OK, apologise in advance if this is off-thread, but just got back from
3 weeks in Romania, and would thoroughly recommend it as a hiking
destination if you want unspoilt, lightly touristed mountains,
atmospheric little villages and the sense of going back in time - lots
of horsecarts, traditional methods of farming, water from the well,
etc. So if you fancy some beautiful scenery without the crowds of the
Alps, head to Romania.
I went to the Apuseni mountains, the Bucegi mountains and the Rodna
mountains. Out of these the Bucegi have the best tourist
infrastructure (good transport links, good network of mountain
huts/refuges, etc), the Apuseni the most varied scenery (very
interesting caves, limestones gorges, etc) and the Rodna have the
wildest feel to them, and some very nice ridges. Other mountainous
areas include the Fagaras (supposedly the most demanding, rockiest of
the mountains in Romania) and the Retezat in western Romania
(apparently the least frequented in Romania).
1 or 2 walking tour operators offer holidays in these places, but if
you want a cheaper, more authentic experience (and more of the profits
to go to locals than some big company) then do it independently. An
increasing number of B&Bs and guesthouses (pensiunea in Romanian) are
appearing in the villages in the areas listed above (average price £10
for half board). Most of the routes in the mountains have coloured
signs, like elsewhere in Europe.
If you want more information on the mountains, go to the following
website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/30132/35f/4/
Details on accommodation at www.ruraltourism.ro and www.antrec.ro