Discover Romania!

The Black Sea Coast stretches out for 244km (153 miles) and is the main tourist area of the country during summertime. The season lasts from May to September. The water temperature is between 16-28 °C. The sand beaches are 50-500 m wide. The most important resorts are: Mamaia, Constanta, Eforie Nord, Eforie Sud, Costinesti, Olimp, Neptun, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mangalia, 2 Mai and Vama Veche.

The Carpathians (Eastern, Southern and Western Carpathians) are located in the very center of the country, surrounding Transylvania dominated by hills, valleys and beautiful villages and cities. Many of the Carpathian peaks exceed 2,000 meters and 13 of them have an altitude of over 2,500 meters reaching the highest altitude in the Fagaras Mountains (Moldoveanu Peak, 2,544 meters and Negoiu Peak, 2,535 meters, both in the Southern Carpathians). The long-lasting presence of glaciers formed a relief of particular beauty represented by peaks and valleys, separated by pointed tops, by ice crevices where the gathered water gave birth to lakes.

The Eastern Carpathians are made up of volcanic rocks, the highest peak being the Pietrosu with 2,303 m, in the Rodna Mountains. This is the longest chain of volcanic mountains in Europe: the Oas, Gutii, Tibles, Calimani, Gurghiu, Harghita, Bodoc, and Baraolt mountains. The mountains offer a lot of nature reserves with endemic flowers and unique fauna, the most remarkable being The Red Mountain (covered with the beautiful rhododendron flowers in springtime), The Gorges of Bicaz- Hasmas National Park or the Saint Ana Lake, a volcanic lake, situated in a crater in the Mohos Natural Reservation. The most important mountains of the Eastern Carpathians are: Ciucas, Harghita-Hasmas, Calimani, Ceahlau, Rarau and Rodnei.

The Southern Carpathians offer the highest peaks of the country and over 200 glacial lakes. The most important National Park is the Retezat (part of the UNESCO natural preserves of the Biosphere). The park has over 2000 ha, more than 100 glacial lakes, rare flora and valuable animal species. Piatra Craiului (The Rock Of The King) is one of the most visited National Park, especially by hikers. The most important mountains of the Southern Carpathians are: Retezat-Godeanu, Parang, Fagaras (also known as the Transylvanian Alps), Bucegi and Piatra Craiului.

The Western Carpathians are the lowest of the three ranges and are fragmented by many deep structural depressions. The highest peak is the Curcubata Mare Peak (1849 m) in the Bihor Mountains. The attraction of the Western Carpathians is underground: over 400 caves. The most visited place is the Mountain Gorge of Turda, a natural reserve since 1939, with 997 kinds of plant species on 126 ha.

The climate of the country is transitional between temperate and continental. The average annual temperature is 11°C in the south and 8°C in the north.

The capital is Bucharest, situated in the southern part of the country. The official language is Romanian, but Hungarian and German languages are very well spoken in some parts of Transylvania. Employees of hotels, pensions, museums, restaurants speak English as well as the people living in the most visited areas. The country’s time zone is GMT +2, the country dialog code is 0040, the currency is the Romanian Leu (RON). Foreign currencies may be exchanged at banks or authorized exchange offices. International airports and larger hotels also offer currency exchange services. The electricity works at 220V, 50Hz, the electric plug is the European type with two circular metal pins.

American and Canadian citizens and citizens of the most European countries do not need an entry visa to visit Romania for stays up to 90 days but a valid passport is required for international visitors, excepting citizens of the EU. Citizens of non-EU countries should check the visa regulations that apply to them with the nearest Romanian diplomatic office. For more visa information and a list of Romanian diplomatic offices abroad please visit the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Public telephones are located in most public places, including on the streets and in bus stations. To use a public telephone you need a phone card which is sold in post offices, some news-stands or at Telecom office, the Romanian telecommunication agency. Here are some useful phone numbers:

The urban transport is one of the least expensive in the world. Two tickets will cost you approximately € 0.5. A full-price museum admission could be between €0.5 and €4, a sandwich will cost you approximately €1, a pizza is between €3 and €6, a coffee is €1, hot-dog: up to €1, a beer between €0.7 and €1 (one should try local beers, they are very good beers and not so expensive like Dutch or German beers).

No vaccinations are required to enter Romania.