Romania is my home country and no matter how much I would travel abroad, it will still be my favourite one. This is not only because here I found most of my friends and family, but also because of its beauties, people, mystery and breathtaking nature.
Among other, I will also introduce you to places that are a “must” if you decide to travel here and where I have been my own.
Before packing your stuff, you should first get to know a little bit of our culture and what makes this country unique. Romania was originally called Dacia and during the history it had been conquered by many empires. Yet, it is the only country in the Eastern Europe which kept its latin roots and its citizens speak Romanian which is a language predominated by latin words, but of course influenced in time by the next invading nations (Otoman Empire, Austro- Hungarian Empire or even Russia)- my foreigner friends say it sounds like Portuguese.
I could say that cultural identity is not one of our issues as we kept our traditions and beliefes alive, especially in the rural area. If you come during the winter, you might have the chance to see some totally different customs and rituals than anywhere else and which might seem a bit creepy for foreigners, but we enjoy them pretty much. Also, you shouldn’t miss the chance to party with us and see the traditional dances.
Now that you know our culture, I can get you around each region with different stories, nature, irresistible traditional food and welcoming people ready to teach you how to dance hora. From the well known Dracula’s Castel to a so called “happy cemetary”, a sfinx made by nature on the top of the mountains, the Danube which draws the borders with South neighbors and flows in to the Black Sea forming the most amazing Delta.
Danube boat trip
The list can continue with Carpathian Mountains which cross Romania from North to South and West and are a favourite spot in Europe for hikers as up there Heaven awaits, plus the Transilvanian cities placed at the foot of the mountain where tradition is at its heart (yes, Transilvania actually exists, it is not only a fairytail place). Sibiu, Brașov, Sinaia, Sighișoara, Alba Iulia and Hunedoara are the most popular cities in central area and the ones where you can find the famous castles, instagramic medieval streets and mountain trips.
Peleș Castle from Sinaia
Bucharest, the capital, and other delightful cities are waiting to be discovered, such as Iasi, Cluj or Timisoara. Iași is know for being the biggest city in the East of Romania and for having a wonderful palace in the middle of the city, as well as for its amazing bothanical garden. Also, it is a close spot to other historical places in the region.
The Palace from Iași
On the other side, Cluj is know more for its energy and youth vibes, especially because of the UNTOLD festival (hint: if you come during summer you HAVE to join at least one festival). I see it as a students’ city, full of life and which brings with it a nice experience for tourists. Timișoara is no different from this point of view, but it brings a different atmosphere because of its strong Austro- Hungarian influences and proximity to old citadels.
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Nevetheless, comes the region known as Bucovina with its various cultural influences during the history which had as result the most impressive combination of colors on their clothes, houses and life in general. You could see there people going to church on Sundays dressed traditionally and the most passioned dancers at parties. I have goosebumps only thinking about it!
I had the chance to visit most of these places, if not maybe all of them, and it was about time to give you some hints of what you can enjoy around my favorite country. Of course, Romania is a quite big and is hard for me to tell you in detail about each spot, but I’ll try my best in the next posts 🙂
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