Transylvanian Homestay
Remember the opening scene in the film Borat, set in a small village in Kazakhstan? That was actually rural Romania, and the town of Ture, an hour’s drive outside Cluj Napoca, proves it was no movie set. Horse and buggy carts pass rotund old
ladies with fingers like pork sausages, milking water buffalos at sunrise. String bands play traditional music inside old wooden houses, most of which have electricity, but no plumbing. Dracula never lived here, because Dracula never existed. And there are no sweet transvestites, from Transsexual, Transyl-vani- ya…a-ya.
Length of Trip : Trips can be customized but usually last 3-7 days
Cost : Quotes depend on size of group and duration of visit.
Best time to go : April-September
Wheelchair friendly : Contact operator to make arrangements
Family friendly : Yes
Where to eat : Traditional Hungarian breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are included in the price of the tour.
Official Site : Carpathanian Tours
Where to Stay : Tour operators coordinate both home-stays and hotel stays. Accommodations are clean, comfortable, and authentically Transylvanian.
Getting There : Flights to Cluj Napoca are serviced by most European airlines. The town of Ture is about an hour’s drive outside Cluj Napoca. Alternatively, take the overnight train to Cluj Napoca from Budapest.
Note from Robin : Fertile with forests, farmland and mountains, Transylvania has been used as a pawn on a geo-political chessboard for millennia, being annexed here, gaining independence there, attacked and conquered everywhere. Transylvania nowadays is full of small villages that continue to exist as they have for centuries, but thousands of students descend on Cluj Napoca, the third largest city in the country, for its academic and nightlife offerings.
PRESENTED BY FORD OF CANADA
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