Having spend the last two summers in wonderful Albania, this year we thought we would sample the delights of Romania. The Danube Delta in particular looked to offer a whole new experience, and of course Transylvania was very intriguing.
As usual, I carried out a lot of research, but found it difficult to get really useful information until a kind soul answered my many questions on Trip Advisor. There are lots of organised package holidays available to Romania, but if like me you want to do your own thing, then you need to do a lot of planning. Our trip was 29 June - 12 July.
Transport
Everyone warned us to be careful about taxis, and it is good advice. Uber is your best option without a doubt. (If you have never used Uber, as was my case, I can contest that it is really easy to do; just download the app to your phone, put in your credit card details, request a car, and you can watch it come to you on the map.) Yellow taxi cabs are everywhere, but be careful as they are not all reputable companies. At the airport you will see yellow ticket machines where you can pre-book a taxi which we did and it cost 40 lei (10€) and takes half an hour to get to the city centre. Take note of the prices per km they advertise on the side of the car, usually about 1.04 lei, but can be 3 times higher. You don't have to take the first taxi in the queue either. I had 2 bad experiences hailing a cab in the street: one told me it was double on Sundays and refused to put the meter on, then told me to get out of the car when I complained; another charged me 80 lei for a journey for which I'd previously paid 20 lei. Also, he assured me that I could pay by card before getting in, but when we were near the destination he told me we would have to go to an ATM to get cash. Recommended by other bloggers are Meridan, Star and Speed taxi. My advice: Use Uber.
Car hire
Although we had hired a car to be picked up at the airport, we chose to collect it after our visit to the city, which was a good decision. Firstly, it's much cheaper (we used Klass Wagen 157€ for 11 days) and secondly, driving and parking in Bucharest would have been a nightmare. (A note about Klass Wagen: we were subject to unbelievable pressure from the sales woman to buy their insurance, which was more expensive than the car hire, even though I have my own yearly car hire excess insurance. Do get excess insurance, but do it at home. And be sure to scrutinise the car for scratches, take photos, and make sure even the tiniest mark is noted on the record. There are a lot of complaints on Tripadvisor about Klasswagen.) The roads are in poor condition generally, traffic is heavy and driving is slow.
The metro system is really cheap and easy to use. We never figured out the tram as there isn't any info or maps at the tram stops. The bus requires buying a card in advance at a kiosk, so we didn't bother.
Money
Ron (lei) is the order of the day. No-one wants euros. I took out 1000 lei in the airport ATM, which was a mistake, as the exchange rate was very poor. Better to take out enough to get an uber, and maybe some spare for a meal, and perhaps your first night's accommodation. The best way of getting cash is with ING bank: if you have an account with them you won't pay comission and will get a good exchange rate. Check out the locations of ING. I saw 3 in Bucharest: on Calea Victoriei, in the subway of University square and on Boulevard Unirii. Also in Brasov and Sibiu.
Accommodation
We used booking.com for all our accommodation and paid 32€ - 70€. The average cost of a simple room was 40€. The best and cheapest place was the delightful V Apartment in Sighisoara. In Sibiu we accidentally ended up in an apartment attached to a brothel!
Day 1-3 Bucharest
Loved it! I had been advised to avoid this sprawling city, but I am glad we didn't. Like many capitals the new town is noisy and bustling, and the diminutive old town has been taken over by touristy trashy bars and restaurants. However, dotted around are a whole host of fascinating churches, museums and historic buildings, the people are pretty laid back, the Herastrau Park rivals Manhattan's Central Park, and good food and drink is to be had at very reasonable prices.
Of course 2 days isn't anywhere near enough time to see everything on the list, but we got a good taster.
We booked the Antic apartment in the old town, which was handy logistically, however, most of the area is a party zone where dance music blasts out until 5am every day, girls in bikinis dance in the windows lodged between kebab shops and cocktail bars, and the streets are chocker with young tourists all day. In hindsight I would have looked for a place in a quieter location, perhaps west of Calea Victoriei.
The tourist information office is bizarrely located in the subway under University Square, and even more bizarre is the lack of info they have on offer; no maps of the city, only pages printed off from Google. My solution was to use my phone to take photos of the maps in my guide book.
So what did we see? Well for a start, many gorgeous churches, all of which have frescoed walls and ceilings.
The first and favourite was St Nicholas, the gleaming, golden Russian Orthodox church, beautifully decorated inside with frescoes. Within a few minutes walk is the lovely Doamnei Church, hidden down an alley off Calea Victoriei, whose simple exterior belies the decorative interior. Cretulescu, one of the churches that was moved stone by stone by Ceaucescu, was closed but the frescoes inside the porch were worth a quick look. Slap bang in the middle of the old town is the gorgeous Stavropoleos Monastery, which comprises a fascinating ornate church and pretty cloister.
Access to the Curtea Veche was prohibited due to renovation, although I caught a glimpse of the bust of Vlad the Impaler through the fence, and the adjacent Old Court Church was busy with a wedding.
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| The spectular Russian Orthodox church on Strada I. Ghica is beautifully painted inside. |
Hanul Lei Manuc is a huge, extremely popular restaurant, outside of which a music festival and small antiques market was in full swing when I went have a peek; unfortunately the view of the courtyard is obscured by the sun shades protecting the diners, so it wasn't really worth the trip. Opposite Hanul Lei Manuc is noisy Piata Unirii, where you will find a large shopping centre and a small park where you can grab a seat in the shade.
Art lovers should not miss the National Art Museum which has two sections, for which a combined ticket costs 15 lei (about 4€). It took me 3 hours to race around as there are so many fascinating exhibits, including whole frescoes saved from churches which were demolished, and great modernist paintings by Romanian artists.
The famous Caru cu Bere restaurant, opened in 1899, is best visited for breakfast in my opinion. At night it is packed and you may have to wait if you don't have a reservation. I went at 11am for a coffee as an excuse to see the sumptuous interior and found it to be almost empty.
I didn't get to see any communist era buildings close up, other than when I hired a Lime electric scooter to get down to the monster that is the Palace of Parliament, but for some unknown reason was told it was closed by the doorman. Which I later discovered was untrue. The Communist Party HQ was covered up for renovation, and the House of the Free Press we passed in a taxi on the way to the airport.
Nb. Lime scooters are easy to use, not enormously cheap as you pay per kilometer (I spent 5€ in an hour), great fun in the old town, but scary and dangerous on the busy main roads.
The Village Museum and Lake Herastrau
A museum made up entirely of houses seems like a strange concept, but the vast Village Museum which comprises 200 traditional cottages and a few cute wooden churches brought from all over Romania, is astounding. You can take the metro to Aviatorilor then it is a 10 min walk. There are two entrances. We were there for over 3 hours; good job there is a small bar-restaurant in order to replenish your energy. There is no printed map so it was useful to take photos of the map at the entrance.
Bicycles can be hired really cheaply outside the metro. All you need is some ID and a phone number. We hired bikes for 3 hours for 14 lei each and cycled around the gorgeous lake, pausing at the beer keller and the Galician cruceiro in front of Hard Rock Cafe. The park is alive with concerts, kids activities, families strolling, fish and seafood restaurants and cool cocktail bars. Boats ferry passengers between the ferry stops; rowing boats and canoes can also be hired. We spent the entire day at the lake, taking in a classical concert in the evening. We both agreed that it was on a par, if not superior, to Central Park.
North of city, on the way to the airport, is the vast Baneasa shopping centre, which is mostly home to international brands you would see in any other city.
Day 4 - 6 The Danube Delta
Tulcea
I really didn't know what to expect from the Delta despite having read up in it in advance. We picked up our hire car and drove directly into snail's pace traffic on the ring road around Bucharest, which unlike any ringroad I have been on, is a B class road, in poor condition, laden with lorries and interspersed with juntions and roundabouts every few kilomentres. A nightmare! It took over 5 hours to drive to Tulcea (pronounced tulcha). On the way we were unnerved by signs announcing electronic tolls which turned out to be for only a bridge which you can buy a ticket for at the petrol station a few kms before it.
Tulcea could not be called attractive despite being on the Delta. It is an industrial port with a skyline dominated by cranes and tatty apartment blocks. We spent only one night in the Hotel Insula, gloriously positioned on a small lake, where you can dine overlooking the water. There is street parking for 6 lei a day. Bikes can be hired opposite the train station from a nice lad who speaks good English and there is a bike track around the lake. On the opposite side of the lake there is a small beach and a couple of bars. It was useful to have time in Tulcea to orientate ourselves and organise the permit for the Delta (15 lei pp for a week) which is bought in the RBDD tourist office on the sea front (although no one speaks English and various people said the permit was unnecessary if you are not going fishing). I personally would not want to stay more than a day in Tulcea, but my companion really liked the laid back feel of the town. There are a couple of cool restaurants on the marina, and a bakery which constantly has a long queue of folk eager to buy pastries before taking the ferry.
Ferries and water taxis
Along the Tulcea waterfront large ferries and smaller water taxis await. There aren't many tourists and not many English speaking natives. Tickets for the daily 13.30 ferry are bought from the maritime office. But there are other options. We paid 60 lei per person from Sulina to Tulcea with Deltastar tours.
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| Phone ahead to book a place on a Delta Star taxi |
Crisan
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Crisan is a line of fisherman's cottages.
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| Fishing for their supper |
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So we left our hire car with a 3 day parking ticket on the dash, and took the slow trip on the ferry, marvelling at the sights on the busy river: colourful fishing boats, huge cargo ships, floating hotels, birds, cows and horses on the banks, small fishing hamlets. We had booked 3 nights in Hotel Sunrise in Crisan, a tiny village chosen for its location as a ferry stop between Milan 23, Letea and Sulina. We were met at the ferry station by a man in a tiny boat and shunted to the Hotel, which has a main hotel block as well as cute wooden bungalows around a lake. We chose a bungalow, which was a lot simpler than I had envisaged, fairly small, had a fridge but no other useful facilities like a kettle or hotplate. Hotel Sunrise is a friendly hotel, with a nice pool, restaurant, games room and fitness room.
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| bungalows at the Hotel Sunrise |
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| Hotel Sunrise is located right in the middle of the delta. |
Mosquitoes are a real pain in the neck, and never more so than in the Delta. Repellent seemed to have minimum effect and we were both bitten a lot. It is really important to take light long trousers and a long sleeved shirt and keep covered as much as you can - obviously not when you are sunbathing by the pool, but there are fewer of the bloodsuckers during the day. You will also need a cream to calm the itching. I also took some anti-histamine knowing from experience that I have severe reactions to mozzie bites.
Crisan is a line of perhaps 30 fisherman's cottages, a shop and two restaurants. There is absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go, although the evening stroll along the river from the hotel is wonderful. It is a place to relax. I can recommend the Delta Boutique restaurant where we ate delicious pasta on the balcony overlooking the river.
Hotel Sunrise organises several reasonably priced trips (approx. 120 lei pp) in small groups. We booked a trip to Letea Village and it's 1000 year old forest, which was cancelled at the last minute due to huge thunderstorm and heavy rain. However, the next day the Hotel arranged a private tour for us which involved being taken in a small boat through the delightful rivers filled with waterlillies, drooping trees and gliding sea birds to Letea Village, where we were met by Maria Antonia with her horse driven cart, who drove us through the Village's dirt tracks to the forest. I must admit I was underwhelmed by the forest, but loved the picturesque Village. (Tip: wear long sleeves and long trousers on a boat trip, or be at the mercy of the mozzies, which was my mistake.) Although Maria didn't speak a word of English, because we both speak Spanish, we were able to deduce that Letea has no tarmacked roads and therefore a nightmare in the winter, no running water so they have to fill barrels from a well, no jobs, people live off the land and to a some extent from tourism, the winters are extremely cold, ie 20°C below zero, the young people leave to look for work in the towns. There is a bar though.
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| we were taken to Letea in a little fishing boat - much better than on a group tour |
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| arrival at the village |
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| wild horses drinking in the river |
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| Transport in the Letea on dirt roads |
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| the village pub |
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| typical house in Letea |
The trip to Letea was special. We paid 300 lei (63€) in total, including paying a small fee to enter the forest, for the 4 hour trip. Much better to try to organise a private trip than a group tour. Remember there aren't any shops or cafes in the village, so if you think you are going to get peckish, take a snack with you.
Sulina and the Black Sea
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| A water taxi |
On our final day in the Delta the Hotel receptionist booked us seats on a 09.30 water taxi to Sulina (25 lei pp) which zipped us down at high speed. Sulina, the mouth of the Danube and gateway to the Black Sea, is a crumbly, unattractive town. The waterfront is lined with boat companies touting their tours and sleepy restaurants. It is a ten mintue walk along the river to the lovely Greek orthodox church. If you want ot go to the beach, my advice is take a taxi which costs 10 lei as opposed to the uninspiring half an hour walk in the hot sun.
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| The Greek church |
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| The tide was out here, the sandy beach is nicer than this pic. |
I suspect it's often windy in Sulina and the sea is warm but choppy. It has a quiet, pleasant sandy beach, a couple of restaurant and some sun umbrellas but is not over run with sunbathers, hotels and loud music in contrast to Mamaia (which we were told is awful by a Spanish couple we met in Bucharest ). Nevertheless Sulina is not a place I would want to spend more than one day in. We didn't hang around after our dip in the sea; instead we took the 2pm water taxi back to Tulcea. Three days was enough for me in the Delta; I had had enough water and mosquitoes, but his nibs said he could have spent another week there exploring by canoe. Having said that I would have liked to have seen Mila 23 and St. George.
En route to Transylvania
It's just too far to drive from Tulcea to Brasov, so we broke the journey with an overnight stay in Buzau, a large industrial city on a wide river with no bridge, and a ferry ride required to cross with your car. It was a rather hair raising experience as we encountered a line of lorries on the road, a good few kilometres before the town. Unsure of the situation, I followed the example of a car in front of me which over took the lorries, only to find myself trapped in the middle of the road between lorries and cars as oncoming traffic appeared. We survived, and were directed to the ferry landing.
There's not much of touristic interest in the city itself other than the splendid modernist town hall and an awesome futuristic monument, but the main nightlife area has a good atmosphere. There are lots of interesting things to see in the area such as the unusual phenomenon of live fire that comes out of the ground and the mud volcanoes, but we didn't want to be detained.
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| Extraordinary, enormous statue in the middle of a roundabout in Buzau |
Rupea, Viscri and Prejmer
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| Rupea castle |
Rupea castle can be seen for miles, which of course is irresistible, although there's not much to see inside. On the contrary, Viscri is well worth a stopover. This quaint hamlet has gravelled roads, colourful houses, a bar, and a fascinating fortified church.
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| Viscri fortified church |
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| the 17th Century chapel is totally authentic |
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| inside the walls |
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| the 'cafe' a few metres down the hill |
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| the cafe's toilets are actually better inside than you would imagine |
A word about the eating options. We saw a sign indicating a cafe and were feeling peckish, so decided to try the local food. The menu was limited to meat soup, meat stew, and apple pie. The prices were not on display and the family speak very limited English. The food was awful, the coffee undrinkable, and the bill was more than we had paid in Bucharest for a full dinner.
Day 7-8 Brasov
The drive to Transylvania takes you through some dramatic scenery, pine-clad mountains, immense fields of sunflowers and picturesque villages. Just a few kms before Brasov, we stopped at Prejmer which had a
traditional dancing competition in full swing. The village is dominated
by the outstanding fortified medieval church. The walls are actually
hollow and you can walk inside them.
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| Inside the fortified walls |
Brasov, the most famous city in Transylvania and therefore full of tourists, is a lovely place to spend a couple of nights. The colourful medieval town square is buzzing, and a whole heap of churches, towers and museums await. We hired bikes and cycled around the outskirts and the lovely city park. The Black Church is huge and imposing but rather austere inside. The cable car to the Brasov sign is very popular and involved waiting in line for around 45 minutes for the 5 minute ride. The 45 minute walk down the mountain through the forest was welcome relief from the heat, but is on a rocky, dangerous path, so if you are going to do it, be sure to wear suitable footwear. I was in sandals which were wholly unsuitable!
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| Brasov main square with the lovely Orthodox church on the left |
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| the Black Church |
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| St Catherine's gate |
Eating out in the centre of Brasov is understandably pricier than other towns; however if you are after a cheap meal, go to the Brasovia self service restaurant next to the Black Church, where you can have great freshly cooked traditional food for tuppence, or the Cuic Bereria, around the corner from the jazz bar, and down a little alley which serves up huge plates of barbecued meat and chips.
Two nights is about the right length of stay in order to calmy see the sights of Brasov.
Another tip: keep an eye on the weather forecast. There is a dramatic difference in the high and low daily temperatures in Transylvania, so you are wise to carry a jacket at night (we were caught in a massive thunder and lightning storm in Brasov).
Day 9 Sighisoara
My favourite town in Transylvania! Allegedly Vlad the Impaler was born here, just next to the spectacular clock tower, in what is now a restaurant. It is a small town so one night is enough to see the sights, but you might be tempted to stay longer because of the relaxing atmosphere.
Day 10 Medias and Sibui
Medias is larger than I expected. The old quarter is quiet, whereas just round the corner is where the real bustling life, the market, shops, food stall etc. We spend a couple of hours milling around.
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| Medias clock tower |
The drive from Medias to Sibiu takes you through several lovely villages and through some lovely countryside.
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| Sibiu's old town is bright, elegant and full of restaurants |
Day 11 Transfagarasan Highway
We had a bit of a debate about whether to take the famous Transfagarasan Highway, or to go to Bran Castle and Sinaia. Having had my own way so far, I conceded and we took the mountain drive. And it is fairly awesome, despite the fact that you join a convoy of tourists slowly ascending and meet dozens of vehicles parked at the top in front of a line of souvenir stalls. Sheep farmers sell fabulous homemade cheese by the road. At 2000m it is high enough to still have snow on the ground in July, and a temperature of 10 degrees at midday when we were there.
Heading south along the river is a slow business, which was made very special when suddenly we spotted a bear by the road. We passed so close to it that we put the windows up for fear of what it might do if it was spooked by our presence. It was an extraordinary experience!
Day 12 Back to Bucharest
South of the Transfagarsan mountains, there is not a lot of interesting
sights. We enjoyed the drive but decided to head back to Bucharest to
spend the last night there.
All in all, it was an outstanding trip. The Romanians, although often seen haughty, are very helpful despite the language barriers. It is a country of contrast, from the flat plains of the south, to the green mountains of the north and the special biosphere that is the Danube Delta, tiny hamlets lost in another time to vibrant Bucharest on a par with any major capital, not to mention all the areas we didn't get to. We didn't meet a single British tourist, although in Bucharest there were a few Brits at the wonderful craft beer bar, the Fabrica de bere buna (the good beer factory), every time we went there. I am keen to go back to explore the north and hope that will be sooner rather than later.
Eating and drinking in Romania
At the time of writing 1€ = 4.7 lei
Romanians eat early; lunch is at 12pm and dinner around 7pm.
Breakfast is savoury: eggs, cheese, cold meats and bread, maybe a bit of cake
Main courses cost around 15 - 20 lei
Starters cost around 8 - 12 lei.
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| Ciorba cu pane - soup in bread - typical starter |
Giant soft pasties (placinta or gogocci) filled with either cheese or Apple are the main fast food and cost around 3 - 5 lei.
Chip shops are in abundance but sell only chips.
Romanian dessert is pretty limited : papanasi is a big, spherical cholesterol inducing donut filled with jam and topped with whipped cream, ice cream and Apple pie. Clatite is a pancake usually filled with apple or nutella.
Cuic and Ursus are the two most common local beers and both are good and cost around 8 lei for 500cl. Craft beer is hugely popular and a 300cl bottle costs around 16 lei.
Coffee and cake cafes are few and far between. I didn't see English breakfast tea anywhere in 2 weeks! I didn't care for the coffee.
Wine - I tried house red and white and found all the reds to be delicious and all the whites to be slightly too sweet for my taste. Also, there is a tendency to serve house red chilled unless you specifically ask for room temperature.
Vegetarian food: well I am vegetarian and had no problem whatsoever; having said that, I ate a lot of cheese pasties. Greek salad, hummus, aubergine dip and vegetable soup are typical starters, vegetables stuffed with rice are common, pizza and pasta are everywhere.
Kedokesh
Every time you ask for a bill, the reply you receive is "kedokesh". It took a while to work out that this means "card or cash?"; the peculiar pronunciation being due to the Romanian pronunciation of vowels.
The Romanian character
A word about the Romanians. On many occasions we were taken aback by the rudeness and aggressive manner of staff, but it's a strange thing - they can be very abrupt at the same as going out of their way to help you. We weren't sure whether it was due to their limited vocabulary, being fed up because their wages are so low (we were told around 200€ a month for a waiter), or because they are aloof, but keep calm as they seem to pride themselves in helping needy tourists.
Things you should take even in the summer
Guide book and road map (excess insurance if you are hiring a car)
Waterproof jacket
Hat
Trousers and long sleeved shirt
Mosquitoe repellent and afterbite cream
Torch
Binoculars
Umbrella
Tea bags if you are like me
Good strong shoes as you will probably be doing an awful lot of walking!
