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Black Sea Coast
This coastline is the principal tourist area of Romania and ideal
for family holidays. Its 70km (43 miles) of fine white sandy beaches
boasts many resorts, the main ones being Mamaia, Eforie Nord,
Techirghiol, Eforie Sud, Costinesti, Neptun-Olimp, Jupiter,
Venus-Aurora, Saturn and Mangalia. There are boating centres for
watersports on the sea and lakes, and both daytime and evening
cruises. The curative properties of the salt waters and the mud from
Lake Techirghiol (whose thermal springs have a year-round
temperature of 24°C/75°F), Mangalia, Eforie and Neptun, make the
Romanian Riviera popular with those seeking spa treatments,
especially for rheumatism. The Greek/Byzantine port of Constanta,
founded in the sixth century BC, deserves a visit, and inland there
are interesting archaeological sites including the ancient Greek
city ruins of Histria, Tomis and Callatis. The area is inhabited by
foxes, otters, wildcats and boars and in the migratory periods over
300 species of birds can be seen.
Danube Delta
Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, this vast expanse of
protected watery wilderness in the north of the Romanian Black Sea
coast comprises three main arms of the Danube with numerous
waterways, wetlands, small patches of forest and a rich and varied
wildlife. The backwaters can be explored by fishing boat and several
hotels and campsites welcome visitors. The main town of the Delta is
Tulcea with its excellent Danube Delta Museum.
Carpathian Mountains
This beautiful and densely forested mountainous area lends itself to
many sporting and leisure activities such as skiing, bob-sleighing,
horse riding and tennis. Situated in picturesque valleys and on
mountain slopes are many health and winter resorts, open all year
round and well equipped with ski-hire facilities. The major resorts
are: Sinaia (bob-sleigh tracks), Busteni, Predeal and Poiana Brasov
(both of which have illuminated ski slopes), Semenic, Paltinis,
Borsa and Durau. All are equipped to cater for a long winter sports
season running from December to April. Spectacular mountain lakes
are found in the Fagaras and Retezat ranges, and caves in the
Apuseni, Mehedinti and Bihor regions. The Hurezi Monastery, in the
Vālcea county, has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Bukovina
An area in the northern Carpathian foothills which has unique
churches and
monasteries with exceptional frescoes dating back 500
years. Sucevita is the home of a monastery with the largest number
of frescoes in the region. 29km (18 miles) west of Sucevita is
Moldovita, renowned for its spectacular
paintings. The Moldavian
region has 48 monasteries in total, nearly all of them built to
celebrate victories over the Turks in the 14th and 15th centuries.
There are also numerous beautiful old churches, notable for their
painted exterior walls decorated with 15th and 16th century
Byzantine frescoes. Seven of them are now included on the UNESCO
World Heritage list.
Transylvania
Transylvania holds many well-equipped spa towns, such as Baile
Felix, Baile Herculane, Sovata and Covasna, some of which have
facilities offering acupuncture, acupressure and slimming cures. It
is here that the myth of Dracula, immortalised in Bram Stoker's
famous novel, originated. The original
Dracula was a medieval King
known as 'Vlad the Impaler', owing to his unpleasant habits. One of Vlad's original abodes is
Bran Castle; set in a commanding position,
with its thick walls and peaked tower, it offers a dramatic view and
a chilling atmosphere. (Tours are available to Bran Castle from the
mountain resort of Poiana Brasov, where it is possible to ski in
winter and undertake mountain climbing and walking in summer.) From
here one can travel to Sibiu, which has a great market. Transylvania
is also known for its numerous Saxon fortified churches, including
the Biertan Church, which stands on top of a hill overlooking the
village of Biertan and is a listed UNESCO World Heritage site.
(source
http://travel-island.com/interesting.places/romania.html) |
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