​At a time when there is a lot of talk about the high prices of vacations in Romania, HotNews.ro asked 3 experienced travel bloggers for advice on how to enjoy your vacation without breaking the bank.

A study conducted by vola.ro at the beginning of summer shows that 78% of Romanians prefer to spend their holidays in Europe. At the same time, 7.3% of respondents will choose domestic countries for their summer vacation, and fortunately, there is no shortage of wonderful places in our country.

If you’re looking for a vacation on a budget, here are some recommendations for you from some of our most popular travel bloggers: Călător în Bascheți (Laura Vereha & Sebi Secan), Raul Dumitru and Oana Grozavu.

Travelers in Basceți: “Owners of guesthouses practice reducing prices by 10-20% when booking from Monday to Thursday”

Laura and Sebi, a traveler in baskets. PHOTO: Personal archive

Laura and Sebi, tourism marketing consultants, have more than 430 thousand followers on their Instagram account Călători în Bascheti. They always publish on social networks in real time all the accommodation offers they have checked in Romania.

Here are their tips for a cheap holiday in Romania:

1. Choice of destination. Choose lesser known places. Choose less touristy destinations where accommodation prices and active activities are more affordable.

It is obvious that where the demand is higher, the price also increases. For example, choose Măgura, Peştera or Şirnea instead of Prahova Valley, Sulina beach instead of Mamaia or Vama Veche, etc. In other words, these are alternatives, perhaps even more beautiful, but not as popular.

2. Choosing a travel period and planning in advance. Inexpensive accommodation and excursions are booked extremely quickly. If you haven’t, decide to take a week off.

When booking from Monday to Thursday, hostel owners offer discounts of 10-20%.

3. Look for last-minute deals! Hostel owners report whenever they have the last available room or when someone has canceled a reservation within the last hundred meters.

4. Social media. Follow the pages of accommodation houses in Romania on social networks, as well as the pages of travel bloggers representing destinations in the country. This way, you will be aware of the best offers on the market.

5. Choose local food. Choose local gastronomic establishments, which are often cheaper than traditional restaurants.

Recently, many such establishments have opened in our country, where dishes are prepared from ingredients from one’s own home, according to a pre-prepared menu and according to old traditional recipes. With approximately 90-100 lei, you can have breakfast and dinner to your heart’s content.

Raul Dumitru: “They go in organized groups, because this way you reduce a lot of costs for both transport and accommodation”

Apuseni mountains. PHOTO: Mediadrumimages/CristianLipovan/Media Drum World/Profimedia

Raul Dumitru has 108,000 followers on his Instagram account, where he always presents cool places in Romania. His recommendations are as follows:

1. Book at least two months in advance directly with the owner, not on sites like Booking or Airbnb, because you’ll find the best prices.

2. Guest houses or cottages where you can cook yourself or choose a meal with the locals.

3. Traveling in organized groups (eg 2-3 couples/families) can be an option as you significantly reduce both transport and accommodation costs.

Oana Grozavu: “It is best to follow the accounts in social networks of the relevant accommodation facilities”

Oana Grozavu believes that in Romania we are at home, wherever we go, we are surrounded by places that tell stories and people who pass on those stories:

1. For the most authentic experiencesavoid very busy periods and choose the beginning or end of the season when things seem quieter, temperatures are lower and prices are lower.

2. Road tripsif they attract more people, they can significantly reduce costs, but they can also offer more freedom of movement, since you can stop wherever you want.

3. Placement is an important factor. My recommendation is not in the direction of the lowest prices, but in the direction of places that fit into the general picture of the visited direction.

For last-minute promotions and availability (with likely lower prices), it’s best to follow the social media accounts of the accommodation in question, as well as the pages of travel bloggers, who mostly announce such events.

Recommendations for a cheaper vacation in Romania

Breb, Maramures. PHOTO: Alamy/ Profimedia

Laura and Sebi from “Călător în Bascheți” recommend three destinations at a good price:

Land of Buzeu – This is an incredibly beautiful area with natural wonders that will amaze you, especially since this area has rightly been declared a UNESCO Geopark.

Nature created fabulous landscapes here and gave the place of troubadours, mud volcanoes, salt mountains and living, eternal fires. Entrance to the main attractions here is either free or extremely cheap. For example, you will pay only 4 lei to visit the cloudy volcanoes.

Karey, Satu Mare District – A small, but extremely chic and well-kept town, with a chic castle right in the center of the city, a restored historic stable and a beach with thermal water. And one more thing, the prices are reasonable. Entrance to the beach costs 30 lei.

Accommodation in the city starts from 100 lei. In addition, the authorities have launched a program here, according to which, if you stay at least one night in one of the accommodation facilities in the city, you will receive free entrance to the Karoi Castle, as well as a discount in cafes, restaurants and the beach in the city. This is a very effective strategy for attracting tourists.

Sulina Beach, Tulcea – We recently opened this place and, I must say, it surprised us. What did we like? The sand is very, very fine. The beach is safe because the entrance to the water is very smooth. It is a protected area because it is in the Danube Delta, so there are few bars, so there is a lot of peace and Zen. And last but not least – prices. Solarium: 30 lei, fish soup: 25 lei, beer: 8-9 lei.

Raul Dumitru completes the list:

Maramures – Prices are decent if you stay in small guesthouses owned by local residents. Most of the time you will live in renovated wooden houses and feel nostalgic for the old days.

Colibiţa – There are many cottages that are completely rented out at fair prices from 800 lei/night for 8 people.

Apuseni Mountains region – Here you will find many accommodation options, from bungalows for 2-4 people, with a jacuzzi and access to the river, to places with a large capacity for 10-12 people with a heated pool. In addition, the surrounding area also offers activities such as hiking and cycling, kayaking, rafting at Krishul Repede, ziplining at Cheile Turga or skiing in the cold season.

Oana Grozavu completes the list with three ideal destinations for fall 2023:

Danube Delta – It is more than a destination, it is an experience in itself – a person lives, feels, observes life and lifestyle.

Fegarash country – An exciting place through the prism of its diversity; Here we have history and religion as well as beautiful scenery and warm and welcoming people.

Mount Banatespecially the Nera gorge – For the skill that nature demonstrates here, before which one can only admire.

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