Big thanks to the following, for fantastic Bulgaria tips and advice: Denitsa Leshteva and Plovdiv's helpful tourism team; Hristo Giulev; Sophia Bozhkova and the VT tourism crew; Mila Todorova; Samokov TIC; Ivan Dzhamulov; and especially my insightful co-author Mark Baker. Thanks to my intrepid parents, who met me at Rila Monastery and gave me fresh eyes on this extraordinary place. Gratitude to Normal Matt, whose thirst for Bulgarian nightlife enhanced my reviews, and whose coffee sustained my writing.
Thank you to everyone who offered their time and tips during my research in Transylvania, including Andrea Rost, Sana Nicolau, Cristina Cofaru, Cristiana Fica, Mark Tudose, Crina Prida, Colin Shaw, Karla Zimmerman, my fellow writers Mark and Steve, and all those who shared their love of home-grown Romanian heavy metal. Big respect to authors of previous Romania editions, you blazed an epic trail. Love to Normal Matt, who enhanced my time in Sibiu and cheered me through the write-up.
Acknowledgements
Climate map data adapted from Peel MC, Finlayson BL & McMahon TA (2007) ‘Updated World Map of the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification’, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11, 163344.
Cover photograph:Aerial view of the Old Town, Brasov, Transylvania, Romania, Dziewul/Shutterstock ©
This Book
This 7th edition of Lonely Planet’s Romania & Bulgaria guidebook was researched and written by Mark Baker, Steve Fallon and Anita Isalska. The previous editions was written by Mark Baker, Chris Deliso, Richard Waters and Richard Watkins. This guidebook was produced by the following:
Destination Editor Brana Vladisavljevic
Product Editor Vicky Smith
Senior Cartographer David Kemp
Book Designer Katherine Marsh
Assisting Editors Andrew Bain, Imogen Bannister, Nigel Chin, Bruce Evans, Victoria Harrison, Rosie Nicholson, Susan Paterson, Saralinda Turner
Assisting Cartographer Alison Lyall
Cover Researcher Naomi Parker
Thanks to Claire Naylor, Karyn Noble
Ebook thanks to Andrew Bigger, Ruth Cosgrove, Julie Dodkins, Blazej Hadzik, Craig Kilburn, Chris Love, Wayne Murphy, Jacqui Saunders, John Taufa, Glenn van der Knijff, Yanxiang Wang, Juan Winata.
Our Story
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.
Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.
Our Writers
Mark Baker
Mark Baker is a freelance travel writer with a penchant for offbeat stories and forgotten places. He's originally from the United States, but now makes his home in the Czech capital, Prague.
He mainly writes travel guides on Eastern and Central Europe for Lonely Planet as well as several other leading travel publishers, but finds real satisfaction in digging up stories in places that are too remote or too quirky for the guides. He also contributes to publications like The Wall Street Journal and National Geographic Traveler. Prior to becoming an author, he worked as a journalist for The Economist, Bloomberg News and Radio Free Europe, among other organizations.
When he's not traveling, these days he's teaching Central European history and journalism at Anglo-American University in Prague or out riding his bike. He has a master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University in New York.
Steve Fallon
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Steve graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in modern languages. After working for several years for an American daily newspaper and earning a master’s degree in journalism, his fascination with the ‘new’ Asia led him to Hong Kong, where he lived for over a dozen years, working for a variety of media and running his own travel bookshop. Steve lived in Budapest for three years before moving to London in 1994. He has written or contributed to more than 100 Lonely Planet titles. Steve is a qualified London Blue Badge Tourist Guide.
Anita Isalska
Anita Isalska is a travel journalist, editor and copywriter whose work for Lonely Planet has taken her from Greek beach towns to Malaysian jungles, and plenty of places in between. After several merry years as an in-house editor and writer – with a few of them in Lonely Planet’s London office – Anita now works freelance between the UK, Australia and any Balkan guesthouse with a good wi-fi connection. Anita writes about travel, food and culture for a host of websites and magazines. Read her stuff on www.anitaisalska.com.
Stay in Touch
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Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
ABN 36 005 607 983
7 edition - July 2017
ISBN 9781787010666
© Lonely Planet 2017 Photographs © as indicated 2017
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Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria Page 89