Romania is a wonderful country to visit and having a local Romanian guide helps you get the most out of your vacation.
Romania as a travel destination satisfies every traveler need from beautiful nature tours to urban exploring. The country is rich in history, architecture and natural wonders. But this diversity can seem overwhelming when trying to decide exactly what to put on your must-see Romania list. Furthermore, if you don’t want your vacation to be just one-stop after another to the most popular attractions, but a deeper dive into the culture and local way of life, a local Romanian guide is just what you need.
Although one might think that a DIY type of itinerary is more budget-friendly, in actuality, having a local guide by your side can give you a better bang for your buck. Also knowing the Romanian currency helps.
Local Romanian guide – an insight into the authentic Romanian way of life
Romania’s charm is all in the beautifully preserved old way of life. In rural Romania, locals maintained their way of life for centuries. These are places that kept traditions, crafts and even day to day habits as authentic and as original, as they once were.
The mountain villages of Magura and Pestera not only look idyllic but are a window into the past. The villages in Maramures amaze with their specific architecture and local artisans. But beyond what you can see, the real treasure lies in what you can hear. The stories of the elderly, prayers and local chants, songs that depict their day to day life while harvesting, this is what a local Romanian guide can provide you access to.
Moreover, Romania has rich local folklore with stories and traditions that can be understood and enjoyed at its fullest only by learning about its origins. A local Romanian guide will give you the insight of that lovely mix of pagan symbols mixed with the Orthodox religion and adapted to the specifics of the area.
These stories and knowledge are what you will cherish most at the end of your Romanian vacation. Maybe even more than the beautiful photos.
And this ties with the next point:
Access to authentic or one of a kind experiences and local food
Probably you don’t imagine your Romanian vacation eating pizza and listening to international hits. While there are a lot of restaurants with Romanian food, a local Romanian guide can point you in the right direction for a more authentic choice. Be it a family-owned guest house that serves locally sourced and region-specific meals, or street food kiosks with local meats and cheese directly from the farmers, it will definitely delight your taste buds.
A good local Romanian guide will also help you choose amazing experiences that you can not have anywhere else: sleeping in an ice hotel, bird watching while boat riding on the Danube Delta’s canals, trying a hand on pottery in a local artisan’s shop, spending Holloween Night at Dracula’s Castle, etc.
Avoiding tourist traps
At the beginning of the article, we were saying that a good Romania local guide can improve your travel budget. And this translated well in helping you to avoid tourist traps. Continuing with authentic experiences, the last thing you need is another Dracula mug that is made in China bought at a Dracula theme park that has nothing to do with the real deal.
Romania has many great artisans that sell incredible artwork or traditional food in local fairs and around the major tourist attractions. But alongside them, there are also numerous booths with imported replicas (knockoff traditional blouses, ceramics, woodworking). These are a waste of money at best, and a health risk at worst. A local guide will point you in the right direction.
A better way to maximize your travel time
Romania is best experienced at a slow pace. Being such an eclectic mix of attractions, it can become overwhelming and a constant run from one place to another. If you’re short on time, it’s even more difficult to plan not knowing exactly how long you should spend in each place and how to get from one place to the other efficiently.
While getting around Bucharest is fairly uncomplicated, getting out of the city or reaching the mountains if one does not speak Romanian can be quite an adventure. In addition, hiking in the Carpathian Mountains safely does require rigorous planning.
A local Romanian guide helps with all that. He knows the best hours for visiting certain attractions, which is truly a must-see and how to organize your schedule so that you can get the most out of it. And while you’re at it, make it suit your needs and interests.
Customized tours to suit your needs
There is no need to spend hours in a museum if you are an active traveler that likes to pack boots and hiking poles. Also, if you dream to learn more about the Communist era and how it impacted modern day Romania, maybe the seaside is not the best place.
With this in mind, we highly recommend a local guide to point you in the right direction.
Whether you are searching for a cultural tour, are more into nature and wildlife exploration, in need of a multi-day tour to make the most of your vacation or just a quick day tour from Bucharest, we are here to help you organize it.
We can customize any tour to suit your needs and interests. Just drop us a line and we will start planning your dream vacation together.
