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Great reading this article and knowing, like you, that we are not the only ones to feel that way about Romania!
It’s one of those countries where we think “you know, maybe we should go back, there’s so many other pretty places to visit” but then we remember the people and lack of friendliness (plus Spanky freaks out about the street dogs).
So I don’t know if we’ll ever go back.
Thanks for linking our article!
Frank (bbqboy)
Speaking of the street dogs, I’ve seen a lot of other people mention that in their posts as well but we didn’t really see any except for on the road driving between cities. But not really in the cities at all. I did read somewhere that they’ve cleaned it up a lot (don’t want to know how!). But with that and the smoking ban in restaurants, they are heading in the right direction at least.
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Romania is on our list for exactly the reasons you mentioned, cheap and lightning fast internet. It also looks amazingly gorgeous and has so much history. Sorry to hear that the people you encountered were a bit cold! We were hoping to stay for a week or so, and your post definitly will help tailor our expectations of the interactions we may have!
Reply You are right – so beautiful and so much history! And that wifi is amaaaaaazing. I’m glad you are going to check it out and really eager to hear your thoughts on it!
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Hi Guys,
I’m a first time reader, just wanted to say what a fantastic post this is. We’re set to become digital nomads on the 5th June. Leaving England and heading to Sofia, Bulgaria. Romania was somewhere we were going to visit later this summer however this has certainly made me think we’ll visit as more of a holiday rather than a slow travel / potential base for a few months.
Looking forward to reading more of your adventures,
Cora + Helen
Reply Wow you’re just days away – congrats!! That’s very exciting. Thanks so much for the comment. I hope you do still pay Romania a visit because we’d love to hear your take on it, as well as Bulgaria. We planned to do much of the Balkans this summer but it doesn’t look like its going to happen now. Hopefully later this year though! Good luck and we’ll be following along for your updates 🙂
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We spent nineteen days in Romania and totally loved it. We visited all the cities you mentioned and then some. I found the people of Romania to be very pleasant but a bit like New Yorkers where I am from. I believe we must remember Romania’s past history and recall that they are a former Communist country. Their history can be their reason for not being as friendly as you’d like. I think the Romanians are a proud people and hard working. The people my family met over there couldn’t have been warmer.
Reply Oh I think you are 100% right. It probably does have a lot to do with the history and we definitely kept that in mind. We did meet some wonderful people there. Unfortunately, we just had more negative encounters than positive. But glad to hear you had a more positive experience in Romania. Its always good to hear others perspectives and experiences.
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[…] găsit blogul de călătorie al unu cuplu american. Oamenii s-au declarat foarte încântați de România, la […]
Reply […] our 3 weeks in Romania were up, we were so excited to be hopping on a plane and meeting up with my little brother and his […]
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Romania does have a problem with the service quality, we’ve seen it a lot in the months we’ve lived here. People are always grumpy, mostly because their friends have left the country, low salaries and so on. It is a tragedy because the country is beautiful and tarnished by the grumpiness.
We’d recommend going to the countryside the next time you visit, people there are more welcoming and the nature is just breathtaking.
Reply What we saw driving through the countryside was really beautiful! Its always good to get outside of the cities and we will definitely do that if we return.
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Came over from Frank’s website. Interesting to read your thoughts about Romania. We were there for a week in September and haven’t had a chance to write about it. We did 4 days in Bucharest and 2 in Brasov. We loved both and we actually considered moving there for a bit, but the cold weather puts me off. There is a lack of service when it comes to restaurants but l think we are used to it as we have been living in Spain for a couple of years plus and the service here is worse. Absolutely horrible. Living away from the touristy areas, you really get a sense of the real way things happen. They ignore you, even if you’re the only table in the restaurant :-). I always say the Spanish have 3 hour lunches only because it takes a half hour to bring the menu, another half to take the order, 1 hour to bring the food and even more time to bring your drinks etc. Malta was better, and that’s saying a lot. We liked Brasov too, but for short visits.. Bucharest would be our pick.
Reply Funny I was reading your comment when we were in Barcelona a few weeks ago and hadn’t had a chance to comment back yet! But yes we noticed the same about the service in Spain, as well as most of Europe for that matter. Brasov is super charming and we would definitely go back to visit, but just don’t think we could stay long-term. And actually Sibiu was among our favorite in Romania. It felt more like a bigger city but still with so much character. Anyways, thanks for coming over and checking out our post!
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Hi Brittany & Charlie,
On behalf of the locals from Brasov, I apologize for the rather unpleasant stay here in my city. Coming from a long period of communist regime, it’s somehow understandable. However, many things have changed since your visit to Brasov and people and entrepreneurs finally understood that tourism is a key industry to be considered in a town like ours. We’re very much dependent on tourists and this is clearly visible now, with all the pandemic situation.
We have a new mayor which promised to raise the standards of service everywhere in Brasov and I am positive that on your next visit, you won’t be disappointed. There are a lot of things to do in Brasov, hope this list helps Hi there,
Whoa, that’s a very thorough article and not just about Brasov, as I can see. Congrats to you for not staying in one place! And of course, because Brasov is my home town, I need to add a few things. Hope you don’t mind!
The Kurtos Kalacs is not a cinnamon roll. It’s a simple pastry called Baumstriezel in German. Even if it has a bit of cinnamon, it’s still not a cinnamon roll. But this doesn’t mean it’s not delicious 🙂
The Black Church was built definitely earlier than 15th century.
Brasov’s old city walls still exist on two sides: on the SE part and on the W part. You just need to discover them 🙂
Catherine’s Gate has a main tower surrounded by four other smaller turrets. The four turrets meant that this community had the right to apply capital punishment. Everywhere you’ll see four turrets around a main tower, including at some churches, it’s the same rule.
Bran Castle is a nice place to see. However, not many know that nearby, just across the park, there’s Bran National Museum, which houses exhibits that were initially in the castle. You can see stunning furniture, clothing, weapons and other objects worth seeing. And the entrance is dirt cheap! Don’t miss it next time.
Regarding Peles Castle, it’s worth mentioning that it was the first castle in Europe to be electrified and to have central heating. Besides, it’s just splendid. Tip: When visiting Peles Castle, make sure you buy the extended tour ticket and pay the photo tax, it’s totally worth it!
For other things to do in Brasov, here’s a useful list that might help you and your readers https://outdoorholidays.eu/blog/top-things-to-do-brasov-romania/
Smoking is now banned in pubs, restaurants, cafes and clubs, more and more people are coming back in the country to start fresh businesses offering very good quality services and I could go on.
I know Romania is a bit behind other countries but everything is going in the right direction. And on your next visit, make sure you hit me up. I can help with advice.
Thanks.
Robert
