Romanian Local Life: Food, People & Cultural Tours

Jennifer L. on 28.10.2023 did Cluj-Napoca Food Tour: Food Markets, Regional Dishes and Coffee Culture

I learned most of my information about travelling in Romania from Romanian Friend. It was very helpful in planning our road trip through Transylvania. Our Cluj food tour with Robert, Mihai's colleague, was the first thing we did after landing at the airport...it was interesting and yummy! He included facts about the history of the area and we enjoyed the different foods we sampled, as well as lunch at the restaurant. He adapted the tour to us, since we don't drink alcohol or coffee. Thanks for a great experience!

Abagail S. on 30.10.2023 did A Night Tour of Haunted Hoia Baciu Forest

My girlfriend and I had a great evening roaming the forest in Hoia Baciu with Alex. Alex had a wealth of knowledge of the forest and a strong storyteller about his years of experience with the forest. We really appreciated his balanced approach to the legends, which in itself made it all the more fascinating. If you are 50/50 definitely go for it! Alex also went out of his way to make us feel comfortable pikcing up and dropping us off at our hotel and gave us a lot of good tips to know about Romanian culture and ettiquette. It was the start of the trip so very handy. Thanks mate!

Rachel M. on 27.10.2023 did A Night Tour of Haunted Hoia Baciu Forest

The night time tour through Hoia Baciu Forest was amazing! The forest is beautiful especially under a full moon. Our tour guide Alex was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed hearing many spooky stories about the area.

Wayne T. on 25.10.2023 did Short Bear Watching Experience from Brasov

Excellent tour, really nice guides and the bears did not disappoint. Good communication.

Maria L. on 24.10.2023 did 2-Day Trip in Maramures: UNESCO Wooden Churches & Village Life

My friend and I booked a private tour to Maramures through Romanian Friend and it was fantastic! The booking was easy to arrange throught the website and the responses and information leading up to the tour was quick and helpful. The actual tour was so fun! Our guide Florin was very knowledgeable and so friendly that all the locals seemed to love him enough to invite us into their homes and share their lives with us. I definitely recommend!

Josh O. on 04.10.2023 did 2-Day Trip in Maramures: UNESCO Wooden Churches & Village Life

I cannot recommend this tour enough. Florin is an amazing and incredibly skilled tour guide; he has an incredible knowledge of the communities you visit, the history of the region, and the religious symbolism you come across visiting the various churches and distinct regional architecture of the Maramures region. Florin is very personable and it often felt like he knew virtually everyone within the villages we visited. I don't know exactly how many languages Florin speaks and can read (it's a lot), but I do know he was very fluent in English and was able to not only read many of the very old Romanian and Greek church texts but also had a wealth of information about each site we visited, including the beautiful murals in the churches. I was able to meet many of the locals, who were incredibly kind and welcoming. I extended to a third day and did the steam train ride, which I also really enjoyed--It was incredibly beautiful and worth the additional day if you can swing it. The Pension we stayed at was amazing. The host was incredibly kind and the meals were fresh. She not only makes the meals (dinner was three courses each night) but also makes many of the foods you eat as well, including the cured meats/sausages, cheese, and fresh vegetables. Everything was fresh and sourced from her land or the local community. It was one of the coolest Bed and Breakfasts that I've stayed at. I had originally just planned on a more standard Transylvania tour but am very glad I decided to travel to the Maramures region and experience this tour. While I loved visiting Transylvania, I deeply loved visiting the Maramures region, and in retrospect, I feel that had I not visited this region and done this tour, I would have missed out on an incredibly beautiful and culturally rich and distinct region of Romania that you just cannot get if you don't visit the region. If you are looking for a fuller, richer, experience within Romania that goes beyond the typical Transylvania tours, I highly recommend this tour. It will be well worth your time and money.