Best tips for family travel in Romania

Coming in Romania with your family is an excellent idea. In order to turn it in an unforgettable adventure or vacation there are a few important things you should be aware of.

First of all, make the good choice from the start. Book through a well known, well established travel agency. In my opinion, after working and checking in more companies,the best one for incoming is Karpaten with a wide offer and excellent prices, which you can't get on your own. Ask me about it, or contact directly Karpaten.

The Romanian traditions will totally seduce you

Second, if you come in Romania on a budget, is very helpful booking a few weeks in advance in order to get the best deals to the air companies. There are many sites for that, a good local one is www.vola.ro . Will be great avoiding staying the hotels from the big Romanian cities, starting with Bucharest, as many of them are oriented to the luxury and stylish tourists. Nevertheless, you can find *** or ** hotels, or even hostels at decent prices. Much better, stay in a smaller city, off the beaten path, most of them are really charming, peaceful and you can find many bargains while shopping in the central vegetables or flea market.

Climbing mountains in Romania might be just the thing you need

A great option is also staying to the countryside and have a fantastic contact with the nature and local meals. The available pensions are simply exaggerating with their meals, no one can eat so much. Besides, they are for sure among the children friendliest places on Earth, they will simply spoil your children.

Staying by the locals who hire a few rooms might be a good idea only if you inform about the prices. Please take big care about it! Once this detail set, you will dip in a fantastic traditional culture, and I am pretty sure you will be deeply and pleasant surprised about it. Please rediscover some noises and flavors which you can't find anymore at home.

Don't miss the Rural Romania

If you want climbing mountains, don't neglect the prior training for your family, mainly the kids. Don't forget good maps, GPS, mobile phones (112 for emergency call), lights as they can save your life and health. There are cabins and hiking trails in the mountains to your convenience, inform about them and select right according to your skills, training level  and mood.

About the meals, a special tip: many restaurants off the beaten path have fantastic offers called "Oferta Zilei" (The Offer of The Day) where you can eat a good 3 dishes lunch with 3 Euros!

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A misteryous insulated town on Danube mouth

If you visit the breathtaking Danube Delta, you have so many things to see and to do. Besides the many spectacular views of natural reserves, protected areas, or endemic species, one of the first options is visiting the little town of Sulina, lieing on the arm with the same name, mainly on the right side. It is actually the  easternmost point not only in Romania, but in the all European Union.

In order to judge the works of the Danube, observe in the centre of the town the lighthouse, build at 1850 on the shore. Meanwhile  the Delta has won 1500 meters, it is obvious! The lighthouse has been build at the blossom of the history of Sulina. The port was very important, all the big protecting powers, starting with Austria, were deeply interesting controlling the navigation on the Danube. In the same time has been appointed an European Commision for Danube navigation, which build in Sulina an imposing palace for administrative tasks. This palace is another landmark of the today Sulina.

In Sulina you can bath in the Black sea, as in the Danube River, it is really unique

There are so many things to say about Sulina. Unoficially and unproofed, it might be the oldest human settlement in Romania, dating back from the VIIth century b.C. In the Middle Age starts the written history of Sulina. The Turks started to use first this port, which is simultaneously a river and a sea port! Later, in the XVIIth century, Sulina was an excellent pirate nest. The pirates used ships, but also the forests around the town, to disappear before and after their surprise attacks. A special mention for the legendary Greek pirate Karagounis, who has nerve and was very brave. He died suddenly, and the locals found and buried him respectfully, in the town cemetery. His lost treasure has been not found up to now,and if you are lucky, could also try. His tombstone is only readable  at morning, after wiping it with a wet towel!

When the Sulina's lighthouse has been build 200 years ago, it was on the shore line. Meanwhile the land has won almost 2 kilometers

There are also other prominent personalities  sleeping in the town cemetery, e.g. an English officer with his beloved wife, disappeared in a ship disaster of the XIXth century. After marrying a lower condition women, his parents forced him to leave the house, and he found a place as a ship officer, and his wife followed him disguised. The both receded in a spectacular shipwreck, and their parents build monuments for them. But the bodies have not been found, and the speculators say that they used the opportunity to go away for ever!

The Pirates' cemetery from Sulina

The peak of the recent history of Sulina was between 1860 and 1939, when the port started losing his importance due to the quick development of Constanta. Today the tourism might be a good chance for Sulina, as its excellent wide fine beach stretches along the Danube, as also on the seashore. It is comparable with Vama Veche, the Romanian Capital of the bohemians in the hot season. In the remote corners of the beach there are good conditions for naturalists, please don't disturb them. Sulina can be reach exclusively by water. This huge disavantage turns to be an advantage, as the travelers number rises permanently due to the genuine nature around Sulina ( e.g. the lakes Rosu, Rosulet, Puiu, Lumina as the many creeks and channels)

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Myths and legends about Maramures

Maramures lies in the extreme North of Romania, and is very attractive, proudly welcoming his honored guests. This country of Maramures is very particular in Romania, and you can discover it starting from Baia Mare and travelling all around.

This Mystery Land is actually an eagle  nest build on the mountain rocks. The natural beauty of the places is overwhelming, and the people have sometimes savage or suspicious faces, until they talk and adopt you (guess the next step, it is for sure an invitation to drink tzuica, horinca or palinka, local names for plum brandy. Don't be very happy accepting, it is difficult to face such an important test and must behave properly. You must know from the beginning, that the locals are very well trained.)

There are some easy visible contrasts in all these area. Observe the wooden churches, they are simply unique and note the inside paintings, devoted to Jesus Christ, but carrying Pagan symbols, like The Sun and The Moon. Also, on the monumental wooden gates, observe and note the tree of life! Most of the local cars are very modern, and have foreign plates from Italy mainly, as the youngsters work there to earn some money, while the women still wash their wool blankets in water mills, as their ancestors did a few centuries ago. Maramures is definitely a magic place, where the modern times face with the traditional archaic ones, but have no chance to win.

The wooden church from Barsana, Maramures is really a masterpiece and the highest in the area (75 meters)

The climate in Maramures pretty cold, and specially during winter you must be good dressed ( don't think to dress code or etiquette, you must be well protected against cold ). The surrounding mountains build a natural fortress, explaining the differences comparing to other regions in Romania and the special character of the locals. Up to 1950 was practically impossible to reach Maramures by train from Romania, it was necessary coming over Czechia!

Due to this isolation of Maramures, after Romans conquered Dacia, the still free Maramures was a good shelter for the fugees of other Romanian regions. It is said (local legend from Rozavlea) that Maramures was populated in the good old times by giants. As the time gone away, only one giant remained, and he was very old, but had a young daughter, the pretty Rozalia. Once, walking of the Valley of Iza, Rozalia saw a few small creature, and she didn't know who were. She collected a few of them, and ran to her father to show him. The old wise giant talled her, that these dwarfs are the Romans who shall conquer and run Maramures in the future. Consequently, Rozalia prayed God to make one of them bigger, and her smaller. This fact came true, and so appeared the Romanian people of Maramures!

The wooden gates from Maramures are a landmark. The bigger the gate, the richer the master.

Exploring Valea Izei is easy by car, the road is good, just a little narrow and dangerous, because the locals don't fear anything, including cars! But if you are there on a feast, or during a festival, you will be very happy. The people still wear their ancient suits, bleach the wool in the water mills or spin it.

On the Iza River, in Barsana, Stramtura,, Rozavlea, Bogdan Voda, Ieud you will find the amazing wooden gates, which are not a sign of competition against other community members, but also a remember of the ancient Roman buildings (see the Arch of Triumph in Rome!), in my humble personal opinion.

Don't miss in Maramures  Sighetul-Marmatiei with the impressive Memorial of the Victims of Communism ( due to the isolation, here was a jail where the communist regime let many of his opponents to die) or with the Village Museum, which is a replica of an old village with its obsolete techniques. And a little further, the Happy Cemetery of Sapanta, where a local artist wrote on every cross something special for the deceased, which is usually very brisk!

Within the isolated Maramures, the people are still proud to wear the popular suits

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Epic trips inside the Romanian salt mines

A few thousand years ago, if you are still able to remember, the Mediterranean Sea exceeded  very much its today surface and covered the South Eastern Europe, including Romania, to be more precisely.

A former salt mine, transformed in leisure area, at Turda

May be it is not correct to name that specific sea the Mediterranean one, as the overall configuration of the continents and water surfaces was totally different comparing with what we can see nowadays (thus, it was practically impossible to taste wine in Romania!). We can proof this statement through some of the local names, like Salina, Ocna, or sarat=salt. THERE ARE TO FIND SALT LAKES AND CREEKS, PROOFING AGAIN MY ALLEGATION.
Already known in the antiques  for its properties of conserving the food, the salt was very good appreciated (more than gold) in the good old times!

The salt mine from Cacica with a combination of wood and salt sculpture

The Romans first exploited this great richness, followed by other incoming people.

Very well known are mines from Cacica and Slanic Moldova, where 180 years ago, specially for exploiting salt, came here Polish, Ukraineans or Slovaks, resulting in a multicultural society. A few decades ago, the salt lost its importance and the mines have been closed. many of them are opened today only for health and leisure.

Another salt mine of the past, in Praid

In Praid, Slanic, Ocna Sibiului etc you can breath the salt air, which is so good for your lungs, or have a bath in a very salt lake (you don't need to swim at all, the salt water pushes you strongly and amazingly for the newbies to the surface!). You can appreciate in those underground galleries how difficult was to work in these mines (stop thinking to do a career in the area). During the XIXth century by this work took part mainly the jailed criminals (Ocna is simply another word for salt mine exploited with criminals!).

Also to admire, where the visiting is possible: the sculptures. There are churches, statues, golf fields etc and all are made with an extraordinary skill! This industry still has in Romania a huge potential, and it is highly probably to reopen those mines, you should hurry up to visit these extraordinary places.

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Prahova Valley, a Romanian Royal getaway

If you need to relax and detox, if you need to forget the usual trouble and the daily routine, I have the right medicine for you. I really recommend to go from Bucharest to Brasov, through Ploiesti on the A1 highway, along the spectacular Prahova Valley. But please keep in mind, that this highway is the busiest in Romania, and you must avoid it during the week end rush hours, e.g. Friday and Sunday afternoon.

The Prahova is simply superb,  meanders through Bucegi and Baiului Mountains, and could be named The Royal Valley of Romania, because the former King Carol I used to live here, in Sinaia, where he managed to build the fantastic Peles Castle from stone, wood and precious materials. Consequently, all his suite adopted Sinaia as a summer Capital. Ever since that period, the beginning of XXth century, the skiers and mountain climbers are the masters of these places.

Valea Prahovei is simply superb, the best place to disconnect from anything else.

Due to its proximity to Bucharest, Prahova Valley was an important connection between Wallachia and Transilvania., centuries before opening of a railway and a highway in 1880. Because the old highway is obsolete and overcrowded sometimes, there are plans for building a speed highway between Bucharest and Budapest, but the environmental price will be huge ( nowadays in the big forests of the area you can still find bears, wolves and lynxes). The legendary stylish train Orient Express drove this way on his long journey between Paris and Istanbul.

Peles Castle in Sinaia is a must see for any art freak

On the way to the mountains, discover first the quiet town of Campina, where you can find two interesting museums. One of them refers to Nicolae Grigorescu, the most important Romanian painter from all times, which lived here during its last years of life, and left his last masterpiece unaccomplished. He started his career by painting churches and monasteries, and finally an important politician, impressed by his paintings, offered him a scholarship in Paris. Nowadays, if you have the chance to buy a painting of grigorescu, please don't hesitate, it is a safer placement than gold! The secon interesting museum in Campina is Hasdeu Memorial Museum, with a very strange spiritual atmosphere, as Hasdeu, an important political and cultural personality, tried to further communicate with his beloved genial daughter Julia, died at 18 years.

Further, you reach the town of Breaza, which is simply very long, build mainly along the street, and very famous due to its excellent golf coarse. Afterwards, within minutes, you are in Sinaia, and you don't need to hurry up anymore. Enjoy Sinaia in all its splendor, it deserves. The quiet town is very animated on week ends, but in the rest of time keeps an interesting flair of the beginning of XXth Century. After King Carol set here his summer residence emmerged many luxury villas, his suite visited the Casino, and took part to hunting. If you are an art freak, don't miss the Peles Castle, it is simply superb. It was an avangarde building for Romania of those times, heated and electrified. Observe please the wood works, while going from the honor room in the weapon and Marocco room! Next to it, the Pelisor Castle, a paradise for Art Nouveau freaks.

Go deep in the Mountains by the cabin, if you are in the mood to climb them.  Further, before reaching Brasov, find Busteni and Predeal, very important for addicted skiers.

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