46 707 443 105

info@transylvania.se

Experience Transylvania

& other exciting destinations...

Knowledgeable and committed guides, authentic cultural insights, small groups, quality hotels and personal service - that's why our guests choose to travel with us again and again...

Our story

Experience Transylvania's story began in 2011, with a fairytale wedding in Transylvania, Romania. We are a family business headquartered in Sweden, and we also have a branch in Romania, as well as partners and customers worldwide.

In the beginning, we focused on organizing trips to Romania, mainly for Swedish travelers with an appetite for meaningful cultural experiences. We soon discovered that travelers from other countries also wanted to join our exciting groups. During our trips, new friendships were forged without borders, and memories for life were created.

Over the years, we have developed more destinations within Europe, at the request of our customers, who, after a first trip with us, wanted to come back and join us on new adventures. Our tour producers' previous experience as guides and cruise leaders laid the foundation for new, fantastic trips to wonderful places beyond Transylvania. Nowadays, we also organize trips to Austria, Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and these are just some of our new exciting destinations.

Our team of tour guides is experienced, knowledgeable, and genuinely cares about providing excellent service. We endeavor to create itineraries that we ourselves would be eager to embark on. We carefully select hotels, activities, and restaurants that we would personally want to experience.

We value authentic travel, seeking to immerse ourselves in the real local culture, going beyond superficial impressions.

Join us on an unforgettable journey!

Our travel philosophy

Travel with care

We believe in authentic experiences that protect nature, empower local people, and preserve cultural heritage and history. Read more about our commitment to travel with a good purpose!

Meet the people

To truly get to know the everyday life of a people means meeting the people of the country, talking to them, understanding them. During our travels, we don't just want to be spectators of folklore shows or craft demonstrations. We help our travelers have a genuine encounter with the locals.

Nice & safe

We are out for adventures, but we want our hotels to be clean, safe and cozy. We want you to experience everything in a smooth and at the same time genuine way. That's why we often choose hotels with local charm and rich history. The hotel is not where you "just sleep", but also an oasis for relaxation after an exciting day.

Plant trees

We plant trees in the Attenborough Forest and encourage our travelers to carbon offset their travels by donating to our partner The Perfect World Foundation, to support their important work. We continue to do our small part in the fight to save the planet's biodiversity and keep nature clean.

Local gifts

Supporting local communities is a natural prerequisite for them to maintain their authenticity. By donating to organizations like Stiftelsen Brödet and Meschendorfs Kinder, we are participating in the development of Romanian villages. By working directly with local actors, we can contribute in an effective way.

every trip becomes a FANTASTIC MEMORY FOR LIFE...

"We celebrated my father's birthday by traveling to Transylvania and Bucharest. We had a fun and relaxed trip: we ate good food, drank a lot of good wine especially in Brasov and had a great time everywhere we went, from Sibiu to Bucharest. The trip was so well and flexibly organized, we managed to see all the sights we were interested in without feeling the least bit stressed. Now we are looking forward to a golf trip to Transylvania."

Patrik Stoicescu, 2012

Meager
"Such a personal and generous treatment that we have received from you is unique. I would like to recommend Experience Transylvania as a contact for Romania to my friends and acquaintances. The stay in Romania itself was very positive: it is easy to travel, it is beautiful, the people we have met have been interested and friendly, the hotels have been very nice, especially in Sinaia and Sibiu. Thank you for letting us contact you as much as we wanted. Beekeeping is fun!"

Annika and Anne-Marie Berglund, 2013

Meager
“After visiting more than 70 countries, most of them on my own, I wanted to experience something new and different. I was attracted by the nature experiences and the opportunity to visit Dracula's castle. The trip to Transylvania is one of the best tours I have been on in my entire life. A very well-organized trip, where everything worked perfectly. Gloria brought a fantastic energy and was a wonderful guide with her solid knowledge and big smile.”

Auli Kuivalainen, 2013

Meager
"You might wonder why we chose Transylvania as a conference location. We at Novare have always been trendsetters, not only in the industry but also in how and where we hold conferences. We thought Transylvania offered a different environment to discuss how we can develop our corporate culture and strategy. The people who run Experience Transylvania are enthusiastic, committed and have a great sense of service, which was confirmed throughout the conference Romania, which offers many surprises."

Fredrik Hillelson, 2014

Meager
“With our nice hotel as a base, we explored the best of Transylvania from our comfortable minibus. The guide Nora was an important part of our positive experience! Through her kindness and warmth, we got an insight into everyday life in Transylvania. One of the highlights for the whole group was being invited to dinner at Nora's family's home! I highly recommend Transylvania as a destination and Nora as a guide!”

Sharen Jarder, 2016

Meager
"The days in Bran and especially the wedding day were absolutely perfect! We and our guests were super happy with the whole arrangement. Many of our guests bragged to Nora that she had given such a good and interesting guided tour of the castle. She was there all day and evening to take care of the little one too, Gloria kept in close contact to make sure everything went as planned. You can't find more dedicated people in their way... It was truly a day to remember for both ourselves and our guests."

Nina Salonen, 2017

Meager
"Who would have thought that smoked or pine bark-aged cheese could taste so good? After a short trip to the market below Bran Castle, to buy cheese of course, we set off for a bear safari. In the neighboring village we met the guide and the other tourists who would be coming, all with binoculars and the largest camera lenses in full swing. The nervousness of going out into the wild where there are proven bears was mixed with an attempt to dampen hopes. There was no guarantee that the bears would show up. But those fears turned out to be completely unfounded. There A fascinating sight to sit safely up in the lookout cabin and observe the wild bears. An unforgettable weekend, full of experiences and new experiences and such nice people. Already looking forward to the next visit."

Caroline Beijersten, 2017

Meager
"Charming, beautiful small towns/villages with both old and new buildings. Visited a sheep farmer's family and a priest's family and were very well looked after. There were interesting encounters! Surprised by very beautiful nature. Forests, parks and agricultural landscapes. Many beautiful old churches, monasteries and castles. Nice restaurants with usually very good food. A fun and interesting trip with our nice guide Gloria Andersson and her sister Nora. I recommend this trip."

Ewa Malmlund, 2018

Meager
"We would like to thank you for an educational and enjoyable trip with the DN card last week. We are very experienced travelers and have done many group trips. This one outshines most. It gave us exciting insights into Transylvanian society, both in terms of present and history, as well as city and countryside. Our group also became well-knit. We have never before experienced everyone in the group embracing each other at Arlanda, as an expression of a successful trip and fond memories. Many thanks!"

Gunilla and Åke Dahlberg, 2018

Meager
"There were very satisfied participants who got off the bus in Bålsta. We would like to extend a big thank you for a rich and very well-planned trip to Gloria Vintila Andersson at Experience Transylvania. In my opinion, Gloria is perhaps the best tour guide I have ever met, with her enormous historical knowledge and outstanding storytelling skills. Good standard at the hotel and included meals guided the bus through cities and countryside in a smooth and pleasant way. Read the full travel story here."

Lennart Olofsson, 2019

Meager
"We knew we were in for a wonderful hike in Transylvania, but this exceeded our expectations. The scenery was beautiful and varied, rolling hills, walks along the river with impressive caves, mysterious large beech forests and the Carpathian Mountains. It was all perfectly managed by Gloria and Nora with their knowledge of history and culture and generous smiles. There were a number of delays to the trip, due to the pandemic, but Gloria, through hard work and patience, finally gave us the thumbs up because we were nine people and could not have asked for a more relaxed, fun and at the same time engaging trip together.

Johan Bjurström, 2021

Meager
"Thank you for a well-organized, well-executed and very enjoyable trip!"

Birgitta Hedblom, 2022

Meager
"It has been an intense and experiential trip to Scotland. Many thanks to the perfect tour leader and guide Gloria, who informed and taught us a lot about Scotland in an exemplary way."

Kerstin Anestedt, 2023

Meager

Our team

Our tour leaders and tour producers work with passion to create genuine travel experiences, to some of Europe's most fascinating places. We focus on getting to know the local culture through authentic encounters with the people, by exploring the genuine local cuisine and by seeing the historical whole anchored in the present. Join us on our enriching adventures!

Gloria Anderson

CEO & tour manager

Our travel pro, born and raised in Transylvania, living in Sweden. Gloria runs the company Experience Transylvania since 2012. She usually commutes between Sweden and Transylvania, so you could say that her everyday life resembles the life of the iconic storks, also seasonally relocating. Gloria has a rich career in the tour industry, with a focus on travel production. Her passion for history intertwines with her focus on creating immersive visitor experiences.

Dacre Stoker

Author & tour leader

Our Dracula expert and Romania enthusiast from Canada, residing in the United States. Dacre is a descendant of author Bram Stoker. As literary genius seems to run in the family, Dacre is a best-selling author of both fiction and non-fiction publications. His research has revealed many interesting details about the iconic Gothic novel Dracula. Dacre leads our travels in the footsteps of the fictional figure Count Dracula, based on a thorough study of his ancestor's work.

Nora Vintila

Tour guide & singer

Our language talent and certified local guide in Romania, with several years of experience in tour leadership throughout Europe. For Nora, even a walk in the park is almost impossible without her sharing spicy facts about the surroundings. Nora is an experienced cruise director on European waterways, fluent in English, German and Swedish. A walk with Nora can often be rounded off around the fire, with a guitar and a repertoire of happy songs, over a warm glühwein or a cold beer.

Peter Anderson

Marketing & finance

Co-founder, salesperson, marketing expert and on the barricades from the very beginning. With his education in economics and his passion for developing businesses, Peter has been an anchor in the development of Experience Transylvania. He was sold on Transylvania himself the first time he visited the area in 2008 and since then you could literally say that he has been "married to the destination". Peter often accompanies the conference trips.

A Journey Through Transylvania: GENUINE Experiences Await...

Facts about Transylvania

Transylvania is a province that stretches across central and western Romania. The name originally comes from Latin and means "the land beyond the forest". Today, Transylvania is characterized by mystery, largely thanks to the myth and legend created around Dracula. In reality, Transylvania is a region full of history and culture, where man and nature live together in a unique symbiosis. You will find out many more fascinating details and stories when you get here, but for now, here are some good to know details. This is our favorite destination, the one we started our story with. But now we have more exciting destinations waiting to be explored.

Weather

Temperate continental climate. Spring-summer temperatures: 20-30° C. There is something exciting to do in all seasons (hiking or experiencing small towns in spring and autumn, enjoying seaside resorts in summer, skiing in winter).

Language

Romanian is the official language. Some minority languages: Hungarian and German. As a visitor you can easily manage whether you speak English, German, Italian, Spanish or French. Romanians are friendly and helpful, just ask for directions.

Currency

1 RON = 0.2 €

Romania's currency is RON (Lei). You cannot trade with € here, except at the airport and in some other special cases. ATMs are easy to find, credit cards are accepted in most shops, restaurants, hotels and museums.

Pass

Romania is part of the EU, and recently also part of Schengen. However, a valid passport is required for most non-EU visitors. EU citizens can enter with a valid passport or with a national ID card. Contact us for questions regarding travel documents.

DISCOVER ICONIC LANDSCAPES BUT ALSO HIDDEN GEMS