Testimonials 2018
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"Get your walking shoes on and do this great tour. After coming all the way from Australia we couldn’t believe Romania has such a beautiful landscape. We had a few aches and pains the next day but totally worth it!!!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Dan Negoescu was our guide. He did a fantastic job! He loves to sing, and we really enjoyed listening to him sing! He's very knowledgeable about the history of Romania, and he's very proud of his country. After the tour, he drove us to the train station to catch our train to Sighisoara. He helped us with our luggage and helped us board the train. The train was absolutely packed with people due to the Easter holiday. He offered to drive a to Sighisoara instead, and we took him up on his offer. By the end of the day, we considered Dan a member of the family. I can't recommend him highly enough!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Dan picked us up where we were staying and we had the best day with him. He is very knowledgeable, but also a great character. His singing took us by surprise but we loved it! We can’t wait to visit with more of our family so they can meet him and experience this tour. The tour went at our pace and we really liked that. We spent a lot of time at Peles and it was nice to not be rushed. Dan really made our trip to Romania an amazing one and I highly recommend him."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Un castillo precioso, muy bien conservado y es una visita interesante,todos los alrededores son preciosos, aunque no quede nada de Vlad el Empalador y si muchas cositas de la reina María de Rumanía, lo único terrorífico que se puede visitar es una sala con aparatos de tortura de la inquisición de todos conocemos, visita que se paga aparte y que no merece la pena."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Did the extended tour as part of our introduction to Transylvania and couldn't of asked for a better guide in Charlie (Karoly). Charlie was fun, informative, easy going and showed us how to get the best out of each location. The tour was a truly enjoyable day."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We had a great time on our tour with Charlie. Went to Bran expecting to find it full of cheesy Dracula props but were pleasantly surprised to learn a lot about recent and non-recent history. Rasnov was cool too. He was friendly and knowledgeable and made us feel comfortable to move at our own pace, sample the local snacks, etc. Charlie if you're reading this I hope you enjoy that 10 Euro note I accidentally tipped you! Oh well, you probably deserved it. Highly recommended."
Great tour of Bran, Rasnov & Peles Castle
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I took a tour with Charlie (Karoly). I wasn't really expecting to be the only one of the tour for that day, but the tour was very personalized and Charlie was a very knowledgeable guide of all the places. The tour wasn't rushed at all. Would recommend."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Hello, my opinion is five stars and i havent got doubts. We were picked up in the main square of Brasov in the morning and we had a excellent tour around the 3 castles. The best of the tour our guide and driver karoly or "Charlie", very knowledege, funny and wonderful person. I highly reconmend this tour if you came to Transilvania. Thanks Charlie for your work and to doing us enjoy our holidays.
Kind regards"
"This was a great tour to go on, tour guide Dan was fantastic & really knew his stuff! Would recommend to anyone, we were nervous when it was just two of us with the tour guide but he made us feel very comfortable, his singing help :-)"
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"Better late than never for posting a review on this hike, because it has stayed with me and it's important to share how awesome it was! We did the day hike with Marian, who met us at our hotel and drove us out to the park. We had a fantastic day with him...the hike was challenging and beautiful, the food at the mountain hut was tasty, and we really enjoyed Marian's company. He's easy to converse with, funny, reads his clients well, engages everyone along the hike, and is obviously very passionate about Romania and her natural beauty. Next time we got to Brasov, we'll plan better so we can do a multi-day trip with Marian and Active Travel. Totally worth it!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Really great tour that got to see everything we wanted. Our tour guide knew so much about the places so added extra knowledge to our trip! Highly recommend as its well worth the value!"
Excellent day out with fantastic guide (just wrap up warm on a cold day!)
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"A Monday in February with snowfall and -14 degrees outside is probably the worst time to go on a tour around the Brasov area, but our guide Charlie made it a true pleasure!
We found the tour quite late in the day, so phoned up around 5pm the night before and managed to book on. (Do book much further in advance in the summer season though!)
The next morning at 9am we were promptly met by our tour guide at the central square. It was only the two of us so we essentially got a private tour all day, which was great.
At no point did we feel rushed or stressed, even though we were away 9am until about 2pm and made several stops, including a well-needed hot chocolate break.
Since it was a Monday, Bran only opened at noon, so we started the day with a quick visit to the oldest church in Brasov, then Rasnov fortress, and eventually Bran castle. (With this booking you pay your own entry fees, about another 70 lei per person.) The guide comes in with you and takes you around the sites too, with lots of little stories and info.
Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, happy to answer questions and helped us get up and down the slippery walkways of the sites. He also happily stopped at sites with good photo opportunities (aside from the main stops).
He was also a safe driver even on the slippery, frozen mountain roads.
If you are in Brasov, I honestly think this is the #1 thing to do and not to miss. For about 25 euros per person, we basically had a private driver and tour guide for half a day, which is well worth the money!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"This was one of the best tours we have ever taken! Our guide Charlie was fantastic! He was very knowledgeable and made it a fun experience for all of us. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Romania."
"De lo bueno o vistoso que pueda ser el contenido de la visita no voy a opinar, pues todo por Transilvania suele ser bastante bonito y agradable de ver. La visita al castillo lo esperado, y la fortaleza en Rasov, también. Como bonus, al estar todo nevado, le da una belleza adicional.
Lo mejor, sin duda, de la excursión, fue el guía. Dan Negoescu. Simpático hasta hartar (pero no te hartas). Habla varios idiomas, aunque modestamente afirma sólo poder utilizar de forma fluída el inglés, pero lo cierto es que mi madre -que nada de nada de inglés- se acabó entendiendo con él en español poco a poco.
Me podría deshacer en halagos durante media hora, y no acabaría. Baste decir que, para aquellos que quieran una opción económica (desde el punto de vista de España) para estos tours, es una excelente e indudable opción.
Le pondría 10 estrellas si las hubiera. He escrito la review sólo para darle las gracias."
Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We had a provate tour of brand castle. We did not book in advance but were approached when we arrived. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us lots information. They were patient while we took pictures and answered all of our questions. I would highly recommend."
Exceptional tour with the best guide!!
"Did the day tour including Peles, Bran and Rasnov-do not miss Peles! Fantastic tour at a reasonable price with exceptional guide Charlie (Karoly) who was very knowledgeable, helpful in navigating the icy snowy paths and very hospitable and friendly. Small group (4 of us) which was very personalised and you never felt rushed like you do on some tours. We had some lovely photo stops along the way and were given time to do a spot of shopping at the numerous market stalls at Bran castle. We were even given the option of lunching in a restaurant or in the lovely food stalls in the town-well worth doing this as you get to get to taste some of the local cuisine-yum! I am bout usually a fan of organised tours but a big thank you to Charlie and ActiveTravel for a truly memorable tour. Highly recommend these guys!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Our guide (Dan) was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We visited the a fortified church, the Bran Castle and the Rasnov Fortress and learned a lot about Romanian history.
Unfortunately the weather was not great (very foggy) and we couldn´t enjoy the great view from Rasnov´s Fortress so I recommend to check the weather forecast before you book the tour.
Also make sure you have enough money for the entrance fees for the different places and to buy souvenirs if you want (price much better there than in Brasov)."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Bonita excursión al Castillo de Bran y la fortaleza de Raznov, una pena que hiciera mal tiempo ya que no pudimos disfrutar mas aún de lo que lo hicimos de las vistas. El guía (Dan) hacía la visita más amena enseñándonos fotos que se trajo de su casa para que entendiésemos mejor la historia del castillo, además es una persona muy agradable y simpática que hace más fácil que pases un día excelente.
Como he mencionado antes, el único problema fue el tiempo, cuando el grajo vuela bajo..."
Bran Castle and Rasnov Castle Tour
"I had an amazing time on this tour. Our guide, Dan Negoescu, was informative and enthusiastic, truly making it and enjoyable experience. Even though it was cold, the snow just made the views more spectacular. I would definitely recommend this tour."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We had the best tour and history lesson during our tour . Our tour guide Dan was an extraordinary soul . Dan took great pride and care to ensure we had full history of Bran and pele castle . He explained the total history of Beautiful Romania as well . One of the best guided tours i ever took . A memory i will never forget. Highly recommended."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I arrived in Brasov without a clear plan for how to explore the region. Found the Active Travel office at 9am the next morning and they had me in route to Bran/Rasnov within 10 minutes. This is a very professional company and I would highly recommend them. The pricing, the vehicle, the guide, and overall experience were near perfect."
Bran Castle and Fortress with Dan
"We spent a great day with Dan in the spring snow. He was both knowledgeable and interesting. We had some entertaining conversations with Dan about Romanian history and politics. He also took us to a really good restaurant afterwards."
Excelente excursión al castillo de Bran, Peles y Fortaleza Rasnov.
"Una ruta muy bonita y muy bien explicada por nuestro guía Mihai, que nos ha dado una gran lección de historia y nos ha tratado muy bien. Altamente recomendable para los que quieran visitar los tres sitios. Repetiríamos sin duda."
"We may have only seen a flash of bear (because we visited too early in the season), but our experience with active travel could not have been better. Marian went above and beyond to accommodate us and we could not have expected more. Our guide Charlie was a gentleman also and it was a pleasure just meeting these people and having them share their local knowledge with us. We also got to see many wild boar and some deer!
We hope to return for a trekking trip and more bears in the future! Thank you Marian and team."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Took the tour with optional Peles Castle with Charlie in Mar. It was a small group with another 4 girls from other countries and i enjoyed it tremendeously.
Our guide, Charlie was professional,speaks impeccable english and definitely made the trip fun and informative and definitely not boring. He is happy to give recommendations and generally tips and suggestion for your visit to Romania and not just for the tour. We also made short stops at nice photo ops spots. And the place we stopped for our lunch break was reasonably priced and offered pretty yummylicious Romanian food to try.
Would definitely recommend the trip. Price is pretty reasonable and the online booking is hassle free. If you just want to enjoy what Transylvania has to offer with its beautiful castles without worrying how to get there..the tour is the definite answer for a fun worry-free trip."
Excellent introduction to Romania
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"My wife and I travelled to Romania for the first time and were keen on understanding the country's history and culture. Our tour guide - Mihai - picked us up from our hotel right on time 8:15 and guided us through the journey. Mihai is extremely knowledgeable about the country's history and equally passionate about her culture. Right at the start of the trip Mihai had told us that the star of the day was going to be Viscri and he was right. I would highly recommend this tour as well as Mihai as the guide. In case the latter is not possible, I'd suggest requesting an official tourist guide."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Wonderfully organised tour. We were picked up in a super minibus very punctually from our guesthouse outside Brasov and met Dan, our guide and fellow 4 tourists in town. From the very first moment Dan was "on it" and remained witty, knowledgable and helpful throughout. He even recommended a traditional Romanian restaurant to my husband and I and took us there! If you're short for time in Brasov (and even if you're not!) I thoroughly recommend this tour and company."
Trekking in the Wilds of Romania
"Active Travel arranged a fantastic trek for our group. They listened to what we wanted and provided a unique experience for us for the day . The route , the attention to detail, the service was impeccable. Thank you Marian - much appreciated- a wild bear as well!!"
Tim
"A wonderful trek with Marian through beautiful dense forests, snow covered gorges and high meadows. Marian was the perfect guide selecting the routes which we would find both exhilarating and challenging. The trek was hugely enjoyable and informative. Marian is rightly proud of his company and guides. A great experience!"
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"Big thanks to Marian and his team at Active Travel for organising an unforgettable hike for our small group in Piatra Craiuli National Park. It was early season with snow on the ground and the local Easter weekend but we were very well briefed and prepared and looked after extremely well. Recommendations on hotels and restaurants were perfect. We also learned much about Transylvania, Romania and its wonderful people from our very well informed guide."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We visited all 3 castles starting with Peles in the morning, then Bran and to finish Rasnov. The best part of this tour was our guide Karoly [Charlie] who is simply amazing. He drove very safely, was very knowledgeable about what we were seeing and very flexible on the timing. Overall this tour was an awesome one and definitely exceeded our expectations !"
"We couldn't face the thought of a 3 hour drive from Bucharest to see the castles (Peles, Bran and Rasnov) so we arrived on Saturday by train, spent the day touring on Sunday and are returning to Bucharest today.
Our tour yesterday was still quite a long day anyway: we were picked up at 0845 and returned to our hotel at 1800. I am so glad we didn't have the additional 3 hour commute from/to Bucharest!
The tour was easy to arrange with Marian and our guide Mihai was waiting for us in our hotel lobby right on time.
We had a great day under Mihai's direction. He was a safe and confident driver and did his best to avoid the many potholes.
Mihai gave us lots of historical facts but kept the day interesting with lots of stories."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"First of all, I'd like to thank my guide for getting to our pick up request at the very late minute. It was a private tour just for 2 of us. Our guide, Dan has balanced the historic parts that we have to know with the visual illustration from his book so that makes it easier for us to follow.
Apart from the sightseeing, we do enjoy your Opera singing! In brief, we thought we made the right decision to start our tour from Brasov.
Thank you very much again."
Professional guide to be trusted
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We went to Bran castle and Râşnov Fortress within the afternoon: departure at 13:30 and return at the train station by 17:30, in time to buy tickets back to Bucarest. Within this short range of time, the guide (and apparently company owner or co-owner), Marian, still managed to organize a visit at a quiet pace, taking time to explain in much details the stories both local and global. Try to go there at off-peak seasons, it’s very important. Bran is a loverly castel, and in most stairs you cannot be two. If just two buses of tourists arrive at the same moment, you’ll hate the experience. With just a few other tourists, it is simply enchanting. Thanks to Marian, he’s knowledgeable, reliable, friendly. You made our day. Perfect English spoken. Definitely a good reference."
Bran and Peles castles / Rasnov fortress
"We went to know the beautiful city of Braşov, Rasnov, Bran and Peles with our amazing Tourist guide Charlie, he went above and beyond to make the day perfect for us. I recommend anyone going to Romania to get any tour from them 100% worth it."
An amazing, interesting and unforgettable trip
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"My day trip with my friend and his parents was just brilliant! Kartsi the tour guide spoke great fluent English. He was also really patient and hospitable. His sheer enthusiasm coupled with his vast knowledge on Romania, and the tour itself, helped me to learn quite a lot about the country. I would recommend him again and again.
A decadent trip that I will never forget! Thank you."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I had an amazing day with Charlie our guide. He is so knowledgeable and very friendly guy. He made everything he could to make this experience the best! We enjoyed the castles very much as he took us and explained to us special details."
I had an unforgettable experience with Charlie the guide. He's one of the few persons who really feels in depth what's behind the outer layer of the things and leaded me discovering this magical country in a special way with uncommon passion, patience and competence.
Charlie, thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Giovanni"
"Tour de qualidade prestado pelo guia Karoly! Rapaz muito gente fina e educado, prestativo e sempre disposto a explicar a sua história da melhor forma possível. Super recomendo os serviços deles! Fomos no Castelo de Bran e também visitamos a cidadela."
Great experience through Transylvania
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"My girlfriend and I went on the tour with two wonderful tour guides, Dan and Diana. There was only us on the tour, so we really got a lot of individualized attention. Dan had interesting books and pictures with him, which he shared with us along the trip. The day was very entertaining and Dan is truly a knowledgeable, dedicated, hardworking guide. We went in his private car and he drove safely and attentively throughout.
Our trip consisted on a little stop at Cristian, to see a beautiful and historic church. Then, we went to Rasnov to see its fortress (very recommended, amazing views from up there), and finally we went to Bran to see its famous castle.
I highly recommend this tour and tour guides to all interested persons."
Awesome day out to Dracula's Castle
"These guys are the best if you want to have a really fun and enjoyable experience of Dracula's Castle and Râşnov fortress. We were a mixed group of all ages and countries.... New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Netherlands, Spain. We all had such a cool time and our guide was a super friendly guy. Best money ever spent! Cheers"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Our Guide (KAROLY) was so professional and friendly.. he mad sure to pick us from Hotel. He is so informative. The Bran Castle is worth visiting and with his knowledge and stories it's even more exciting trip. He made sure to stop for souvenirs and to buy snacks and beverages.
He made sure to cover all parts of the castle and take every possible camera shot. Then we moved to Rasnov Fortress.. again amazing views and endless stories. He finally dropped us after recommending a restaurant for lunch (CEAUN) in Brasov Square which turned to be amazing one."
Great experience with great guide!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Our guide was great and so friendly! The tour was perfect! they arrive on time to pick you up and the personnel is so helpful, İ had some trouble wıth registration online and Marian helped me inmediately. İ really enjoyed my tour, I totally recommend Active Travel!"
"We bumped into Dan at both Bran Castle and Peles Castle. We had not booked a tour with him, but a travel friend we met in Brasov had. We were by ourselves, he recognised us and gave us some advice and invited us for lunch. He was a funny guy and had a lot of knowledge. We were happy to give a review."
Chapeau and Gratitude to Mihai of Active Travel!
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"Chapeau and gratitude to Mihai Craciun of Active Travel for his remarkable leadership and guidance of a 7-hour moderate-to-difficult hike in the Piatra Craiului national park. The choice of trail was excellent -- a good mix of canyons, meadows, vista points and forest, as was the pace of the hike. We spent an extra hour due to slippery conditions since the skies decided to pour as we were going down to the car.
Mihai is a walking encyclopedia of the geology, zoology, botany and cultural history of the area, and knows how to convey his tremendous knowledge to those of us visiting Romania for the first time. He was punctual, communicative, professional and compassionate. The other people who signed up for the hike were warm and generous.
It was an act of serendipity that led me to Active Travel's web site as I was planning my trip to the Carpathian ridges around Brasov. The hike was fantastic."
Superb day out despite the weather
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We started our day trip by meeting our guide Karoly in Piata Sfatului. The rest of the group was quickly rounded up and so we started our short journey to Bran Castle. Karol was really knowledgable and told us about numerous characteristics of the former Saxon villages we were passing by, about history and present. Our guide made our visit to Bran castle a great experience: short stories, jokes and facts made us see the castle as an enchanting and not so scary place. From here we battled the rain and managed to visit Râşnov fortress u see a few rays of sunshine. So lucky we escaped the showers at most appropriate times. We said goodby to our companions in the afternoon and we all agreed we had a very interesting and pleasant day! Thank you all for such good organising and to Karol for his welcoming skills doubled by awesome English skills. Wish all the best with this venture.
Lumi and Geoff"
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"The hike itself was exactly what we were looking for; spectacular scenery and the right amount of challenge. Our guide Cristian was excellent; passionate about nature and wildlife, it really gave us a deeper understanding of the area."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Most people will frustrated when they know the true of this castle... Expect unexpected.. but you will enjoy the view and the true."
"Dan Negoescu was an excellent guide. His English was excellent and his knowledge of every aspect of the history of the places visited was encyclopaedic. On top of that he was a thoroughly nice man who made us feel very welcome and well looked after."
"So.... I decided for the second time, almost a year later, this time in a small group 3 peaple couple and me without prior knowledge (marian the guide make the connection and was right !!! we left as friends)to enjoy the beauty of the divine view of Bucegi Natural Park and Piatra Craiului National Park. the guidance by Marian made my trip no less than perfect !!! Marian was professional, the guidance was amazing, the guesthouse was perfect !!
so I found myself enjoying the same place for the second time full of happiness and new friends. Thank you Marian !!!! active travel recommended !!! don't miss the perfect guidance !
as i say last year.....see you next year!!!"
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"We had a great time in this small excursion. We managed to see 6! wild bears during our “stake-out” period in the reserve near Braşov. The guide was cordial, polite and explained us the characteristics of the Romanian Bear Population. Definitely recommended!"
"Highly recommend this tour! Peles Castle was my favourite out of the three that we visited, so I would definitely suggest that you opt to include this option. Our guide Charlie was very informed, funny and easy to talk to. He answered every question we had and told the stories with enthusiasm, it's clear that he loves his job! Bran Castle was also beautiful as well as Rasnov Fortress. I'm so happy we booked this tour!"
"I booked a day trip to Bran and Peles castles with the fortress as well. The day was amazing! Charlie is a great guide! Very well informed, funny and accommodating. When we stopped for lunch, he recommended a local street stand which was so delicious! The temperature dropped and it started to rain, he had umbrellas and offered his own sweater and jacket to those of us who didn’t have one...that is way above and beyond!! Thank you Charlie, it was a great experience!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Dan, our singing Romanian man, was an excellent guide. Pick up was on time, excellent knowledge of the whole area. Day trip I would highly recommend with fantastic guide."
Active Travel hat unsere Rundreise ausgezeichnet organisiert
"Wir waren eine Gruppe von 6 Personen auf Rundreise (7 Tage wandern, 3 Tage Sightseeing). Active Travel hat uns die Rundreise super organisiert. Inhalte waren:
- Transporte: Z.B. Sibiu FH --> Sinaia (Ausgang unserer Wanderung, ohne Führer, über die Bucegi-Berge in die Partria Craiului), Brasov-Sighisoara, Sighisoara-Sibiu.
- Führungen in Brasov (Alex ausgezeichnet), Sighisoara (Fr. Beier ausgezeichnet), Sibiu (so lala).
- Unterkünfte (7 von 10) hat auch ActiveTravel organisiert. Preise entsprachen den lokal üblichen Preisen.
Kommunikation, Flexibilität und Interaktion mit dem Team waren hervorragend.
Kann Active Travel nur empfehlen."
So lucky to have Charlie/ Karoly as our guide
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We did 2 one day tour out of Brasov. First one was with 2 lovely ladies from the USA and second day to Shigisoara on our own. Both days Charlie was our guide. He spoke perfect English - extremely knowledgeable, good sense of humour, intelligent and considerate. He knew everyone and we didn’t have to queue at Peles. There were very long queues after us!
Restaurant recommendations were excellent for leisurely lunches.
Nothing was too much for Charlie including detours and extra stops to see the markets and other places we spotted. He was interested and knowledgeable about the flora and fauna, food drinks and anything else you asked him. He tried to find out and follow up if he didn’t know. We don’t usually like organized tours but we felt like we were guided by a good friend. There was no rush to meet schedules and took the whole day at our own pace. So lucky to have met Charlie. We cannot praise him enough. Thanks again."
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"A unique and beautiful experience. It was a rare privilege indeed to spend some time with these wonderful animals. The reserve is a large, open (ie not fenced) area in which the bears are studied in the wild and their diet supplemented. Visitors can observe the bears from a hide without disturbing them. This is far preferable to visiting a sanctuary in my view. My guide, Tiberius, is a scientist and part of a team working to preserve and protect the population of Romanian brown bears. He was extremely knowledgeable and I was able to gain useful info about the bears and their habitat as well as other local fauna. All-in-all an incredibly rewarding experience and one that I highly recommend for any visitor to Romania."
"Van op de eerste moment dat ik contact zocht op het internet met Active travel had ik er een goed gevoel bij. Telkens werd een mail direct beantwoord. We hebben een mooie en avontuurlijke 14-daagse gecombineerde trek en mountainbiketocht gedaan in Transylvanië. De reis was goed georganiseerd, gevarieerd met culturele bezoeken en mooie tochten. De overnachtingen waren telkens in kleinere gezellig pensions. De eerste week trektocht was gevarieerd en self guided op basis van wandelkaarten en bijkomende schriftelijke uitleg. Het was dan ook niet moeilijk om zelf je weg te vinden. De tweede week was een mountainbike tocht onder begeleiding van een goede gids. Thank You Bogdan, You did a good job. Regelmatig werden we gecontacteerd door Marian de trekkingbaas of alles in orde was. Ik wil dan ook alle Vlamingen die deze revieuw lezen en avontuurlijk zijn aangelegd niet te twijfelen over de keuze van deze travel agency."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I went on the 3-castle tour with Active Travel, and I have to say it was honestly the highlight of my 2 week trip in Romania. More than just appreciating gorgeous sceneries, I also learned a lot about the history of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) and other important figures in Romanian history. For the first time in my life, I actually enjoyed learning gothic history, big thanks to my great guide, Dan! If you ever make it to Romania, I wholeheartedly recommend you to take up this 3 castle tour--it saves you a lot of time by hitting 3 birds with one stone, and on the plus side comes with a great-quality tour guide and is extremely reasonably priced!"
"I booked a 2-day trip with Active Travel for myself only. From the initial correspondence with Marian to the handling of the trip by Mihail, everything was perfect. Communication was smooth, and the team was able to completely custom-make my trip, by arranging pick-up from my hotel in Bucharest (with an extra charge), which I highly apprecaited as I had limited time in the country.
Mihail was a wonderful guide, extremely knowledgeable, passionate about his job, his country, its history and its nature. He came up with great recommendations.
I was able to do, see and learn so much during these 2 days. We visited Peles castle, did 2 hikes, slept in a guest house in the Piatra Craiului national parc, and finished with a visit of Bran and Brasov.
I cannot thank and recommend Marian and Mihail enough for the wonderful experience I have had of Romania."
"The guide Dan picked us up at our hotel. The entire trip was interesting and Dan gave a very good tour in english for us. A very priceworthy tour with a great and helpfull guide. Dan had a good knowledge of Romania and could answer all our questions."
Like a nature documentary - but live!
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
I didn't know what to expect from this experience, so I readied myself for sitting still in a forest for hours on end, waiting for the bears to show up. Instead, we were taken to a bear hide in a natural reservation, where food had been left for the bears hidden around some trees (so they have to work for their supper).
Because of the season (early June), were very lucky and got to see LOTS of bears interacting: teenage bears, female with cubs, strong scary male bears, a bear 'date', and two best friends. Dragoș and the other hosts were clearly knowledgeable and passionate about wildlife and they answered all our questions with great patience and enthusiasm.
It was a truly unique and humbling experience to observe these beautiful beasts in their natural habitat. I'm recommending this tour to everyone I know - and I can't wait to do it again!"
Tudor was the best! Great experience!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Tudor was very patient, informative, and helpful. He made this trip even better with his kindness. Would highly recommend this company and this driver in particular :)"
Booked at the last minute and lots of bears!
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"Marian helped us to organise this tour at very short notice (same day) which was much appreciated! Alex picked us up from town in the late afternoon and drove us to the meet up point with the ranger. On the way there and back he gave us a great explanation of Romanian history and was super engaging, his English was perfect and we had a very enjoyable conversation with him. We wished we had booked our previous day's tour with him (Bran and Peles Castle and Rasnov Fort)!
The ranger explained what was going to happen and led the way. I was a bit scared at first hiking (about 10 mins) to the lookout point, there was some mud on the way (my shoes got a bit dirty) because it had been raining and I was looking around for any bears wandering around the forest! But we didn't see any on the way there, and after having watched them at the lookout (a small covered 'house' with windows to the area where they leave the food for the bears), I was much less worried hiking back since they didn't seem aggressive and preferred to avoid human interaction. We were told to be patient to wait for the bears to show up but when we arrived, there were already 3 bears there! And after some time, a mother with her 3 cubs came to eat and play as well. It was a total pleasure, thanks to Marian, Alex and the team."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Our tour was excellent and our tour guide Charlie went above and beyond to make us enjoy the trip. Our tour guide knew about the locations well & was very flexible in allowing us to take detours & visit nearby tourist shops & the like. We visited the locations on Monday & though Peles Castle was closed, the amount of people in Bran Castle was small (which was great). We had to pay separately for the castles’ entrances but it was quite cheap overall. Do recommend & would take again."
Bran castle and Rasnov Fortress
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Went on a day tour today to Bran castle and Rasnov Fortress with our tour guide Dan. We had a brilliant day even the rain didn't manage to ruin the day. Dan was very informative and very knowledgeable about the area and the sites we saw. I would 100% recommend their services if your looking for a good tour around the Brasov area."
"If there was an option for six stars, this guy deserves it! Very knowlodgable of the areas we went to, like a walking encyclopedia."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"A great way to spend a morning when it is pouring with rain as it turned out. Clearly we had anticipated a sunny early summer day but it was not to be, low cloud and pouring rain for much of the time. However, the Transylvanian countryside was still beautiful and Charlie's knowledge and charm more than made up for the weather. Charlie's historic background and anecdotes brought both Bran castle and the fortress at Rasnov to life. I would highly recommend this trip and Charlie as a guide."
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"Even if the weather was really bad, we've seen 1 bear and 2 fox ! It was an amazing experience !
Alex is very nice, know many things about those animals and speak perfectly English.
He took us in the center of Brasov and he drove us to the forest. There we walked 5minutes and then we've been waited for a long long time before seing the bear."
Dan (the guide) is amazing!
"Booked two tours with them in June, the Peles and Bran one and the Sighisoara one, and had Dan as a guide for both. The tours don’t feel rushed and are gray, cover a lot of things, and Dan is really friendly and knowledgeable. He didn’t mind stopping to take pictures and gave us informations on different places we crossed on the way. I would 100% recommend them and book with them again!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Our Guide, Karoly, picked me up early from my accommodation and after picking up more tourists and filling the minibus we left Brasov.
Karoly was very knowledgable of the local area and had lots of information and stories to tell. I would recommend this trip to anyone the mountain views were awe inspiring!"
Meeting Alex a guide with the company.
"Alex came to collect us after the Bear watching experience and instead of taking us straight back to our hotel took us to 2 viewpoints to show us Brasov by night.This turned out to be a real highlight as he was very informative and interesting .We thoroughly enjoyed his company."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Dan was my tour guide and he was awesome. He picked me up right on time near the Brasov council square. After that we drove to pick up another person.
Even though it rained, the tour went smoothly thanks to Dan's well planned guided tour. His vehicle is also clean, roomy, and comfortable.
Dan provided a good history lesson and knows his stuff well! He is also a decent voice :).
I highly recommended anyone to take this tour. The value is great and time saved from figuring out everything yourself is also a big plus. The time saved can be used to do other things in Brasov!"
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"Best tour we have ever been on
Mihail our guide was a great guy, informative both with the natural beauty of Piatra Craiului Park, but also the history of Transylvania and Brasov.
He was both kind and generous with his time, and very patient in his manner....Fantastic day, made even more special by the stunning scenery...will highly recommend to all friends and family, to visit brasov, and whilst there to book a tour with Active Travel".
"Thank you for such an amazing experience. Especial our guide Bogdan! you were very helpful and kind. The trek was adapted to our level, which was a relief, as we are level duck."
Wonderful guide and beautiful scenery
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We had a wonderful experience, thanks to our experienced and personable guide, Karol. We had booked the trip to Bran castle and Rasnov, but our guide asked if we wanted to make an impromptu stop at a bear sanctuary as well, which we did and it was well worth it. Karol gave us an interesting and insightful tour around Bran and Rasnov, with plenty of history and anecdotes. Well worth every penny and every minute."
"The tour was excellent, we enjoyed every minute of it, our guide was just perfect! Thank you so much Tudor ! I totally recommend active travel."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We had a great time, our guide shared a lot of interesting and amusing stories. He drove us to some other villages in the mountains to see as well, even took the time to help us out booking a train for the next day. Great service, when in Brasov, defenitly take this tour!"
Very enjoyable day trip from Brasov
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"Although we usualy travel alone, we had only three days stay in Romania and decided to go on guided tours to get the most we could out of our time. We did both Sighisoara and Bran tours on two consecutive days with the same guide.
Karol, our guide, was very friendly, professional as well as knowledgable making the whole experience seem like a nice excursion with a friend.
Besides the expected beauties of Sighisoara, the visit to Viscri was quite special and will remain in our memories as a highlight of our trip.
I highly recommend this trip and I would advise reserving one more day to stay in one of the wonderful, off the beaten path villages such as Viscrii, as long as one feels comfortable with more original - less touristic experiences.
P.S. Pat, if you are reading this, greetings from Athens! It's been quite enjoyable sharing this experience with you!"
Bucegi + Piatra Craiului with Mihai
"We had 4 fantastic days with Active Travel and the tour guide Mihai visiting Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Shepherd’s peak and Little Stone peak.
Active travel was great, everything from the booking, payment and pick up worked spot on. Mihai was an excellent guide. Having climbed peaks of 7000 m himself this guy knows his stuff, and beyond keeping us motivated, balanced and well informed he was a great joy during the trek. We talked about Romanian history and culture, played cards together and shared a beer or two. He was warm, attentive and professional.
We have visited some of the most spectacular scenery ever and are stoked about this experience. We would gladly recommend Active Travel and Mihai.
/Martin and Kim"
Great Guide and Peles Castle a must!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We did a great day tour, visiting all three attractions. The group was a great size (Us and one other couple) Our guide Charlie spoke great english, was very knowledgeable and know all the short cuts and off the track points to look at. He made some busy attractions feel quite and was very helpful. Highly Recommended!"
Enjoyment depends on the guide
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I was looking forward to this tour based on all the good reviews but our guide Bogdan reduced our enjoyment. While I enjoy when a guide shares some particular first hand experience e.g. opinion of when they personally lived under communism, I do not pay to have their opinions on a wide variety of political topics thrown at me when none of the party brough it up or were interested in a discussion. He did not pick up on our lack of interest even when we took it in turns to change the topic and among many others stated: socialism=communism, EU is forcing Romania to go against their values in regards LGBTQ+, 95% of rapes in Sweden committed by Muslims and women there don't report due to 'political correctness'. He also said my husband threw (axes) 'like a girl' and then tried to one up him. We don't care we're on holiday! We were quite glad when the tour was over, the worst guide I've ever had. The sites were nice. Avoid Bogdan!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
'We went to Rasnov Fortress and Bran Castle and had a great tour guide, Teodor. Highly recommend him! He picked us up at the agreed time from our apartment and after collecting another passenger we were on our way. He was highly informative about both Rasnov Fortress and Bran Castle and history in general. Had very good local knowledge of both these places and Brasov and suggested many things to go and see in the Old Town. Upon our return to Brasov he dropped us off at a Shopping Mall we were inquiring about."
Awesome hike with a good and professional guide
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"This was definitely one of our best experiences in Romania, the mountains and the nature are so beautiful. Even the rain during the first part of the hike didn't bother us. Our guide Bogdan was absolutely amazing, really professional, supportive and positive. We didn't have a lot of experience but with his help we managed to exceed ourselves and the feeling when reaching the peak of the mountain was unbelievable! Best experience ever, mulțumesc! Good hiking shoes and waterproof clothing are important, as the weather in the mountains is unpredictable."
"It’s was excellent trip and one of the best thing in our holiday. The guide was very nice and we really enjoyed our trip. The views were amazing."
Great hike and day with knowledgeable Mihai
"A great hiking day in a carpathian mountain site. Guide was really easygoing and could alottaa tell us a lot about Brasov and Romania in general. Highly recommended!"
All you expect + the little extra!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I had a great day. The tour guide Alex was very nice and had a good knowledge both in Romanian and worldwide history. Nothing at all to complain about."
"Generally would not go on tour for hiking (would just do it myself) but I went to active travel and delighted I did. Guide was extremely knowledgeable, experienced and great company. Accommodation was excellent. Would strongly recommend a trip with them. 5 star experience."
Solo travellers read this! Absolutely outstanding.
"Absolutely excellent! Loved it all. Our guide (cannot remember his name) knew all his stuff and educated us so well. I was initially put off by the price as am backpacking solo and you’re charged double online as a solo to make it cost effective, but I went into the office (in the middle of Brasov Old Town) and got a date where others had booked so could just pay for a single person. It may well be the only time I see bears in their natural habitat, so I’ll always remember it. We saw 4 different bears, 1 came back for a second time, so 5 sightings in all, despite the rain. Absolutely fantastic!"
One tour was not enough, 6 stars
"Charlie is exceptional. He is easy going, great company, incredibly knowledgeable, patient and most of all genuine. He went to great lengths to make sure we enjoyed our day to the fullest.
We loved our first tour (Bran+Peles) so much, we booked a second to Viscri and Sighisoara which was sensational. To us he represents the very best of Romania and will be a standout piece in our jigsaw of life.
Thanks for the vote if you found this review helpful."
Charlie gave a brilliant tour of the Transfagaran path and surrounding attractions
"Excellent tour, Charlie is very friendly and knowledgeable, and took genuine pleasure in sharing the spectacular Romanian scenery and wildlife with us."
"We took two hikes with mihai. He was charming, knew a lot, helped us in every way and took us to see this amazing part of romania. Thank you Mihai."
Fantastic Bear watching - recommmend!
"Alex and the two rangers were a trio, that, together with the bears who so kindly showed up, made this trip excellent! Short walk before you get to the little viewing hut, where you see the bears very close up. Also saw some deer on the way back and Alex took the time to drive around and share his knowledge and views.
Very recommended!"
Wonderful trip with tour guide Charlie
"Me and my brother took the Transfagarasan road tour, stopping at many different beautiful locations along the way. We felt blessed to have the tour guide Charlie with us for the 12 hours. He went above and beyond to make our trip special including buying us hot chocolates when it was raining. He truly cared about whether we were enjoying ourselves, and represented the best of what we have seen in Romania on our travels - genuine, friendly and kind people. Thank you so much Charlie for giving us the best conclusion to our Romanian adventure."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Superbe journee.. chateaux tres interessants avec guide genial.. tres attentif, serviable et qui prend le temps de bien expliquer. Un grand merci."
Better than Imagined - Loved the Guide too
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"So glad we did this. A highlight of our 20 day Eastern Europe trip for many reasons. Of course, bears were first objective for this tour choice. However, we have to say first that the young man, Alax, our driver and guide, is amazing in many ways. Very fun and informative- but found out also intelligent and sincere. He had to earn this privilege to do this and came up with the idea. He really cares and knows a lot about these bears, truly enjoys it. He even pointed out his house with parents and his grandparents houses in the tiny village between Brasov and mountains that you drive through on way to see bears. He has lived there all his life. Great driver with comfortable car - showed up exactly on time at easy meeting location. All communication beforehand great and he speaks perfect English. It was my husband and I and one more man he picked up for the tour. We even got to see a full rainbow on scenic drive through countryside on way. You truly go to the very end of the road into mountains. But the ride not seem long and totally worth it. Ask about everything in area and bears on way. Once there you will need to be quiet. Another positive about this tour is getting to go through villages and into actually mountains after spending so much of trip in cities and touring castles with many people around. Peaceful and quiet indeed. After drive we walked quietly up a dirt road for a few minutes, then a trail into trees up side of hill in crevice of mountains to a comfortable blind built solidly on steep side - with great viewing area out windows that opened with bar to lean and look out. Room secure and comfortable for several people. So on to the bears. We waited maybe 30-40 minutes maybe. Didn’t seem long and here comes a bear down out of trees. More exciting than imagined. Huge, but so cute to watch climb up on stump platform made with chocolate for them. We had watch a fox all evening too go back and forth. Very neat to see it jumping and sneaking around. Then another bear came. Two at once. Neat to see interaction. We saw 5 different males that evening. The dead cows were a bit much to see at first - but hey we eat them too. The bears more interested in the chocolate at first. But really incredible to see strength and claws with cow. The guide had great binoculars he let us use which was all the more impressive. I had looked into going to the bear sanctuary instead near zarnesti, but after reading reviews decided on this type of bears in nature tying. So satisfied with this. Very sure from all information that this tours is caring for the bears with research, not upsetting nature - very regulated. I had felt since booking through viator for first time would be more commercialized (in a bad way) bit was not - this was a very personalized and legitimately good tour. Alax has much credit toward the entire thing. Congratulations to him and all those working with. Definitely do this tour. You won’t regret. My husband was so very tired that night and he was trying to get me to cancel last second - I was so disappointed and worried he would not be happy with it - but he absolutely loved everything about it. I have to say also that it is a very good value for the money as well. I hope we go back to the area. We will do again and hope to ask Alax to take around everywhere! Thanks."
"We're a group of six people from HONG KONG. We joined a tour of the three famous castles near Brasov. The tour guides, Todor and Alex are very professional, informative and caring. All of us had a great time today. Thanks to Todor for letting us have a great one-day tour today!"
7 Ladders Canyon From Brasov With Guide Alex
Review of: Day Trip to the Epic 7 Ladders Canyon from Brasov
"Alex our guide met us in Brasov, the old town square and drove us to the 7 Ladders Canyon in a very comfortable and clean mini bus. Alex was very professional and was happy to answer any questions we had and was very knowledgeable about the area. If you want to see some spectacular scenery and like hiking, the trip is well worth doing. The ladders within the gordge and the waterfalls make the climb special and memorable and I personally enjoyed talking to Alex about History, Romania, and the UK. His English is excellent as is his warmth, I would highly recommend this trip and if Alex is your guide, you will be in very good hands. Many thanks, Gareth & Fran from UK"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Can't thank Tudor enough for a great tour of the castle and fortress, they were extremely informative and he answered all our questions. He even very kindly recommended some restaurants that had gluten-free options and called them for us to confirm. Of all the places we went to in Romania Tudor was the most helpful, polite and funny person we encountered.
Thank you again!"
"I had a great day with Tudor, visiting the castles and Ransov Fortress. Tudor was very punctual and shared so much knowledge of the area with me. He really knew his subject matter. Tudor went above and beyond when a road was closed for repair and made sure I saw everything on the itinerary. He was very professional and friendly, and I would definitely take a tour from him the next time I visit."
amazing scenery and amazing value
Review of: Full-Day tour Transfagarasan road and Poienari Fortress from Brasov
"This fantastic tour exceeded our expectations. Mihai was very information and helpful. We were very pleased we went on the Transfagarasan Road. The drive and the scenery made for a very worthwhile tour. Plus the others sites and experiences including the unexpected (such as seeing the stork nests!) were fabulous."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We went to Romania with a friend, for business reasons, and we decided to spend one week-end to Brasov. First I strongly recommand you Brasov, very beautiful city. And we hesitated and finally take this tour to visit Bran castle, Rasnov fortress and Peles Castle.
It was clearly worth it. We spend a wonderful day, visiting this 3 original places. The Peles castle is very impressive, Bran castle a little bit less, but all the story around make it interesting. And Rasnov fortress is very different from the 2 others. I don't want to spoil you the visit, so I will stop here ;).
Special thanks to our guide, Tudor, who gives us a lot of explanation and story, not only about the castles but also the history of Romania in general, how the country evolved... and for his easygoing behaviour, we discussed a lot with him. We had a real great time with him !
If you hesitate, do not. You will have way more informations, someone who drive safe from a point to an other one (way far from Bucharest taxi), gives you advantages like cutting waiting queue... And being with people is always more fun :)"
Good tour, but avoid summer weekends due to traffic
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Dan, our guide was good. Traffic on Saturday during August prevented us from getting to Bran Castle. We saw Rasnov Castle and then Peles Castle in Sinaia. With my agreement I left tour in Sinaia to catch train to Bucharest. I have a complaint with tour designation. I planned a half day tour to Bran and Rasnov castles, as Peles Castle visit is advertised as OPTIONAL. But the tour was for the entire day! We made this option work, but tour descr112ion should be clearer."
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"We had a wonderful moment during this visit, we could see many foxes, birds and... after some waiting... bear!
Our guide was really friendly and gave us all the information we needed to reach the observation point in security speaking perfect english, he also told us many curiosities about the bears life, the forest, and made us a stop on the way back to see a deer.
I definitely recommend this visit specially because watching the animals in the nature was a lifetime memory."
Great half day tour of Rasnov and Bran!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I had read enough about Bran to realize that it would be pretty crowded and touristy, and it was, but still a great castle for all that. Rasnov was even more to my liking, being situated above the town and quite picturesque in its present state. There were only three of us on the tour, which was awesome, and the guide, Tudor, was really great. He was informative, funny, and thoughtful, and really made the trip interesting. It's a lovely and inexpensive way to get to Bran and Rasnov."
"We did two tours with Active Travel, the brown bear watching & the castle tour (Bran, Peles & Rąsnov) and we would highly recommend both!
The bear watching was an amazing experience in a beautiful environment with our great guide Tiberius who answered all of our questions! Incredibly special, I would highly recommend it.
The castle tour is a full day tour and our guide Charli was fantastic. It was clear he was genuinely passionate about the cultural history of Transylvania and beyond. It was a fascinating day which went by with ease and we would advise anyone to go on it.
Thank you!
Sarah & Gary"
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"This day trip was certainly a highlight of our vacations. Our guide, Dan, was very informative, friendly and funny. We learned a great lot about Sighisoara, Viscri, and Romanian history and culture. Loved this trip! Two thumbs up!"
Review of: Private Tour: Day Trip to Pestera and Magura Authentic Mountain Villages from Brasov
"The tour we took was well organized and hit all the points we were interested in. It included the Bran Castle, the Rasnov Citadel and the villages. Everyone at ActiveTravel was very flexible and accommodating. Marian, the business owner, was very prompt. Karol, our tour guide, was pleasant and knowledgeable. We liked him very much and would recommend him wholeheartedly."
Once in a lifetime unbelievable experience....bucket list material
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"This was one of the highlights of our trip. We ventured into the Carparthian forests to view wild brown bears. We were fortunate to see 6 brown bears playing, roaring and climbing trees. It was a mother bear with her offspring. It was such a beautiful moving wonderful experience. Words can't fully describe the emotions you feel when you see them in the wild. I recommend to anyone who wants to experience animals in nature up front. This is a totally safe tour where you are in a hide cabin 50 metres from the bears. The ranger and guide were fantastic with their commentary. The forest is beautiful."
"Super Reise mit tollen Sehenswürdigkeiten. Tolle Führung mit ausgezeichneten Informationen. In jedem Fall weiterzuempfehlen."
Great 3-day Romanian Experience
"We went to Romania for 3 days. It was an August weekend and very busy. We had a list of things we wanted to see. Active Travel put together the entire itinerary and took care of everything, we just had to show up! All the attractions were incredibly busy and I don’t think we would have enjoyed Romania nearly as much if we were dealing with the logistics/parking/crowds ourselves. Charlie was our tour guide and he was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and made an excellent tour guide. His excitement and interest in the history showed through and made the trip even more enjoyable. Highly recommended!"
"Tours bien organisés en nombre retreint en voiture. Mon guide Dan avec lequel j'ai eu deux tours était remarquable! Une façon amusante de découvrir la Transylvanie! Seul bémol, les visites sont en supplément."
"I am very happy with the service provided. They helped me to book with them at the last minute after having another tour cancelled by a competitor. And the tour itself was excellent thanks to my guide Charlie (Karoly Andras). He guided me through Bran Castle and Rasnov Citadel, highlighting the most important things, helping to skip long queues and taking me to the perfect places for the best views. Besides this, he is a nice and easygoing person and a good driver! I fully recommend ActiveTravel and Charlie!"
Quando la storia trae vantaggio dalle leggende
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"bella gita che la bravissima guida Dan Negoescu è riuscito a trasformare una piacevolissima esperienza ricreativa-culturale inserendo, tra le bellezze del castello di Bran , la fortezza di Ranov ed altri siti di altrettanto interesse anche se meno pubblicizzati, il racconto di secoli di storia e di vita della Transilvania e delle regioni confinanti con i suoi personaggi e le storie di ciascuno. Una realtà interessantissima che vale la pena di scoprire e Dan è stato bravissimo nel coinvolgerci nel suo racconto. E pensare che tutto nasce dalla storia di un fantomatico vampiro che un romanzo lo colloca nel castello di Bran."
A super trip with an excellent guide
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"This was a great experience right from the start, our guide Karoly was excellent, he had superb knowledge of the history of the region and was most accommodating. We could not but say that this was one of the highlights of our trip."
Review of: Full-Day tour Transfagarasan road and Poienari Fortress from Brasov
"The tour is a great idea for a laid-back day. There are quite some views along the way. The places visited can get quite crowded but the guide did a good job helping us navigate through the crowds. Our guide, Charlie, went out of his way to make sure we had an unforgettable experience."
Most amazing experience in the Carpathian mountains!
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"We had an amazing time watching the brown bears and were very lucky to see 22 appearances from 15 bears. Watching the interactions between the bears was fascinating and something I am very glad that we got the chance to see. Seeing bears in the wild is a privilege."
Review of: 4-Day Carpathian Trek: Bucegi Mountains and Piatra Craiului National Park
"Just loved this 4-day hike and overall experience in the mountains. The hikes were varied and challenging (most often, 8 hours of hiking per day...one rainy day, we hiked 5 hours and went to Bran Castle). Our guesthouse was fantastic with comfy beds and traditional food and wonderful hospitality. Our guide, Mihai, was also terrific - getting us where we needed to go and sharing insights and info about the history of Romania (ask him about Queen Marie!). Most definitely would recommend. Bring serious hiking clothes and boots and poles -- this is real hiking!"
"I think this is a really good tour company for active things in Romania. Organized, friendly, sincere and most of all, the tours we took were terrific!"
con la Montagna ancora nell'anima
"L'ultima volta che ho scritto qui mi sono fermata con "sicuramente ritornero`" e ho mantenuto la mia promessa. Abbiamo scelto di nuovo "Active Travel" e anche questa volta abbiamo fatto la scelta migliore. Ci sono state 3 notti di alloggio a Balea Lac e 4 giorni di escursioni in montagna: Il primo giorno abbiamo fatto la "Valea lui Stan", una valle stupenda, con scale e gradini, tipo via ferrata, praticamente abbiamo scalato la valle di un fiume, il percorso non è molto difficile, ci sono delle scale e corde utili e il paesaggio è meraviglioso: cascate, vegetazione, rocce. Il secondo giorno è stato il percorso per raggiungere la cima Vanatoarea lui Buteanu (2507 m). Sul camino habbiamo visto il lago Capra, la guida ci ha mostrato il picco Moldoveanu e il picco Negoiu (le cime più alte di Romania). Paesaggi alpini, aria fresca, allegria, una giornata perfetta ! il terzo giorno abbiamo avuto l'obiettivo il lago Caltun. Itinerario meraviglioso, bel tempo, sole, pioggia, danza di nuvole, sorgenti, fiori, api, in una parola : fantastico ! l'ultimo giorno siamo andati sulla strada Transfagarasan, siamo andati a Cascada Balea e siamo ritornati a Brasov. Un viaggio indimenticabile, con nostalgia della Montagna ancora nell'anima, con ricordi piacevoli e con il consiglio di avere una guida che rende il bello più bello, l'insicurezza sicurezza e la gioia diventa felicità !"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"My trip with Alex today (26/8/18) today was fantastic. The size of the group (5 people) was perfect. Alex has extensive knowledge about all the sites we visited, about Brasov itself and also the history of Romania, Europe and the rest of the world. I learned so much today from chatting to him and the other 3 guests. Alex went out of his way to show me where to start a hike and then even where I would finish, the effort he made to make sure we get the most out of our Brasov trip was huge.
As for the sites:
- Peles was an epic, glamorous and luxurious castle (kind of a palace actually!)
- Bran was an awesome old school castle with a much more typical interior
- Rasnov was a serious fortress that had a very defensive and tactical vibe about it.
All 3 of these sites were very different and I would recommend that everyone go to all 3 - you wont regret it :)"
Excellent experience with Bogdan
"As relative amateurs to mountain walking, we were a little fearful that we were biting off more than we could chew by booking a four day trek. However, Bogdan guided us through the processes and adapted the walk to our level, making for a challenging but achievable trek. Bogdan’s positivity and good humour kept us going when we were low on energy, while the guesthouse we stayed at was the perfect refuge for tired legs. The scenery is spectacular. Don’t hesitate to book!"
Bran castle and Rasnov fortress tour from Braşov
"We met our guide “Alex” and spend the day visiting Rasnov fortress and Bran castle. He drove us around in his nice, clean yellow van. Alex was knowledgeable and friendly. He spoke fluent English and gave us a very interesting account of Romanian history, past and more recent events. He included stories and legends in his talks and made the site visits very interesting for us. We stayed in line for about 20 minuets to get to Bran castle. There is no historical connection between “Dracula” and Bran castle we knew that but still wanted to visit the castle for ourselves. We enjoyed the day and felt the tour was an excellent choice for us. Alex took extra time to show us some good hiking trails also some great restaurants on the way back to Braşov."
A fantastic trip with wonderful guides - highly recommended!
"I brought my walking group, (fifty people) from Ireland, to Transylvania with this company. Our customized itinerary had been planned with them and they arranged the accommodation, transfers and food. and led the walks, including guided historic walks. Our guides were superb and covered every little detail in a friendly and totally professional way and everyone felt well looked after. Thank you for a wonderful four days in a gorgeous part of the world."
Great option for day trips in Transylvania
"Booked the day trip to Bran Castle and Rasnov, without realising Peles was also an option on the same excursion.Thanks to the helpful Tour Guide - Dan - I was able to 'top up' during the course of the day and got to enjoy each of these fabulous (and contrasting) castles.
Dan was very knowledgeable, approachable and possessed a wry sense of humour. There were only four of us on this particular tour, so it was just one vehicle and a nice steady pace throughout the day.
Dan also took us to a favourite restaurant of his in an idyllic setting, for an end of the day bite to eat. This too was excellent and very reasonable price wise.
All in all, very good value for money - and a truly great way to see the castles."
"Went on a trip organised by Irish Tour guide Dairine Nuttal to Transylvania for 5 days. It was fantastic. The Brasov tour company Active Travel were very attentive. They stayed with us each day and were up each morning to great us for breakfast. The bus driver was always on time they helped with luggage. They were tireless in answering questions and very patient. The walks were fantastic and the sceanery amazing. We were stretched out of our comfort zone and it was tough but very exhilarating. I would recommend this company for their attention to detail and there professionalism."
"My friend and I went on the Bran castle tour with Dan Negoescu. It was a great trip and he presented lots of detail to us while showing us round. He made it his own and is worth the price!"
"Reserved a day hike in the National Park through Active travel and had a wonderful experience. The day long hiking was exhilarating and memorable. The scenery was gorgeous and the lunch at the top was delicious. Our guide, Mihai, was great. He was attentive, informative, and made our hike one of the best experiences we have had in Romania. If you love nature and the outdoors and want to go home with wonderful memories, book your tour through this company."
Hiking in Bucegi and Piatra Craiului
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"Excellent hike in the Bucegi mountains and visiting a sheepfold on day 1, hiking up to Shepherd's Peak (La Om) on day 2 and finally a breath-taking climb to the Tower. Everything was well planned, meals, accommodation and our guide, Mihai, was superb."
Discover Carpathian Mountains and Danube Delta
"Excellent organisation and great trip highlighting the best things to see in the area. Mihai Cracuin our guide in the mountains was exceptional. Thoroughly recommended and Romania is a fabulous country to visit."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Really nice and engaging experience!
Initially I thought it was an organized tour with a group of diferent people, but in the end i realized it was just me and my guide, Tudor, and it was really nice! Tudor has been supernice and helpful, he never hurried memand, with a really understandable English, he explained all the things I wanted to know with detail.
I really recommend you this experience."
Romanian wildlife and then some)
Review of: Small group day trip to the unique volcanic lake in Eastern Europe
"It was an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime experience. The guide, Charlie, went out of his way to show Romanian countryside at it's best and it was one of the best days in my life, full of joy, good natured humour and beautiful scenery. It provided me with some deep insight into Romanian culture, mentality and history.
Oh, and we met a bear on our way back)
Thank you."
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"Absolutely a must if in Brasov, our guide Tiberius was so knowledgeable and it was heart warming to meet someone so dedicated to his job.
The journey to the woods is only about 40 minutes from the city and then a 10 minute walk to the viewing cabin. The walk is a little steep so it’s worth wearing proper footwear.
We all sat silently for around 30 minutes before the first bear made its appearance which was breathtaking and over the next 90 minutes we were spoiled by a total of 7 brown bears coming and going. Sometimes in pairs, sometimes alone. To see the bears in their natural environment was really satisfying and an experience I won’t forget. Top trip."
Excellent tour guide with historical insight
"Enjoyed a great day tour with Dan Negoescu. He picked my family up in a clean modern car, spoke excellent English, incorporated interesting stories with the tour and knew the ways to quickly get into each site. Highly recommend working with Dan."
Bran castle and râşnov escapade!!!
"It was nice and beautiful day,we enjoyed visiting bran castle and râşnov,our guide Alex is very friendly!!! Thank you so much,next stop soon in cluj salt mine..."
"À great day with our guide Mihai. Hé drove us in small villages, stopoed in the best locations, was driving carefully and shared with us all his passion about Romania and nature. Highly recommend this agency !"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Fantastic small-group tour - just four of us and Alex the tour guide. He was punctual, intelligent, informative and funny - a rare and welcome combination. Râşnov is particularly special. Overall it’s a great way to see the beautiful Transylvanian countryside for a day. Strongly recommended."
"Recently returned from a wonderful trip to Transylvania. Many thanks to Active Travel Day Tours Romania,especially Marian, for your professionalism and attention to detail. Learned so much about this beautiful country."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Thank you Active Travel. There we only 3 of us in our day tour and it's the way to go. We had a great young guide who went out of his way to make our day the best it could be. As Peles Castle was closed (being a Monday) we only did Rasnov Fortress and Bran Castle. Both were a real contrast and very interesting. We were there nice and early so there was only a small crowd and our guide was able to get us in ahead of the larger tour groups. Money well spent. Thank you Active Travel."
Great Day Exploring the Castles of Transylvania
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We had the most incredible day out exploring the castles of Transylvania with Active Travel Day Tours on our recent trip to Romania. The sights were incredible, and our tour guide was amazing! We would like to thank Carol (Charles) for making our trip so fun and memorable. Our trip to Romania would not have been the same without you! We were lucky enough to go on two day trips with Carol during our stay in Brasov (the other one being to Rupea, Sighisoara, and Viscri), and our only regret is that we didn't book a longer holiday so that we could have gone on the other excursions offered by Active Travel Day Tours, too! Once again, thank you so much for showing us around your beautiful country and taking such good care of us, Carol! The depth of your knowledge never ceased to amaze us."
Day Out Exploring the Beautiful Transylvanian Countryside
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"We had an amazing day exploring Sighisoara, Rupea, and Viscri with Active Travel Day Tours on our recent trip to Romania. The sights were incredible, and our tour guide was amazing! We would like to thank Carol (Charles) for making our trip so fun and memorable. Our trip to Romania would not have been the same without you! We were lucky enough to go on two day trips with Carol during our stay in Brasov (the other one being the Three Castles Tour), and our only regret is that we didn't book a longer holiday so that we could have gone on the other excursions offered by Active Travel Day Tours, too! Once again, thank you so much for showing us around your beautiful country and taking such good care of us, Carol! The depth of your knowledge never ceased to amaze us."
Great way to visit the must-see castles in the Brasov area
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"The three famous destinations visited on this excellent all-day tour - Peles palace, Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress - are must-see sights for tourists visiting Brasov and the nearby areas of the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. I highly recommend Active Travel's all day small-group van tours. Our guide, Karoly, was friendly and knowledgeable (he used to be a geography teacher!). I appreciated his flexibility; our group wanted to visit the Pelisor palace (a smaller palace on the beautiful grounds of the Peles Castle), and Karoly gladly obliged.
He also suggested a stop at the tea-house of the Bran Castle where he recommended we try 'koliva', the traditional desert served at Romanian funerals. Both of these individualizations added to our experience.
I highly recommend taking the extra time to visit the Pelisor palace while visiting the Peles Castle. The Pelisor is smaller and less elaborate and relflects art nouveau influences; it feels more like a (very luxurious) home as compared to the delightfully over-the-top Peles palace.
An excellent day, highly recommended!"
Excellent Carpathian Mountains hiking
"We travelled with active travel on an 8 day program of walking in the Carpathian Mountains. The walking was excellent. It is important to be reasonably fit and agile enough to cope with ladders, rock scrambling, etc. the organisation was excellent. It is important to be able to read a map. Good places to stay, and being driven to and from the walks made it very easy to concentrate on the walking. Marian was super responsive to enquiries, and very friendly. Finally, I really recommend using a local company, as it was certainly cheaper, and hard to imagine it would be better."
Great impression of Transsilvania
Review of: Full-Day tour Transfagarasan road and Poienari Fortress from Brasov
"In order to off- season we got a private tour. That was a great opportunity to discover this part of Romania in according to our needs and own pace. Mihai was our guide and the whole time he was aware of our needs and open for our tons of questions! He did a great job!
Although you drive a lot, you don't really notice that, because you get off the car quite often - so in the end you have a good mix of passive and active parts.
I was so impressed by the scenery that I felt like booking the 4 day trip through the carpathians :) its a good choice when you are in Brasov for a few days!"
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"Our guide Karoly (Charlie) was so knowledgeable and went out of his way to help us understand the history of the area. Great day - and the clock tower of Sighisoara was terrific. Karoly went through the museum with me and explained so many things. Viscri experience was also different - a tiny village and its snapshot of a time past. Never would have appreciated the details without his guidance."
"Encantamento é a melhor palavra para descrever os serviços da Active.
Site amigável, reserva rápida, guia extremamente simpático, sabendo equilibrar o momento de contar histórias, de brincar e de respeitar o timing de cada um.
Com um grupo pequeno conseguimos customizar nossa viagem, escolhendo as melhores paradas para comer alguma coisa.
Fizemos o tour com Peles, Bran e Rasnov. Mas deu pra esticar no Pelisor.
O guia me ajudou a procurar casa de câmbio e inclusive a comprar uma passagem de ônibus para Sighişoara.
Esta última ajuda foi a cereja do bolo.
Balasz Károly Andras, este foi o cara do encantamento."
"We had a fantastic half day tour from Brasov to Rasnov Fortress and Bran Castle with Active Travel. Our guide was Charlie. He was polite, professional, knowledgable and extremely personable. He allowed us time at both attractions and the tour didn’t feel rushed. He was very informative and was genuinely interested in giving us a good experience. The transport was very comfortable and we felt that the tour was very good value. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Active Travel to anyone wishing to take a tour from Brasov. Thank you."
Review of: Small-Group Brown Bear-Watching Experience from Brasov
"This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! After a short drive from the Brasov city center, we did a short hike to the hide in the forest, and it was amazing to sit quietly and watch the bears appear to eat and interact. We really enjoyed it! The forest ranger who led the tour was great because he was very confident in the forest, which put us all at ease (in case we had encountered a bear!)."
Fantastica esperienza in Transilvania
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Il tour di una giornata dei castelli è stato veramente ben organizzato, con tutte le spiegazioni dei siti visitati. La comunicazione con la nostra guida Karoly Andras, sempre presente e disponibile, è stata semplice. La sua capacità di dialogo e allegria hanno reso l'escursione veramente indimenticabile. Lo consiglio vivamente!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I had a great time seeing Pele Castle, Bran Castle, and Rasnov Fortress. Charlie the guide was great and made the whole tour interesting. The tour let me see places outside of Brasov that would have required renting a car and taken me two days to see by myself."
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"We had a fantastic day of hiking in Piatra Craiului with a brilliant guide Mihai from Active Travel, who was extremely knowledgeable on local flora, fauna, history and folktales. Stunning scenery hiking through the Zarnesti gorge and through sheep pastures with wonderful views all day. A highly recommended day out. Would love to return someday for more hiking."
"Our tour guide, Charlie, offered us a comprehensive and enjoyable trip In Transylvania . He is so knowledgeable and fluent in English. He is polite, full of sense of humor and punctual. I definitely recommend him and his company when visiting Romanian!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We did the 3 castle trip Peles, Bran and Rasnov with Charlie. Excellent guide who was very informative but in an informal and relaxed way, who can be requested at time of booking. Peles is stunning, Bran castle is more stark and Rasnov is a hilltop citadel. We got a full rundown on each location we visited and general information about Romanian culture, folklore and general stuff whilst travelling between destinations.After our last destination Charlie even bought a few kurtoscalacs-chimney cakes, a delicious sweet pastry snack for his entourage. Good value for a full day trip. We also did a trip to Sighisoura/Viscri and Rules fortress which was quite enjoyable also. Just be aware that there can be extra admission prices if you haven't paid for them at the time of booking, but nothing too expensive. The Active travel office is just off St. Republica, not far from the main square."
Castles and Romanian countryside are stunning
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Fantastic tour and extremely well organised company. The guide, Karoly was knowledgeable and able to convey information in a fascinating way. No hurrying and well paced to see everything, he also knows the best places to get iconic photos, worth booking the 3 castle tour to get the full experience and difference in castle styles."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I did Bran Castle & Rasnov Fortress plus the Extension to Sinaia for Peles Castle in early October with my guide 'Tudor' and I really really enjoy it.
Everything was great and Tudor is a well-versed guide on various subjects of Romania- history/politic/culture, you name it. He is very professional and just a joy to be around as a person.
He also planned where we would go first in order to avoid the busy crowd and everything turned out great.
Money well spent, worth every penny."
Bran’s Castle Tour - Tudor is a GREAT guide!!
"Today we went on the Pele Palace, Fortress, and Bran’s Castle (Dracula’s Castle) tour. It was a great tour and our guide Tudor was awesome! He was very knowledgeable and made the trip so much fun! We really enjoyed every stop and lunch. It was a great tour and I highly recommend it! I would definitely go on more tours with Active Travel and Tudor in the future."
Smaller than expected, but still cool!!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I visited back in 2014, and what a cool experience!! As per my title, it was a bit smaller than I expected, but very interesting to visit and learn about the history of the castle as well as Count Vlad. Should be really cool to visit during Halloween!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Alex was the best tour guide ever! Very intelligent, he answered every question I had, and I had a lot. He was very personable and professional. The tour excellent, just what I was lookin for and saw everything I wanted to in 4 hours. There was much more about the history of the country and surrounding countries, as I anticipated to learn everything about Dracula. I was not disappointed by this, I think the castle is misrepresented because of Dracula, and stands alone more for its self and it’s geographical significance.
Alex was the best tour guide ever! Very intelligent, he answered every question I had, and I had a lot. He was very personable and professional. The tour excellent, just what I was lookin for and saw everything I wanted to in 4 hours. There was much more about the history of the country and surrounding countries, as I anticipated to learn everything about Dracula. I was not disappointed by this, I think the castle is misrepresented because of Dracula, and stands alone more for its self and it’s geographical significance."
Review of: Private Tour: Day Trip to Pestera and Magura Authentic Mountain Villages from Brasov
"On Oct 6 2018 we made this trip organized by Active travel with a private guide. We were a party of 4 in ages between 72 and 81. We had a wonderful memorable day! The best day in Romainia! The trip was perfect. The best guide you could wish for and an amazing landscape. Thank you for taking us!"
Great fortress and citadel tour!
"I brought my mum with me to explore Romania as much as possible during a week's holiday. Time was an issue so we looked into booking a tour.
Booking this tour was a great decision and our guide, Mihai, was humorous, knowledgeable and friendly. He is very professional and talented in what he does. I learned so much from him on the tour!
Our tour started from Brasov History Museum and we went on to see Rupea Fortress, Sighisoara and Viscri. It was a full day but so worth it. I highly recommend this tour, particularly if your time schedule is tight and if you don't have your own transport. Enjoy!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We can’t recommend our guide, Tudor, strongly enough if you’re visiting the Braşov area! He took us on a half-day tour of Bran Castle and Rasnov fortress, but his knowledge wasn’t limited to these destinations — he taught us so much about the region from Roman times through the present along the way. Beyond this, he was kind, friendly, upbeat, and attentive, while giving us space to explore on our own. He even took a small detour along a forest road on our way back to Braşov because he’d noticed our interest in the landscape. It felt like spending the day with a great friend, who just happened to know the answer to absolutely every question we could come up with."
Fantastisk tur til fantastiske slotte
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Vi var med Charlie på tur til Bran Castle, Rasnov Fortress og til den højeste beliggende landsby i Rumænien. Charlie var en fantastisk guide med stor viden om alt hvad vi så og besøgte. Vi havde en rigtig god dag med super oplevelser. Active travel rejser kun i små grupper og sørger for at gøre oplevelsen nærværende. Vi kan på det varmeste anbefale ‘Active travel’!!"
Highly recommended tour guides
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We are so glad we booked a visit to Bran Castle and Rasnov fortress with Active Travel. Our guide Tudor made the tour 110% better than if we'd gone alone."
Best tour ever & Tudor was phenomenal
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I have taken a lot of tours and castle, palace visits, and by far this was worth the time and the money. Tudor is a local, loves his job and loves this area. I learned so much about Romania, the history, the places we visited. The sites exceeded my expectations, and Tudor made our group feel like we were his friends that he was showing around. This company was responsive, punctual, professional and exceptional."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Georgeous guide Charlie was so funny and amenable. We had a great group of six, all keen on seeing the castles and fortress rather than spending time shopping and lunching (tip: bring lunchsnack so you have more time at the sights). First Peles Castle, then fabulous Bran Castle with plenty of time to explore both, enhanced by Charlie's expert commentary and ability to answer every obscure question. Final stop was Rasnov Fortress, driving past a Gypsy village and several rural towns. This was a great tour of three important Romanian sights, personal and thoughtful. Charlie was awesome. Meet in front of the Council House at Piata Sfatului - buy tickets at Active Travel, 2 Street Diaconu Coresi. Loved it!"
Review of: Small-Group Piatra Craiului National Park Hiking Tour from Brasov
"We had the most amazing day hiking with Mihai. He was a very talented guide telling us about Romania, guiding us through the forest and being great company. Highly recommended."
Great trip! Definitely opt for Peles Castle option.
"Alex was a great guide, extremely knowledgeable about the area, castles, and common myths. Myself and my girlfriend thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Peles castle is a must! We would both highly recommend this tour."
Tour Romania with Dan Negoescu
"Dan was our Tour Guide for 3 days to:
*Sibiu
*Sighisoara
*Bran
If you want a guide who knows where to get a good pastry, hot Chocolate and traditional Romanian lunches, Dan is your man.
He will drive you to your destination armed with books, photos to help you visualize the history, key people and dates of historical significance.
He caters to your interests whether it is shopping for souvenirs and items to take home, and to even have lunch at a place you’ve discovered on the internet.
He literally stays by your side for the length of your tour. You may even hear him sing Ave Maria in a church or in the car.
We didn’t have to worry about getting lost.
If you have mobility issues he can accommodate."
Visit with Balazs Karoly ANDRAS
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Great travel agency, my day with Andras was really amazing, they treat you like a king and you can ask for anything, also, you will learn a lot."
transfagarasan, vidraru dam , poienari castle
"Did the transfagarasan, poienari castle and lake tour. The tour was amazing!!! I enjoyed it so much, the views and lanscapes are amazing. Andras, my tour guide, is an amazing guide! very sweet person, who knows so much and has so much patience.
The next time i am in Romania will definetely book anither tour with the company and if possible with Andras.
The tour really exceeded my expectations."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We got a tour of Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortess from Tudor and it was definitely the highlight of our stay. The whole experience was very personal as it was just us on the tour. We were collected and dropped off at our accomadation and the tour itself took approx 5 hours. Tudor is an excellent guide, he is one of these people that just seems to get on with everyone and has so much knowledge of the castle and fortess as well as the history of Romania. Do not leave Braşov without doing this tour and try and get Tudor if you can!"
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"Thanks so much to all the gang in Active Travel (Marian, Charlie and Tibarius). We had fantastic trips to Bran Castle, to Sighisoara & Viscri and another afternoon of brilliant bear watching! The guides were super and great with the kids. We all loved it. Would highly recommend! We’ll be back"
"I wholeheartedly recommend Active Travel Brasov! My friend and i did both the Sighi/Viscri/Rupea & Peles/Bran/Rasnov tours a month ago and both days enhanced my experience of beautiful Transylvania so much! Dan N was the ultimate guide - a walking encyclopaedia of knowledge, so patient, with a great sense of humour & a gentleman! I left a little of my heart in Brasov & hope to return soon, for more excursions! JB"
Review of: Full-Day tour Transfagarasan road and Poienari Fortress from Brasov
"I went on this tour last week and it ended up being just me and the guide, Charlie. I was travelling alone and most tours wouldn’t take just one person so I was glad this one did. Charlie was an excellent tour guide and was full of interesting facts and stopped for me to take photos all along the road. It was snowing quite heavily at the top and there was no visibility near the lake but it was still a great experience. Would definitely recommend!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov
"We had an amazing day with our tour guide Tudor. Very polite, friendly and knownlegeable. A good tour if you want a day trip seeing amazing castles and fortresses. /Erik & Camilla"
"We had two fabulous day-long tours from Brasov, the Castle Tour and the Transfagarasan Highway. Very small groups, friendly and knowledgeable guides - we had a great time. Relax and let them do the driving; you won't be disappointed."
Bran Castle & Rasnov Fortress Tour
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"We had a fantastic day exploring Bran Castle & Rasnov Fortress. Our guide was Tudor who was very knowledgeable and friendly... He was also a safe driver! We would highly recommend signing up for this tour!"
Private tour of Sfanta Ana lake and its surroundings
Review of: Small group day trip to the unique volcanic lake in Eastern Europe
"Charlie, the driver and tour guide for this lake tour, is extremely professional and knows a lot about his country, he speaks a very good English and explained carefully the peculiarities of every place we visited – he even made sure I drank the water from different springs (it is very healthy for the human body, but tastes quite horrible!!!). In this particular region, water is a very important theme because of the high quantity of minerals; there are several thermal springs and resorts immersed in a wonderful natural setting.
I was picked up at my hotel, and was left there at the end of the day so I did not have to worry about anything. I was the only participant of the tour, so it was possible for me to request as many photo stops along the way. Only regret? We didn't meet any bear!!! :-)
I highly recommend Active Travel, they are serious and reliable and if I'm ever back in Romania I will definitely join another of their tours."
Bran Castle, Rasnov Fortress and Pelisor Castle
"Amazing tour! Our guide Carol was just great, really went out of his way to make us feel comfortable and make the most of all places. It didn’t feel like a tour but a group of friends travelling. All 3 places are a must!"
Tour castillo Bran y Fortaleza de Rasnov
"Charlie es un crack! Nos hizo una visita muy divertida, muy amena y preocupandose muchisimo por que comprendieramos todo lo que nos contaba. Muy recomendado aun sin tener demasiado nivel de inglés. Merece la pena hacer este tour con esta gente."
"We stumbled across Active Tours on our recent stay in Braşov. Staff were very helpful in organising a tour to Bran Castle and Râşnov Fortress. Our guide was Tudor. He was prompt on his arrival at our hotel. He was extremely polite and very informative. Having an interest in history it was an experience to hear about Romanian cultures. He guided us through Bran Castle and I’m sure we learnt a lot more than if we had just done the tour ourselves. We loved Brasov and look forward to our return. We would not hesitate to book another tour with this company and we would request Tudor to be our guide again."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov
"Um dia muito bem passado com o guia Carol que nos levou ao Castelo de Bran, à fortaleza de Rasnov, Poiana Brasov (estância de sky) e à Old Town de Brasov.
Recomendo e dou os meus parabéns à Active Travel pelo serviço prestado.
Um guia (Carol) 5 *, por ser simpático, bem disposto, divertido e sem pressa em dar informação."
OUR GUIDE TUDOR MADE THIS A GREAT DAY!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"My brother and I enjoy small tours the best, and since we were determined to see "Dracula's Castle" while in Romania, we booked with Viator. The castle was fun to see, and the fortress was impressive, but the tour itself would have been somewhat lackluster if it were not for our guide, Tudor. Within a short while of meeting him, he seemed like an old friend. Since there were only 3 of us on the tour, he was extremely flexible and willing to make additional unscheduled stops for photos. He also provided a lot of important information to bring these sites to life, and was most interesting in doing so. Tudor is very perceptive at gauging his clients' interests, and he makes sure that everyone is seeing and doing exactly what they most want to see and do. I emphasize his importance to this particular tour, because just wandering these sites alone would have been somewhat disappointing. With such a wonderful guide, the day was great!"
Not just a Tour, but a Friendly Road Trip!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I went with this tour last November 30, Well, it was a surprised, I had a fantastic day exploring Bran Castle & Rasnov Fortress. My guide was Charlie who was very knowledgeable and friendly. we were only two (another one is Andrew) in this Tour and Charlie was so accommodating making us feel secure and well warmth up! Tour was fantastic and very well organized, with side trip giving you some cream on the top. I should be only commenting about the tour, but our guide makes it more interesting and interacting one! Charlie can go deep down the details and answer your question. Even had a trivia every now and then. Plus the fact that he will offer you to take your pictures, hold your things and assist you in any way possible making sure you are having fun while on the tour. Honestly, the best tour I had by far, I highly recommend this (Active Travel Day Tours) with the best part as Charlie the tour guide!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"I absolutely loved my day tour of the three castles with Charlie whole visiting from Chicago. He was full of information and knew his history without any scr112 or reference notes. I highly recommend a tour with him and walked away with so much more knowledge and historical information on the three castles. He also made lunch reservations in advance for us at a great restaurant Bran Chalet and we enjoyed a great day together. Our group was small and he knew some workers at the various locations we visited, therefore we did not wait long at the entrances. He made you feel very comfortable and got to know us individually. Thank you so much."
Review of: Sighisoara, Rupea Fortress and Viscri Day Trip from Brasov
"El guía fue un excelente anfitrión. Puntual, buen conductor, conocedor de la historia, muy simpático y educado. Sin duda el recorrido y las visitas fueron amenas gracias a la compañía de Charlie. Sus recomendaciones siempre fueron muy acertadas. Un día que nunca olvidaremos gracias a la profesionalidad del guía y la belleza de la zona."
Thorough tour and a free serenade!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"On a foggy Brasov morning, our tour guide Dan Negoescu took us to Bran Castle and Rasnov, as well as showing us lots en route which helped to explain the history of the region.
As well as being a thorough, knowledgeable excellent guide, Dan is a great singer, and it was one of those unique travel moments when he serenaded us with Always on My Mind and a song from Don Giovanni en route! He even helps other tourists he sees along the way, and shared his own personal insights in detailing some of the issues people faced in communist-era Romania.
We learned about the true history of the castle, the tenuous Vlad the Impaler connection, and the citadel towns like Rasnov.
If you love history, you will really enjoy this tour."
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"Had an AMAZInG tour with Dan! :) Felt more like a road trip with a friend than a tour. He was very knowledgeable of the history, and even used pictures and books to illustrate what he was saying. But the best bit was the car karaoke! :D you’ll be fortunate to join this tour."
"Best tour I've ever taken!!! Very well organized, easy to book. It was just me and my fiancé that day so we ended with a private tour! Charly, our guide, is a walking encyclopedia of Romania. Not just about the castles we visited but everything you wanted to know. I fully recommend it, worth every penny you spend. And definitely take the Peles castle extension, it's amazing. Thank you Charly!!!!"
Winter hiking with Active travel in Brasov
"Winter hiking in Brasov, just WOW!!!! Amazing unforgettable experience. words can not describe the feeling The organization and program were precise and exactly suited for us thank you Marian it was perfect !! See you next year."
Ttransylvania Castles with Dan
"We had a day trip around Pele castle, Bran castle and Fortresses! Dan was more than a guide! He was helpful, explanatory, passionate about his job, he handled our time in a so efficient way that we managed to visit all must see monuments in one day! We had a great time with Dan being humorous and intellectual at the same time! It is really worth it! Dan we loved you!!!"
5 Girls from Greece
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"This was a great trip that I booked through Viator. Our tour guide Charlie (really Karoly) was fabulous. Really knew his stuff, was funny, welcoming and caring. The three castles were great. A bit strange that the entrance fees weren't included in the trip price but whatever I guess they would have been added on. A very full day with lots of information. The only hard part was lunch. There really wasn't enough time in the middle of the day to have lunch. If we had gone to lunch after Peles Castle it would have made more sense. I know we were short on time because it is winter and the last castle had no lights and we were there in the dark. I guess I just wish I had known to eat after Peles castle. Anyway a minor detail. We didn't go hungry LOL. Can't say enough about Charlie. Thanks so much!"
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov
"Dan is a very passionate person, shared lots of stories of his life while driving pass the city of Brasov. He controls the time of the tour very nicely, no time was wasted nor extra spent. He knows lots of people around the tour sites and he is very good at explaining history, I liked it a lot since I came for the history part of Transylvania."
Una giornata all'insegna del divertimento!
Review of: Bran Castle and Rasnov Fortress Tour from Brasov with Optional Peles Castle Visit
"La nostra guida, Charlie, oltre che essere super informata e preparata, è stata così simpatica che ci è sembrato di passare la giornata con un amico!
Abbiamo visitato il castello di Bran (con tanto di tappa ai mercatini di natale) e la fortezza di Rasnov.
Super consigliato!"
Καστρα Μπραν, Πελες, Φρουριο Ρασνοβ
"Περασαμε μια φανταστική μερα στο κάστρο πελες, στο κάστρο μπραν και στο φρουριο ρασνοβ...Ξεναγος μας ο Τσάρλι.
μας εξηγησε τα πάντα..ηταν πολυ ευγενικός κι εξυπηρετικος..μαθαμε παρα πολλες πληροφορίες για τα κάστρα αλλα και για ολη την ιστορία της χώρας..ειμασταν ενα πολυ ωραιο γκρουπ των 5 ατομων και ηταν σαν ιδιωτική ξεναγηση..περασαμε τελεια..και ανυπομονουμε να ξανα έρθουμε στο Μπρασοβ και να κλείσουμε με το συγκεκριμένο πρακτοριο και τις αλλες εκδρομές που έχει.....σας ευχαριστούμε περασαμε πραγματικα υπέροχα"
Επισκεψη 29/12/18 Bran Castle-Peles Castle
"Πολύ καλή οργάνωση. Ο ξεναγός μας ο Charlie φοβερός. Πολύ ομιλητικός, ήξερε τα πάντα, αστείος, οργανωτικός και σου μετέδιδε ηρεμία. Τρομερή ξενάγηση. Χωρίς ξεναγό δεν αξίζει να επισκεφθείτε τα μέρη μόνος σου. Πολύ καλό το συγκεκριμένο πακέτο."
