SOME PLACES TO VISIT IN ROMANIA

Romania is a country of contrasts. http://romaniatourism.com/ Over the years, the country has belonged to the Romans (who gave the country its name), the Hungarians and the Ottomans. It is filled with quaint old towns, with mountain resorts that offer great skiing. It’s most famous citizen, may be the vampire Dracula (a fictional character found in Transylvania). Originally part of the Black Sea, the Danube Delta is a good place to observe nature. Do not forget: the majority of the Danube Delta (Europe’s second largest river delta), lies in Romania. Here you can find many unique species of plants and animals in Europe, including some of the world’s largest wetlands. Previous visitors (rave about the spectacular sunsets), they highly recommend taking a slow boat ride on the river.

An National Museum of Art, housed in a former palace, has a large collection of work by Romanian artists. You are in Cluj-Napoca, the unofficial capital of the historical region of Transylvania. The city, is one of Romania’s arts and cultural centers. http://iloveromania.com/attractions/ Timisoara (dating back to the early 13th century, and located in western Romania), is one of the country’s largest cities. It was the first European city to have electric street lamps. Sinaia is a mountain resort town (grew up around a monastery that was named for Mount Sinai). The monaster is a popular site today with tourists, who enjoy hiking in the summer and some pretty downhill skiing in the winter.

Among the picturesque attractions of Romania, there are also the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina (northeastern part of the country). Their painted exterior walls are decorated with 15th and 16th century frescoes (featuring portraits of saints and prophets). The best-preserved are the monasteries in Humor, Probota and Voronet. Sighisoara is one of the best places to visit in Romania (due to its beautiful preserved walled town). During the 12th century German craftsmen and merchants were invited here by the King of Hungary to settle. They established a trading town here. Every July, a Medieval Festival takes place in the old citadel. http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/romania-travel-tips/