10 Great Reasons to Visit Romania

Why visit Romania? Well, to start, it’s an amazing country! But if you don’t want to just take my word that it’s a country well worth visiting, we’ve come up with 10 great reasons to visit Romania.

Romania is definitely an underrated country. It’s not as crowded as other places in Europe, or as expensive, but don’t let that deter you from visiting.

Romania is home to gorgeous scenery and medieval walled cities, UNESCO Heritage Sites and unique places that you will only find in Romania. It’s a country well worth visiting, especially now before the word gets out about how great of a place it is!

Here are 10 great reasons to visit Romania.

Medieval Towns

Although Transylvania is often synonymous with Dracula, It’s also home to many well-preserved medieval towns. Explore the medieval citadels and towers, walk along the old city walls and feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Walk through Catherine’s Gate in Braşov, explore the UNESCO-listed Citadel in Sighişoara or climb to the top of the Council Tower in Sibiu for a bird’s eye view of the largest and wealthiest medieval town in Romania.

Castles

Escape into a medieval fairy-tale and explore the castles of Romania. Romania may not be the country that comes to mind when you think of castles but there are actually several hundred castles within Romania! Some of these castles, such as Bran Castle, are more well-known than others but others such as Peleş Castle and Corvin Castle are just as impressive.

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains are the second longest mountain range in Europe and home to plenty of wildlife, including brown bears, wolves and lynxes. More than half of the Carpathian Mountains are in Romania, running through the center of the country and making Romania a nature lovers dream. In the summer, there are plenty of hiking opportunities with skiing popular in the winter, especially near Braşov.

Read more | What to Pack for a Visit to Romania

Danube Delta

The Danube Delta is formed by the Danube River, which is the ^2nd longest river in Europe, flowing through Romania into the Black Sea. It’s a bird-watchers paradise with over 300 species of birds living in its lakes and marshes. The Danube Delta was declared a World Biosphere Reserve and is the largest and best preserved delta in Europe.

Bucharest

Sometimes called “Little Paris”, Bucharest is a sight to see. While the capital city doesn’t have the same charm as Transylvania’s smaller medieval cities, Bucharest is more elegant, while still retaining some of its older architecture. You’ll find 18^th century churches hidden between more modern communist-style buildings (take a walking tour of Bucharest to find some of these hidden churches).  And of course, there’s the People’s House, currently the home of the parliament and the second-largest building in the world after the Pentagon.

Unusual Sights

Romania boasts some amazing natural scenery, but it’s also a country filled with some unusual man-made sights. From the wooden churches of the Maramureş to the painted monasteries of Bucovina, Romania has quite a few UNESCO Heritage sites that are well worth visiting. Then there’s the unique Merry Cemetery and the Transfǎgǎrǎşan Road, voted the World’s Best Driving Road by TV’s Top Gear, either of which you won’t find anywhere other than in Romania.

Rural Life

Outside of Bucharest and the other main cities in Romania, rural life is quiet and often not much different than it was in centuries past. Horse carts are a common sight to see on roadways alongside modern cars, and many villages still have a strong peasant culture. Visiting the Maramureş in Northern Romania gives a firsthand glimpse at traditional peasant culture, where hay stacks dominate the landscape and life is still lived as it has been for centuries.

Less Crowded

Another reason to visit Romania is the lack of other tourists! While Romania is part of the European Union, it’s one of the least visited countries in the EU. Don’t let the tourism numbers fool you though! Romania is well worth visiting and the smaller number of tourists just makes it all the more appealing, as you won’t have the crowds that you often find in other Western European countries.   

Friendly People

I can’t say enough about the Romanian people! They are warm, welcoming, and eager to share their hospitality and traditions with visitors. Many speak English but even if they don’t, most people will still try to help by using gestures or simply leading the way.  Our accommodation hosts in Cluj went out of their way to have several conversations with us, mostly using Google translate and even calling their son on the phone a few times to help explain things! The Romanian people are extremely friendly and helpful and certainly make your visit memorable.

Amazing Food

Romania has been influenced by many cultures throughout history. Their cuisine reflects this – you’ll find Turkish, Hungarian and German influences in their food. Typical foods include sarmale (cabbage rolls), mici (grilled minced meat sausages), covrigi (a hot pretzel) and ciorbǎ, which is a unique sour soup. And of course, there’s ţuicǎ, which Romanian plum brandy and found all over Romania, including small roadside fruit stands.

It’s Inexpensive

And last but not least, one of the best reasons to visit Romania is how inexpensive it is! Romania may be part of the EU, but they do not use the Euro as currency and prices are low compared to Western Europe. Accommodation, food, attractions and transportation are all very inexpensive. As with other countries, prices in the capital city will be higher than other areas but even in Bucharest, prices are still inexpensive when compared to other places in Europe.

Romania is one of the least expensive countries in Europe and not overrun with tourists, but this is starting to change! In the last few decades since the fall of communism, tourism has started developing and Romania is quickly catching up and becoming a popular tourist destinations. As word gets out about how fabulous Romania is, expect prices and popularity to rise. Get there while you can!!!

For more information and inspiration on Romania, be sure to check our other posts:

Romania definitely stole our hearts and we can’t wait to visit again! Hopefully these 10 reasons to visit Romania have inspired you to visit! We hope you love it as much as we did!