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WHY VISIT ROMANIA
A beautiful country where you can let the senses take control, Romania has, in addition to the charminglandscapes, very kind people.
Bucharest, the capital, suffered under the reign of Ceausescu: however, it has some interesting monuments to see including the Old Court Church, the George Enescu Museum, the Orthodox Church of the Strada Stavropoleos and the Cotroceni Palace. Due to its huge size, do not miss Parliament Palace and its three thousand rooms.
In Transylvania, visit the city of Brasov: A beautiful medieval city, it has a superb Gothic church. From here you can discover the famous “Dracula’s Castle” (Bran Castle) defended by the spectacular Rasnov fortress, then the peaceful city of Sighisoara with its many buildings full of history: The Clock Tower, the church of the Dominican monastery and the Hill Church are some great examples.
Leisure lovers should not miss the Black Sea coast, and make a stopover at Constanta, Romania’s main port, before going on to Mamaia, a beautiful golden beach.
To admire the birds, if you are a nature lover, the Danube Delta offers lakes, dunes, pink swells, and fishing villages that you can discover by boat.
The best period to visit Romania is from May to September.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
The climate is pretty crucial in deciding where and when to go to Romania. Winters can be fairly brutal – snow blankets much of the country, temperatures of minus fifteen to twenty degrees are not uncommon, and a strong, icy wind (the crivaţ) sweeps down from Russia.
Conditions improve with spring, bringing rain and wildflowers to the mountains and the softest of blue skies over Bucharest, and prompting the great migration of birds through the Delta. By May, the lowlands are warming up and you might well find strong sunshine on the coast before the season starts in July.
Although by far the hottest time of the year, summer or early autumn is the best time to visit Romania. It’s the perfect time to investigate Transylvania’s festivals and hiking trails (though brief but violent thunderstorms are common in the Carpathians during this period), and to see the painted monasteries of Bucovina, while flocks of birds again pass through the Delta towards the end of autumn.
Following a list of typical festival and celebrations of Romania
March
Sighisoara, Sighisoara Blues Festival (Festivalul de Blues Sighisoara) www.blues-festival.ro
April
Cluj. International Short Film Festival “ClujShorts” (Festivalul International de Film Scurt) www.ClujShorts.ro
Bucharest. Bucharest International Film Festival (Festivalul International de Film – Bucuresti) www.B-iff.ro
Bucharest. EuropaFest 2016 (Jazz, Blues, Pop and Classic meet in Bucharest!) www.JMEvents.ro
Bucharest. Bucharest International Jazz Competition (Festivalul International de Jazz Bucuresti) www.JazzCompetition.ro
Bucharest. Jeunesses International Piano Competition Dinu Lipatti (Festivalul International de Pian Dinu Lipatti) www.JMEvents.ro
Sibiu. Sibiu Jazz Festival (Festivalul International de Jazz – Sibiu 2016) www.SibiuJazz.ro
Sighisoara. International Vampire Film Festival (Festivalul International de Film Vampiric) www.ivfaf.com
Cluj. Transylvania International Film Festival (Festivalul International de Film Transilvania) www.tiff.ro/en
June
Cluj. Transylvania International Film Festival (Festivalul International de Film Transilvania) www.tiff.ro/en
Slobozia. International Folklore Festival ‘Wild Flowers of Baragan’ (Festivalul International de Folclor ‘Floare de pe Baragan’) www.FloareDePeBaragan.ro
Sibiu. Sibiu International Theater Festival (Festivalul International de Teatru) www.SibFest.ro
Sadu – Sibiu county. Traditional Music and Dance Festival “Sadule, Gradina Mandra” (Festivalul de folclor “Sadule Gradina Mandra”)
Sebesu de Jos – Sibiu county. Traditional Music and Dance Festival “Hora de la Rusca” (Festivalul de folclor “Hora de la Rusca”)
Boita – Sibiu county. Boita Annual Homecoming Festival (Country-Fair and Folklore Shows) (Zilele Culturale si Intalnirea Fiilor Satului)
Alba Iulia. International Romanian Blouse “Ia” Day (Ziua Mondiala a Iei – Sânzâienele)
Sirnea – Fundata (Bran). Shepherds’ Milk Fair – traditional event that reunites shepherds in Brasov county (Food and Folklore) (Festivalul Anual “Masuratul Laptelui”)
Oradea. Oradea Medieval Festival (Zilele Cetatii Oradea 2016) www.Oradea.Travel
Cisnadie – Sibiu county. Cisnadie Music Festival “Airfield” (Festivalul Airfield Cisnadie)
Rădăuţi – Suceava county. International Festival of Traditions and Folklore ”Arcanul” (Festivalul Internaţional de Folclor ”Arcanul”)
July
Gura Raului – Sibiu county. Traditional Music and Dance Festival “The Mountain Peony” (Festivalul de folclor “Bujorul de Munte”)
Sibiu. International Piano Festival “Carl Fieltsch” (Festivalul-Concurs Internațional de Interpretare Pianistică și Compoziție “Carl Fieltsch”)
Timisoara. International Folklore Festival “Festivalul Inimilor” (Festivalul International de Folclor ‘Festivalul Inimilor’)
Garana (Resita). Garana International Jazz Festival (Festivalul de Jazz Garana) www.garana-jazz.ro
Avrig – Sibiu county. Traditional Music and Dance Festival “Flowers of the Olt River” (Festivalul de folclor “Florile Oltului”)
Botinda – Banffy Castle – Cluj Napoca. Electric Castle Pop & Rock Music Festival Festival (Festivalul de muzica electronica “Electric Castle”) www.ElectricCastle.ro
Deva. Opera Nights at Magna Curia Palace (Festivalul Opera Nights – Deva) www.OperaNights.ro
Avram Iancu – Alba county. Maidens’ Fair, annual celebration of century-old matchmaking festival (Folklore) (Targul de Fete de pe Muntele Gaina)
Sibiu. ‘ARTmania’ Music Festival (Festivalul ARTmania 2016) ArtManiaFestival.ro
Jina – Sibiu county. Traditional Music and Dance Festival “Sus pe Muntele din Jina” (Festivalul de folclor “Sus pe Muntele din Jina”)
Mosna – Sibiu county. Cabbage Festival (Gastronomy) (Festivalul Verzei)
Fiser, Rupea, Saschiz, Viscri, Roades, Crit, Cloasterf – Transylvania. Oat Country “Haferland” Transylvanian Saxons Festival (Saptamana Haferland) www.Haferland.ro
Mesendorf – Transylvania. Oat Country “Haferland” Transylvanian Saxons Festival (Saptamana Haferland) www.Haferland.ro
Sapanta. The Long Road to the Merry Cemetery (Drumul lung spre cimitirul vesel) www.DrumulLung.ro
Gura Raului – Sibiu county. Gura Raului Music and Visual Arts Festival”GRAF – Art” (Festivalul de Muzica si Arte Vizuale “GRAF – Art”) www.Graf-Art.org
Regarding travel within the country, flights can be an affordable solution to go from the capital to major cities. Buses are also cheap but fairly inefficient. The train is probably the method of transport with the best quality/price ratio in Romania.
Ciorba tãrãneascã: vegetable soup with meat and rice balls served with sour cream.
Parjoale: flat meat patties, highly spiced, and served with garnishes.
Mamaliga: a staple of mashed cornmeal.
Nisetru la gratar: grilled Black Sea sturgeon.
Sarmale: stuffed cabbage rolls, also made from grape or dock leaves.
Ghiveci: vegetable stew or cooked vegetable salad.
Iahnie: a soft, dense paste of long-cooked beans with spices.
Fasole batută: mashed, boiled beans with spiced, pepper and garlic, served with diced and fried onions and tomato paste or sauce.
Slănina afumată: smoked bacon.
Caltaboș or chișcă: a cooked sausage made from minced pork organs and rice, stuffed in a pig’s casing.
Cârnați: a garlicky sausage.
Drob de miel: a lamb haggis made from minced organs wrapped in a caul and roasted like a meatloaf.
Musaca: an eggplant, potato, and meat pie.
Sarmale: minced meat with rice, wrapped in either pickled cabbage leaves or vine leaves.
Slănină: pork fat, often smoked.
Mosaic șnițel: two thin layers of different meats with a mushroom filling.
Tobă: pork sausage (usually pig’s stomach, stuffed with pork jelly, liver, and skin).
Varză călită: steamed cabbage with pork ribs, duck, or sausages.
Virșli: a type of sausage made from a mixture of goat or lamb with pork.
Amandine: chocolate sponge cake with almond and chocolate filling, glazed in chocolate.
Brânzoaice: soft cakes filled with sweet cheese.
Clătite: crêpes.
Cornulețe: pastries filled with Turkish delight, jam, chocolate, cinnamon sugar, walnuts, or raisins, with the shape representing a crescent.
Lapte de pasăre: vanilla custard garnished with “floating islands” of whipped egg whites.
Mucenici or sfințișori: sweet, 8-shaped pastries made from boiled or baked dough, garnished with walnuts, sugar, or honey.
Papanași: a kind of doughnut made from a mixture of sweet cheese, eggs, and semolina, boiled or fried and served with fruit syrup or jam and sour cream.
Pasca: a sweet cheesecake.
Tuicã: plum brandy.
Tuicã de Bihor: strong brandy, generally known as palinca.
