Romania
Travel Guide > Europe > Romania
In this Article
- Introduction
- Brief History
- Geography
- Regions
- Cities
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting There
- Getting Around
- Red Tape
- Money
- Work
- Study
- Language
- Eat
- Sleep
- Drink
- Health
- Safety
- Keep Connected
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Introduction
Some colourful characters have graced Romania's long history. Vlad Tepes, a national hero in the 15th century, had the habit of eating dinner while the impaled heads of his enemies looked on. More recently, Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania's draconian dictator between the mid-60s and late 80s, has charmed the country with his belief in starving the populous as the ruler eats his fill.
Ironically, Romanians are a warm, inviting people. Widespread poverty mixed with corruption makes progress hard, but Romanians work hard at putting positive momentum back into their country. Traditional dance and gypsy music are still widely practiced and performed. Romania's list of attractions is steadily growing, as the nation's tourism industry slowly takes off. The Carpathian Mountains offer up cheap skiing, hiking and animal watching potential; Romania's small stretch of coastline along the Black Sea has been marketed as a hub for summer fun.
Brief History
Geography
Romania shares international borders with Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.
Regions
For administrative purposes, Romania is currently divided into 41 counties. It is however more useful for travellers to divide the country into the following regions.
Sights and Activities
Sighisoara
Along with Brasov, Sighisoara is one of the most popular and beautiful cities in Romania. The historic centre of Sighisoara is on the Unesco list and the town which was founded by German craftsmen and merchants is a fine example of a small, fortified medieval town which played an important strategic and commercial role at the edge of central Europe for several centuries. Highlights include the Sighisoara Citadel, the Clock Tower, the Weapon Museum, the Covered Staircase and the Church on the hill.
Danube Delta
Although the Danube Delta is not on the list of many travellers, it is one of the natural highlights in the country and can be a welcome relief from visits to cities. The waters of the Danube flow into the Black Sea, forming the largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas. As a result, the Danube delta is home to over 300 species of birds and also to 45 freshwater fish species , which live in one of many lakes and marshes. Therefore it is on the Unesco World Heritage List. Tulcea is the main gateway to the Danube Delta.
Transylvania
Transylvania might be known amongst travellers as the place where Dracula comes from, in reality it is a very large part of central and northern Romania. It includes medieval castles and towns, forests and even snowy peaks in the Transylvanian Alps in the north. The Transylvanian villages with their fortified churches in southern Transylvania are on the Unesco list, while cities like Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara and Timisoara form the biggest cities, some of which have excellent preserved historical centres (see Sighisoara above). One way to get around this huge piece of land is to do the Transylvania Triangle Train Tour, a fantastic journey along many of the natural and cultural highlights in this region.
Other sights and activities
- Moldavia Churches
- Dacian Fortresses
- Carphatian Mountains
- Maramures Wooden Churches
- Parliament Palace - In Bucharest, the second largest building in the world, formerly the People's House.
Events and Festivals
Weather
There are four distinct seasons with hot summers (temperatures up to 40 °C in Bucharest and at the coast) and cold winters (temperatures of down to minus 35 °C around Brasov). Weather is more unpredictable in the mountainous regions - they can be colder at any time of year. Winters are more temperate near the coast, where there is generally less rainfall throughout the year.
Getting There
By Plane
Romania's primary airport is Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP), which services to the rest of Europe, the Middle East and New York. Most low-cost airlines fly into nearby Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU), in Băneasa.
There are several other international airports in Romania, in Timişoara, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and Constanta's Mihail Kogălniceanu. During summer months there are generally more (charter) flights to international destinations.
By Train
International sleeper trains arrive in Bucharest from to Venice, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Bratislava, Kosice, Krakow, Belgrade, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Moscow, Kiev, and Chisinau. Train travel is generally slower than bus travel. See website for train timetables and fares: http://infofer.ro/ and http://www.beyondtheforest.com/Pages/TRAVELmap.html
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Between May and September twice-weekly ferries go between Varna (Bulgaria) and Odessa (Ukraine) and Constanta.
Getting Around
By Plane
Tarom and Carpat Air have a number of domestic flights, from Bucharest and Timisoara respectively.
By Train
Romania has a comprehensive train service (known as the CFR) and it is possible to reach most areas of the country by train. The network has recently received huge amounts of EU funding for upgrading so, currently, trains range from dated, USSR models to very modern ones. Staff are generally helpful and, in main tourist destination, speak some English. Tickets are available in advance from train stations (go to the CASA windows) or from 'Agencia de volaj CFR' offices situated in most cities and larger towns. The cost of the ticket is calculated according to distance travelled, class of seat and type of train (you will usually automatically receieve a seat reservation printed on your ticket). Two classes of seats are available: 1st and 2nd. Four types of train are available: sleeper, 'Accelerat' (most expensive and nominally faster), 'Rapid/Expres' (the most convenient), and 'Personel' (slowest and usually oldest trains). Currently (August 2008) a second class Rapid ticket costs about 20 USD for 200 km.
Your train ticket will give a train number; departure and arrival times; wagon number and seat number. Platform number comes under the heading 'Linea'.
Trains frequently experience delays - sometimes of over an hour - due to track rennovation and climatic conditions in summer and winter.
Have a look at this website for inter-city train timetables and fares.
By Car
There are several local and international companies where you can rent a car and you will need an international driving permit or national driver's licence and a green card. The main roads are generally in a good condition but many secondary roads are in need of repair. Also, be careful when driving at night and look out for horse-drawn carts.
There are several highways where you need to pay toll.
By Bus
There are a number of bus companies offering infrequent services between most major cities and towns. They are cheap but relatively slow and on most routes there are only a few buses a day.
By Boat
There are no useful services within Romania regarding ferries, but if you want to visit the Danube Delta proparly you will need to get a boatride or join a tour.
Red Tape
If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter for up to 90 days without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. Although, since 2007, Romania has been a member of the EU, it is not yet in the Schengen zone. If you are not an EU citizen you will need to apply for a visa at the Romanian consulate in your home country. The visa they issue is usually valid for up to 30 days.
Money
Currency is the Romanian New Leu (RON), plural pronounced and written 'Lei'. In shops it is often written as 'L' or 'RON'. One Leu is divided into 100 bani.
- Banknotes: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200, 500 Lei
- Coins: 1, 5, 10, 50 bani
Approximate street exhange rate (August 2008): 2 RON = 1 USD; 3.7 RON = 1 EUR; 4.2 RON = 1GBP
Romania is scheduled to adopt the Euro currency in 2014 and prices for accommodation, tours etc. are often given in Euros - althogh must usually be paid for in teh equivalent RON amount.
ATMs are available in most towns. Exchange offices are found near most stations and tourist areas.
Work
Note that shop opening hours are usually 9am-6pm or 9am-8pm Monday to Friday. Most shops and services close early on Saturdays and almost all shops etc. are closed all day on Sundays. Tourist sites are open all week; museums are usually closed on Mondays.
Study
Language
Romanian is close to classical Latin - closer than other languages. It is a Romance language - like French, Italian, and Spanish and speakers of these languages will find some words of written Romanian understandable, although the pronunciation less so. Romanian used to use the Cyrillic alphabet, but now has a phonetic, Latin-based alphabet with 28 letters.
Eat
Sleep
Drink
Health
Tap water is safe to drink.
'Farmacias' (drugstores/chemist shops) are plentiful and well-stocked. What you can purchase can be limited if you do not have a local prescription but staff are generally helpful and may speak some English.
Safety
Romanians are generally friendly, helpful people. Violent crime is uncommon. Pickpocketing is a growing problem in tourist areas (especially on crowded buses) and opportunistic theft also occurs from hostels and cheaper hotels. Beware of taxi drivers who may not turn on their meters/put a higher rate on their meters than is advertised on the car door/say they have no change for large denomination notes/take long routes to close destinations. If travelling around Brasov and in the Carpathian mountains treat bears with respect and keep your distance: they will attack if provoked; every year one or two tourists are killed (due to their own stupidity) by bears in the Brasov area.
Keep Connected
Internet
Internet clubs exist in most cities and towns. Many restaurants and hotels also have WI-FI
Phone
Public phones work well and are available in all areas. You must purchase a phonecard from a kiosk to use them.
Post
Post is reliable; post boxes are situated in all areas; all towns and cities have at least one post office - open monday to Friday and half a day on Saturday.
References
- 1 July 2007 estimate, National Institute of Statistics, Romania
This is version 25. Last edited at 19:30 on Aug 14, 08 by maxxxman (+236). 17 articles link to this page.
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