Meg.

This walk starts from a car park just off the main road - perfect for those of us who hate driving down country lanes! 😂 The carpark is however very small and fills up quickly on a nice weather day - I recommend you get there early!

The hike has great views from just a few minutes in, and I would recommend you do the route anti-clockwise (opposite to AllTrails) as it means you climb (rather than slide down) the steepest section.  I really enjoyed this hike! 

Ady & Flossie.

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

This 100% gluten free cafe was the highlight of our day out in Glastonbury! It is tiny, yet packed full of colour and most importantly - gluten free goodies!

We particularly loved the Feta Quiche and Fritz bowl, and both of these came with a salad which was so tasty that we forgot it was salad! 

Even the muggles loved it! We will 100% return. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure! ☹

Ady & Meg.

What a hike! When searching for a route in the Breidden Hills, we found most routes to be pretty short - so instead we picked a route which incorporated them all! 

We cannot stress enough that this was one of our more adventurous hikes - it took us around 6 hours and involved a short scramble. We recommend doing this route anti-clockwise (as per Alltrails) as we find it easier to 'scramble up' rather than 'scramble down'.

The views were certainly worth the effort 😍

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk as there were plenty of sticks in the woodland areas. I was VERY tired afterwards 😴

Ady & Meg.

This Airbnb was such a great find for us! Following doing our research, we actually had no plans to visit Lecco, but we found that Lecco offered much more reasonably priced accommodation than the nearby tourist traps. 

The flat was huge, comfortable and just a 10 minute walk to the train station for travelling to Varenna (which was only about 25 minutes away by train). It was also just a few minutes walk from the lake and the town, which were worth a visit in their own right. 

We 100% recommend this place.  

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Although very quick, this was one of our favourite things in Milan (you know we like a view!)

We booked online, but there was no need - Our time was not guaranteed and we had to queue with everyone else. 

Both the ascent and descent were via lift, in small groups (around 6) with a guide. You get just 7 minutes at the top, which was plenty of time due to the small group.

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Oh we had such an odd experience with this place!

In true 'us' fashion, we contacted them around 2 months ahead of our trip to book a table. We wanted a table for 1pm, but were told that they were walk-in only between 12 - 2. We therefore settled for a table booking of 2:15, thinking if we arrived early we could try our luck getting in early. 

Sure enough we arrived very early (around 12:15) so enquired about a table - we were told that there was a table free, but they needed it back by 13:15 for a table booking (thought they didn't take bookings prior to 2pm...?)

We were then escorted through an empty restaurant (why couldn't we have any of those tables?) upstairs to our table where sure enough we were rushed through our meal. 

The restaurant, although cramped, was very pretty, and we particularly enjoyed the ravioli and focaccia (although the other food was very forgettable).

Overall, we sadly can't help but feel that we were hoping for more from our only 100% gluten free restaurant of the trip...

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Ady was keen to visit this stadium as it is due to be renovated. The tour itself was a bit of a pain to book, as it was not clear when the dates would be made available (which ended up being about a week before we flew).

Your booking is for either an AM or PM slot, and when you arrive you first go into the museum whilst they collect up enough people to take you on a group guided tour of the stadium. The tour lasted around 30 minutes and was interesting (even to someone not into football 😆). We visited both team's dressing rooms, players tunnel, pitchside, dugouts and various levels of the stands. 

This was the most expensive thing that we did in Milan, but we (Ady 🤪) do feel that it was worth it. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

This was our first bakery stop of Milan. We arrived shortly before 9am on a Friday, and couldn't help but feel disappointed on the range available - a few croissants and tarts and that was it.

Luckily we opted to eat in, and very shortly afterwards additional items started to come out from the kitchen, including cakes and the most deep-dish pizza we have ever seen in Italy! 

Was it our favourite bakery in Milan? No. But the staff were friendly and you certainly will not go hungry here... as long as you arrive after 9am!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We booked this hotel as we were due to land very late and knew getting into Milan at that time would be tricky. The hotel offered transfers to and from the airport for an extra 5 Euros per person, and this was fairly easy to arrange (albeit, not in advance). 

Our room was clean, spacious and quiet - perfect for a few hours sleep before being up and out early to head into Milan. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We chose to visit this place following reading excellent reviews from other Coeliacs. Upon reading the menu, we could see that although there were a lot of gluten free options, the vegetarian options were limited. As per usual practice we contacted the pub in advance, and as well as the usual 'Coeliac dance' (which they passed with flying colours) we also booked our meals in advance, to ensure that there would be a good vegetarian option available.

When we arrived we received a warm welcome, and loved the rustic feel of the pub. We then discovered that since booking our meal, the pub had changed hands. The new owners had our table booking, but not our pre-orders. This was particularly disappointing, as when we were presented with the new menu, Ady's meal was not on there and the vegetarian options were very limited. 

As we had arrived early, we next received a visit from the chef - this was really reassuring, as he came out specifically to tell us about what they do to avoid cross contamination - perfect!

Despite arriving early, there was a delay in ordering our meals even when our booked time had passed - perhaps we weren't as demanding as some of the other customers who had come in after us? 😛

We enjoyed our meals, they were reasonably priced and we certainly left feeling full - which was lucky as the gluten free offering for pudding could definitely use some work.

This place has a lot of potential - we hope that once the new owners have settled, that they will consider adding more GF veggie and pudding options to the menu! 

Flossie.

I enjoyed my visit here - but disappointed that the old owners took the doggie menu with them (hint hint 🐾)

Ady & Meg.

What a great hike! We followed the route anti-clockwise (as per AllTrails) and were surprised at how gentle the ascent was! This hike is however still not for the faint hearted, due to the need to cross the stream twice (which was very high and fast moving) and this required a bit of a jump / some scrambling along the side of the stream. 

We went the day after some light snow, and this certainly added to the scenery (and made parts of the path a little slippery). We hardly saw anyone in the valley, but did find Pole Bank very busy due to a road/car park being just down from it. 

Flossie.

I loved this walk, although there were parts which weren't particularly dog friendly - I had to be lifted over a stile, and some dogs may struggle with the scrambling.

Meg.

We found this 'cabinet of curiosities' when googling to find a wet weather activity in Wales, and we struck gold with this one!

The museum and shop makes up the ground floor of a canal-side cottage, and is stuffed full of haunted items, medical antiques, taxidermy  and wet specimens - true Addams Family vibes. The owner Dave was so welcoming and knowledgeable and it was a real pleasure hearing how his hobby has turned into a business. 

There is so much packed into this tiny museum, we walked around several times spotting new things each time. 

We were here for around 30 minutes, which for the entry price (£2.50) is excellent value for money, and we are sure some may stay for longer, especially if attending a special event or workshop there. 

Ady & Flossie. 

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

I loved this restaurant! Although not 100% gluten free, the staff are super hot on avoiding cross contamination and made me feel very safe. They have a real focus on 'pizza for everyone', regardless of your health need.

There is not a gluten free menu, but any pizza can be made on a gluten free base. And this is the only restaurant that I have been to that does not just one gluten free base, but FIVE gluten free bases! 

I opted for the gluten free purple corn base, and as you can see from the photo, my pizza really was purple! 

There is lots to do in Bath, but we paired our lunch with a visit to this museum.

Ady & Flossie.

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

My friend and I loved visiting this super quirky museum! It is spread over four floors of a townhouse, immersive and focuses on Mary Shelley's life, the novel origins and it's legacy.

If you are feeling really brave you can also venture into the scary basement and there is also the option to book an escape room (extra cost). We did neither of these, and still loved it!

It is quite small, so I would recommend booking in advance. Our confirmation email did not arrive, but the staff were very helpful on email / on the door so we did not have any issues gaining entry.

We paired this with lunch at this restaurant. 

Ady & Flossie. 

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

This is a great tearoom! As per usual process I contacted them beforehand and they confirmed that, although there is gluten on the premises, they are well versed in ensuring the gluten free offerings are safe for Coeliacs. 

They do not take bookings, and they only had the one table free when we arrived on a horrid weather Sunday in January. Despite being busy, service was super quick and staff were clearly confident when it came to knowing which items were gluten free.

I thoroughly enjoyed my scone AND lemon meringue pie and will absolutely return!

Ady & Flossie.

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Flossie. 

I was very spoilt when I visited this dog bakery! I was a little bit naughty and stole a treat from the shelf... luckily the kind owner saw the funny side!! 

Ady & Meg.

We stumbled across the dog bakery whilst on this hike in Cheddar, and simply had to detour to give it a quick visit. The shop sold all sorts of goodies for pets, but the real highlight for us was the 'dog cake' cabinet!

Ady & Meg.

We really enjoyed this hike! Granted going on a 'yellow warning for ice' day probably wasn't our best idea, but the views were incredible.

The parking is very limited, and Cheddar by nature is a very touristy place - we recommend trying this one on a weekday or very early in the morning! 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk, especially the dog bakery that was on route 😋

Meg.

This hike has some great views! It starts from a picnic site car park and very quickly you get views of Kelston Roundhill - the hill that you will be climbing towards the end of the hike!

The route has a small section at the beginning where you go up and then back on yourself to continue the rest of the walk - I would recommend walking as far as the gate (to get the view) and then turning back around the continuing on the rest of the walk, as the offshoot is rather boring!

Kelston Roundhill was pretty busy when we got there, so I would recommend going early if you are wishing to avoid people!

Ady & Flossie.

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

What a beautiful hike! It had the potential to be disastrous - firstly because an unattended farmer's dog took a dislike to Flossie as we were minding our own business in the lanes (eventually we managed to part ways) and secondly because part of the route was closed.

However, as long as you do the route anti-clockwise, you can continue to follow the road instead of turning off to the bridge at around 9.7km - easy! 

We absolutely recommend this hike - the views are stunning! 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk, although was disappointed that I wasn't allowed to play in the river! 

Meg.

I arranged this mini-adventure for a friend who was not feeling very energetic. The parking is very limited, so I would recommend visiting at a non-peak time. To get to the manor house, it is literally a 5-10 minute walk across a couple of fields, with a couple of stiles to hop over. 

Entry into the manor house is free, open 10am-4pm daily, and we were surprised by quite how much there was to see!

Ady & Flossie.

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

This is a fantastic hike, with great views! The car park is at the top of the dam, so if you aren't feeling particularly energetic you could absolutely park up and just explore the immediate area. 

The hike follows the perimeter of the reservoir for a short time before turning away and heading towards the nature reserve. Unfortunately when we went the boardwalk in the nature reserve was closed due to repairs, but you can absolutely still make this a worthwhile circular walk by continuing to follow the road (fairly quiet lanes). 

Towards the end of the hike you pass the South car park, so we detoured into here quickly to see the dam from another angle. 

Flossie.

I liked this walk, although was not happy that I wasn't allowed to swim in the reservoir!

Ady & Meg.

The views from the top of Pontesford Hill are amazing, especially on a clear day. In comparison, the remainder of this walk is a little boring, so we can't help but suggest that you either make this a there and back walk, or perhaps there are some more exciting routes out there? 

We did this walk on a lovely sunny boxing day, so the car park was very busy. We did however not see as many people whilst on our hike, which suggests it is the base for some different hikes?

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk - plenty of sticks in the woods, and there was even a couple of streams to play in!

Meg.

I found this stall at Blenheim Christmas market, and although the stall was not 100% gluten free I was so impressed at how on-it they were in ensuring that their gluten free offerings were safe for Coeliacs!

I brought 3 cookies (oat and raisin, milk chocolate and white chocolate) and they were delicious. Their cookies are available to order online, and we absolutely will try this in the future!

Ady & Flossie.

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

A friend and I fancied a Christmassy day out, so we booked to go to Blenheim Palace to see 'The Palace of Oz'.

We arrived at around lunchtime and were surprised to find it so busy (assuming most people would arrive later to pair the palace and outdoor light trail together). It was a short walk from the car park to the courtyard (and we were given a free coca cola on route!) where we found some fairground rides, a Christmas Market and tons of food and drink stalls! 

Admittedly we did not speak to every food stall, but from a quick scan the only food/drink that was Coeliac-safe was a cookie stall called Wicked Cookies. I really hope that Blenheim will consider arranging a food truck for Coeliacs in future!

At £41 each, plus £10 per car parking, it was definitely on the pricier end of the scale, but the display inside the palace was definitely the most decadent indoor display that I have ever seen! 

Ady & Flossie. 

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We were so impressed with this festive light trail! Following reading reviews online stating that it was busy even on a day advertised specifically to be quieter, we were concerned that picking the Friday directly before Christmas was a mistake.

But we needn't have worried, as although there were a lot of cars in the carpark, the trail did not feel crowded at all. The lights were beautiful, and it was great to find a trail which is dog friendly every day!

Flossie. 

I enjoyed my walk through the pretty lights, especially running through the tunnels! 

Ady & Meg.

We found this residential street whilst killing some time in Swindon. The residents of this estate have made a huge effort to create a truly magical atmosphere, and it's all for a great cause - the Kelly Foundation! Please consider visiting and donating.

Flossie. 

One of my prettier walks - I was terrified of the inflatables though! 😂

Ady & Meg.

This was a great short walk. It starts from a large free car park (although the on-site loos are probably the worst we have ever seen!🤮) and the route was super easy to follow. It is very exposed up there, which makes it very windy - wrap up warm! 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk - plenty of puddles and sticks! 

Meg.

This is a fantastic hike with amazing views throughout! 

My friend and I wanted to hike The Lawley, but were frustrated that the routes online seemed to be super short (1.5 hours) or super long (5 hours +). We managed to do this one in around 4 hours (quicker than the estimated time) making it the perfect day out for us! 

There is extremely limited parking at the start of the trail, so I would recommend you start early. Due to the steepness on the approach to Caer Caradoc, I would recommend sticking to just The Lawley loop if you aren't feeling super energetic. 

Ady & Flossie.

We were not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

This walk has a great mix of woodland and far-reaching views. It is a fairly easy walk, although the first section was very muddy and slippery. We loved finding and walking through Giant's Cave and there are some beautiful views throughout. Make sure you go slightly off route to see Eagle's Nest! 

Flossie.

I had a great time on this walk! Plenty of sticks and water to play in, but we did have to cross a cow field...

Pumpkin Patch

Flossie.

For my Birthday, my humans took me to this amazing dog park. As well as a shared play space (which we did not use), it had a doggie-supermarket full of toys, and because it was halloween the main area was filled with pumpkins!

The main reason that we were there though was for their Invisible Play Space - this meant that I did not have to see any other dogs/humans if I did not want to, and I was free to run around and play off lead without the worry of me getting lost!

As I love water so much, we booked the 'Water Woodland' which is basically a doggie waterpark in the woods! I loved playing in the pond, but took some convincing to get into the raised river.

Ady & Meg.

This dog park was such a great find! As Flossie is a reactive dog, we don't have many opportunities to let her off lead, and places with other dogs (and dog owners...) can result in drama. We loved that by booking an invisible play space, we could literally drive our car into our own private play area, and Flossie was free to roam as she pleased! We will absolutely return to try out their other play spaces!  

Read our 5/5 review of the WWT Slimbridge Light and Lantern Trails. Perfect for a non-scary, animal-themed family Halloween activity in Gloucestershire.

Meg.

A friend and I visited Ralph Court Gardens during the day to see their Halloween display. The garden (which is open the rest of the year as a 'normal' garden) was fully kitted out with everything halloween, from inflatables to animated features.

Although potentially a little cheesy rather than scary, we had a great time exploring and felt that it is perfect for young families. For the more brave amongst us, they also do an after dark version, with a couple of additional exhibits and no doubt a slightly scarier feel. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Contrast therapy is the use of hot and cold temperatures on the body with a list of potential benefits to your health and wellbeing. 

We had booked one hour exclusive use of the facilities, and were met by Cassie, who coached us through the whole session. 

Once in our swim attire, it was time for our first dip in a chill tub. There were three tubs, with temperatures of around 10, 6 and 3 degrees celsius. Meg took the 10 and Ady took the 6, and we were surprised by quite how cold they felt! 🥶

Cassie advised that we should spend 1-3 minutes in the chill tub, and then spend 13 minutes in the sauna. We repeated this routine three times, finishing on a quick chill dip to leave us feeling awake ready for the drive home.

Cassie was very knowledgeable and supportive throughout the whole experience, and the facilities were immaculate.  

Following one session, we can't say that we have felt any of the potential benefits yet - but that doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't / these wouldn't come with repeated use. 

It was an experience that we will never forget and we are so glad that we tried it - we recommend that you do too! 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We found this 100% gluten free home bakery via social media and simply had to make a special journey to Newport to try out the goodies! 

Owned by a Coeliac baker who lives with 'muggles', she is incredibly well versed in ensuring everything is kept Coeliac-safe, and has a separate oven, fridge, utensils and work space - there is no 'may contain' warning here! 

As well as producing individual orders from home, she also attends Belle Vue Market in Newport on the first Sunday of every month (March to December) and it was this market that we visited.

We arrived before opening, and there was already a queue - a true sign of how good these bakes really are!

We took away a white chocolate and raspberry cookie, a birthday cake cookie pie, 2 slices of Halloween old school sponge and a kinder cookie sandwich, and we honestly couldn't tell you which the favourite was - they were all lush! 😍

We will 100% be back! 

Flossie.

I was welcome at the market, as long as I was kept on lead. There was even a dog treat stall opposite this stall 😍

Ady & Meg.

This walk is a great mix of woodland and panoramic views! The route is quite uneven under foot, and undeniably 'up' (but in fairness, 'Mynydd' is 'Mountain' in English - what did you expect?! 😂). But, the views at the top are totally worth it! 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk, especially all the sticks and the little waterfall! 

Meg.

My muggle-friend and I loved this 100% gluten free cafe! At the time of writing they are only open Thursday - Saturday 10:30-2:30, but they offer such a wide range for somewhere so small. 

As a bonus they have excellent vegan options (my friend loved her chickpea coronation roll!) and my absolute favourite was their victoria sponge - you would never know it was gluten free! 

They have different daily specials such as fajitas, cottage pie, pizzas and various items in batter/pastry and all at a very fair price. They also have amazing customer service - we will 100% be back!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

My friend and I really enjoyed the couple of hours spent wandering around this property. Generally I prefer exploring the grounds at these types of venues, but the house was beautiful and being able to see the views from the roof was the highlight!

It opens at 10am each day, although the walled garden does not open until 11am. As it gets busy quickly, I would recommend arriving at opening time, viewing the inside of the house first (via timed ticket) and then exploring the grounds afterwards.

At the time of writing this, Coughton Court is managed by The National Trust - so free entry if you have a membership, or a slightly pricey day out if not. That said, from February 2026 the Throckmorton family will resume day-to-day management of the property, which will mean that entry will no longer be free for National Trust members.

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Although Bucharest wasn't as crammed full of 'touristy things to do' like other cities that we have been to, there were still plenty of 'smaller' pretty sights to see. Here are our favourites:

Ady & Meg.

The Palace of Parliament is the heaviest building in the world, and the second largest administrative building in the world (after the Pentagon). 

Getting a tour of the inside of it is quite the fiasco - first we needed to meet at the tour office and show them our passports. We then had to leave all liquids (including lighters) there, and go through further security and passport checks once at the Palace of Parliament - all of this took at least an hour, before we even met the actual tour guide. 

The tour of the building itself was pretty impressive - the building really was huge, and very grand! In the 45 minutes that we were in there, we actually only saw 5% of the building!

This is a must see when visiting Bucharest! 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Having Coeliac Disease in Romania is really tough - generally it is not a well understood dietary requirement there. We were therefore very excited to find a completely gluten free bakery!

Having travelled to many countries and acknowledging that Romania is quite far behind in terms of catering to Coeliacs, this bakery did not have the range that we have experienced elsewhere. This was particularly a shame as we had read online that on certain days they produce more, and we purposely visited on one of these days. We arrived expecting items like croissants and pizza slices, and instead left with eclairs and cookies. 

The eclairs were absolutely amazing, and we were very grateful for these, we were just hoping for something more savoury - a lesson to not believe everything you read online and contact places in advance! 

Overall we still recommend this bakery - just go expecting to buy sweets! 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹️

Ady & Meg.

This trip was the highlight of our holiday! The day started by meeting our guide and travelling by minibus towards the mountains. Along the route we had a quick toilet stop at a petrol station, a quick photo stop below Poenari Citadel and a short walk at the beautiful Vidraru Dam.

Next came the best bit - we drove through the forest roads, and wild brown bears were just roaming around - our guide told us that although it is forbidden to feed them (and will land you a hefty fine if caught), some people still do it, which means the bears hang around waiting for treats! 

The route then took us up the winding Transfagarasan road up the mountain to Balea Lake, where we had free time to admire the views, and for those who could, eat at the many street food stalls up there. It was insanely cold up there, quite different to the 30 degree heat that we had left behind in Bucharest!

On the way back down we stopped briefly by Capra Waterfall, before seeing more bears on the Forest roads and eventually returning to Bucharest. 

We 100% recommend this trip! 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Having Coeliac Disease in Romania is really tough - generally it is not a well understood dietary requirement there. We were therefore very excited to find a completely gluten free takeaway!

This place was a bit of a lifeline for us, as as well as being completely gluten free, it had much better opening hours than other places. 

They serve Arepas (kind of a cross between a kebab and a burger) and chips, and had several vegetarian options. There was very limited seating in there, but we had no problem getting a seat on each visit (and the seat was appreciated, as they were incredibly messy to eat!).

We 100% recommend that you try this place!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Very unusual for us - this trip was booked at very short notice, due to another trip letting us down. We booked this trip purely based on the time of the morning that it was leaving - it was around a 12 hour trip (which ended up being more like 13.5 hours because of traffic) and we needed to be back in Bucharest in time for tea. 

The trip involved visiting Peles Castle, the town of Brasov and Bran Castle by coach - these are all fantastic places to visit and we 100% recommend them. This review and our scoring is however mostly a reflection of the trip itself...

As you can see from the advert, the trip claims that it is a guided tour, and asks that you bring cash with you so that you can buy your castle tickets through the guide (we assumed that this was because of timeslot issues etc). However, what we discovered whilst on the trip was actually that we had to pay extra if we wanted the guided tour (as it was, we did not 😂), Peles Castle was actually already sold out, and we had to purchase tickets to Bran Castle online!

If this wasn't disappointing enough, the tour guide's attitude was the nail in the coffin (apologies for the Dracula pun 🧛😂) - he told us that he was willing to switch the trip around (visiting Bran castle first, and Pele castle later, which would have gotten us access to the inside of Peles castle), IF enough people on the coach wanted to do it - but people who hadn't paid for the guided tour didn't count. As it was, there weren't enough votes, so the trip continued as planned. When it came to booking Bran Castle, again the tour guide refused to share the QR code with us, as we hadn't paid extra for the guided tour! (Here is a link to their official website to book the castle: https://www.bran-castle.com/en/) 

Upon reflection, and from speaking to others, we wish that we had actually travelled out of Bucharest independently, stayed the night in Brasov, and visited the castles independently. 

Although it was tough to find the correct website to book Bran Castle (it's not the first website on google!) we are still glad that we didn't pay extra for the guided tour - this meant that we were able to explore the sites as we wanted to, and even had time to visit alternative viewpoints to where the guided tour went. We had around 90 minutes at each destination, which was about right for us, but we appreciate that many people would find this too rushed.

As we said above, this review is about the tour, not the castles - they really are well worth a visit, and were one of the highlights of our trip to Bucharest!

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Bucharest is nicknamed 'Little Paris' due to it's french-influenced architecture and being such fans of Paris ourselves we thought this tiny museum would be worth a visit. 

You cannot book to visit here, and upon arrival you are greeted by a man who gives you a quick explanation and then you are left to explore the rooms at your leisure. 

The rooms are jam packed with the most elegant of decor, a real feast for the eyes! We weren't here any more than about 30 minutes, but we definitely recommend a quick visit - and make sure you visit the bathroom!

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Having Coeliac Disease in Romania is really tough - generally it is not a well understood dietary requirement there. We were therefore very excited to find a Hard Rock Cafe!

We had previously been to one in Amsterdam and were treated well, but obviously we knew things could differ from restaurant to restaurant. We therefore contacted them by email to check, and found that although they had the same menu as their sister restaurant, Bucharest wanted us to book our actual meals in advance (and we were more than happy to do so). 

When we arrived a manager quickly joined us at our table. He was well aware of our pre-order, but keen to warn us about the presence of gluten in their kitchen. He reassured us that they were preparing our food in a separate area, with separate utensils and that their fryer was gluten free - it was clear that they were doing all that they could, and this talk was more about making sure we didn't sue them.

As a Coeliac this is of course frustrating, as it makes it hard to tell the difference between a restaurant where there is real risk, and a restaurant which has gluten on the premises but have good measures in place to keep us safe. 

That aside, we had a lovely meal here, and there were no adverse reactions. Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and we completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, we were very satisfied customers. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

Just like the one in Paris, this Triumphal Arch sits at one of the city's busiest intersections and is surrounded by a constant whirl of traffic. You can view the arch from the ground for free, or pay a small fee to climb the stairs to the top for lovely views out over the city. There are not many panoramic views in Bucharest, so we are really glad that we did this. 

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

King Michael I park, or Herastrau Park as the locals call it, is the largest green space in Bucharest and is free to enter. Here we walked around the large lake, but we saw many people hiring boats and paddle boards, or using the route for running or bike rides. 

It felt very much like a park used by the locals, rather than a tourist destination, so we definitely recommend visiting here if you would like to escape the busyness of the city for a couple of hours. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹