Secret Romania

Responsive and thoughtful planning process by Florin - we were in constant communication and the details were ironed out very quickly. The local guide Mircea Maftei was one of the best we've had in all our experience with kimkim - very knowledgeable, great english, and above and beyond service.

We just returned from a 2-week tour of Romania and Bulgaria with kimkim. We have traveled to many countries; our favorite style is a private tour with a driver/guide. I contacted a friend from Ukraine (owner of a travel company we used a few years ago), as she has now joined the kimkim team. She directed us to Florin, an expert on Romania. Florin put together a fantastic program for us. We saw most of the highlights of Romania, including. UNESCO World Heritage sites, Transylvania, the Black Sea. The Transfaragarsan Road (and seeing the bears along the way) was also a highlight. Then on to Bulgaria to the "island" of Nessebar, to historic Plovdiv, and Sofia.
Florin is one of the best guides we've ever had! When you are with someone for many hours a day, you want someone who is personable. That is his #1 quality. He was flexible with the program. I can't overstate this enough. When weather appeared to spoil a part of the trip, at Florin's suggestion, we re-molded the entire trip to better fit our needs. This involved quite a bit of replanning and taking on additional expense on his part. Our trip continued without a hitch! He was also very perceptive of our needs, funny, an excellent driver (very comfortable vehicle), knowledgable of the history of the countries, and up on current events. He also has great taste in music for the rides!
The tour was a good value, as well. We asked for 4-star accommodations and received a combination of larger facilities along with boutique hotels, all in perfect locations; walking distance to sites, restaurants, etc.
We are so fortunate to have discovered kimkim. Most of all, Florin, who is very professional and passionate about Romania and his work.

Florin was great. We went on a 9 day tour. Bucharest, Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Gura Humorului, Sighetu Marmatiei and Cluj. Saw amazing castles and 14/15th century churches. Florin also had a few surprises…we took a cable car up the mountain as it snowed, went in an ice house,stopped at a family owned pottery shop and had an amazing lunch. All the hotels were great and the dinners were delicious. Florin is very knowledgeable in Romanian history…we learned a lot. When we had an unexpected event,our van broke down on a holiday he managed to to get us a brand new van within a couple of hours against all odds,
I would highly recommend Florin to anyone who wants to visit Romania and learn about the countries history and culture and see it’s beautiful sights.

Hotel Reviews

Ibis Styles Bucharest City Center

Bucharest

We stayed two nights at the Ibis Styles Bucharest City Center, which offered comfortable accommodations and a convenient location for exploring Bucharest.

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Bella Muzica

Brasov

Our one-night stay at Bella Muzica in Brasov was lovely, as the hotel had a charming atmosphere and was centrally located.

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Hotel Sighisoara

Sighisoara

Our one-night stay at Hotel Sighisoara in Sighisoara allowed us to experience the town's unique character, as the hotel was situated within the Citadel.

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Activity Reviews

Bucharest city tour

Bucharest

The Bucharest city tour was informative and interesting as we visited the Parliament and learned about the history of the city. Although we enjoyed our tour, we preferred the smaller towns to Bucharest.

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Brasov to Sibiu with Fagaras Citadel

Romania

Bucovina to Maramures with the Merry Cemetery and the Wooden Churches of Maramures

Romania

We toured the beautifully painted monasteries and unique cemeteries. There were wooden tombstones that were hand-painted.

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Bucharest to Brasov with Peles Castle, Bran Castle and Brasov walking tour

Romania

Our journey from Bucharest to Brasov included visits to the stunning Peles Castle and the famous Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle. The Brasov walking tour allowed us to explore the charming town. Pels Castle was a highlight of the trip.

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In regard to our tour to Romania and Bulgaria : February 27 to March 20 2023. It was a most wonderful experience. I enjoyed a lot been able to know in depth two spectacular countries with so many varied activities including views to palaces and castles, roman architecture, spectacular art paintings in orthodox churches, citadels, walking in the snow in the Carpathian Mountains ( for my first time ), rural houses in an amazing life museum, a supper in the home of a Romanian rural family, Romanian wine tastings and even two days in an amazing Black Sea resort ( massages included ) in Constanta. All the credit for the success of this trip was due to Florin Preda, our travel guide ( with the useful attendance of travel guide Bogdan Pistritu ), not only for his excellent selection and modification of activities (due to weather problems), but also for the remarkable sensitivity he always showed to attend our special needs during the tour. You shall always keep his services as a remarkable guide to guarantee the success of KimKim in Romania.
I know this feeling is shared with all group members : Ivonne, Edward, Gabriel and my wife Maria.
My apologies for this late call.

Francisco J. García
[email protected]

We will like to thank our guide Florin for making this trip a fantastic experience. His knowledge, patience, experience, good humor, complacency , punctuality were few of his assets. Everything he planned for us was amazing: Peles Castle, Bran Castle, Brasov City, Curtea de Arges Monastery, the Turda Salt Mine, the wooden churches, the happy cementery, the painted egg museum, Constata and the black sea, Nessebar and the beautiful city of Sofia.
We also appreciate the guide and company of Bogdan Pistritu thanks for together with Florin make this trip inmemorable.
Florin the best guide you can get!!!

Activity Reviews

Day trip to Peles Castel, Bran Castle and Brasov Medieval City

Romania

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Bucharest to Sibiu with Curtea de Arges Monastery

Romania

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Day-trip to Sighisoara & Biertan

Sibiu

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Turda salt mine and Cluj

Romania

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See Wooden Churches & Merry Cemetery

Romania

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From Maramures to Bucovina

Romania

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Bucharest city tour

Bucharest

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Discover Bucovina

Gura Humorului

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Enjoy a day at the SPA and walking on the beach

Mamaia

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Experience the Magic of Nessebar

Romania

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Tour Historic Sofia

Sofia

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Free day in Sofia

Sofia

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See the Roman Amphitheater in Plovdiv

Bulgaria

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Day-trip to Rila Monastery

Sofia

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Marvel at the Citadel of Veliko Tarnovo

Bulgaria

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