Search Results For : Romania

Sinaia - Peles Castle - 1
AUGUST 2019: OVERVIEW: This is not a typical GRANDPAcking Post. This post is about my personal journey through Transylvania, Romania. It was such a pleasant experience that I felt that it needed to be told. I did not want the experience nor the pictures to be lost. Enjoy. I travelled by shuttle bus from Belgrade, Serbia to Timisoara, Romania. It was a 5 hour trip that cost US$17. From Timisoara, I took a train to Sibiu. The trip took 6 hours and cost R$67 / US$16. We, now, do a 1 week road trip in Transylvania. Our Road Trip will take […]

Transylvania – Romania – Road Trip

AUGUST 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 5 nights in Timisoara which is located in western Romania near the Serbian border. I found it to be a little ‘ho hum’. We, now, head further east into Transylvania … our first ‘port of call’ is the historical town of Sibiu. PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Romania is the Leu (or the ‘RON’). I will refer to them as R$s. At the time of writing: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 R$4.26 R$4.73 R$5.16 Over time, these exchange rates will change. Please check the current rates. GETTING THERE: Sibiu is about 270 kms east of Timisoara. […]

Sibiu – Romania – Information

AUGUST 2019: OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Romania is the Lei (the RON). I will refer to them as R$s. At the time of writing, US$1 = R$4.26. We have just spent 4 nights in Bajina Basta, Serbia … … followed by a long weekend in Belgrade, Serbia. We, now, head east into Romania … our first ‘port of call’ is the city of Timisoara … GETTING THERE: You can get from Belgrade to Timisoara by public transport: Train-Taxi-Train (via Vrsac / Moravita), Bus-Taxi-Bus (via Vrsac / Moravita), and long distance bus. I chose to go by Shuttle Bus. […]

Timisoara – Romania – Information

GENERAL INFORMATION Romania vies with Bulgaria as the cheapest destination in Europe (but not on the Black Sea coast?!). Still harboring the scars of more than two decades under the Communist rule of Nicolae Ceausescu, Bucharest’s melancholic edge is offset by its metropolitan verve. And while more and more visitors are discovering the unique appeal of the city once known as “Little Paris,” it’s still a very affordable destination and a great place to go upscale for less. In fact, its luxury accommodations have an average rate of $190 per night, making Bucharest among the cheapest cities in the world to […]

Romania

SEPTEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent 3 nights in Goris which is said to be ‘one of the top 10 nicest towns in Armenia’.  Goris made my mind up – I am leaving Armenia and going to Georgia. To get to Georgia I have to go through the length of Armenia and connect in (the capital city) Yerevan. I decided to have a quick look at Yerevan on the way … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Armenia is the Dram (or the ‘AMD’). I will refer to them as A$s. At the time of writing: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 A$475 A$530 […]

Yerevan – Armenia – Journey

SEPTEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: We have just spent a week on a road trip in Transylvania, Romania. We ended up in Bucharest. It is time for us to move on to an Armenian Health Spa Resort … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Armenia is the Dram (or the ‘AMD’). I will refer to them as A$s. At the time of writing: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 A$475 A$520 A$570 Over time, these exchange rates will change. Please check the current rates. GETTING THERE: There are direct flights from Romania to Armenia. TAROM FLIGHT: I booked a one-way ticket from Bucharest to Yerevan on […]

Jermuk – Armenia – Health Spa

AUGUST 2019: OVERVIEW: PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Serbia is the Republic of Serbia Dinar / the RSD (I will refer to them as S$s). At the time of writing, US$1 = S$105. We have just spent 4 nights in Sofia, Bulgaria … … and 3 nights in Nis, southern Serbia. We experienced a lot of history and culture. Back in Bulgaria, we made an off-season, summertime visit to Borovets which is a famous ski resort. It was now time to compare Borovets to the famous ski resort of Zlatibor in Serbia. Again, we were going in the off-season / […]

Zlatibor – Serbia – Information

GENERIC: Why not read our Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: For detailed information about how costs are constructed, please read About – GRANDPAcking Costs. These GRANDPAcking Holiday Destinations have a Cost Of Existence (COE) of US$60 per day (or more) for 2 people: Costa Rica – Puerto Viejo – US$61 (2018) Ecuador – Ayampe – US$63 (2018) Thailand – Andaman Sea – Island Hopping – US$64 (2023) ♥ Ecuador – Central Highlands Tour – US$65 (2018) ♥ Romania – Sibiu – US$66 (2019) ♥ Panama – Bocas del Toro Island – US$66 (2018) Colombia – San Andres Island – US$71 (2018) Ecuador […]

Over US$60 / day

FEBRUARY 2016: INTRODUCTION: I was staying in El Nido for 8 nights. One of the main things to do in El Nido is Island Hopping. I had already done Island Hopping in Honda Bay whilst in Puerto Princesa and, again, Island Hopping in Port Barton. The Honda Bay trip cost PHP1200 PLUS PHP150 for Mask & Snorkel PLUS PHP150 for Watershoes PLUS PHP150 for Fins. A total of PHP1650 with less than 5 hours on the water. The Port Barton Trip cost PHP700 PLUS PHP50 for the Permit. The Port Barton Trip was much better than the Honda Bay one, had better […]

El Nido – Philippines – Island Hopping Trip

GENERIC: DONE My initial (Phase 1) around-the-world trip is done. It took just over 5 years. I am, now, in ‘Phase 2’ which sees me return to my favourite places discovered in Phase 1. In Phase 2, I will stay in each of these favourite locations for at least 1 month so that I can discover more about them. WHAT ROUTE DID I TAKE? I planned my Phase 1 route so that I was in each country at the right time to: Avoid rainy, monsoon, typhoon, and hurricane seasons; Avoid Peak Seasons in the more expensive countries; Get as much […]

Planning My Route