In the Guide’s Backpack

🧳 In the Guide’s Backpack

In the Guide’s Backpack is our new monthly series that invites you to discover Romania through the eyes of the people who know it best—our guides. Each edition of In the Guide’s Backpack dives into the memories, favorite places, and inspirations that shape their journeys.

At Beyond Dracula, our guides are more than experts: they’re storytellers, companions, and keepers of the little-known magic that makes this country unforgettable. In this monthly series, we invite you into their world through a set of personal, Proust-inspired questions. From their favorite Romanian dishes to the hidden corners they love most, each guide shares what makes Romania feel like home, and why travelers fall for it, again and again.

Whether you’re planning your first visit or your fifth, these insights from our team offer a deeper, more personal lens on Romania. So if you’re wondering what Romania is really like, there’s no better place to start than with those who know it best.

🧳 In the Guide’s Backpack: Meet Ilona Farkas

This month, meet Ilona Farkas, a history of art graduate, passionate traveler, and seasoned Beyond Dracula guide with a deep connection to Romania’s traditions, landscapes, and people.

1. What’s your earliest memory of discovering something magical about Romania?

I studied History of Art, and at the end of my first university year, I worked with other art historians on the restoration of Bánffy Castle in Bonțida. I was amazed by how many secrets it holds. That same summer, we embarked on a two-week journey across Romania, filled with many other magical discoveries.

2. Name a special place in Romania. It can be a hidden gem or simply the place you are most attached to.

My eternal love is Maramureș. I know many hidden places, but I feel that the local craftsmen, and the people in general, make it truly special to me.

3. Which historical figure or Romanian legend would you most like to meet and what would you ask them?

I believe Iancu de Hunedoara was the greatest strategist of his time. I’d be curious to learn about his daily life and how he planned all those battles and wars.

4. What’s the most unexpected thing about Romania that surprises visitors?

Sometimes it’s the sheer amount of food—hahaha—and generally the genuine hospitality of the people.

5. Your favorite Romanian food?

Papanași, sarmale, and homemade bread.

6. What’s one travel experience anywhere in the world that changed the way you see the world?

I was 22 years old when I accepted a winter job as a ski instructor in Park City, Utah. I had to learn how to accept that sometimes people are more than willing to help, if you just ask for it.

7. When you’re not guiding, where do you go or what do you do to recharge and find inspiration?

Communism erased trust from at least three generations. So for me, it’s important to spend time in places where connection still feels natural. I go often to the countryside in Maramureș, a region close to my heart. I also love Sulina, in the Danube Delta. As a family, we spend a lot of time outdoors—skiing, kayaking, hiking, and horseback riding.

Stay tuned for next month’s guide—and more personal insights into the places, people, and moments that shape how we experience Romania.