Balkan Trails Reviews 127

We took a Balkan Trails tour in our own personal car with driver who was also our personal guide at all times. It was a wonderful experience - all 8 nights in Bulgaria and 4 nights in Macedonia. Both of our guides were knowledgeable, professional, personable, but more important, kind, helpful, and did their best to assure we had a memorable experience in their countries. Stoyan in Bulgaria and Ekaternia in Macedonia have become our friends. Their suggestions of sites to visit, what foods to try to experience traditional Bulgarian and later Macedonia cooking and spur of the moment ideas just made our journey so wonderfully special. Just loved being with each of them as they really showed us their love for family, country, and its rich 9000 years of history in Bulgaria.

We were so enthused by Balkan Trails and the driver/guide experience that now we are thinking of another Balkan Trails tour sometime in the future, such as to Romania.

Vlad (Balkan Trails), we thank you so much for the personal service you gave us in planning our visit to Bulgaria and arranging for us to also visit Macedonia with a driver/guide. We returned with fond memories of our adventures and our first driver/guide experience.

As a result of reading the reviews - but which were really only for day tours - plus looking carefully at the website, I decided to contact Balkan Trails about going on an 8 day/ 7 night tour of Transylvania and Bucovina with a car and driver.

I have seldom made a better travel decision. Vlad answered all my queries quickly and patiently, and the tour not only went to all the places I wanted to visit but was priced very reasonably.

So, it was no surprise when, from the time we were met at Bucharest airport until the time we were dropped off there at the end of the tour, everything went as smoothly as we could have hoped.

Adrian, our driver for the week, was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, conscientious and good company - and, for those who might be worried, had excellent English (as does Vlad, by the way). And, although
the sights to be seen were those i'd expected, he even threw in a few extras for us. The car, too, was roomy and comfortable, useful when some of the days were quite long and some of the roads VERY windy.

The choice of accommodation was excellent. The first and last nights were spent in the modern 4-star Hotel Berthelot in Bucharest, which is within walking distance of the Old Town area. The best accommodation while we were on the tour was the 4-star Casa Humor in Gura Humorului, gateway to the painted monasteries: a really nice place, and we sat on our balcony at night drinking the excellent Romanian beer. The other places were 3-star, but both pleasant - especially the one in Brasov - and beautifully located in the old town in each case.

Romania itself is a great destination: scenic, friendly, historic - and, for many of us, cheap. Go there, and with Balkan Trails.

What an awesome day with a very skilled tour guide. Istvan went above and beyond to make this day perfect. He was very professional and fun. Communication was perfect and he could not be more accommodating. Learned so much and got to see everything I could imagine and then some. Perfect.

You must do this tour if you are in Bucharest.

Istvan made me feel comfortable from start to finish. Perfect tour guide.

Great 5 days in Bulgaria (Sofia and Plovdiv) and Macedonia (Skopje and Ohrid). Balkan Trails planned the entire schedule given that I had only a short time there. The planning process was handled extremely efficiently. They organised a private tour and the guides that accompanied me Stoyan and Katarina were excellent. Highly recommended. The plan that they suggested was well thought thru, covered the most important sites and more importantly was flexible enough to let me do it at the pace that I wanted. Stayed at the Best Western Thracia in Sofia (excellent hotel, centrally located with great service), Hotel Leonardo, Skopje (good hotel but not very centrally located) and Hotel Villa St. Sofja (in the Old Town, close to everything and atmospheric).

All in all a truly memorable holiday.

Our trip to Bulgaria and Romania was most interesting and informative. From the very beginning Vlad and Zoe were so accommodating in trying to make our journey a memorable one--- the thorough and detailed itinerary; the excellent guides ( Toma in Bulgaria and Florin in Romania ); the wonderful accommodation and meals; and, above all, the rich history and cultural heritage that is so evident in the many UNESCO sites and museums. The whole experience has enriched our impressions of these countries and we would highly recommend that you put them on your 'bucket list' .

In both Romania and Bulgaria we discovered two warm-hearted, generous and hard-working peoples, proud of their respective countries. Throughout we felt completely safe (more than you can say of England!). We were struck by the mix of ancient and modern sitting happily side-by-side. We treasure wonderful insights in Romania into village and Delta life. We were very well looked after by our two guides, who could not have been more concerned for our well-being and to ensure that we had a memorable holiday: on the VERY few occasions when something needed sorting they dealt with it immediately. The whole itinerary was very efficiently put together by Vlad and Zoe Trestian: we cannot recommend Balkan Trails too highly.

I did "one day tour to Bulgaria " and I loved ! All the explanations about the places were very nice ! Thanks Florin !

Our Balkan Trails guide, Christian went out of his way to show us the part of his world that he loves so much. He pulled ancient history through time to the present about each area we visited. He also incorporated current events, economic and political climates of the places we visited. We also ate in awesome, unique local favorite restaurants that we might never have found on our own. We were also treated to a lot of local folklore about the places we visited. It was wonderful to have our guide with a small group(3) because we were comfortable asking all kinds of questions and feel like we got a very in depth experience. Much more than one would in a large tour group. We had a great time that was educational, funny and comfortable. We finished our 2 days feeling like Christian was family. Thanks for the experience!

Vlad and Zoe certainly deserve five stars for organizing our adventure. Our guides, Dilyan in Bulgaria and Catalin in Romania, were amazing in their depth of knowledge and, more important, with their kindness and help. We became friends and will keep in contact. Bulgaria and Romania are two fascinating countries with rich and varied histories that most Americans know little about. Our adventure educated us for which we are grateful. And we love the yogurt. We give them the highest recommendation without reservations.

Lots of emails with Vlad and Zoe of Balkan Trails ended with us selecting a 5-day Transylvania tour and customizing it to suit our schedule, i.e. they fitted a longer tour into our 5 days! We requested a couple of cheaper hotel options and were very happy with those. We had Valentin as a guide and he was incredibly knowledgeable, personable, professional and flexible. Our experience started with Val meeting us at the airport in wee hours of the morning even though our flight was late. Day 1 was a guided tour of Bucharest and Val took us to places we hadn't seen on our first day on our own, and provided lots of info on history of the areas. Before we headed out on Day 2, Val made sure to review plans for the next 4 days with us so we could adjust anything we needed to.
On Day 2, we went on to Curtea de Arges Monastery and Poenari fortress and were filled in on history of these sites and legends around them... saw a boar skin in the restaurant at Poenari, they're big and hairy! Then we drove through Transfagarasan Pass over the Carpathians, with lots of photo opportunities. Once through there and into the countryside below, Val asked if we'd like to have an early dinner at a trout farm. Of course we did and what a fabulous meal of cornflake-encrusted trout with garlic sauce! Then on to Sibiu and our hotel.
Next day, Day 3, an amazing tour of Sibiu, with so much history and an opportunity to watch apprentice tradesmen working at the old city wall on stone mason art, smithing and carpentry. We just lucked into that and Val accommodated us with more time in Sibiu than originally planned. Then on to Biertan Gothic-style fortified church, what an interesting site, again with lots of history that Val presented to us.
That afternoon, we arrived in Sighisoara and Val showed us around the city, including the city tower, main church with fascinating cemetery, city square, and the birthplace of Vlad Tepes. That evening we shared dinner at the home of a gypsy family, what a wonderful experience! We were warmly welcomed by the whole family, and learned a lot from them.
On Day 4 we headed to Bran Castle, but lineups were so long, Val suggested we do the castle the next morning. So he took us to Prejmer fortified church, not in our plans originally, and what a great idea to visit there! But first he took us to a special pizza place, and we had some fabulous pizza. Then on to Prejmer to visit the church, another amazing site with lots of history that Val provided to us. On to Brasov to tour the city square, the Black Church (huge, so impressive!!!), city walls, cannon & archery towers, and that night had a Romanian dinner at a restaurant recommended by Val... yummy! We stayed right on the city square.
Next morning, Day 5, we headed to Bran Castle, and lineups were much shorter so we got in quickly before the crowds... good planning by Val! Then we drove to Peles Castle and had a 40-room guided tour by the Peles staff. Worth a visit, for sure, if you're in Romania. Next, we had a lovely lunch at a place not far away, Val's suggestion, then we headed back to Bucharest. Val delivered us safely to our hotel in late afternoon and we had to say "So long" till next time we visit this beautiful country. We fell in love with Romania! We feel that it was in large part due to the great experience we had with Balkan Trails and specifically with Val and his professional driving skills, his wide scope of knowledge about the areas we visited and his personable nature. Thanks, Balkan Trails for a great guided tour!

We loved our tour of Romania! Our rooms were very nice, and everyone was so accommodating!
Our tour guide Val made our trip! He worked so hard to make our adventure memorable. If there was anything we wanted he went out of his way to see that it happened!
We loved the restaurants that were chosen in each town, always a great representation of the regional food.
Again Val was so knowledgeable about every aspect of our tour, he shared so much history with us at every venue. It absolutely could not have been better!

Thanks
Gail and Jim Frank

We booked the 5-night ‘Dracula Tour in Transylvania’ through Balkan Trails and were very impressed with everything. The booking and payment process was very easy and clear, and we had quick and helpful replies to all our email questions. On arrival at Bucharest airport we were met by our guide, Adrian, who then stayed with us for the whole tour and was very flexible when we wanted to spend more time at some places.

We were delighted to learn, before we booked, that this tour was not based on the Hollywood Dracula myth but on the true history of Vlad the Impaler and other historical figures of the area. We learnt a lot of the history of the area and visited Peles Castle, Bran Castle and Poienari Fortress (Dracula’s real fortress), which couldn’t have been more different in terms of location, design and current condition, and all were very interesting. We visited the old towns of Brasov, Sibiu and Sighisoara, which were all very interesting and beautiful, and fortified churches unlike any we had ever seen before. We also visited a Gypsy family who invited us into their home where we met three generations of the family, who were happy to talk to us about their lives and beliefs – a fascinating experience for us all. We also saw some wonderful countryside and mountains.

Adrian was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and helpful and was a great source of information, not only on the many places visited, but on the history of the area and the country, and on Romania generally. As two of our group are vegetarian and two vegans we presented Adrian with a challenge food wise but he never failed to find somewhere good for us to eat and we had some great meals. I even put on a little weight during the tour!

The five hotels used throughout the tour were all very good and well located for evening exploration of the towns we were in. Our personal favourites were Hotel Casa Luxemburg in Sibiu and Hotel Sighisoara in Sighisoara, because of their age, history and quirkiness, but the others were all good as well.

We would thoroughly recommend the tour company, Balkan Trails, and this tour to anybody interested in the history of the area.

We found Balkan Trails to be excellent - all questions and queries answered promptly and our trip to Romania ran like clockwork. Our guide, Florin, was great and suggested a few options to our trip, one of which (Viscri) was one of the highlights. All the hotels in Bucharest and Transylvania were excellent and overall the holiday was great value for money. Would highly recommend Balkan Trails if you wish to discover the real Romania.

Balkan Trails is a small company managed by people who know their countries. From the beggining to the end, our experience with the company was fantastic. We received inmediate replies to our initial queries to design the tour that best fit our needs. Vlad was very interested in understanding us and provide with good suggestions. Payment process was clear and straightforward.

The tour itself was operated with flexibility and care. Our guide and driver was Florin Vladu, which was not only knowledgeable about Romania and the country but also well-informed about international relations, economy, food, music and even soccer (he also owns a very nice Mercedes Benz, which is fantastic to drive around Romania!). We had interesting conversations, very different than the standard speech that most tour-guides all over the world like to remember and repeat. Florin also was flexible and adapt each day to our interests and pace.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Balkan Trails for those interested in visiting Bucovina and Transilvania.

Everything promised was delivered plus more. Our driver/guide was not only knowledgable about each stop but went out of his way to make our trip more memorable by little things, such as buying is cakes and candy. My wife and I highly recommend thyis company.

Balkan Trails is a wonderful organization for planning your trip to Romania and Bulgaria. The quality of the guides, their knowledge, and insight offer a unique perspective on cultural, traditional, and historic aspects of Romania and Bulgaria. Well worth the money to have these private guides show you the beauty of Romania and Bulgaria.

From the very beginning of getting to know Vlad, he was always very prompt with all responses and his help. Even before we actually booked with Balkin Trails, he gave me a lot of info. Once booked he continued to keep in touch. We booked a 4 nights/5 day trip to Transylvania and a day trip in Bulgaria.We were met at the airport as requested and everything went perfect.... any issues or problems- which were very few- were taken care of immediately.... restaurants were fun and different, guides were knowledgeable, cars were air conditioned.
I would recommend Balkan trails to anyone traveling in Romania or Bulgaria wanting private tours.

We had a great trip and our tour guide Catalin was super. Everything went so smoothly and was so well organised. We will defintely recommend your tour company to our friends.

We booked the private tour to Transylvania as it was not much more than the group bus tour. We were able to schedule on our own time and spend as much or little time at each location that we wanted. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the area and the history. We also had a great lunch at a local restaurant.

The tour promised a wide assortment of churches, castles, monasteries, fortresses, cultural experiences, visits with craftsmen, and shopping opportunities. It more than delivered on its promises. We were blessed with exceptional driver guides who were eager to share their country with us. By share we mean not just the sights, but the people. Yes, we saw the sights that one would expect on a large group tour, but we did so at a pace that we determined and with more attention than would have been possible on a group tour. We also saw sites that could not have been reached on a group tour. More importantly, we saw Bulgaria and Romania sites and people in ways that would have been impossible on a group tour. For example, we were the only foreigners at a truly local folk music and dance experience in a small village and we experienced true authentic interaction with everyone including the local musicians who were the local farmers and tradesmen of the village. We call it a music and dance experience rather than a folk show, because it was in essence a local party in which we were privileged to participate. We met and talked with local craftsmen, Gypsies, farmers, and ordinary people. We experienced a glimpse of the true Bulgaria and Romania. It was much more that just a sightseeing trip.

We ran into people at some of our hotels who were taking other private tours. We compared notes and came away thankful that we had chosen Balkan Trails. That is not to imply that the tourists with other companies were not happy with their company. They were just not getting the same level of individual attention or variety of experiences that we were. We did not let on to them, but back in our room we expressed to each other how thankful we were we were traveling with Balkan Trails.