Hungary and Romania Tours and Trips

Journeys between places visited were too long, but the visits were all interesting and well organised, with a lovely guide.

Transylvania is a fantastic destination for hiking with stunning scenery, fabulous views, and so many wildflowers. The areas we hiked in felt remote and unspoilt. We saw very few hikers on the routes we took and even had one of the mountain huts to ourselves. As some of the other reviews say, this is a challenging week and requires a good head for heights (some parts are very exposed) and a good level of fitness. The days are long (8-10 hours of walking on the first three days, 6 hours on the last three days as the walks were cut short to avoid afternoon storms) which means little 'down time'. The terrain is varied (rocks and scree, pastures, meadows, forests). A significant amount of scrambling is required the first three days, and in particular the third when heading up to La Om. The other days don't require scrambling but are still demanding in terms of the terrain and elevation gain/loss. Two nights are spent in simple huts, with basic facilities (outside drop toilets), but the location of Cabana Malaiesti is spectacular as well worth it.

It is very rushed with many one night stops. Road Conditions, Traffic, and many border crossings make the days in the bus very long.

All sites visited were historical, impressive, memorable. Our tour guide’s knowledge of these sites was extensive and he relayed all history in a manner we could easily understand. We also visited an Ossuary near Prague, catacombs under St. Stephen’s Chapel in Vienna, The Shoes on the Danube in Budapest, along with the Hospital In The Rock, The House of Houdini. Saw the Vienna Boys Choir after a mass delivered in German and Latin, that we understood not a word of, in Vienna. The entire experience was wonderful, very worthwhile!!!

An excellent overview of three Balkan countries, with a reasonable amount of free time to self explore / chill out. Itinerary was good, the only place that felt like a "filler" was Kaliarka Fortress on day 15 - I would trade this part of the itinerary for more time elsewhere (either in the Palace Gardens at Balchik, or in any of the 3 capital cities). All accommodation better than expected. The local guide was excellent, though a little nervous as it was only his second tour. A bigger bus would've been nice as there is a good amount of time spent in the vehicle (driving ca 3,200km).

Excellent itinerary covering the main historical sites of the region. Walking tours are a valuable part of the experience.