Visit the birthplace of the legend of Dracula

Travel through time while you admire beautiful natural scenery and architectural brilliance, all in one place.

A dynamic country, with a rich cultural and historical heritage, offering countless unique travel experiences awaiting to be discovered. A short car journey of just a few hours can take visitors from the Danube River to a beautiful and perfectly preserved medieval town in Transylvania, from Bucharest to the Black Sea, from Southern Transylvania to Bucovina or Maramures. Travel back in time while you visit world famous painted monasteries, historic fortresses and castles, architectural treasures, and of course the place where the legend of Dracula was born!

History

Romania's history has not been as idyllically peaceful as its geography and setting appears nowadays. In the Early Middle Ages Hungarians began settling in the area, today known as Transylvania, which would eventually become part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Germans also settled in that area (in several waves), some coming as early as the 12th century. In order to protect themselves from the frequent Tartar and Turkish invasions they set about building fortified cities and castles, many of which remain to this day. South and east of the Carpathians the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia were created in the 14th century. Starting with the 15th century, both of them (and for a while Transylvania too) fell under the domination of the Ottoman Empire.

Activities

For those seeking a holiday packed with activities, you are guaranteed to not run out of choices in Romania! Discover the country’s natural beauty by going camping beside one of its many rivers or on one of its magnificent mountains, join an exciting cycling tour along thrilling bike trails and enjoy the beautiful scenery, or explore the Carpathian mountains from a horseback. Other activities you can enjoy, include hiking, rafting, skiing, motorcycling, or if you are looking for something more relaxing, why not go fishing, bird-watching, or for a few rounds of golf.

Cuisine

One of the main characteristics of Romanian cuisine is its great variety. Romanian dishes are distinct, yet familiar to most people, as they are influenced by repeated waves of different cultures: the Greeks, the Romans, the Saxons, the Turks, as well as Slavic and Magyar neighbours. All of these influences gradually blended into the varied and delicious traditional food. The main ingredients used in most dishes are meats such as pork, beef and lamb, fish, vegetables, dairy products and fruit.

Some of the popular local dishes are the delicious sarmale, mamaliga (polenta), bulz (traditional roasted polenta, filled with at least two kinds of cheeses, bacon and sour cream), friptura (steak), salata boef (finely chopped cooked veggetables and meat salad, usually topped with mayo and decorated with tomatoes and parsley), zacusca (a rich salsa-like dip) as well as tocana (a kind of stew), tochitura (an assortment of fried meats, and traditional sausages, in a special sauce, served with polenta and fried eggs), mici (a kind of spicy sausage).

Accompany your meal with a glass or bottle of delicious local wine, produced in one of the numerous vineyards found in the country. The country’s wines are high ranking among other European countries’ wines and worldwide. Exceptional desserts are of course served to complete the perfect meal, such as traditional cakes and sweet pies.