Romania

Romania Travel Guide
Romania is a country located in South-East Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory. It shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the northeast, and Bulgaria to the south.

Romania enchants travelers with its diversity: be it natural (mountains, hills, sea, delta) or cultural(Romanians, Hungarians, Saxons, Rromas). Over the last decade it has known significant development and is one of the most recent members of the European Union. Still it may surprise some of its visitors who are used to western Europe. Romania is a large country which can sometimes be shocking with contrasts: some cities are truly Western Europe-like while in some villages locals live as they did a few centuries ago. While it has significant cultural similarities with other Balkan states, it is regarded as unique due to its strong Latin heritage. In fact, the Romanian language and grammar are so similar to old Latin that some might not tell the difference.

Romania offers a rich tapestry of tourist attractions and vacation experiences unique in Central-Eastern Europe: medieval towns in Transylvania, the world-famous Painted Monasteries in Bucovina, traditional villages in Maramures, the magnificent architecture of Bucharest, the romantic Danube Delta, fairy-tale castles, the Black Sea resorts, the majestic Carpathian Mountains, spas and much more.

Tourism in Romania focuses on the country's natural landscapes and its rich history. The number of tourists is growing every year and tourism is becoming an increasingly important source for Romania's GDP with 7-9 million people now visiting yearly. Romania's economy is characterized by a huge potential for tourism. Number of tourists grew from 4.8 million in 2002 to 8.9 million in 2008. The revenues grew from 400 million in 2002 to 607 in 2004.[1] Tourism in Romania attracted €880 million in investments in 2005.[2]

Tourism is a significant contributor to the Romanian economy. In the 1990s the government heavily promoted the development of skiing in the Romanian Carpathians. Domestic and international tourism generates about 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) and 0.8 million jobs. Following commerce, tourism is the second largest component of the services sector. In 2006 Romania registered 20 million overnight stays by international tourists, 4% higher than in the previous year and an all-time record. Two-thirds of all major trade fairs from Central Europe are held in Romania, and each year they attract 2 to 3 million business travelers, about 20% of whom are foreigners. The four most important trade fairs take place in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iaşi, Timişoara.

In the year 2006, 14,122,798 tourists vacationed in Romania. The total revenue was $4.2 billion and with an average expenditure of $679 per tourist. Over the years, Romania has emerged as a popular tourist destination for many Europeans, often competing with Greece, Italy and Spain. Romania destinations such as Constanta and Mamaia (sometimes called the Romanian Riviera) have become very popular among European tourists.

Romania has a highly developed tourism infrastructure, making it a good market for tourism-related equipment and services.

Activities

* Camping and hiking in the Carpathian Mountains
* Skiing in the mountain resorts on the Prahova Valley: Sinaia, Buşteni, Predeal, Poiana Braşov (nearby)
* Black Sea Romanian resorts (see also Mamaia)
* Medieval churches and monasteries of Moldavia and Bukovina (see also Painted churches of Northern Moldavia)
* Danube Delta, the best preserved delta of Europe
* Sighişoara town and medieval festival
* Medieval Castles of Transylvania
* Folklore and traditions of Maramureş (see also Wooden churches of Maramureş and Merry Cemetery)
* Rural tourism
* Spas and health resorts (Băile Herculane, Băile Felix, Sovata)
* Cultural cities of Sibiu, Braşov, Iaşi, Timişoara, Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and

Alba Iulia

* Museums
* Iron Gates (Danube Gorge)
* Haţeg Island
* Mocăniţe: scenic narrow-gauge railways of Romania

Unique places

* Berca Mud Volcanoes, in Buzău County
* Scărişoara Cave
* Merry Cemetery, in Săpânţa, Maramureş County
* Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest
* Transfăgărăşan road

Festivals

* Callatis Festival, Mangalia
* George Enescu Festival
* Golden Stag Festival, in Braşov
* Sibiu Jazz Festival in Sibiu
* Stufstock rock music festival, in Vama Veche

Danube Delta


The Danube Delta (Romanian: Delta Dunării; Ukrainian: Дельта Дунаю, Del'ta Dunaju) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent [1]. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania (Tulcea county), while its northern part, on the left bank of the Chilia arm, is situated in Ukraine (Odessa Oblast). The approximate surface is 4152 km², of which 3446 km² are in Romania. If the lagoons of Razim-Sinoe (1015 km² of which 865 km² water surface; situated in the south, but attached to the Danube Delta from geological and ecological perspectives, as well as being the combined territory of the World Heritage Site) are to be added, the considered area of the Danube Delta grows to 5165 km².

Climate

The climate of the Danube Delta is continental with strong influences from the vicinity of the Black Sea and its prevalent amphibian environment. It is the driest and sunniest region (70 days with blue sky, 2500 hours of sunshine/year) of Romania. The mean annual temperature is 11°C (-1°C in January and 22°C in July), with mean precipitation between 400and 300 mm/year, decreasing from west to east. The evaporation is around 1000 mm/year, favorized and amplified by the strong and frequent winds, resulting in long periods of drought in the summer. The northwest winds cause frequent storms in spring and autumn. In the interior of the delta the continental character of the climate is very pronounced.
[edit] Main ecosytems
Danube Delta in Romania
Danube Delta: old mill in Letea

The Danube Delta falls within east European steppe ecosystem, with Mediterranean influences. As a young region in full process of consolidation, the Danube Delta represents a very favourable place for the development of highly diverse flora and fauna, unique in Europe, with numerous rare species. It hosts 23 natural ecosystems, but due to the extent of wetlands the aquatic environment is prevalent; the terrestrial environment is also present on the higher grounds of the continental levees, where xerophile ecosystems have developed. Between the aquatic and terrestrial environments, is interposed a swampy, easily flooded strip of original flora and fauna, with means of adaptation for water or land, depending on the season or the hydrological regime. At the contact between freshwater and sea water, some special physical, chemical and biological processes take place, which determined biologists to consider this area as a very different ecosystem called beforedelta. Musura Gulf, north of Sulina, and Saint George Gulf are considered the most representative for this type of ecosystem.

Situated on major migratory routes, and providing adequate conditions for nesting and hatching, the Danube Delta is a magnet for birds from six major eco-regions of the world, including the Mongolian, Arctic and Siberian. There are over 320 species of birds found in the delta during summer,[4] of which 166 are hatching species and 159 are migratory. Over one million individuals (swans, wild ducks, bald coots, etc.) winter here.


Ecosystems of running water

It comprises the Danube arms, as well as a series of more important streamlets and channels. It is an environment rich in plankton, worms, mollusca, ephemerides, grubs, spongiae, with numerous species of fish, such as the carp, pike perch, sheat fish, and freshwater sturgeons (sterlet, Vyza and Danube mackerel).

The Romanian Black Sea Riviera stretches from Danube Delta in north down to the Bulgarian Black Sea Riviera in south, along 275 km of coastline.

The most important resort is Mamaia, situated north of the city of Constanţa on a narrow land slice that separates the Black Sea and the Lake Siutghiol. Mamaia is a popular destination in summertime for Romanians and foreign tourists, as a result of a major investments program in tourism infrastructure.

Other important resorts have names from the Roman and Greek mythology: Neptun, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Olimp.

There are also Eforie Nord, Eforie Sud, 2 Mai, Cap Aurora.

Costineşti is the traditional students' resort, while Vama Veche (in extreme south, at the border with Bulgaria) is a fishermen village well known for its particular 'hippie' atmosphere.

The main cities in the region are Constanţa (the biggest port at the Black Sea), Mangalia, Năvodari and Sulina. In Tulcea County the greatest resort is Gura Portitei

The Romanian Black Sea riviera is served by Constanţa Airport which is connected to the main European capitals through charter flights during the summer season.

VIA : Wikipedia