Romania is surely the most surprising country

Touring Romania with George was our first private tour of any country. It will be hard to go back to group touring from now on!

Prior to the start of our two week journey, George promptly and patiently put together an itinerary and 12 versions later we had s plan that took in some of the best sights Romania has to offer. Guide books published just this year were already out of date as Romania is very much on the move. Infrastructure including roads, railway, historic buildings, towns and villages are being modernised at a furious pace that even locals are sometimes astounded. George's recommendations included history and architecture steeped in Dacian, Roman, Mongol, Hungarian, Habsburg, Ottoman and Soviet influences. We really appreciated the incredible natural beauty in both the varied and huge population of birdlife in the Danube Delta, other wildlife including bears often visible from roads, and the huge beautiful Carpathian Mountain range that transcends the whole country. There are many impressive churches, monasteries, castles and homes amid such picturesque and vibrant towns and cites including Bucharest, Iasi, Sibiu, Alba Iulia, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, and Bran that easily rival their central European cousins but mercifully with much smaller numbers of tourists.
From the get go George picked us up from our hotel and catered to all our needs including our timetable (we are late starters!), travel SIM purchase, journey breaks and style of lunches. He always were very pleasantly surprised in his choice of accommodation including historical, grand, or boutique hotels and BnBs. On our tour George introduced us to a range of artisans around the country who used both time honoured and modern techniques to produce their crafts ranging from woolen mills still powered by water wheels to very delicate egg painting. While we often had time to explore on our own and soak up town or village life, dining in beautiful village squares, we also joined George at his friends' homes savouring genuine home cooked meals and being very welcomed. George was very knowledgeable on Romanian history and had a fascinating series of photographs of life, villages and buildings during the Soviet era often showing an incredible contrast with the same buildings or village squares today. Due to a prior commitment for the last part of our tour George handed us over to his brother, Gelu, also an accomplished guide. Gelu was very amiable, a keen hiker, and with an equal commitment and knowledge of his country.
Finally, and on a personal level, several weeks before I had fractured my arm and had it set elsewhere in Europe. George however did not think my arm was healing properly. At the end of our tour he arranged for Gelu to take me to his recommended orthopaedic clinic. The doctor confirmed the issue, and reset my arm. I was very happy on getting back to Australia several weeks later when an X-ray from my local doctor confirmed the break had healed perfectly! Such care and attention from your guide is priceless!

Ron M - Australia - June 2025