find it useful. As a side note, It's interesting to see that Romania is the only European country not covered on Rick's web site.

Romania has 4 main regions: Moldova (North-East), Dobrogea (South-East), Walachia (South) and Transylvania (West). Personally I like Transylvania and the northern part of Moldova the most. The people are very friendly, especially in the rural parts of the country.

The northern part of Moldova is known for the number and interesting Orthodox churches which I think no one should miss to visit. The internet should have tons of information regarding that. Transylvania is extremely interesting due to history and the impact of various nationalities: Romanian, German, Hungarian, Serbian and Turkish. Both the northern Moldova and Transylvania are very beautiful regions (gorgeous hills and mountains). B&B would be something I would definitely go for considering the great taste of Romanian food and that most of the food in the country side is organic.

Cities that I would recommend not to miss when visiting Romania are: Bucharest (the capital), Brasov, Sinaia, Sighisoara, Cluj, Timisoara, Sibiu, Iasi. It goes w/o saying that you don't want to miss the Bran castle (known as Dracula's castle), Peles castle (in Sinaia) and Corvin castle close to Hunedoara. There is a lot of history and culture to learn about in Romania.

Trains are very cheap compared to North America or the rest of Europe however I would recommend to use the ones called "InterCity". They are faster, cleaner and more comfortable than the rest of the trains. If you decide to go for a driver, make sure it is hired by a reputable travel company.

Hope that helps.

P.S. I forgot to mention that if you like the beach, the Black Sea's coast in Dobrogea province is something you might want to visit even though Varna region in Bulgaria is more beautiful.

Covinnus Travel might have been my reference. Good people. But do you want a driver or a guide with a car? as they are two different things.

Romania is the only European country not covered on Rick's web site.

No it isn't.

The UK (United Kingdom) isn't either.

How are you entering Romania? Flight to Bucuresti? Train/car from Budapest?

I don't think you would need a driver unless you would also elect to have a driver if travelling elsewhere in Europe. There are also decent train connections between most of the highlight destinations.

With 10 days, I suggest that you focus on Bucuresti and Transilvania.

Bucuresti (2 nights)
-Sinaia (Peles Castle)
Brasov (2 nights)
-Sighisoara
Cluj-Napoca (2 nights)
-Alba Iulia
Sibiu (2 nights)
-Hunedoara (Corvin Castle)
Timisoara (2 nights)

Or, do it in reverse if you are coming from Budapest.

You can connect this route by train or by car on decent highways (and some freeways). [Though you need a bus from Deva to Corvin Castle if you go by train]. I did the reverse of this route (coming from Budapest) by car last summer without problem.

Though I do speak some Romanian, you can get around all these places speaking only English.

Timisoara and Cluj have airports (check out wizzair.com) with connections throughout Europe and direct train connections to Budapest and Bucuresti.

I bounced around Romania for 2-1/2 weeks last year, mostly by bus and train, but also taking a 2-day trip through Maramures from Cluj-Napoca and a day-trip through Bucovina from Suceava. Almost forgot: I took a taxi from Sinaia to Brasov because nothing else was going to work for that day's plans. The trains seemed pretty reliable but were very slow--roughly 30 mph, as I recall.

Buses were about the same speed (could be faster than a bad train routing), but in many cases there was an odd-to-me requirement that you reserve a place on the bus ahead of time by telephone, not in person at the station or on-line. Awkward. I was lucky to happen upon a tourist office staffer and a bus-station employee who were willing to make calls for me. I think a lot of tourists would be uncomfortable with that process.

I'm guessing a car and driver in Romania might be fairly reasonable in price, so it could be worth considering for two or more people traveling together. Limiting overnights away from the driver's home could help contain the costs.

I wouldn't have been able to see Maramures (wooden churches) and Bucovina (painted monasteries) if I hadn't found small-group tours running at times that worked for me. And most people don't have enough vacation time to risk going to a provincial city in hopes of being able to find onward transportation.

Romania is a relatively easy country to see by car. I spent a couple weeks there a few years ago. Rented a car at the airport in Bucharest and saw lots of small villages, countryside, as well as all the tourist areas. It is a beautiful country and we had no problem with hotels even though we did not have any reservations except the last night. Signage was good and I do not remember getting lost... even though it took us a few days to get a good map. We did not bring one and finally found one at a gas station, but I would bring my own next time.