Transylvania: Exclusive Castles & Carpathian Legends

WOW! My husband and I just returned from a week long Transylvania tour with Gelu, and I can not say enough good things about him or the tour! We had the most amazing week and explored some of the most amazing places in the world! Corvin Castle, Bran Castle, Peles Castle, many fortifications and churches…we saw so many incredible things! Gelu was the absolute best tour guide we could have asked for. He is so knowledgeable on all Romanian history and has such a love for his Country! His enthusiasm is contagious and it made exploring the country so much more fun for us! Visiting in December was absolutely perfect! The Christmas Markets in Sibiu, Cluj, and Brasov were all amazing, and added to the magic of our vacation. This was our first international trip and Gelu made it so easy from start to finish, and we were completely comfortable for the entire trip. If you are thinking about a trip to Romania, just DO IT! And use Gelu as your tour guide! You will be glad you did! Romania is an absolutely beautiful country with so many incredible things to see! This was a vacation for our 10 year anniversary, and I couldn’t have imagined a more amazing way to celebrate! Thank you Gelu for the absolute trip of a lifetime!

Transylvanian Private Tour 5 days / 4 nights I arranged a private group tour with SC Best Transylvanian Tours SRL. Our guide, Gelu Trandafir and his brother George who run the tour company were extremely helpful from start to finish, recommending an itinerary and hotels to fit in with our Transylvanian travel plans. On arrival in Bucharest we were met by Gelu and driver to start our walking tour of the capital. We then drove to Sinala to visit Peles Castle, an imposing historic building built by the first King of Romania, finishing off in Braşov and walking tour of the old town. Day 2. A mountain drive to visit Bran (Dracula) Castle, which has a very interesting history. Then onto Viscri, one of a handful remaining former ethnic German Transylvanian Saxon villages. King Charles 111, purchased and restored a beautiful home here in 2006, known as the King’s House which is now a training centre and open to the public. Then onto Sighisoara and walking tour of the citadel. Day 3. Visits to Mălâncrav village, where time almost stood still. Onto Biertan and stop at Alma Vii for a traditional lunch in this interesting remote village and stay at Sibiu for 2 nights. Day 4. A lovely drive along the foothills of the Carpathian Mountain to visit Bâlea lake, with a cable car ride to 2,034 m altitude, chalet lunch stop and then a short mountain path walk via the 1 km tunnel built for the former President Nicolae Ceausescu. Once through the tunnel, amazing Mountain View’s and the Transfagarasan Highway. This tunnel and highway featured in the Top Gear, Romanian Road Trip. On the way back to Sibiu we stopped off to visit the spectacular ruins of Carta Abbey, finishing off the day stopping off at a lovely country refreshment stop. Day 5. Before returning to Bucharest we drove through the Oltului Valley to Curtea de Arges “Royal Town” to visit this impressive monastery, the burial places of several Kings and Queens. Finally, whether you’re staying on in Bucharest or if you have a departing evening flight, plan a visit to Therme Spa. Spend a few hours relaxing, have fun and well-being in the in/out door thermal water pools with 5 international cuisine areas. Situated 15 minutes from the airport. Dougie Skilbeck.

No words to describe how beautiful Romania is. Everything was wonderful! Our guide Gelu provided us an amazing experience. An high qualified and cultivated guide, with great capacity to adapt, that took care of all the details. If you want to discover a surprising country Gelu is the right person to show you all its beauties

Transylvania was a fantastic experience. Geru did everything he could to ensure that our experience was memorable. He went above and above. One instance was when we wanted to go to a shopping mall and he took us there and after shopping he came back to show us the bus stop we needed to take even though this was not on our itinerary. A very down-to-earth person. Keep your excellent work. Thanks

Gilu is an exceptional guide. Gilu introduced us to so many kind, generous and skilled every day Romanians. A lovely family in Maramures with their delicious meals and kind hospitality. A Bucovina widow who put her heart into creating decorative eggs for Easter. Stunning churches, monastaries and retreats. The picturesque village of Sibiu. If you enjoy nature, Gilus does not disappoint. Our group saw many stunning mountain ranges and lake sights, too. We'd highly recommend Transylvanian Tours! Gilu is caring, fun and informative!

Last year, we have brought our extended family to Romania and included a 6 day Transylvanian tour, having Gelu as our guide. We had a fabulous time, he was very knowledgeable, entertaining and helped us built wonderful memories. Well done Gelu, we will definitely come back!

For a few years we wanted to take a tour in Romania. Listening to our ideas, Gelu has concocted a splendid journey passing through beautiful alpine landscapes (Creasta Cocosului, Transfagarasan, Lacul Balea, Lacul Capra, Cheile Zarnestilor) as well as cities full of history (Sighetu Marmatiei, Sighisoara, Sibiu, Brasov) and authentic places (villages of Maramures, fortified churches). His knowledge of the place and our hosts, so welcoming, his historical and cultural comments peppered with humor, made us have an exceptional holiday. The next trick is already in our thoughts. Once again thank you to Gelu and Vlad, the driver, for this magnificent trip that became a tour with friends rather than with a tour guide. If you want to discover more about Romania, its history, culture and beautiful landscapes, go there with your eyes closed, you will not be disappointed!