| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE 14:48 - Apr 28 with 1534 views | ganjR |
Hello fellow sufferers.
I am thinking of getting away at the end of may for 3/4 days, somewhere different, not too far away and cheap.
Have wanted to go to Slovenia for a while... Ljubljana, then the coast.
The current alternative is Bucharest, have heard very mixed reviews from friends. Know some Transylvanians, so would head up there after a couple of days in the capital.
Anyone been or/and can shed light on either options?
Many thanks in advance. |  | | |  |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 15:00 - Apr 28 with 1524 views | MrSheen |
Depends what you like. I enjoy scenery and history rather than night-life, and it helps that I like the food and drink there. I spent a week in Slovenia around Lakes Bohinj and Bled - it's beautiful alpine-type scenery and less than half the cost of somewhere like Austria. I was in Transylvania last autumn and its fantastic - fascinating history, beautiful scenery, almost medieval its so lightly populated. Its going to change a lot in the next decade, for better and worse, so it's worth seeing now before it gets more prosperous and more like everywhere else in Europe. I stayed a couple of nights on a farm and walked around countryside that would have made Thomas Hardy feel at home - hardly anyone around apart from shepherds following their flocks and woodcutters leading their carts through the forest.
Romania's even cheaper than Slovenia. In both countries, just about everyone under 35 speaks English, so don't worry about language. I can't remember about Slovenia, but if you miss how pubs were before the smoking ban, you'll love Romania. Dirt cheap flights on WizzAir from Luton, book all the extras like luggage and legroom and you'll still be quids in. |  | | |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 15:07 - Apr 28 with 1512 views | aston_hoop |
In terms of Slovenia, Ljubljana is a beautiful city but you shouldn't need too long there as its not too big. Lake Bled is well worth a visit though as its really stunning and there are a load of good places to visit and stay around there. I've not been down to the coast though.
For Romania, I absolutely hated Bucharest. Just a big sprawling mess but perhaps on a different weekend it would have been better. I liked Transylvania though, lots of fun. I stayed in Brasov which was a lovely city and a great base for exploring the countryside and getting to Bran castle etc. Even better since you know people there though. I was also recommend Sibiu in that area but I didn't get a chance to visit, looks good though. |  |
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| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 15:58 - Apr 28 with 1492 views | MrSheen |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 15:07 - Apr 28 by aston_hoop |
In terms of Slovenia, Ljubljana is a beautiful city but you shouldn't need too long there as its not too big. Lake Bled is well worth a visit though as its really stunning and there are a load of good places to visit and stay around there. I've not been down to the coast though.
For Romania, I absolutely hated Bucharest. Just a big sprawling mess but perhaps on a different weekend it would have been better. I liked Transylvania though, lots of fun. I stayed in Brasov which was a lovely city and a great base for exploring the countryside and getting to Bran castle etc. Even better since you know people there though. I was also recommend Sibiu in that area but I didn't get a chance to visit, looks good though. |
I was based in Sibiu. A really nice place and in surprisingly good nick. The Mayor (now the President of Romania) is an ethnic German and seems to have done a good job in getting foreign investors and EU money to smarten the place up. Sighisoara is smaller but the old town there is totally intact from about the 15th Century! Great historic hotel rooms from about £25 a night | | | |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 16:08 - Apr 28 with 1485 views | dannyblue |
I have to concur. Bucharest is a bit of a concrete shithole, although apparently great if you're into Moldovan escorts. Transylvania is beautiful. Brasov and Brann are standout. The whole place shows how recent the concept of nation state is. You get German villages next to Ukrainian, Hungarian or Roma ones, although the Romanians have tried to assert themselves and have been pretty successful. I'd like to go back and explore the Carpathians one day. |  | | |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 16:41 - Apr 28 with 1453 views | Fearless |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 16:08 - Apr 28 by dannyblue |
I have to concur. Bucharest is a bit of a concrete shithole, although apparently great if you're into Moldovan escorts. Transylvania is beautiful. Brasov and Brann are standout. The whole place shows how recent the concept of nation state is. You get German villages next to Ukrainian, Hungarian or Roma ones, although the Romanians have tried to assert themselves and have been pretty successful. I'd like to go back and explore the Carpathians one day. |
Went to ljubjana last year and absolutely loved it - great bars and restaurants on the river, castle on the hill etc
Couple of trips out of the city to lake bled and the caves at postojna - amazing!
Bucharest was Norfolts stag do destination - what a dump - sorry Mel :) |  | | |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 19:45 - Apr 28 with 1379 views | PlumsteadQPR |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 16:41 - Apr 28 by Fearless |
Went to ljubjana last year and absolutely loved it - great bars and restaurants on the river, castle on the hill etc
Couple of trips out of the city to lake bled and the caves at postojna - amazing!
Bucharest was Norfolts stag do destination - what a dump - sorry Mel :) |
Agree re Ljubljana. Beautiful place but very small. Not especially cheap either. Lots of great restaurants and bars along the river. If you have any interest in contemporary art there is quite an interesting scene in the city. The castle is also well worth a visit. |  | | |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 20:27 - Apr 28 with 1364 views | willis1980 |
We did Slovenia for a stag and agree with the others, it's good for a long weekend but as nice as it is you'll get bored pretty quickly as it's quite small. Lake bled was great we rowed out to the island and swam back which was a lot harder than we thought it would be. I recommend the horse burgers it sounds disgusting to some bit they were great. |  | | |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 20:28 - Apr 28 with 1364 views | onlyrinmoray |
Ive been a big Slovenia fan for years, saw it first on a holiday programme, fantastic scenery I went for a week as my retirement treat 3 days in Ljubljana and 3days in Lake Bled Lovely country with friendly people
Punch above their weight in World Football as well with a population of 2 million, qualified for the Euros and World Cup knocking Russia out and football isn't even the main sport. Obviously brilliant at Alpine sports as well .We flew from Stansted |  | | |
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| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 22:20 - Apr 28 with 1322 views | danehoop |
Used to live in Slovenia, in Ljubljana. One of my favourite chill out locations any where. A real hidden gem of a country. Good food, great wine and decent beer. Ljubljana is a small but very easy to navigate city with loads of history. People are really friendly and speak English (under the age of 40). Good skiing in winter, nearest slope was30 mins drive from my office. In spring and summer its lakes and mountains, bit of white water rafting as well. Lake bled has been mentioned about 45 mins north of the capital. Nice and scenic, gets a bit busy in the summer and a little developed. Go 15 mins North and you get to lake bohinj prettier and less developed as its in a national park. Go south and you can go to lipica where the Lipizzaner white horse come from or to postojana to see the caves and carts scenery. If you go an hour west from the capital you get to the Adriatic coast. Slovenes don't get much coast and it isn't all that, but potoroz is an ok resort, whilst neighbouring Iran is a lovely Italian riviera style fishing village where tarting the composer came from. Seafood is good, havily influenced by the Italians (Trieste is in the next bay).
I was back there on business there in May last year and absolutely loved it. Sitting by the river in central Ljubljana in the sunshine watching the world go by whilst drinking the local su I Pinot (Pinot Gris) was so good.
If you want a relaxed experience with good food, wine and scenery you'll love it. If you want party raves and craziness, nah probably not. |  |
| Never knowingly understood |
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| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 22:42 - Apr 28 with 1304 views | ganjR |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 22:20 - Apr 28 by danehoop |
Used to live in Slovenia, in Ljubljana. One of my favourite chill out locations any where. A real hidden gem of a country. Good food, great wine and decent beer. Ljubljana is a small but very easy to navigate city with loads of history. People are really friendly and speak English (under the age of 40). Good skiing in winter, nearest slope was30 mins drive from my office. In spring and summer its lakes and mountains, bit of white water rafting as well. Lake bled has been mentioned about 45 mins north of the capital. Nice and scenic, gets a bit busy in the summer and a little developed. Go 15 mins North and you get to lake bohinj prettier and less developed as its in a national park. Go south and you can go to lipica where the Lipizzaner white horse come from or to postojana to see the caves and carts scenery. If you go an hour west from the capital you get to the Adriatic coast. Slovenes don't get much coast and it isn't all that, but potoroz is an ok resort, whilst neighbouring Iran is a lovely Italian riviera style fishing village where tarting the composer came from. Seafood is good, havily influenced by the Italians (Trieste is in the next bay).
I was back there on business there in May last year and absolutely loved it. Sitting by the river in central Ljubljana in the sunshine watching the world go by whilst drinking the local su I Pinot (Pinot Gris) was so good.
If you want a relaxed experience with good food, wine and scenery you'll love it. If you want party raves and craziness, nah probably not. |
Thank you for your replies!!! | | | |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 23:30 - Apr 28 with 1295 views | MrSheen |
| SLOVENIA / BUCHAREST INFO PLEASE on 16:08 - Apr 28 by dannyblue |
I have to concur. Bucharest is a bit of a concrete shithole, although apparently great if you're into Moldovan escorts. Transylvania is beautiful. Brasov and Brann are standout. The whole place shows how recent the concept of nation state is. You get German villages next to Ukrainian, Hungarian or Roma ones, although the Romanians have tried to assert themselves and have been pretty successful. I'd like to go back and explore the Carpathians one day. |
On that topic, when we were in Slovenia, we came a cross a first world war cemetery near Lake Bohinj. It had the bodies of the soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire who had died fighting the Italians in the mountains above. In quite a small space there were Poles, Ukranians (Ruthenes, as they would have been known then), Hungarians, Romanians, Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Austrians and other ethnic Germans from around the empire, as well as the odd Italian (fighting for the empire and against it), and a fair number of "unknown Russian prisoners" who were PoWs from the Eastern front taken there as labourers to build roads and railways. It was in a lovely green clearing in the forest and very well looked after. The Hungarian graves each carried a new ribbon.
On Romania, while the north and west has large pockets of Hungarians still (eg Timisoara, where the revolution started), the Germans have mostly left since the war, particularly since the revolution. Some of the traditional "Saxon" (i.e. German) villages only have a handful of pensioners left, while the old residents come back only for summer holidays. In a lot of cases, Roma have been able to pick up property in villages where they would have been confined to the outskirts, where you normally see them. In a few years time, the religious traditions and history of places like Prejmer, Biertan and Viscri will mean as much to the inhabitants as Stonehenge does to us. Go now. | | | |
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