In October 2006, our group of 4 completed a 16 day tour with Tours of Romania similar to the Best of Romania & Bulgaria itinerary! We found the extensive list of US references helpful and they also confirmed our later experiences! The tour combined cultural points of interest and places of natural beauty, the food was superb and the professional tour guides were a pleasure to spend time with and shared much of their customs and culture.  We'd use the same tour guides/agency again- in a heartbeat! Enjoy your adventure in a comfortable and safe environment!

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Dan was a wonderful guide. He is certainly well informed: consequently, we learned a great deal about your country. One characteristic that I really appreciated about Dan was his flexibility. I certainly appreciated his extra effort that enabled us to visit so many Jewish sites. My only recommendation would be to state the price in Romanian currency. Because of the different exchange rates, the lack of this information caused some minor confusion. Other than that, we had a fabulous time, and I would not hesitate recommending your company. Sincerely,

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Tours-Of-Romania is a company of experts in the region. Their tours are mostly tailor made to meet (and exceed) the needs of the mature American traveler. I have visited Romania twice - first time on business and later I returned with my wife for an extended tour. We just loved it. Our tour spelled quality, care, creativity and a learning experience. First cabin.

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Hi - You're quite right about how much we really enjoyed our trip. In terms of our guide, he was fantastic. Very, very accommodating and knowledgeable. He knew when to get us to certain places so that we didn't miss seeing things. At the same time he certainly gave me a plenty of time to take pictures without being rushed. In fact, he was able to give me some good suggestions in terms of places, etc. All in all, I'd highly recommend him to anyone else wanting a guide in Romania. Thank you for the wonderful adventure you planned for us.

"We started in Romania and spent 6 days traveling around the country. We arrived in Bucharest early evening, stayed one night at the Hilton and got a good night's sleep. That did the trick as we were ready to go early the next morning. We arranged for a driver guide to take us throughout the country as we didn't want to hassle with trying to drive ourselves. Based on the advice from several Fodorites, we worked with Andrei Nicolau Miclea in Bucharest nicolau34@yahoo.com and he was fantastic - easy to work with, very responsive and very reasonable.

Before heading out of town, our guide took us on a city tour of Bucharest. We were surprised by the amazing architecture, especially in the older sections of the city. We went on a tour of Ceausescu's Palace which was not finished before his death. It is a huge building that is now the Senate and Administrative building.

We then headed out of town to get to Sinaia before late afternoon so that we could tour Peles Palace. The landscape was beautiful as was the Palace. There was a new hotel, International Hotel, where we stayed and it was quite nice. On our way back to our hotel we stopped at Orthodox Monastery that was very interesting. It was the first Orthodox Monastery we visited.

The next day we visited several places in Transylvania. Our first stop was the Bran (Dracula's) Castle. It was fun and interesting actually seeing and touring a structure that has so much lore attached to it. Our guide gave us an official "lecture" on the folklore associated with Dracula along with the truths.

We saw many horse carts through the country, but especially in this area. Next stop was Brasov where we saw the old town that had houses in the German style and the Black Church that has a large collection of Persian rugs. We ended the day in Sighisoara, which is a world heritage site due to the upper town medieval citadel.

We spent two nights in the upper town and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was enjoyable to just sit around the square and enjoy the sights around us. The area was very manageable to walk around. This was one of our favorite spots. One evening, we ate dinner at Dracula's birth place. And, of course, we felt that it was only fitting to have a glass of "Vampire" wine while in Transylvania!

The next day we toured the area and stopped to photograph a gypsy market where they were selling/trading pigs and horses. It was fascinating. Most were in horse carts with wagons for the pigs, etc., but one of the most interesting sites was a Mercedes pulling a cart filled with pigs.

We also visited some interesting churches and towns in the area. I really enjoyed just driving through the country away from the main roads to see farmers using horses and wooden plows to till the soil.

The next day we headed to the northeastern part of the country to an area where they have painted Monasteries. I'd never seen anything like this. There are as many frescoes painted on the outside of the churches as the inside. It was amazing. We stayed at a new Best Western Hotel in this area which was quite nice and comfortable.

On our final day of touring we headed back to Bucharest for a farewell dinner and cultural performance. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Romania and were surprised at the many sites that we were not expecting. We covered a lot of ground in 6 days and were grateful that we didn't have to do any of the driving. I'm not a very adventurous eater, but I was always able to find something I liked. The salads were amazing. The lettuce/tomatoes tasted like it has just been picked in the garden.

There were times when we just wanted a quick sandwich for lunch. We found that there were many gas stations that had "fast food" restaurants which served pre-made sandwiches which really hit the spot. We much preferred this to sitting in a restaurant for an hour or more.

We flew to Krakow the next morning. I'll continue more later. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them.

I meant to post some of my Romanian pictures earlier and forgot. Just cut and paste this link in your browser, http://www.pbase.com/msallen/romania_in_2006 and it will take you to my site. Just clicking on the individual picture will increase the size so you can actually see it". 

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The trip was wonderful -we were very happy with Razvan - the guide, the sites selection, the accommodations and the meals. Thanks for setting this up for us. We have recommended a visit to Romania to several of our friends. I can't say when they will make the trip  -- but we have given positive comments to our friends. Kind regards,

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Our journey through your wonderful country was most enjoyable and rewarding. We thank you very much for the help you extended to us especially in customizing our tour. Our guide was a very intelligent, knowledgeable and amiable young man who contributed greatly to our sense of comfort and security. His interest and skills in photography were an additional and unexpected help. He certainly can be considered a very valuable professional. Best Regards,

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Our tour guide - Oty, was very nice and went out of his way to find restaurants and special experiences. The cart ride to the village during our home stay was certainly a highlight. We very much enjoyed the home stay. The lodgings were all fun and very good. We did like the Lido in Bucharest…….. Oty was very good and conscientious. My husband Bryed knew a lot about the history so some of the more technical historical questions were not a problem. Thank you very much,

-- Rosalie Baker and her group.

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Thank you for a great planning of our trip. Excellent pacing. We have enjoyed the Constanta and Black Sea trip.

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Andrei: I am attaching a copy of the mention of your services from my article as well as a copy of a reader letter which we ran in the same issue. (I will include the reader's letter on our website when I do the June update this weekend). Thank you again for making that portion of my trip the most positive part of my journey. Warm regards,

-- Beth Habian, ITN (International Travel News)

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We cannot recommend Andrei Nicolau highly enough. He is a wonderful guide and also very intelligent. We had always traveled on our own but felt in Romania we would need a guide and was not sure how it would be for 15 days. Well, it was truly an outstanding experience. We were in Romania May 1 to 15, 2004. Andrei's goal is to make his clients happy and to love Romania. He is extremely proud of his country and his knowledge of its history and also European history is extensive. My husband is a history buff and he and Andrei had wonderful discussions. He will alter your itinerary to meet your needs or if something interesting is happening to include that also. He is there to serve you. Andrei's English is excellent. He is a truly unique person and we know you will love your trip to Romania.

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Tours-Of-Romania tailored our trip to meet all our needs and saw that we experienced everything Romania had to offer. The tour guide had a new, large car. We give him the highest recommendation possible.

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Thank you for a great tour.

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Dear Sirs,

We have arrived well in Austria. We, my wife and I, have to thank you for the excellent preparation of our journey which became a highlight. Romania is really a very interesting country to travel with much history, many sights and really nice people. The hotels chosen were all good, the food was good. Our guide was one of the best. Due to his excellent introduction and knowledge of Romanian history, geography and traditions we really became fond of your country. We parted as friends. Thank you also for your farewell gifts and palinka (noroc!). Summary: we had a super journey and whenever somebody will ask us we'll be pleased to pass on your agency and also our guide as excellent. Best regards,

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Great job. Wonderful countryside. I loved Brasov and medieval Transylvania. Thank you.

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My husband and I visited Romania in November of 2003 after we e-mailed about 7 tour operators with the same request (dates, itinerary, etc). We made our decision based on the timely replies, the tour that was presented by each operator, the costs and the manner in which it was presented. There was something different about their responses and we felt good about our decision….we were not disappointed. The accommodations were superb, better than what we would have chosen. We compared the costs with the other operators and agreed that Tours-Romania had the best deal.

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In the summer of 2006 we took an independent 11 day "Romanian Rhapsody" tour organized by Tours of Romania tour operator. They specialize in small groups. We particularly enjoyed the well balanced itinerary and the amount of free time in almost all the locations. It was great living with the locals in the area of Maramures. Another highlight was the interactive egg painting demonstration in Bukovina.  Our tour guide was educated and charming and an excellent driver. Romania is a beautiful country with fantastic scenery and hospitable people. Thank you.

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We have greatly enjoyed our tour with you. Very good planning. The folklore show in Bucharest was a highlight. We will recommend Romania and your services to all our friends.

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My husband and I took a private tour of Romania with Tours-of-Romania.com in May 2004. In all of our correspondence and during the trip they were willing to accommodate to our needs. We have appreciated our tour guide, Andrei for his many skills: driving, historical knowledge and his easy manner. We have recommended Tours of Romania to everyone in our travel group.

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Together with my mother we've visited Romania in the summer of '06. We always enjoyed private tours as opposed to bus tours. We had a fantastic journey through Transylvania, Maramures and Bucovina and were able to understand Romania in depth: the traditions and people. We loved all the special features included in our trip and especially meeting local artists and the home hosted dinners. We think the special lectures are a bonus to the entire experience. Excellent quality. Thank you for making it possible for us. Sincerely,

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We were very pleased with our tour of Romania in September of 2006. The "Tours of Romania" program was very well planned, and we were very glad that we could be flexible and make changes at any time. We did make adjustments so that we could add other things, or spend more time somewhere, or visit a relative or two as we went along. Dan was an excellent guide and driver for us. All three of us had the highest opinion of his work -no negatives at all. He is good natured and very flexible. He did a great job of balancing the interests and abilities of all of us. We enjoyed his sense of humor and patience. September was a great time to visit Romania. We liked seeing all of the harvest work and the weather was comfortable. The people in the countryside were extremely friendly and we enjoyed the food. We took tons of photos and will have lots of good memories of our visit. Thank you.

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Our group of four spent 3 weeks in Romania and Bulgaria in the spring '06. Tours of Romania company organized the trip for both countries. The tour of both countries was excellent. The guides, each a native of their countries were excellent, organized and well informed. We highly recommend this tour.

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Thank you for all your planning and care, it was an excellent tour. It was a great learning experince to us.

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Once again, I wish to say Thank You for making our trip to Romania (home) so wonderful – everyone was very pleased with the tour and all had a great time.  There were many sad tears when we said good bye to each other – no one wanted the tour to end.   I am very happy to have contacted you to do this family tour for us – it was EXCELLENT!!!!!

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Roy and Rebecca thank you for putting our tour together and for the great choice of our tour guide, Adrian. We loved Maramures, the home stay, the folklore night and the people there. It was a treat to us. We will recommend Romania to all our friends.

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Wonderful trip. Thank you for all your help.

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After reading the book I was surprised to find your  ”Historian” Tour. Great idea. We loved it the tour.

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After checking over a dozen tour operators we have decided for the Romanian Rhapsody Tour of Compass Travel. We found this to be the most complete itinerary and the best value for money. We are retired travel agents and did appreciate your hard work and patience in customizing our tour. The fact that we could enjoy the company of Andrei – your tour guide, meant a lot for us. He did a wonderful job. Couple of months later we saw him on the Travel Channel talking about Romania. Thank you very much.

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Thank you very much for a great trip.

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Mihai, we would like to give you our feedback in regards to our recent Rhapsody tour of Romania. While we never really knew what to expect, the trip exceeded all our expectations. The fact that you guys personally check on all hotels you use makes a difference. We thought all our accommodations were really charming even though there are no elevators in Sighisoara. We appreciated you getting our rooms at the first floor. The highlight was our Maramures days. Send our regards to Ion, he is a great host and a great artist. Please thank his wife for her cooking. We also fell in love with Bucovina, the scenery there is heavenly and the service and rooms in the brand new hotel we stayed those two nights were really very good.

Our guide, Mirel, was excellent. His English is clear. He is fun and flexible and drives very carefully.

We believe you should include more than one day in Bucharest. We loved it even though it is hectic. Lots to see. We may be back in 09 with a Danube River Cruise from Budapest.

We thank you for your efforts with our booking on a relatively short notice. It really was a great trip !

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Wonderful scenery and a great trip. It was beyond our expectations. Romania has  bright future. Thank you. Sincerely,

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Mihai, just to let you know our  tour was exceptionally well organized. All hotels were very good and Adrian, our guide  who went the extra mile to make sure all our needs were met. We learnt so much about Romania and Bulgaria and had such an enjoyable time. What you call the cultural connections are really highlights of the trip. Please see some of the pictures we took. We will show it to people in our travel group. Keep up the good work. Thank you again,

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Hi Oty,

 

Now I am getting beck to you late.

 

Our tour was wonderful.  We never would have been able to see half of what we saw if we hadn't gotten a guide.

Doru was great.  He waited patiently for us at the airport even though he did not know that our plans had changed at the last minute and we were not only coming in on a later flight, but from a differnt city.  ( Our first flight out of Burlington, Vermont to Chicago was selayed several hours because of mechanical problems.  Our flight to Frankfurt had left Chicago before we ever left Burlington. All the later flights to Frankfurt were over booked.)   Thankfully Doru waited .  He explained everything to us along the way and answered all our questions. 

Dore was not only very professional, he was very concerned that we were comfortable and satisfied with what was planned for us.  In small towns he checked to see what other craft people might be available for us to visit.  In addition to what was on our itinerary we visited a weaver in Sapanta, who very graceously invited us into her house after she demonstrated her weaving.  We also visited Domna Pipash who shared her lace  and embroidery collections as well as her art.  She also took us into her home to see some of her and her husband's other collections.  We also saw a museum and war memorial that was not on our ininerary.

Doru also explained about some of the customs, funerals, weddings, etc.  There is no way we would have covered the miles , or found the crafts people, or understood any of the culture if we had not had a guide.

 

The accommodations were very good also.  The place we found, Grandma's House was charming, which is what we are used to when we travel.  The family stay in Maramures with Ioan and Sylvia was extremely comfortable.  They were very accommodating and even packed a lunch for us on the day we left.  I wish they would have spent a little more time with us, perhaps eating with us. 

 

Hilde's was very very nice and more luxurious than we are used to.  It is really like a 4 star hotel - very comfortable.  In Sinaia the Economat was very good for us.  The location was perfect since we were on a time schedule.  It was very clean, comfortable and had a lot of character. 

 

We also enjoyed the food.  There was a lot of variety.  Our favorites were stuffed cabbage rolls and for desert  papanash (?)

won the prize, hands down!!  We are addicted!!!

 

One other thing I forgot, instead of seeing only Voronet, we were able to see two other Painted Monasteries.  And one morething, Doru took us to a very busy interesting market.

 

We liked Doru a lot and would not hesitate to recommend him to others, and if we came back we would be happy to have him again.

 

We loved Romania and found the people very friendly.  In many countried, people do not like thier pictures taken, but in Romania, they appeared to love it.  It was always OK; they smiled and waved.  Often in the streets they came up to us and wanted to communicate.

 

I hope you get lots more business, and I hope Romania doesn't change too much.  It is very charming and down to earth.

 

Lots of good wishes to you.

Margaret

 

PS  Doru is also a very good driver.  He got us through the mountain pass in the snow. 

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