EXCELLENT
Based on 57 reviews
Posted on Tripadvisor
Grazia PRomania with Gelu We spent a week in Romania, travelling from Bucharest, to Brasov and lastly to Sibiu. Several stops on the way. We had an awesome time. Gelu has been a wonderful guide. He always made sure we were well taken care of, his kindness and patience are unrivalled. I learnt so much about Romania. Most grateful to Gelu for his tales and expertise.Posted on Tripadvisor
Daydream53716786655Transylvania adventure I truly loved every minute. Gelo was an amazing guide who shared with enthusiasm all his knowledge. We always felt in good hands with him.Posted on Tripadvisor
krystyna680Transylvania with Gelu - more than we expected Having just returned from Romania, I wanted to leave a review because, working for a tour operator, I know how much difference the right local partner can make. After several days of meetings in Bucharest, our international group had just four days to explore Transylvania. We organise travel all over the world, but with only a couple of us having visited Romania before, we wanted someone who could take us beyond the obvious sights. Gelu did exactly that. We travelled through Brașov and the surrounding villages, visited Peleș, Cantacuzino and Bran Castles, stopped in Sighișoara, explored the spectacular Transfăgărășan and Bâlea Lake, and finished in Sibiu. We packed a lot in, but it never felt rushed. What made the journey special was everything in between. Gelu introduced us to people, places and experiences we simply wouldn't have found on our own. Some of my favourite memories are of sitting around the kitchen table, sharing a home-cooked meal and talking to local people about their lives and traditions. Colleagues in Spain and Boston are already trying to recreate Marianna's meatball soup and Gette's sarmale back home, which says a lot. Gelu also arranged our transport, making travelling around incredibly easy. The minibus was very comfortable, and Valle, our driver was a pleasure to travel with. As a former journalist, Gelu's knowledge of Romania's history, culture and traditions is exceptional. He knows the region inside out, so we never felt the need for additional local guides. What stood out just as much, though, was his humility. He shared his knowledge generously, listened carefully and was always happy to offer advice without imposing his own agenda. That balance is rarer than you might think. From my perspective as the organiser, he was also a pleasure to work with: flexible, thoughtful and genuinely concerned that everyone had a good experience. By the end, Gelu felt less like a guide and more like someone travelling alongside us. We came away with a much better understanding of Romania and plenty of wonderful memories and stories to bring home. If you want to experience the real Romania, its people, food, history and culture as well as its remarkable places, I couldn't recommend Gelu more highly. Romania exceeded expectations for many of us, and Gelu played a big part in that. We're very grateful to him and hope our paths cross again somewhere down the road.Posted on Tripadvisor
Phillip JRomanian Private Van Family Tour My family of 5 booked a private Romanian tour with Transylvanian Tours. Gelu was our guide. The main highlights are listed here - Bucharest, Slanic Salt mine (take warm clothes to the mine - although spectacular, it is cool down the mine) - Sinaia (Peles castle) - Brașov, Bran Castle (Dracula), Viscri Villiage, Sighisoara Fortress, Sibiu, Transfagarasan mountain road - up to Balea Lake Challet and back to Bucharest. This was a 5 day tailored tour to accommodate a family member with mobility issues who enjoyed the tour as much as all of us. This country and its cities and towns are breath taking and exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend Gelu, his driver and Transylvanian Tours to anyone who would like to experience this beautiful country. Love to come back to continue with other spectacular locations in the future! Thank you Gelu for your care, knowledge and humor as you took us through your beautiful country.Posted on Tripadvisor
Jane SA Side of Romania We'd Never Find on Our Own For anyone hesitant to book a fully guided tour: just do it. This was one of our favorite trips, and Gelu is the reason we got so much out of it. We wanted to see rural areas like Maramureș and Transylvania beyond the typical tourist attractions. My husband convinced me to hire a guide and I cannot believe how much it changed the experience. As a former journalist, Gelu has contacts and friends in every corner of the country. Because of that, we experienced a side of Romania we could never have found on our own. We ate meals in family kitchens, drank palincă with locals, and had genuine conversations about their lives today and during communism. It was refreshing to spend days at a time without encountering another American, or even a native English speaker. We really wanted to see the place where the Ceaușescus were tried and executed, but it was closed the only day we could go. Gelu made a phone call, and two women opened the museum just for us! Gelu was incredibly flexible and tailored the trip to our interests and energy level as he got to know us. One day I was sick and Gelu consulted his pharmacist daughter, then showed up at our hotel room with medicine and instructions. He then spoke with the owner of the inn who let us stay in the room as long as I needed past checkout time. My husband and I are in our early 40s and travel internationally a few times a year, normally planning everything ourselves. We love the freedom and spontaneity of independent travel and I worried a fully guided trip would feel too structured, but it didn't. Instead, it made the trip. I encourage everyone to visit before tourism changes some of the places and traditions that make this country special. There is so much more of Romania we want to explore, and we plan to return. Next time, I'll give Gelu the dates and leave the rest up to him.Posted on Tripadvisor
RussKr1Another great trip with Gelu This was our second tour with Gelu, and once again, it was an absolutely wonderful experience. This time we explored the beautiful regions of Bukovina and the Danube Delta, and Gelu made the journey truly special. He is an exceptionally knowledgeable guide who has a wonderful way of bringing Romania’s history, culture, and traditions to life. He was always attentive to our needs and took us beyond the usual tourist sights, introducing us to hidden corners and special places we would never have discovered on our own. He also connected us with fascinating local people, which made our experience even more personal and memorable. Traveling with Gelu feels less like being on a tour and more like exploring Romania with a knowledgeable and caring friend. After two wonderful trips with him, we are already looking forward to discovering new parts of Romania together. We can’t recommend Gelu highly enough!Posted on Tripadvisor
debpaperA walk in Bucharest with Gelu Transylvanian Tours Bucharest A walk in Bucharest with Gelu 1068950152 Gelu is so incredible. We met him in Bucharest and walked down a major street closed to vehicles (It was Sunday). Besides his great knowledge of history and current events, Gelu knows a lot about his city. We walked to the old town and had coffee and tea in an amazing building that has an enclosed area around a charming, huge building. I can see how the city got the nickname Little Paris. Another highlight was Stavropoleos, a beautiful little church built in 1724. Amazing date to us Midwesterners. Of course, Gelu knew one of the volunteers in the church.Posted on Tripadvisor
Joseph MThe Transylvanian Dream Team! Our group of 8 had a GREAT time in Transylvania! Gelu and Transylvania Tours put together a wonderful itinerary-- Beautiful mountain views, visit to Peles & Bran Castles, lunch in a local's home, cable car ride (Where we saw a bear), and excellent overnight accommodations in Brasov & Sibiu. Gelu, our guide each day, was fantastic-- personable, sense of humor, and he really knew his stuff. I couldn't recommend them more highly!Posted on Tripadvisor
Michael GMaking Vacation Personal Last year my wife and I decided to go on vacation to Romania. After doing research about private guided tours, I found three men with similar and consistent high scores. Being difficult to pick between the three, I read all the reviews and searched Google for other places where their names might appear. Gelu’s name appeared in quite a few places on the Internet…he was a journalist, a hiker and mountaineer, a philosopher, a scout leader, a lover of Democracy, a passionate lover of his country, and a student about anything that piqued his interest. And many reviews cited his compassion towards the clients that had mishaps and flexibility when something happened to challenge the trip. A week before vacation, the airline cancelled our flight. We finally booked with another airline at an increased cost. This required a change in our arrival from Cluj to Bucharest and Gelu tinkering with the order of our journey. After landing in Warsaw for our connecting flight, we were stuck in the Passport line for more than 2 hours. With assurances that our flight was waiting for us, we reached the gate only to find it didn’t wait for us. Instead of arriving at about 2pm, we got to Bucharest at 11pm. Gelu had to cancel one reservation and add a day to another. He moved some challenging activities to accommodate our recuperation from a 25-hour travel day. When he found out I had neuropathy that made walking up stairs or traversing unlevel ground an excuse for a hospital visit, he helped me up and down stairs and became my companion when the terrain got rough. Turning to the more traditional qualities of a guide, he brought us to the most wonderful sights, man made and natural, and put everything in perspective. We talked history, politics, religion, culture, and even the attributes of a fine brewed beer. We ate with people in their homes, had picnics by lazy bubbling streams, and dined at white tablecloth restaurants. Gelu helped make our vacation personal and we are very grateful.Posted on Tripadvisor
KL LWonderful Romania a d guide -Oct 2025 Gelu was our local guide for the 10day trip in Romania. We were so lucky to have a local folk who relates very well their country cultures and values, and also an experienced journalist to tell us more about their history, He even shared his personal experience on the street protest during government changing time, that really brought the country history to life to us!! Apart from the beautiful scenery in Brasov he brought us to, and the very special Sibui houses with 'eyes' on the roofs, he told superb stories about the history and meaningful wall paintings in those churches we visited, and the highlight was at the merry cemetery at maramures,. He took the effort to explain or translate those script on the stones to allow us to appreciate the special culture there. We were like a true family during the trip!! We thoroughly enjoyed his tour.í
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