Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria
Page 42
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0728-281 676; www.mistraltours.ro; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat)
This helpful travel agency, located at the southern end of Mamaia’s telegondola line, should be your first port of call. Staff can help find accommodation, plan day trips and excursions, including to the Danube Delta and Bulgarian Black Sea coast, and sell the Constanţa City Pass discount card.
8Getting There & Away
Frequent maxitaxis (2 lei, 15 minutes) ply the route between central Constanţa and Mamaia from June to September. Maxitaxis 301 and 303 depart regularly from Constanţa’s train station. You can wave them down conveniently on B-dul Ferdinand, across the street from both the Hotel Class and the Hotel Ferdinand.
8Getting Around
Once in Mamaia, stroll the boardwalk or take the telegondola (cable car) that runs from the station ( GOOGLE MAP ; one way 20 lei; h9am-10pm Jun-Oct) at the southern end of the resort to the northern station ( GOOGLE MAP ; one way 20 lei; h9am-10pm Jun-Oct) at approximately the midway point.
WORTH A TRIP
BATHING IN THE MUD AT EFORIE NORD
Eforie Nord, 14km south of Constanţa, is a honky-tonk seaside resort, free of pretension, where families come to soak up the sun by day and gorge on junk food by night. That said, there’s another reason for making a detour here: the amazing mud. Lake Techirghiol, within walking distance of the centre, is famous for its dark sapropel mud. This black sediment is dense with organic matter and when slathered over your body is said to be restorative for skin and bones.
Most of the big hotels in town offer some kind of mud-bath package, but the easiest – and cheapest – way to take the mud is to head to the public mud baths (Bai Reci; GOOGLE MAP ; adult/student 13/5 lei; h7am-7pm) on the southern end of town. At the baths, single-sex changing rooms lead to separate beaches, where convalescence seekers stand around nude, apply the glop and bask in the sun until the mud cracks.
Eforie Nord gets incredibly crowded in July and August, so advance hotel bookings are essential. There are tonnes of accommodation options in town. For budget travellers, Hotel Clas ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0725-528 296; www.hotel-clas.ro; Str Armand Călinescu 8; r 120-230 lei; paW) is clean and well run. A decent midrange choice, close to the beach, is the Hotel Regal ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0241-741 069; www.hotelregaleforie.ro; B-dul Ovidiu 20; d 235-270 lei; paW). For top end, go for the Hotel Europa ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0725-702 818; www.anahotels.ro; Str Panselelor 23; s/d 240/450 lei; pnaiWs), which offers a full range of mud treatments.
Vama Veche
Pop 280
The southernmost point on the Romanian Black Sea coast just happens to be party central. Vama Veche is the place where ageing hippies and bearded hipsters commingle, let their hair down and bond over beers and beach. 'Vama' has stubbornly resisted attempts by developers to drag it upmarket and still retains a whiff of counterculture rebellion – a rep it developed in the '80s when it was a haven for artists, hedonists and free thinkers. That said, don't come looking for peace and quiet. Vama can get impossibly crowded in July and August. Instead, this is the place to dance all night and sleep it off on the beach the next day.
2Activities
The main activities are swimming, sunbathing, drinking and partying, and not necessarily in that order. There's a 5km bike path to an adjoining seaside village to the north called Doi Mai (2 Mai), that starts from the northern end of Vama Veche.
Plaja de CartaBEACH
( GOOGLE MAP ; day beds 20 lei; h9am-8pm Jun-Aug)
This relaxed beach is situated on the far northern end of the resort and tends to be less crowded. The draw is a lending library, where you can borrow books (some in English) to read on the beach. It's a 'mixed' beach, meaning nudist on the northern side, though no one cares whether you're wearing a suit or not.
Amphora BeachBEACH
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0755-141 420; Str Falezei; day beds 20 lei; h9am-midnight Jun-Sep)
Arguably Vama's prettiest beach, occupying a long strand of fine sand on the southern end of the resort, with comfortable day beds, lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent. Come back for sunset and evenings, when Amphora morphs into a cocktail bar and (on weekends) dance club.
4Sleeping
Alas, Vama's growing popularity means it's no longer possible to show up in July or August and expect to find a room. This is doubly true on weekends. Book as far ahead as possible. There’s wild camping at both the far southern and northern ends of the beach. Hotels normally operate from June to September.
oPura VidaHOSTEL$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0786-055 288; www.puravidahostels.ro; Str Falezei; dm from 50 lei, d from 140 lei; pnW)
Clean, well-run hostel with a perfect perch, on the northern end of Vama beach. There are a handful of private doubles as well as a couple of multibed dorm rooms on two floors. The hostel has a beautiful terrace with beach views and a popular, chilled-out coffee bar. No credit cards.
Elga’s Punk Rock HotelHOTEL$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0241-858 070; www.punkrockhotel.com; Str Mihail Kogălniceanu; r 80-100 lei; pnaW)
This welcoming family-run hotel offers small but ultra-clean rooms with either double or twin beds in two price categories. 'A' level rooms are slightly larger and have air-conditioning, while category 'B' rooms are smaller and have fans. There's a shared kitchen on the premises.
Club d’OrHOTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0743-335 114; www.clubdor.ro; Str Ion Creangă; r 180 lei; pnWs)
Clean, quiet and close enough to the beach to drift in and out when you want. The rooms resemble a motel and fan out around a gigantic, clean swimming pool. It’s located 100m west of Str Mihail Kogălniceanu (Hwy E87) at approximately the centre of the village.
BazArtHOSTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0722-889 087; www.bazarthostel.ro; Str Ion Creangă, cnr Str Tudor Vladimirescu; d 100-180 lei, q 280 lei; naW)
This popular student choice on Vama Veche's main drag offers a variety of rooms, including comfortable private doubles with en suite baths and air-conditioning, as well as budget twins and quads with shared facilities and no air-con. The location is convenient to the bars and clubs. Rents bikes ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0722 889 087; www.bazarthostel.ro; BazArt Hostel, Str Ion Creangă; 2hr/day 10/25 lei; h9am-sundown Jun-Sep).
5Eating
The main street that connects the highway to the beach, Str Ion Creangă, has plenty of fast-food stalls and mini-markets. Most restaurants are uniformly mediocre, though there are a couple of decent places worth seeking out. Restaurants run from late May to mid-September.
oSandalandalaINTERNATIONAL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-551 476; www.sandalandala.ro; mains 25-40 lei; h8am-11pm Jun-Sep)
This spacious summertime terrace bar and restaurant, connected to a campground on the northern end of the resort, feels like a relaxing antidote to the general chaos of Vama. Grilled meats, cooked over an enormous outdoor smoker, are the specialities. There's a terrific wine list and it also does good breakfasts, starting from 8am.
Casa Double MROMANIAN$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0749-057 557; www.casadoublem.ro; Str Mihail Kogălniceanu 3A; mains 20-40 lei; W)
This family-run inn on the main highway that passes through town takes home-cooking to a new level. Traditional Romanian dishes, as well as ample fish and seafood, are paired imaginatively with local sides such as polenta. Double M has a good wine list and offers both indoor and outdoor seating. This place gets very popular in season, so reserve in advance.
CherhanaSEAFOOD$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; Str Falezei; mains 20-30 lei; h10am-11pm Jun-Sep)
This informal grill-and-picnic-tables beachfront place draws big crowds, particularly campers from the nearby wild campsites. The fresh fish is grilled on the spot. To find it, follow the main street, Str Ion Creangă, to the beach and turn left. It's situated on the northern edge of Vama Veche.
6Drinking & Nightlife
Vama has a legendary rep in Romania as a summertime party spot. Most of the serious partying takes places over weekend
s in July and August, but there's usually plenty of drinking and dancing options available any night of the week. The scene typically ends the last weekend in August.
ExpiratCLUB
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0733-974 782; Str Falezei 32; h24hr)
Expirat is widely considered Vama's premier dance club and weekend parties in July and August routinely last well into the next morning. On off nights, Expirat is a relatively tame cocktail bar with a nice view out over the beach.
StufBEACH BAR
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.stufvamaveche.ro; Plaja Vama Veche; h9am-2am Jun-Sep)
This is the oldest and most likeable of several beachside drinking shacks with their signature thatched roofs and picnic tables. To find it, walk down the main drag, Str Ion Creangă, to the beach and turn left.
8Information
There’s no tourist information office, but it’s small enough to negotiate on your own. The main street, Str Ion Creangă, which runs east from Hwy E87 to the beach, has everything you’re likely to need, including a handy ATM and a pharmacy.
8Getting There & Away
There are no trains to Vama Veche; instead take a maxitaxi from Constanţa (about 12 lei) or take a train to Mangalia and a maxitaxi from there (8km, 5 lei).
Understand Romania
Romania Today
Romania finds itself in clean-up mode, scrubbing streets and buildings for an influx of visitors and tossing out corrupt officials in the wake of scandal.
History
From Greeks and Romans to Turks and Hungarians, plucky Romania has often found itself at the centre of others’ attentions.
The Dracula Myth
Romania has gleaned a lot of touristic mileage out of the Dracula myth. We separate the fact from (Bram Stoker’s admittedly overheated) fiction.
Outdoor Activities & Wildlife
Whether you’re into hiking, trekking, skiing, cycling, caving, birdwatching or spying on bears from a hide, Romania’s got something for you.
Visual Arts & Folk Culture
Over the centuries, Romanians have made a virtue of necessity, transforming church exteriors and many ordinary folk objects into extraordinary works of art.
The Romanian People
Romanians are often described as ‘an island of Latins in a sea of Slavs’ but that doesn’t even begin to describe this diverse nation.
The Romanian Kitchen
Comfort-food lovers have much to cheer about when it comes to Romanian food, and the ţuică and wine are pretty good too.
Romania Today
Romania finds itself in a clean-up phase, both physically and metaphorically. Towns and cities around the land are sprucing themselves up, renovating and modernising in step with the country's expanding reputation as a tourist destination. The new emphasis on tidiness extends to the upper reaches of government. Officials have launched a long-awaited crackdown on corruption in the hope of winning the favour of Brussels and finally gaining all of the benefits of EU membership.
Not Quite a 'Full' EU Member
While Romania has been a formal member of the EU since 2007, visitors to the country will notice that not all perks of membership appear to apply.
The first major difference is that entry into the country from the EU requires you to show a passport. Romania is still not a member of the EU’s common border and customs ‘Schengen Zone’. Membership in Schengen was part of the original package when Romania and Bulgaria were negotiating EU membership in the run-up to 2007, but Brussels delayed the decision for both. More recently it has again deferred the question of Schengen entry, and at the time of research it wasn’t clear when or if Romania would receive this coveted perk.
The other big difference is that Romania still does not use the euro. It is among a handful of EU states where old national currencies still circulate. The reasons are complex. At first, Romania didn’t meet stringent EU budget and inflation standards for joining the common currency. Later, in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis, particularly with problems in EU-member Greece, neither Bucharest nor Brussels appeared eager to force the euro on Romania. Central banks still make occasional noises about joining the euro, but the date keeps getting pushed off further and further into the future.
Best on Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (2007) Breakthrough drama on illegal abortion that kicked off the 'Romanian New Wave'.
Tuesday, After Christmas (2010) Slow dissolution of a marriage, with the pressure of the holidays in the backdrop.
Child's Pose (2013) Gripping story about bending the system to get a man absolved of a crime.
Best in Print
Between the Woods and the Water (Patrick Leigh Fermor; 1986) Reminiscences of an Englishman who undertakes a remarkable journey through Transylvania in the '30s.
The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova; 2005) Brilliantly reanimates the Dracula myth focusing on Vlad Ţepeş.
Nostalgia (Mircea Cărtărescu; 2005) Short stories on modern Romanian life weaving together dream and reality.
Best in Music
Band of Gypsies (Taraf de Haïdouks; 2001) Updated Roma-inspired folk music.
OM (Negură Bunget; 2006) Timișoara-based metal band blends folk and noise.
Romanian Rhapsodies (George Enescu; 1901) The best-known compositions of Romania's greatest classical composer.
Growing 'Colectiv' Conscience
The evolution of Romanian society since the fall of communism in 1989 has been an amazing process. In the first decade after the revolution, it looked (from the outside at least) as if little had changed. After all, the new election cycles seemed only to return the same old and familiar faces to power. More often than not, these leaders had ties to the old regime.
In more recent years, though, it appears this former acquiescence to the status quo – the belief that nothing will change – is itself starting to change. Many point to the Roșia Montană environmental dispute of 2013 and 2014 as the first glimmer of a population willing to fight back. The dispute involved a deal between a Canadian mining company and the Romanian government to exploit a gold seam in a protected part of Transylvania. Fearing the project would destroy the area, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets around the country and eventually forced the government to halt the deal.
Less than two years later, a tragic nightclub fire at the ‘Colectiv’ club in Bucharest killed more than 60 people, and protestors came back out in force. This time the enemy was widespread corruption – the argument being that bribes and protection rackets had allowed the owners of the nightclub and similar places to skirt fire and safety rules.
The result has been a breathtaking crackdown on corruption at all levels. In 2016 Romanians joked that there were more mayors around the country behind bars than hardened criminals. For visitors, the crackdown has resulted in some closed-down nightclubs and bars, but also the prospect of improved safety. For Romanians, it’s spurred the slow but growing realisation that people can effect change when they work together.
The Place Never Looked Better
Romania is sprucing itself up and credit for that probably goes to Sibiu. The Saxon city served as the EU’s Cultural Capital in 2007 and used the opportunity to polish the cobbles and transform itself from a shabby Transylvanian town to a top-shelf destination.
Other cities around the country took notice. Cluj-Napoca took the bait in 2015, when it served as the EU’s Capital of Youth. The city converted that honorific into a chance to renovate, innovate and reinvent itself as a lively student hub.
Indeed, everywhere you go, cities and towns sport a new shine. In 2016 Iaşi pulled the scaffolding down from the long-idle Palace of Culture. After eight years in the planning and nearly €30 million in investment, the former seat of Moldavian power now looks like a glimmering Taj Mahal.
Fix-up fever has even reached scruffy Bucharest, with central Calea Victoriei getting a long-awaited spruce-up by way of new bike lanes and trendy boutiques. Timişoara will serve as the EU’s Cultural Capital
in 2021, and is also cleaning itself up at a feverish pace.
Population
19.9 million
Area
238,391 sq km
GDP Growth (2016)
5%
Inflation rate (2015)
-0.6%
Average monthly salary (2016)
2108 lei (€467)
History
Sometimes referred to as 'Europe's great survivor', this melting pot of Romanians, Hungarians, Germans and Roma has been constantly invaded and occupied throughout its existence. The name ‘Romania’ didn’t refer to Wallachia or Moldavia until 1859 and, in fact, Transylvania remained part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until 1918 – so what exactly is ‘Romania’? Understanding its ancient past and the surrounding empires and countries who influenced it is probably the best way to get a grip on this fascinating country.
Roman Dacia
For thousands of years, the territory of what was to become modern Romania was inhabited by various Neolithic and Bronze Age tribes. These include the fascinating Cucuteni people, who thrived from 6000 to 3500 BC and left behind a legacy of beautiful, modern-looking pottery.