Romania Airport Guide
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 ten 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, merits 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 one can see over 300 species
of birds.
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 little waterways, wetlands, small patches of forest
and a rich and varied wildlife. The backwaters can be explored
by fishing boat or floating hotel, 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,
horseriding 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 V?lcea 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
Since Roman times Romanian spas have been known for their miraculous
healing powers. 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. |
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