Romania

Romania stretches from the Carpathian arc to the Danube Delta, with Transylvania's Saxon towns and fortified churches at its heart. Bucovina's painted monasteries, the wooden churches of Maramureș and Dacian Sarmizegetusa are all UNESCO-listed, while Bucharest rebuilds its Belle Époque boulevards around the vast Palace of the Parliament. Bears still roam the forests, and the Transfăgărășan road crosses the Făgăraș range above 2,000 m.

Capital

Bucharest

Population

19M

Area

238,397 km²

Currency

Romanian leu (RON)

Language

Romanian

Time zone

EET (UTC+2) / EEST (UTC+3)

• 
  01

  Bucharest

  Belle-époque & brutalist capital

  Explore 32 places →

• 
  02

  Transylvania

  Saxon towns & Carpathians

  Explore 41 places →

• 
  03

  Maramureș

  Wooden churches & folk life

  Explore 17 places →

• 
  04

  Bucovina

  Painted monasteries

  Explore 27 places →

• 
  05

  Danube Delta

  Wetland UNESCO site

  Explore 5 places →

• 
  06

  Banat & Crișana

  Habsburg Timișoara, Art Nouveau Oradea & Nera gorges

  Explore 32 places →

• 
  07

  Wallachia

  Plains, Sinaia castles & Oltenia's Brâncuși

  Explore 23 places →

• 
  08

  Dobruja

  Black Sea coast

  Explore 24 places →

• 
  09

  Moldavia (Iași)

  Iași's churches, Neamț monasteries & Ceahlău

  Explore 22 places →

• Alexandru Mocioni Square

  Square

  Alexandru Mocioni Square

  The Alexandru Mocioni Square is a triangular square in Timișoara. It was named after politician Alexandru Mocioni (1841–1909), who at that time represented the Romanian minority in the Hungarian Parliament.

• 

  Palace

  Anchor Palace

  The Anchor Palace, originally known as the Kuderlich-Sailer Palace, is a historical monument in Timișoara, Romania. It stands in the Iosefin district, at the intersection of General Ion Dragalina Boulevard and Tudor Vladimirescu Embankment, along the Bega Canal.

• 

  Historic Site

  Arad, Romania

  Arad is the capital city of Arad County, at the border of Crișana and Banat. No villages are administered by the city.

• 

  Mountain

  Banat Mountains

  The Banat Mountains are a number of mountain ranges in Romania, considered part of the Western Romanian Carpathians (Carpații Occidentali Românești) mountain range. The Banat Mountains consist of: The Banat Mountains (Munții Banatului) per se, which include: the Semenic Mountains (Munții Semenic); the Locva Mountains (

• 

  Palace

  Baroque Palace of Oradea

  The Baroque Palace of Oradea, also known as the Roman Catholic Episcopal Palace of Oradea, of the city of Oradea in Bihor County, Romania, is a building that dates to the Baroque times.

• 

  Palace

  Baroque Palace, Timișoara

  The Baroque Palace is a monumental palace in the historic centre of the Romanian city of Timișoara. One of the representative buildings of 18th-century Timișoara, the Baroque Palace today houses the city's National Museum of Art.

• 

  Cave

  Bears' Cave

  Bears' Cave is located in the western Apuseni Mountains, on the outskirts of Chișcău village, Bihor County, northwestern Romania. It was discovered in 1975 by Speodava, an amateur spelaeologist group.

• 

  Monument

  Capitoline Wolf, Timișoara

  Capitoline Wolf is a statue located in Timișoara's Victory Square, between the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palace of Culture. Copy of the famous Capitoline Wolf, the statue was donated by the municipality of Rome in 1926 as a symbol of Latinity that glorifies the Roman Empire culture of that period.

• 

  Cathedral

  Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord, Timișoara

  The Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord, commonly known as the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, is an Eastern Orthodox church located in Timișoara, Romania. It is under jurisdiction of the Eparchy of Timișoara of the Serbian Orthodox Church and serves as its cathedral church.

• Bucharest

  Old Town nightlife, Lipscani and Ceaușescu's colossal palace.

  Explore →

• Brașov

  Gothic Black Church under Tâmpa, gateway to Bran and Râșnov.

  Explore →

• Sibiu

  Saxon squares with roof 'eyes' and a Bruegel in the Brukenthal.

  Explore →

• Cluj-Napoca

  Student and tech capital of Transylvania.

  Explore →

• Sighișoara

  Inhabited medieval citadel and Vlad Dracul's birthplace.

  Explore →

• Timișoara

  Habsburg squares where the 1989 revolution began.

  Explore →

• Iași

  Moldavia's old capital of churches and the Palace of Culture.

  Explore →

• Danube Delta

  Europe's largest wetland, UNESCO, 300 bird species by boat.

• Retezat

  Eighty glacial lakes in Romania's oldest national park.

• Piatra Craiului

  Knife-edge limestone ridge west of Brașov.

• Apuseni

  Karst plateau of ice caves and Scărișoara glacier.

• Ceahlău

  Moldavia's holy mountain above Lake Bicaz.

• Cheile Nerei-Beușnița

  Turquoise river gorges and tufa waterfalls in Banat.

• Mamaia

  Eight-kilometre resort strip on a sandbar north of Constanța.

• Vama Veche

  Bohemian beach village on the Bulgarian border.

• Sulina

  Wild sand where the Danube's middle arm meets the sea.

• Sfântu Gheorghe

  Remote delta beach reached only by boat.

• Eforie Nord

  Spa beach beside the mud lake of Techirghiol.

• Moldoveanu

  2,544 m — the roof of Romania in the Făgăraș range.

• Transfăgărășan

  Hairpin road to Bâlea Lake, open roughly July–October.

• Bucegi

  Sphinx and Babele rock formations above Bușteni.

• Bicaz Gorge

  Three-hundred-metre limestone walls beside Lacu Roșu.

• Turda Gorge

  Karst canyon walk near the salt mine theme park.

• Berca Mud Volcanoes

  Bubbling grey cones in a lunar reserve near Buzău.

• Sarmale

  Cabbage rolls of pork and rice, served with mămăligă.

• Mămăligă

  Polenta with sour cream and brânză cheese, the daily bread.

• Mici

  Skinless grilled sausages with mustard and cold beer.

• Ciorbă de burtă

  Sour tripe soup sharpened with vinegar and garlic.

• Papanași

  Fried cheese doughnuts under jam and sour cream.

• Țuică

  Plum brandy poured before every country meal.

• 01

  Romania uses the leu (RON); euros are rarely accepted outside hotels.

• 02

  Trains are slow but scenic; rent a car for Maramureș, Bucovina and mountain roads.

• 03

  Bears are common around Brașov — never feed them and keep food locked away.

• 04

  Painted monasteries expect modest dress; photography rules vary inside.

• 05

  The Transfăgărășan and Transalpina close with snow, typically November to June.