Romainan Tourism

Romania can be situated between the most attractive tourist

destinations in Europe, due to the variety of its tourism potential including:
accessible relief forms combined harmoniously, diversified flora and fauna,
favorable climate for practicing tourism during all the year, significant base
of natural resources of cure and treatment, inestimable cultural historical
and architectural patrimony.
The most important tourism areas with great natural attractions are the
seaside of Black Sea, the Danube Delta, the Carpathian Mountains and the
hills and planes areas that have rich balneal resources. On the entire territory
of Romania, there can be found tourism areas with cultural and historical
value as Moldova, Bucovina, Transilvania, Banat, Crisana, Muntenia and
Oltenia.
Romanian tourism has a lot to offer. Culturally speaking Romania is very
diversified - you can visit medieval fortresses, old byzantine monasteries,
castles, old country houses etc. Also, the interwar Bucharest was named
Little Paris for its architecture and cultural life worthy of the french
capital.
Romania has a great diversity of museums preserving every aspect of its
history and arts. Some are small museums, catering to enthusiasts with a
taste for special interests such as pharmacy, clocks, railway trains, folk arts
and architecture, wine making and traditional crafts. Larger museums host
regular exhibitions from around the world, as well as housing permanent
collections of paintings and sculptures. Prominent museums include
Romania's National Museum of Art, the Art Collections Museum, the
Village Museum, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest, and
the Bruckenthal Museum in Sibiu.
Those who want to escape from the man made places can go hiking on
touristic trails that cross the Carpathian Mountains a mountain chain with
extremely rich and varied fauna and flora.
Romania is better known for its unique geomorphic particularities such as:

Mud Volcanoes
1

The mud volcanoes from the Berca commune in the Buzau County
were appreciated as a natural phenomenon from 1955. These are not actual
volcanoes they differ from other volcanoes through genesis and eruption
products. Their existence is caused by local factors such as natural gases,
water (which makes the mud) and rock fragments. Because of the gas
pressure the volcanoes emit mud with signs of petrol. The mud volcanoes
represent a sight for botanists too, because of the salts and minerals that are
emanated from the volcanoes only specific plants can grow there.
Danube Delta
Danube Delta is the youngest geomorphological formation in the country.
It is a natural reservation of worldwide interest.
The Danube Delta is a wildlife enthusiasts paradise. Travelers can spend
three or more days exploring its passages, teaming with the highest
concentration of bird colonies in all of Europe. The maze of canals bordered
by thatch, willows and oaks entangled in lianas, offers the perfect breeding
ground for countless species of birds, some of them from as far away as
China and Africa. Millions of Egyptian white pelicans arrive here every
spring to raise their young, while equal numbers of Arctic geese come here
to escape the harsh winters of Northern Europe.
Some 300 species of birds make Danubes Delta their home, including
cormorants, white tailed eagles and glossy ibises. The bird watching season
lasts from early spring to late summer. Birds are not the only inhabitants of
the Delta. There is also a rich community of fish and animals - from
wildcats, foxes and wolves, to even an occasional boar or deer. Altogether,
3,450 animal species can be seen here, as well as 1,700 plant species.
Prahova Valley
Prahova Valley is the valley where the Prahova river makes its way
between the Bucegi and the Baiu Mountains in the Carpathian Mountains. It
is a very popular touristic region because of the conditions it offers and also
because it is situated about 100 km north of the capital city of Bucharest.
Geographically, the Prahova river separates the Eastern Carpathians chain
from the Southern Carpathians. Historically, the corridor was the most
important passage way between the principalities of Wallachia and
Transylvania.

The region is a very appreciated destination by mountain climbers and

winter sports fans.
The most important resorts on Prahova Valley are: Predeal, Azuga, Busteni,
Sinaia, Comarnic, Breaza.
Putna monastery
Putna Monastery is the most representative monastery of Bucovina
and one of the most important cultural, religious and artistic centers
established in medieval Moldavia. As with many others, it was built and
dedicated by the ruling prince Stefan the Great. It is situated about 30 km
northwest from Rdui, near the Putna River. The story goes that it was
built in a general area picked out by Stefan's advisor. The exact position of
the church was left up to God when Stefan went to the top of a hill and fired
an arrow and wherever it fell the church would be built. A section of tree
trunk containing the arrow hole is still kept in the monastery museum and a
cross marks the spot from which the arrow was shot. Apparently, a forest
was cleared for the building of the monastery. At 3 september 1470 the
Putna monastery was sanctified and thus becoming the most important
religious center in the area.
The Herculane Baths
The Herculane Baths is one of the oldest and best known
balneoclimateric resorts of Romania. Situated on Cerna Valley, 160 meters
high, it has a pleasant climate, with nice weather, surrounded by the
beautiful mountains and nature. Many archaeological discoveries show that
the area was inhabited from the Paleolithic era. The Cave of the thieves from
Herculane Baths has many levels including one from Mousterian, one from
Mesolithic and the rest from Neolithic.
Legend says that Hercules himself tired and exhausted stopped in the valley
to take a bath and rest.
The resort is visited for its healing properties and thermal springs which
contain many minerals.
Cluj Napoca
The western Transylvania city of Cluj Napoca, tracing its origin
back to the Dacian settlement of Napoca in 2nd century A.D. is today a
vibrant cultural and university center. The main square, shining with 18th
3

and 19th century buildings, is dominated by the 15th century St. Michaels
Church, one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Romania. The
main square is also home to the 18th century baroque Banffy Palace,
housing the weaponry and romanian painting collections of the Art Museum.
Visitors who want to learn more about the region should check out the openair section of the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania, a true display of
folk architecture.
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital and also the most important industrial and
commercial center of Romania.
The city was mentioned first time in 1495 and became the capital of
Romania in 1862. From then it suffered a variety of changes and became the
romanian center of mass media, culture and artistic scene. In the interwar
period the elegant and sophisticated architecture of Bucharest brought the
city the title Little Paris. Its eclectic architecture that represents a mixture
between history, communism and modern also reflects the citys varied
history. Bucharest offers some excellent attractions, and has, in recent years,
cultivated a sophisticated, trendy, and modern sensibility that many have
come to expect from a European capital. Despite of a big part of the historic
center being deteriorated by war, earthquakes and by the systematization
program of Nicolae Ceausescu the majority of space survived and now
suffers an economic and cultural expansion.