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Romania

There hasn't been a better time to visit Romania with excellent flight connections from all over Europe, and a host of low cost airlines flying routes into regional airports. It is no longer necessary to fly to Bucharest if your destination is the mountains or historic towns of Transylvania, the cities of the Banat, the magical unspoilt villages of the Maramures, or even the famous Painted Monasteries of Bucovina. There are now scheduled flights into many regional airports from Vienna, Munich or Budapest connecting with flights from other parts of Europe. In addition there are low cost flights withprices as low as £ 90.00 return to Cluj Napoca, Targu Mures or Timisoara from Luton with WIZZ AIR (note extras can bring these price up to £120.00-£200.00).

Romania has something for everyone, from the natural wilderness of the Danube Delta to the bustle of Bucharest, the cultural gems of Transylvania, or the soaring peaks of the Carpathians. Take a short city break, an Autumn Dracula Trail for Halloween, or chill out in a traditional village in the Maramures. Language is rarely a barrier in this country, where the main language is close to Latin, and signs and menus will make sense to anybody with even just a smattering of school French. Many young people speak English, especially in tourist related fields, while German, Hungarian and French are commonly spoken .

Romania is a large country, well connected by rail services and domestic flights. However, please bear in mind that travel can be slow due to the terrain, the large distances, and the rural nature of much of the country. Unlike many other Eastern European countries the countryside is alive with activity, providing a distraction for the inquisitive traveller or photographer, round every bend in the road. You will find people working in the fields and the forest, traditions passed on from generation to generation, a multi-cultural society which never leaves a dull moment, and regions with some of the most diverse and rich natural history anywhere in Europe. It is also a romantic country with varied, dramatic landscapes which change through the distinct four seasons - from the deep snows and iced waterfalls of winter, through the clouds of fruit blossom of early spring, the bright hay meadows of summer to the dazzling autumn colours of the Carpathians. And, there is much more to this country than its natural beauty and country traditions - check out the restaurants, shopping or nightlife in Bucharest, Cluj, Timisoara or Sibiu - the opera, theatre, galleries, museums, castles and the dazzling array of monasteries, the fortress churches and walled towns of Transylvania, the magnificient frescoes of the Painted Monasteries, the wooden churches of pastoral Maramures and a historical legacy that dates back long before the Romans bestowed their Latin language, or the Crusaders spawned legends from Dracula to the children of the Pied Piper. We hope that these pages inspire you and help you to plan your trip of a lifetime to a region of Europe, little understood beyond its borders.

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NEWSflash ..... NEWSflash..... NEWSflash..... NEWSflash..... NEWSflash..... NEWSflash..... .....

Beyond the Forest has been providing a first class travel information service for visitors to Romania since 1999. To celebrate our 18th anniversary we will be upgrading the site with extra information and a host of new ideas and special offers. Watch out for our new Beds pages. These will be attached to all regional pages and will provide full information about recommended tried and tested accommodation from the simplest of bed and breakfast guesthouses to 5-star luxury. As always the focus is on service and places with character. You will also find direct links to the accommodation in question though all can be booked as part of a financially protected tailor-made holiday by following links on this site.

Amongst the highlights for 2017 will be:

• Bear-tracking and Hay Meadow sat HRH Prince of Wales' wilderness retreat at Zalanpatak (Valea Zalanului); availability for June 2017 already limited
• Weddings at Bran Castle or Malancrav Manor
• Jonathan Harker PLUS Dracula Trails and Painted Monastery Experience tours combined with Touch of Class or Another Europe for the ultimate Transylvania holiday
  
• Christmas Market & Fairytale Breaks in Transylvania
• Autumn Colours in the southern Carpathians, Maramures and Bucovina - discover the spectacular landscapes of autumn in Transylavia
• Halloween Dracula Trail combined with special Touch of Class and Another Europe brealks
• Winter in Transylvania - from traditional carnivals to sleigh rides or a visist to the Ice Hotel deep in the Carpathians
• Opera in Timisoara or Cluj
• Discover the Roma Gypsy Culture of Transylvania - call or email for various option including staying in remote villages or learning about the forest gypsies
• Painted Monasteries: stay with the nuns in a monastery for a unique, magical experience in Bucovina, or at a former chateau near the Cotnari vineyards; can be a stand-alone break with excellent personal guides, or part of an extended itineraryu
• Weddings - now available at Bran Castle
• Patrick Leigh Fermor - follow in the footsteps of this famous travel writer through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria: discover the manors and chateaus of the Mures Valley, the historic towns and fortresses of mediaeval Transylvania, the legend of Ada Kaleh, and the mysteries of the Balkans as you trace his journey chronicled in 'Between the Woods and the Water' and the recently published, "The Broken Road." Get in touch for further information.
• Vaser Valley Railway - weekend breaks to explore this unique forest railway in Maramures; tourist services, local railway accommodation and even private train charters avaiable.
• Moldova - why not combine a visit to the Painted Monsteries with a day or two in border to visit the vineyards and the monasteries of this fascinating country; flights to Chisinau and Iasi.
• Ukraine - guided day trips available in conjunction with holidays in Maramures
• Hungary - why not combine your holiday in Transylvania with flights to Budapest and a few days in this vibrant cultural city which straddles the Blue Danube, or a few days in the Puszta.
  
  
  

PLUS new updated information and excellent links ona variety of topics appropriate to any visit to Romania


Also:

ULTIMATE TRANSYLVANIA HOLIDAY -- Combine a few days exploring the stunning Painted Monasteries of Bucovina and Eastern Carpathians, or a unique 'Jonathan Harker PLUS' Dracula trail with a week of excellent accommodation, food, activities and unparallelled hospitality in Transylvania on our recommended TOUCH OF CLASS and ANOTHER EUROPE programmes. Details will be posted on the relevant pages and on our updated regional pages for the Painted Monasteries, Dracula Country, Cluj and Sibiu.

AUTUMN COLOURS: spectacular autumn colours - special programmes for 2017 in southern Transylvania, Bucovina and Maramures

CHRISTMAS MARKET & FAIRYTALES: unique, long weekend breaks in late November and December for a unique shopping experience, Romantic fairytale towns and landscapes, and evenings by the fire with mulled wine and fairytales from your childhood in their natural setting including visits to the ICE HOTEL high in the Carpathians!

HALLOWEEN IN TRANSYLVANIA: choose from a selection of Dracula themed holidays over Halloween; combine Jonathan Harker's trail to visit Count Dracula on the Borgo Pass with mediaeval Sighisoara and our special Halloween Touch of Class or Another Europe unique holidays. Why not combine walking in Maramures with Austum/ Fall colours and Halloween?

TOUCH OF CLASS 2017 - contact us for packages; additional holidays now at Zalanpatak including winter bear tracking and hay meadows, rhorse ridingomantic Valentines Day breaks. The 'castle' is now open for unique honeymoons and for Halloween!!! NOTE - already booking for 2017

Contact us now for further information on the above holidays and keep checking the site for regular updates

FLIGHT UPDATES:

PATRICK LEIGH FERMOR - see also above. We have recreated the trail of this famous, and much admired travel writer, following in his footsteps as he tramped across Europe in the 1930s, winding through Transylvania to the legendary Island of Ada Kaleh in the Danube then via Bucharest and Bulgaria to Constantinople. Watch this space for separte pages with more detailes and tailor-made and possibly small group tours.

SECRET TRANSYLVANIA - delightful, quality breaks based in the picturesqueSaxon village of Cisnadioara on the edge of Sibiu. Excellent value all inclusive holidays based in a British-run pension with a special focus on cuisine and a range of activities and excursions into Saxon Transylvania, the Carpathians and the Cindrel Mountains. The scale of this operation means that personal service is paramount and special effort is made to catering for individual tastes and interests. Ideal for Honeymoons, Valentines Day breaks, Halloween etc. Unparallelled hospitality, food and a great diversity of exciting activities have made these excellent value holidays very popular - so early booking is essential. Specialities include the Ice Hotel, the thrill of the Transfagarasan and Transalpina High Mountain Highways, and visits to the spectacular Corvinesti Fortress at Hunedoara. NEW 'Jonathan Harker PLUS' Dracula trails and 'Painted Monasteries Experience' can be incorporated with these holidays.

TOUCH OF CLASS - fully, inclusive holidays with a genuine Transylvanian Count in the Brasov area. These popular holidays are an ideal introduction to Transylvania with a focus on cultural heritage, natural history and adventure. Accommodation is in beautiful, restored houses in the small Szekely village of Miclosoara (Miklosvar), close to Brasov and the high Carpathians. Also available staying in the Prince of Wales' house in the Saxon village of Viscri, as an introduction to the rural life of ancient Transylvania. NEW: experience the wilderness in HRH Prince of Wales' new guesthouse in the village of Zalanpatak, a haven for wildllife and a superb base for bear tracking. NEW 'Jonathan Harker PLUS' Dracula trails and 'Painted Monasteries Experience' can be incorporated with these holidays.

REGIONAL FLIGHTS - fly to regional airports to avoid the mayhem and congested streets of Bucharest (see also above). There are connecting scheduled flights to Sibiu, Cluj, Timisoara, Iasi, Targu Mures and Baia Mare and DIRECT, low-cost services to Bacau, Baia Mare, Cluj, Iasi, Sibiu, Suceava, Targu Mures and Timisoara with WIZZ and/ or BLUE AIR. Most departures are from Luton butb there are now selected flights from Birmingham, Doncaster, Glasgow, Liverpool and London Gatwick. Alternatively, take a domestic service from Bucharest to most major towns in Romania.