I fell in love with the country and the people after seven visits between 1992 and have now lived in Romania, near Sighișoara, for 13 years after selling my one-man signmaking business in Oxfordshire. The black dresine (car with railway wheels) on the platform at Sinaia was the heavily armoured personal rail transport of a particularly nasty woman who was a member of the Communist elite whose name I can't recall. It still bears the scars of an assassination attempt! There's also a large model railway in the former Royal salon of the station. I live in one of the largely unspoiled Saxon villages between Sighișoara and Mediaș.

I have to say that Romania is quite a nice country in Europe and I think that the people are quite friendly. I would like to go to Romania as I never been there.

Love to hear that you gave your lunch to hungry street dogs scavenging for food. That is a real human act. Your kindness really counts. I am really touched .❤

The castles looked like they are out of a fairytale. Magic.

Well that has completely changed my perception of Romania on its head , wasn't expecting that at all !

This is the best video yet in the Eastern Europe series. Trains, gondolas, ski resorts, mountains, castles, and dogs. What’s not to like? Another video topic could be a review of all the different Eastern European beers that you have sampled on your journeys. Best Wishes from 🇦🇺 👍👍

People in Romania know quite good English (especially in very touristic areas, like Sinaia). In some areas they even speak good German. So you could have just asked anybody on the street about the gondola 🙂. PS: wild bears are a real issue in mountain towns, the warning sign at the hotel was not a joke...

Wow! Amazing. I never considered Romania as a destination. From the moment you got off the train in Sinaia, I was thrilled. What a beautiful location and the old houses. Hope you go back and show us the inside of the castle sometime soon. Wonder why there are two castles, must be some interesting history there. You sure put your legs to the test with all that walking uphill. Loved the entire video including seeing the rooms where you stayed. Thank you.

Now that is my dream holiday unprepared and spontaneous and on a budget. you Europeans are truly blessed with such variety of travel destinations on your doorstep. Much love from New zealand

The architecture of Peles Castle is simply breathtaking, I could stare at it for hours.

Romania is not only Bucharest. U have a lot to travel to discover how beatiful Romania really is.

What an adventure, Steve! By blood I'm a quarter Romanian and am blown away by the Carpathian mountain scenery and architecture. Cheers from Wildwood, New Jersey!

You certainly turned around what could have been a disappointment into a success. How on Earth do they build those cable cars. Incredible engineering.

What an absolutely stunning town Sinaia is. Thanks for bringing it to our notice Steve.

Didn't realize Romania was such a beautiful place. Great video Steve once again you nailed it. Thanks 👍👌💙

Nothing failed about that one, amazing castles and scenery!

That castle is incredible. Like a cross between a fairy tale and a movie set - and yet we know it’s 100% power of history! I suspect I’d have had a jaw drop moment if I’d been there! Epic! 😊

Not far away from Sinaia is Cantacuzino Castle, there is an amaizing view. You shoud check for it next time you visit Romania. For me Peles is the most beautiful castle in Romania, but the best mountain view is from Cantacuzino Castle in Bușteni.

What an amazing place. Pretty sure Disney took a lot of inspiration from this part of the world. Love the sounds of the birds and the peacefulness of the place. Great value as well. 👍

A great video, Steve. I was totally fascinated by it. The scenery in the Romanian mountains is stunning and the castles and houses are unbelievable.

Romania its really underated country..its beautiful with nice mountains..sea side....

Our favourite country - in 2016, we finally got to drive over the Transfăgărășan highway or DN7C as it was clear of snow for once.

Romania 🇷🇴 really! Wow! ❤

Awesome find. Wow, the castles, fairy tale stuff, didn't look real at first. What a fantastic video thanks for sharing Steve

What a great film. I'd never have thought of Romania for tourism but you've opened my eyes.

Romania is an exceptionally beautiful country. I went many years ago in 2004 and spent two weeks around Romania in deep snow. This video has bought back many happy memories and sad ones. The amount of stray dogs and very poor people was something I will never forget. I also gave most of my food away to the dogs.

I never would have guessed that was Romania, such a great surprise! Wow such a lot of treats in just a 2 day adventure, amazingly good! Looks like a great place to live/visit.

Hello Steve, as a Romanian I'm very happy you enjoyed your time in this beautiful part of my country! If you still want to see castles, there is the Bran castle (near Brasov), that is also known as the home of Dracula the Vampire!

What a big surprise Romania was Steve....I think your "failure" turned into a big success mate, and it sems to me there was no shortage of attractions to make one of your best continental video's. The appartment you booked was a real bargain at the price you paid....certainly Romania appears to be a place where you get an awful lot for your pound! a bit like Poland was in the 1970's when I was a regular in that country.... Great stuff Steve, thanks again...

Another great video Steve. Not the Romania I imagined at all. You’ve really whetted my appetite for a bit of Eastern European tourism with your last few vids. Keep up the good work.

Stunning nature, fairy tale buildings, affordable accommodation… it’s incredible that more people don’t go to Romania! Definitely adding this to my Bucket List. Nice video Steve :)

I will eventually settle in Sinaia I think. Since moving to Romania 6 years ago, it has always been a go to town given its proximity to Bucharest, and its just a beautiful, clean, and well equipped little place. The mountain air like you say is superb. The cable cars take you up to give stunning views over the Bucegi and Carpathian mountains, good to see you risked the old legacy cable car 😁. At 11:57 is my favourite little terrace restaurant with a great outside seating area looking over the mountains and always that 'gratar' or grill going with tones of smoke and the smell of cooking mici in the air! Yeh its a stunning place and good time of year to visit as not too crowded. 👍

What a beautiful place, please promise you'll take us back to look inside the castle 🏰 Bless you for giving the dogs your lunch ❤ Looking forward to the next installment, I wonder where we're going?? 😊

I live in Bucharest and I haven't been to this place in like 15 years despite living so close to it. Your video gave me a huge nostalgia trip, and the reason for that is because you didn't add any silly music over the video like a lot of people do, you left the beautiful sounds of nature. I'm gonna go visit it again this year during the quiet days thanks to your clip.

You pulled the rabbit outta the hat, Steve! Your trip could’ve been memorable for all the wrong reasons. But, again as you do so well, you persevered. And a great video ensued. Very enjoyable!

Stop beating yersel up steve, you have never failed this channel.. superb as usual.

Those castlegrounds looked absolutely stunning.. Beautiful built castles, all the wee statues and carved out stones.. That must have been so cool to be able to walk around that place.. Great video and thanks for taking us with you Steve.. 🙏🙂

That view of the Carpathian Mountains, 😎WOWzer and although I am not a fan of snow that blended in really well. These little gems you come across is what makes your channel mystifying and I'm ready for another adventure ☕🚂

Bless you to heaven for feeding the stray dogs. And for making the best videos on KZfaq. ✨

You have a heart of gold and it is a nice place to stay and walk round and visit and have a ride on a cable car and the restaurant and hotel and the snow and thanks for the day out and beautiful weather

Brilliant video Steve. Best to date I think. Had a few trips to Romania about 20 years ago but not been recently. I did spend a few days in Brasov which was equally stunning but seemed more lively than Sinaia. However it was late December and very very cold and snowy so I spent most of the time indoors. Longing to go back now.

Both those overnight stays looked amazing in their own right. Much more of an experience than your bog standard hotel. The entire area around the castles, the neighborhood, the grounds, all of it, were absolutely fantastic! 100% worth another visit! Sometimes it’s the things that don’t go to plan that become the most memorable. Cheers, and ATB

" What a beautiful place and the surroundings are just " Stunning " ....The " Panoramic " views are " Sublime,"..".Definitely a location worth visiting." ..." Again the video was " Sublime."..." Many Thanks."

The interior of Pelés castle is amazingly sumptuous! I hope you could get to see it someday. I’d like to return, too, and visit some Romanian churches.

Sometimes when the trip doesn't go according to plan you see the best sights and gain the best experiences. Very picturesque, especially the views from the cable car and the castles. Romania is beautiful. Thank you for the upload.

Absolutely brilliant Steve. From a journey that started not working out very well it turned out well. The view's from the mountain were amazing. Decent accommodation as well. I thought the castle's were out of this world. Your last accommodation was brilliant and a very welcoming host which was lovely to see. And to sit and have a beer with him which i thought was a great gesture. Look forward to seeing the next one. Aura Best.

Another awesome adventure. You could imagine those castles in a horror movie. Seriously, your Eastern European adventures get better and better.

My boss is from Romania... I haven't asked her how she came to be in Seattle, but knowing someone from there has piqued my interest, and I love seeing these Eastern European travels.. right now I live vicariously but I really want to plan a trip there someday soon!

Another fascinating video Steve! Would you consider doing a Romanian grand tour to visit the many impressive castles and villas? There seems to be a wealth of history to see and explore. It would also be great to see more of the beautiful Romanian countryside along the way. I hope that you can return soon!

That was one of the best videos you’ve done. Great filming, beautiful scenery, honest commentary and above all you walk around where you are and see so much more of the real country! It’s now on the bucket list. Thank you as always 🙏

Amazing engineering on both gondola rides! And of course cel phone towers intermixed with microwave towers. I never would have thought of Romania having ski slopes like that! The castles look more like what I would expect to see in Bohemia…❤❤❤

Stunning video. Glad you fed the stray dogs. They will love that.

That was absolutely beautiful Steve. You're such a wonderful travel companion mate. I love your gentle way's. You feeding those two stray dogs your lunch, was total class 👏 God bless you & please keep your incredible vlogs coming ❤️

What an amazing place and great value accommodation! Thanks Steve. And their tourist board should thank you as well!

You should really find the time to go inside Peles Castle. The architecture and design are unique in the whole of Europe, it was King's Carol tour de force after he was entstated as king.

just goes to show the importance of having faith in humanity! makes everything better xxx

and what a fabulous view up the mountains and what a beautiful castle!!

Whilst it was a shame you didn’t get to see inside the castles at least you got those beautiful grounds all to yourself which wouldn’t have happened during opening hours. A fantastic discovery.

I go to Romania for work every second year to Brasov (your next visit Steve. The people are so generous. When I went to the opera, about half the audience were under 18! Steve, the palace at Sainia is amazing. Well worth returning. I really love your attitude to travel. All such an adventure and you accept things for what they are rather than what they should be (Eastern Airlines apart). Best wishes for all your travels.

Great video of Romanian mountains and well done for not giving up in spite of the castle being closed. I love your voice and humour 👏👏👏 Romania is a fantastic destination, I've been a few times and I'm going back this summer to their Danube Delta. I can't wait to witness the slow life and the wildlife there 😍

If you haven't been to Sibiu, Oradea, Cluj Napoca, Timisoara, the Maramures region with traditions and the Bucowina region with monasteries... And of course the Danube Delta!

Those castles were out of this world Steve. Simply stunning, as were your snowy mountain views. BTW, do you get funny looks from people in the gondolas when you are doing a piece to camera? Thanks for sharing your lunch with the street dogs too - they have it tough over there. All in all another lovely vid 👍

Value for money, that mountain apartment accomodation is off the scale!

Sinaia is so beautiful. Great video!

Steve! Once again you’ve come up trumps. What a gem, definitely on my bucket list. Thank you for showing us this amazing place, and indeed all the amazing places you go to 😊.

Highlight of my week from my favourite 😊 Thanks Steve as always ❤

Amazing sounds of nature

That castle was just stunning, imagine what it's like inside! Great video once again Steve.

Absolutely beautiful area, and that includes the accommodating locals. Reminds me of some high-end mountain resorts here in the US. Thanks for sharing!

I need to say thank you Steve. Romania had never been high on my "European countries to visit" list. Still, after this video, I really wanted to visit there (Sinaia) and now, a year after I saw your video I have been in Romania and it was even better than I thought it would be. Thank you for being an inspiration.

Hi Steve, If that's a disaster I'll take it every day. Many thanks for some astonishing footage. Travel safely.

What a fabulous place to visit. The castles 🏰 and grounds stunning. So glad you had such a great trip Steve and thank you for sharing. Far from a fail, brilliantly filmed 🎥

I’ve found some of the best places by becoming completely lost. Another great video!

The Carpathian mountains are beautiful and the landscapes and houses. Best of all was hearing those birds!!

..."you see the dangerocity in his eyes'"...That cracked me up.

Love this. Fantastic filming Steve, those views are amazing. You giving the sandwich to the doggies was my favourite party. You are a good man Steve. :)

What a amazing find Steve. Even though you made your trip more tiring than it needed to be it was so stunning to see the mountains and castle. What a great place. You need to do a dracula themed video next as a sequel to Slains Castle. Terrific gondolas too! I did want to see you on a snowboard though❤ even that apartment was great. Gives me a different view of Romania after seeing this video. Great work, Alan.

Really enjoy seeing Romania and Hungary. Although, Scotland is of course my favorite. The castles are amazing. I agree with the others, you must try and go back. Years ago, I had neighbors that were from Romania (Transylvania) and Hungary. She escaped (Romania and Jewish) during the war with papers tucked in her shoe sole. He (from Hungary and Catholic) swam a river to get out during Nazi occupation. They both wound up in America and married. Their children could speak 5 languages! Very interesting people indeed.

As a romanian, Brasov and Sinaia are in the top of my favorite cities. The thing is, going from one city to another in Romania, most of the time, it feels like going to a whole different country because the architecture and the vibe and the people are completely different. I personally don't like Bucharest at all, even tho I stil live there, the only thing that's good is the nostalgia of my college days lol.

Wow 😮 amazing scenery and that looked like a lot of snow for someone from Australia 😂 getting cold weather envy

Thanks for another great one, Steve . It's always interesting to see the different ways houses and castles are built in different countries and the scenery from the top was just spectacular xx

As a Romanian i would like to say thanks for dropping by and hope you enjoyed your time here. If you ever plan to visit again go to some of the less touristy places and don't be scared of the bad rep the people kinda have in western media more UK and i think Nordic country's. It's an unfortunate series of events (some bad apples and some minorities) that led to this misconception. You will find people are super friendly and will help you to the best of there ability unfortunately in the more rural places English is less knows more or less by the older generation but that's starting to change as the newer generations come up. If your planing your next excursion try as cities go Cluj, Sibiu, Brasov or Sighisoara and as as region go Maramures, Mures, Valcea, Arges, Hunedoara (i like "Corvinilor" castle there it's a bit less know but i think it's spectacular) or Tulcea (to visit the Danube delta it's super chill and beautiful). These are just a few, I'm 33 now and in this time i think I've seen like 50% of Romania but i prefer the mountains and the delta more then the actual sea side, it being so crowded, unless you try to find the more secluded places for what it's worth the clubs and Bucharest (capital) and Constanta (Sea side economic center and state capital) are super fun if you like that sort of thing. Cheers all the best. 😉

Great video - a lot of walking after being on a train. You must be exhausted. Looks a nice area and at least the weather was fine!!!!!

Another great one Steve. So good that we get to see such beautiful and interesting places.

Lovely stuff, Steve! Shame about the long walk up/down the hill...

Very rarely a career politician can be a good ambassador of his country. He can be succesful abroad perhaps in front of other politicians, but not in front of ordinary people... The spirit of a nation, the beauties of a country can be much more effectively transmitted by a musician, a sportsman, a traveller... As a citizen of Romania and knowing its huge potential, I can only tell: thank you, dear traveller!❤

Yet another great vid Steve and the views from the the heights were amazing , for those of us in the world that are unable to get to these places (and never will) you are a 'must watch' keep doing what your doing best wishes and stay safe

Awww, Steve, you didn't go the wrong way, you were meant to find the dogs. ❤

As soon as you said 'I think I've found a shortcut to the castle' my eyes flicked to the timecode to see if this was good news or bad news? 😂 What a fantastic castle!

Hi Steve just watched your video in Romania 🇷🇴 & wow I was totally blown away by the scenery & the amazing places you stayed in overnight!! Also what struck me most how everywhere seemed so clean with very little or no litter. The castles and grounds are definitely worth a trip of their own!! Thanks for another great video Steve 👍

Mornin Steve well at first I thought you might get lost looking for the gondola but when you did the view epic but after a little sleep your trip to the castle was a treasure to find ! Thx again take care stay safe see ya soon😘👍

Great video as always! The view from the mountains were nothing short of incredible. Bit different to Bucharest 😂

So sad to hear you weren't able to get inside Peles Castle, it truly is beautiful, although most tourists prefer Bran Castle (a.k.a. Castle of Dracula). Hope you'll be back in Romania! If you need any help while you're here, let me know. Btw, riding the old-style gondolas is also one of my favorite activities in Sinaia. :)

Great video! Once again 👍🏼

Lovely Video As Always Steve I Luv Your Videos

Wow Steve what an amazing video certainly looks like a lot more people will be visiting Romania those castles looked beautiful.

Simply stunning. What a beautiful location. As tiring as it must have been, what an adventure you have had. Highlight of every Sat AM seeing your video.

That is a fantastic area Steve. I would enjoy it there.

Fantastic scenery and architecture, it was also lovely to hear the birds singing. Thanks for an excellent tour.

That place was incredibly beautiful, cracking video Steve👍The castle sure looks like a place to visit, it looked amazing👌