From the meandering River
Danube and the beaches on the Black Sea, to intriguing castles perched precariously on
mysterious mountain peaks, travellers to Romania are in for a treat.
Transylvania -- © Travel Notes
The Romanian language is closely related to
Latin, but knowledge of Italian might not help you greatly.
You will probably arrive in Bucharest, more
likely than not by train from Budapest. This seems to be the circuit at present: Prague, Budapest, Bucharest. If you make it to Bucharest, you will probably
go on to Sofia -- I recommend doing so.
If you arrive by train, there are three
convenient hotels across the main road outside the station. The Astoria is the pricey one
on the left, the one on the right is cheap and basic, so we opted for the one in the
middle.
It's hard to
find a map of the capital of Romania, so here's one for you. Bucharest Map with major sights -- [122kb].
Many people will want to explore Dracula Country, but you will more than likely have to negotiate
train and bus schedules, and go it alone.
Transportation is cheap, and you can get to
just about everywhere, although there may only be one bus a day to some of the places;
usually in the morning. Suggested Tourist Routes --
[120kb].
A visit to
Tulcea is recommended for nature lovers and those who fancy a boat trip on
the Danube Delta.
On The Black Sea:
Constanta might have been an elegant city during the early seafaring days, but today she
is a little ruined.
©Travel Notes.
There are some remnants of history down by the
port. Small sections of the old city wall remain, with a brick arch that would have been
the entry point for merchants and seamen.
The port has expanded, and oil stains
unwittingly add weight to the name Black Sea.
© Travel Notes
The town's beaches are clean and the water
reasonably clear, but it is the parks that disturb the relaxing visitor.
Litter and plastic bags clutter the flower
beds and much of the grasslands. Water fountains are empty and the concrete floor cracked,
buckled and unattended.
The train south
to Mangalia is a sorry window on man's disposable attitude to the environment.
Where agriculture is practiced, the fields are
proper -- where not, one wonders how long the rubbish is allowed to suffocate the soil.
A big wind in the wrong direction and all of
this plastic will have a one way ticket to the ocean.
There are some unspoiled areas that a few
Romanian families drive out to for the day, but I doubt if they take their litter and beer
bottles home.
Neptun, just before Mangalia, is a complex of
very similar communist-era hotels. For long sandy beaches, continue on to the more trendy
Mangalia.
Continuing South
to Bulgaria:
This route is
for travellers only. There is very little traffic on the coast road
between Romania and Bulgaria, save for the long distance buses to Istanbul.
There are no hotels at the border, so a lift
to Varna (Bulgaria) will need to be negotiated; in Dollars or Deutsch Marks.
Enjoy Romania a little further with our
featured links, and remember that our sponsors keep these pages on the Net -- give them a
visit, they won't bite.
Explore
Romania:
Find out more about every county in this excellent guide to Romania.
Romanian
Government:
An excellent front door to the workings behind the country.
Romania @ Travel
Notes:
Additional Romanian links to help you on your way. |
