Love vampire movies and are in awe of the mere mention of Count Dracula's name? You should go on a journey to the homeland of Vlad Tepes, who became the prototype of the most famous vampire of all times and peoples. And what to see in Romania so that your vacation doesn't seem too dark? The republic has a lot of interesting sights of historical, architectural and natural properties, and seven of them are included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage lists.
The best season for holidays in Romania is spring and early autumn, and the slopes of the Poiana Brasov ski resort are ready to host winter sports fans from November to March.
TOP 15 sights of Romania
Bran Castle
Built in the Gothic style on top of a cliff, Bran Castle has served as a defensive fortress since the 13th century. It has 4 levels, and its corridors and rooms are connected in a mysterious labyrinth. Count Dracula, according to legend, spent nights in the castle when he was hunting nearby.
As souvenirs, the castle sells local cheese, whose recipe is kept secret, and knitted socks with vampires.
Bran Castle is located in the village of the same name, 30 km from Brasov.
Peles Castle
Another gem of castle architecture is located near the city of Sinaia. The architectural style of the building is neo-Renaissance; the foundation stone was laid at the end of the 19th century. The castle served as the summer hunting residence of King Carol I. The spacious Alpine-style mansion successfully combines German aesthetics and Italian elegance.
Worthy of attention:
- A collection of works of art from Eastern Europe - sculpture, painting, carpets, porcelain and ivory items, antique tapestries.
- 4000 items in the exhibition of weapons and medieval armor.
- Silk carpets hand-woven by craftsmen from Bukhara.
- Stained glass windows by Swiss artists.
The palace is surrounded by a park whose gardens and terraces are decorated with fountains, lion sculptures and statues.
To get there: by train from Bucharest to Brasov, stop at Sinai or from Brasov by bus. The castle is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and throughout November.
Parliamentary Palace
This Romanian landmark appeared in the capital of the country at a time when the republic was socialist. The palace, where parliament sits, has since firmly held the leading position in two TOP lists - the heaviest administrative building in the world and the largest civil administrative building in Europe. In numbers, it looks like this: 86 m - height, 270x240 m - perimeter, 1100 rooms, 12 floors, 200 thousand square meters. m of pure wool carpets, 480 chandeliers and more than 1400 lamps, one million cubic meters. m. of marble for decoration, in a word, there is something to see. In Romania, the palace is often called the House of the People in the old fashioned way, and you can find a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture on Strada Izvor in Bucharest.
Corvin Castle
The ancestral home of the medieval magnates Hunyadi is located in Transylvania in the city of Hunedoara. Its construction dates back to the 15th century. The top of the rock as a place for the castle was not chosen by chance - the structure acted as a defensive fortress. In the Middle Ages, everyone fought against everyone, and strong stone walls were never superfluous.
The legend that Count Vlad Tepes, who was deposed from the throne, was kept in the castle for seven years, only spurs the interest of tourists. Excursions are conducted for them, and guests get to the Corvin castle over a gigantic stone bridge.
Black church
The largest dark Gothic building in Romania is the Church of St. Mary in the city of Brasov. Construction was carried out at the end of the XIV century and, as is customary in the Transylvanian regions, the history of the church was overgrown with gloomy legends. Would you like to look at a huge six-ton bell, listen to an old organ by Karl Buchholz, examine the surviving frescoes of the 15th century and find out where the boy was walled up and whether he was at all? A museum is open at the church, and on Sundays you can attend a beautiful service conducted by a Lutheran pastor.
Brukenthal museums
In the second half of the 18th century, the Governor of Transylvania, Samuel von Brukenthal, actively collected paintings by European artists. His collection served as the basis for the exposition of a complex of six museums opened in the city of Sibiu:
- The art gallery presents 1200 works, including paintings by Titian, Veronese and Rubens.
- The Historical Museum is housed in a house built in the 16th century in the Gothic style. The exposition is dedicated to the history of the city's development and includes a collection of coins and other treasures.
- The Natural History Museum boasts nearly a million exhibits on the themes of mineralogy and paleontology.
- The Hunting Museum contains the trophies of the head of the court guard August von Spiss.
- Europe's oldest historic pharmacy building serves as the site for the Pharmacy Museum.
- The Brukenthal Library invites you to get acquainted with ancient manuscripts and early printed books.
The price of a single ticket to the Brukenthal museums is about 10 euros. Days off - Mon, Tue.
Merry cemetery
The small village of Sepintsa in the Maramures region in northern Romania became famous in a very unusual way. Its main attraction is the Merry Cemetery, which was turned by the local residents into an open-air museum. Its exhibits are multi-colored tombstones made in the artistic style of primitivism, or naive art. However, painters from Sepyntsy are hardly familiar with the basics of art history. Rather, they believe in the immortality of the soul and anticipate a better life after death for it.
Poenari
Towering over the canyon of the Arges River, Poenari Castle was built in the 13th century, and 200 years later it was thoroughly rebuilt by the same Vlad Tepes, who turned the fortress into one of his main residences. It is the researchers of the history of Transylvania who call it the real castle of Dracula.
You can get to the county (district) of Arges in the southern spurs of the Transylvanian Alps by renting a car. The Transfagaras motorway ends in the vicinity of the castle. The nearest large cities are Sibiu and Brasov, from where local taxi drivers will willingly take you to the castle.
Mogosoaya Palace
The palace and park ensemble 10 km from Bucharest is an excellent example of the style of architecture, which is called Brynkovyan. It combines the features of Venetian, Dalmatian and even Ottoman construction techniques.
The palace and park appeared at the end of the 17th century and belonged to a local noble family. Today, a museum is open on the territory of the complex, and the magnificent landscape style can please fans of hiking, picnics and outdoor photo sessions.
Fagarash
The Fagaras mountain range in the Southern Carpathians is home to the largest peaks in Romania. The record holder is Mount Moldovyanu, whose height is not high by Alpine standards - only 2544 m, but quite impressive by Carpathian standards. There are many hiking trails in the South Carpathians. This area is no less popular with fans of rock climbing.
How to get there: by a rented car along the Transfagarasi highway connecting Transylvania with Wallachia.
Monastery Moldovitsa
The small convent Moldovitsa in the north-east of Romania fascinates at first sight. The walls of the monastery outside and inside are painted with unique frescoes that have been preserved from the 16th century almost perfectly thanks to the care of novices.
There are eight similar churches in the region of Moldova, and all of them were built as tombs for members of princely families. Each temple has its own color scheme. In the monastery of Moldovice, yellow predominates in the frescoes.
Romanian National Museum of Art
The largest museum of fine arts in the country presents its collection in the building of the former royal palace on pl. Bucharest Revolution. The exposition is based on canvases collected by King Karol I. Among the most significant masterpieces are paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco and Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Fans of the Impressionists will be glad to see the masterpieces of Monet and Sisley, and Russian tourists will clearly note the beauty of paintings by Repin and Aivazovsky.
The price of a single ticket to all expositions of the museum is 11 euros, some halls can be visited for 3 euros. Days off - Mon, Tue.
Babele
Number seven haunts the compilers of all kinds of ratings, and Romania is no exception. What to see for lovers of unusual natural objects? One of the seven wonders is the rock formations Babe, or in Romanian "women". The huge mushroom-shaped stones were formed as a result of erosion and look very unusual and picturesque. Stone women are located in the Southern Carpathians in the Bucegi mountain range. Another local celebrity is a rock similar to the famous Egyptian Sphinx.
You can get to the plateau using the lifts from the village of Busteni or the city of Sinai. There is also a hiking trail for adrenaline lovers.
Danube Delta
The second largest river delta in Europe is listed by UNESCO in the famous lists of natural wonders. Most of it is located in Romania. and to look at the inhabitants of the unique biosphere reserve, thousands of tourists come to the country every year. Representatives of the Danube Delta fauna are the gray heron and the pink pelican, the mallard and the great grebe. Many inhabitants of the reserve are listed in the Red Book.
Romanian athenaeum
This is the name of the concert hall in the center of the capital, which serves as the main concert venue for the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra. The building itself is of considerable interest to fans of neoclassicism. It was built in 1888 with funds raised by local patrons and benefactors.
The interior of the athenaeum is decorated with a fresco by the Romanian painter Kostin Petrescu, which reflects the most significant moments in the history of the country.
The Philharmonic is closed on Mondays. Tickets for symphony concerts start at 10 euros.
