As King Charles prepares for his majestic coronation with all the pomp and circumstance that accompanies it, his mind may briefly drift to the simple pleasures he enjoys when he visits his more modest holiday home in Romania.

Residents in the beautiful former Saxon village of Viscri in Transylvania will be celebrating their famous royal resident's special day on 6 May and will no doubt be looking forward to the next visit by the king.

The new monarch's well known passion for wildlife and nature was indulged during his visits to Romania, so much so that after his first visit to the country in 1998 he went on to buy his own guesthouse in 2006. Rail tour specialist Ffestiniog Travel also fell in love with the Balkan country when it ran its inaugural Small & Traditional (S&T) tour to the country in 2009.  Now one of the UK's leading tour operators to Romania, the company escorts small group tours there several times a year.

General Manager Maria Cook said: “Authentic holidays that take you off the beaten track and where you can immerse yourself in traditional cultures and true remote nature have become a growing travel trend over the years.  Since our first S&T tour to Romania we have seen interest grow year on year and we now offer up to 10 S&T tours a year, several of which are to Romania.

“King Charles has certainly helped put Romania on the travel map and we are actually planning to include a visit to Viscri in one of our 2024 Romanian holidays.”

Meanwhile there is still time to experience Romania in 2023 when travellers can discover a bygone age, visiting remote villages, staying in comfortable rural 'homestay' accommodation and enjoying meals of locally produced food.  Ffestiniog Travel tours actively source accommodation, restaurants and transport that are owned and operated locally to the benefit of the communities.

Rural Romania – Where Times Stands Still - Departs 6 October 2023 – 12 days from £2,850pp

This 12-day tour has a maximum capacity of just 12 guests and includes visits to remote Saxon villages including lunch with a local family, overnights in family run 'homestays, an excursion to UNESCO Sighisoara – birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (better known as Dracula), visits to the famous Merry Cemetery and the Painted Monasteries and journeys on three steam narrow gauge railways including the last forestry railway in Europe.  A chance to go back in time when life meant working fields with horses, stacking hay in haystacks and preparing meals from home-grown produce.  

The price includes return flights, 11 nights en-suite accommodation with daily breakfast, all transport, meals and excursions plus the services of a tour leader throughout and a local professional Romanian tour guide.

Romania's Danube Delta & The Carpathians – A Wildlife Paradise – Departs 2 September 2023 – 10 days from £2,850pp

This tour takes in some of the last true wilderness areas in Europe. The region is teeming with wildlife, and travellers will get the chance to spot rare wading birds on a 3-day stay in the Delta enjoying guided tours with a specialist before visiting a bear sanctuary in the mountains with a chance to spot some in the wild too! This tour of just 12 guests includes homestay accommodation full of character with all necessary facilities and scenic rail journeys across the Carpathians.

The price includes return flights, all rail travel, excursions to remote villages, 11 nights hotel or 'homestay' accommodation with daily breakfast, several lunches and evening meals and the services of a UK tour leader throughout, local professional guide and wildlife expert.

Maria Cook added: “For those looking for a simpler, get away from it all kind of holiday, then Romania will fulfil all expectations – just ask King Charles!”