10 Reasons to Visit Romania in Low Season

I was thinking about the holidays in low season and I came up with the idea of writing a post about visiting Romania in low season. While you can find out about the advantages of traveling in low tourist season on other websites, this post is focus on Romania.

To start, I should probably define what low-season means here in Romania. Well, is the period between February or march until the beginning of June and then the fall, from September to late November.

1. Definitely fewer tourists. While I do like tourists, there are moments when I look for a more peaceful environment. Take Sighişoara, for example. Our last tour going to Sighişoara took place in September and it was already much less crowded than it'd have been in July or August
   
   
   
   

   

   Sighişoara - the clock tower
2. Migration of birds in Danube Delta. The spring and fall migrations take place in May and September-October. For birds lovers this is a spectacle that shouldn't be missed

3. More pleasant temperatures, both in the mountains and in the towns. While some mountains, like Făgăraş Mountains can be too cold or too dangerous for the non-experimented tourist (in which case I strongly recommend the services of a specialized mountain guide), other mountains are just as fine in the extra-season. Examples of such mountains are Baiului, Ciucas, Apuseni Mts.
   
   
   
   

   

   Mountain biking in Baiului Mountains
4. Better prices for accommodation, that many times translate in better rates for tours of adventure travel companies.
5. While there is a less requested period, you have better chances to find places in your tours at the active travel companies. Not only to find availabilities, but also to choose the desired date of departure.
6. Better traffic. Traffic in Romania can be quite a problem. Going to the seaside or to Prahova Valley during the week-end can be a real challenge. Well, if you travel in a time-frame outside of children's holidays, the traffic already gets better. And with it possibilities for cycling increase. Of course, many of the organized cycling tours, at least the ones arranged by Outdoor Holidays, take place in remote areas, not on the main streets, but there are situations where few kilometers on a bigger road are necessary, in order to cross from one side to the other.

   

   Cycling in Romania countryside
7. Some activities are definitely better. Take river-rafting for example. during the spring and autumn, there are better chances to find good water conditions.
   
   

   

   River rafting in North of Romania

8. Foliage - the Carpathians might not be as high as the Alps, but they definitely offer nice forests. Unlike the Alps, where many times you start hiking at or above 2000 meters above sea level, in Romania's Carpathians you hike many times between 800 m and 2000 m. That's the area where the alpine forests lies, and the colors of a deciduous forest are just great.
   
   

   

   Colors of autumn in Romania
9. Better chances to find accommodation without booking in advance. Well, Romania has many guest-houses spread throughout the country (mainly in the tourist areas, is true) and sometimes if you like an area you can just drop-in to some of those, asking for accommodation. During summer months, they are most of the times full, but you have better chances outside the season. 
10. Last, but not least, if you like spooky experiences you can spend a Halloween in Transylvania. Go to Dracula related places at the end of October, for the real deal :).