Radio România Internațional

Tag: tourism

  • Romania’s Tourism Fair, the spring edition

    Romania’s Tourism Fair, the spring edition

    The spring edition of the largest tourism fair staged
    in Romania brought together generous offers for various categories of tourists,
    whether they are into cultural or treatment tourism, or whether they ‘d rather
    go for rural or business tourism offers. Visitors had the opportunity to
    discover some of Romania’s most beautiful areas. Also , they found ready-made tourism
    packages for a holiday to remember, for extremely affordable prices.


    Dana Matic, of the Visit Mureș Association, told us
    she has been taking part, for many years now, in both editions of the fair, the
    spring and the autumn edition. Dana Matic:

    Mures County has quite a few treasures
    to offer, and, as of late, because of the pandemic, we have been focusing on natural
    assets, on outdoor activities. That is why we invite
    our tourists to discover the castles. They are our strongest point. They are
    the heritage of the Hungarian nobility of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. We recommend
    a three, four-day tour, so they can visit the castles but also the mansions.


    Petru Maran works for the Sighetu-Marmatiei tourism promotion
    and information Centre. He has invited us to discover Maramures.Petru Maran:

    Ours is a very generous offer, culture-wise,
    but also in terms of adventure tourism, and my job is to present the Sighetu
    Marmatiei municipal city from a tourism perspective. When it comes to cultural tourism,
    I recommend the Maramures Museum, with its sections. I recommend the Maramures
    Village Museum, the Ethnographic Museum of Maramures, the Elie
    Wiesel Memorial House. There is a very important museum we also have in Sighetu
    Marmatiei: The Communism Victims and Resistance Memorial. You’re sure to find out
    a lot about the communist repression in Romania and about the Sighetu Marmatiei
    prison. In the historical Maramures, I recommend that you visit the Merry Cemetery
    in Sapanta and the Peri Sapanta Monastery. We cannot ignore the narrow-gauge
    train on the Vaser Valley either.


    Anca Grădinariu is a representative of the Buzau Country Association,
    which was set up with a view to promoting one of Romania’s less well-known
    regions. The Association has been submitting documentation so that UNESCO may
    recognize the Buzau Country as a geopark. The first assessment has already been
    made, or at least that’s what we’ve been told, and we also found out the region
    would most likely be granted that status in May this year. Anca Gradinariu:


    We present the offers of the
    region. We have lots of leaflets for that. And joining us is the Buzau Country ‘s
    most distinguished representative, Amelia Papazissu, a
    living human treasure who can weave using the goat hair. We’ve got wines, then
    we also have the local craft beer. There are a great many magnificent areas in
    Buzau County, still unspoiled by mass tourism, with their prose and their cons.
    The region is wild and, if we reach a certain altitude, around the Mocearu Lake,
    we have the feeling we’re in Switzerland or Iceland, the quietness there is
    impressive, what with the extraordinary guest houses, with people who are
    cooking experts. The Lopatari Mocearu Lake is my favorite region.


    A lively and colorful stall was the one of Bukovina,
    represented by Catalina Velniciuc with the Suceava County Council.


    Bukovina came to the fair with Easter and
    summer offers, many of them from business operators in the tourism sector. Representing
    Bukovina at the fair are also Tara Dornelor Eco-tourism Association, Suceava Town
    Hall and a craftsman who makes egg-painting demonstrations. A three-night accommodation
    package, breakfast, dinner and SPA access included, in a four-star facility in
    Campulung Moldovenesc costs RON 2250 per person.


    The county of Dambovita is represented at the fair by
    Georgiana Ungureanu with the Curtea Domneasca Museum Compound in Targoviste.


    Georgiana Ungureanu:

    The Dambovita County Council,
    through the Curtea Domneasca Museum Compound in Targoviste, has come to the
    fair this year to present the 16 museums in our county. Nine of them are
    located in the county capital Targoviste. Among them is Curtea Domneasca, the Princely
    Court monumental ensemble and the Chindia Tower, which also venues the Museum
    of Printing and Old Romanian Book. As a novelty, we invite tourists to visit
    the Potlogi Ensemble built in the Brancoveanu style, which has been restored. Towards
    the mountains, in Vulcana-Pandele, there is the memorial house of artist Gabriel
    Popescu that is also worth visiting. The museum has a beautiful garden where
    tourists can take some time to relax.


    Szabó Károly is the executive director of the Harghita
    Intercommunity Development Agency:


    I came here with plenty of offers, from wellness
    and gastronomy to theme parks. I have brought the best our county has to offer.
    During the pandemic we launched an initiative called Family-Friendly Harghita.
    The county is an ideal place for families and we are now licensing tourist units
    in this respect. We so far have 86 such units, that include guest houses,
    restaurants, places to visit and services that meet our criteria. All these can
    also be found the Visit Harghita application.


    Florentina Gheorghita, the head of the Botosani Tourist
    Information Centre, has also told us about her offer:


    The town of Botosani stands out due to its
    historical center, known as the Little Leipzig. Many old buildings have been
    preserved and most of them have been restored. The church where national poet
    Mihai Eminescu was baptized as well as his birthplace are located in the city center.
    We now have a project under way aimed at bringing to light the legends of the
    old center. It is said that the whole town used to be crossed by tunnels and
    underground cells which connected all houses ever since the Tartar invasion.
    People used to hide in these cells. With the help of scanners we have found
    tunnels dug six and eight meters deep.

    (Translation by EN and E. Enache)

  • February 3, 2022 UPDATE

    February 3, 2022 UPDATE

    Covid-19Ro. Romania registered on Thursday over 32 thousand new Covid
    cases out of over 100,000 tests and 111 related deaths. Almost 1,000 Covid
    patients are in intensive care. The incidence rate in Bucharest passed 24 cases
    per one thousand inhabitants – the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.
    We recall that, on Tuesday, Romania exceeded the threshold of 40,000 new
    infections in 24 hours, out of 122 thousand tests performed. It is the absolute
    record since the beginning of the pandemic and more than double the peak of the
    previous wave. The government extended the state of alert by a further 30 days
    from Monday, 7 February.




    Troops. The
    United States has announced that it will send nearly 3,000 additional troops to
    Romania, Poland and Germany to protect Eastern Europe from a potential
    escalation of the crisis triggered by the massing of Russian troops near
    Ukraine. One thousand of them will come to Romania. The Pentagon has said these
    will be temporary missions, aimed to strengthen the European allies’ defence
    against the background of the tensions with Russia. Moscow has denied
    plans to invade Ukraine, but has said it is not willing to compromise and warns
    that it might take unspecified military action if its demands are not met. Such
    demands include NATO’s promise that Ukraine will never become a member of the
    alliance.




    Foreign affairs. France wants the expansion of
    the Schengen area during its current presidency of the EU Council, said the
    French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian after a
    meeting of the Bucharest Nine Format. He said Paris may deploy several hundred
    military to Romania as part of its defence and deterrence policy on NATO’s
    eastern flank. The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu hosted a round of
    talks of the states in the Bucharest Nine Format to discuss the security
    situation in the Ukraine and Black Sea neighbourhood. He said the current
    crisis is about the overall security of the Euro-Atlantic space, saying allied
    states must continue to coordinate with each other to find concrete measures to
    deescalate the situation. The meeting was also attended by the Ukrainian
    foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba. Talks
    looked at the latest developments in the eastern neighbourhood and the Black
    Sea region with an impact on overall Euro-Atlantic security. Also on Thursday,
    president Klaus Iohannis received the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
    He emphasised the importance placed by Romania on its strategic partnership
    with France, a relationship based on longstanding historical ties and cultural
    affinities, dynamic cooperation in many areas and common interests and
    objectives.






    Corruption. Radu
    Mazăre, the former mayor of the Black Sea port of Constanţa recived a final
    sentence from the High Court of Cassation and Justice to five years in prison
    for bribery and influence peddling in the so-called Polaris case. Initially, in
    March 2019, Mazăre received a sentence in the court of first instance of 9
    years and 10 months in prison, a sentence reduced on appeal by the Supreme
    Court to 5 years, after the judges acquitted the former mayor for some of the
    offences. In the same case, businessman Sorin Gabriel Strutinsky was sentenced
    to 5 years in prison for accessory to bribe taking. The former Social Democrat
    MP Eduard Stelian Martin, the owner of Polaris, was also acquitted. He had
    previously received a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence.






    Tourism.
    Tourist arrivals rose by more than 46% in 2021 compared with the previous year
    to reach 9.2 million, with Romanian tourists accounting for some 91% and
    foreign tourists for 9%, according to the National Institute for Statistics.
    European tourists accounted for some 74% of the total of foreign tourists, with
    almost 77% of them from the EU. The average stay in tourist facilities was 2.2
    days for both Romanian and foreign tourists. (CM)

  • Traveller’s Guide

    Traveller’s Guide

    2021 was another atypical year,
    with many restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and with tour operators
    trying to adjust their offers to meet health safety requirements. Under the
    circumstances, outdoor packages were in most demand, but there was also a
    growing interest in packages for traditional destinations and city-breaks.


    In our first show in 2021, we
    looked at one of the most ambitious tourist projects in Romania called Via
    Transilvanica. Still in progress, it involves the restoration of 1,200 km of road,
    from Putna, in the north of the country, to Drobeta Turnu Severin in the
    south-west, crossing all of Transylvania. The journey takes from several days
    to several weeks, and information is also available about places to eat and spend
    the night, as well as the history and culture of the various geographical areas
    visitors pass through.


    The show’s next stop was Buzău
    county, which is home to the spectacular muddy volcanoes and an amber museum established
    recently with European funding. From Buzău we travelled to Râșnov, in the heart
    of Romania. Surrounded by mountains, this was the first tourist town in the
    country to benefit from European funding for promotion back in 2009. A town
    with a rich history, Râșnov has a beautiful mediaeval fortress where many
    cultural events are held, but it is also popular with mountain enthusiasts, as
    many trekking routes begin here.


    The show next travelled south, to
    the Danube and Mehedinți county, which is the ideal destination for cave
    tourism, mountain climbing, rafting, horseback riding and cycling. And if you
    take the Orșova-Cazanele Mari route, you’ll be able to see some of the most
    breath-taking landscapes created by the river Danube, as well as many
    historical sites. Satu Mare county, in the north, is
    another equally interesting destination, with its Somes Valley being well known
    for its precious metal mining tradition. From here we went to the Roman castrum
    of Porolissum and the Grădina Zmeilor nature reserve, while sampling the local gastronomic
    offer in Sălaj county.



    When spring arrived, the show
    visited the spring edition of the Romanian Travel Fair, which was held
    exclusively online, but brought together lots of participants and interesting
    packages. The next destination was Transylvania, more precisely Harghita county,
    with its surprising landscapes and family friendly sites. South of Harghita, Prahova
    Valley is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Romania, with lots of
    opportunities for active tourism, as well as wine tasting events, not to
    mention rich in history and culture.


    In 2021, the show also discussed a
    transnational project funded with European Union money aimed to promote cycling
    along the river Danube and in which Romania is also involved alongside nine
    other Danube countries. The Danube Delta is another must on the list of places
    to see in Romania, with the nearby Dobrogea region being home to archaeological
    sites, beautiful river gorges and old monasteries, among others. From the Danube
    Delta Biosphere Reserve, the show then travelled to the Piatra Craiului
    mountain reserve, with its stunning mountain peaks. With tourists looking to spend
    more time outdoors because of the pandemic and social distancing, horseback
    riding became an increasingly popular activity. Romania has also embraced this
    trend and boasts many stables and horse riding schools located in the middle of
    nature, some close to nature reserves. One such reserve is in Apuseni
    Mountains, which are not the tallest of mountains, but are ideal for many different
    activities.



    With coronavirus restrictions easing
    over the summer, the show visited Vâlcea county, home to many monasteries and spas,
    and then the multicultural Timiș county, before travelling to the Black Sea coast.
    The fortified churches of Transylvania are another favourite destination for
    travellers to Romania, as is the mediaeval town of Sighișoara, which was added
    in 1999 on the UNESCO world heritage list.


    In this part of the world, grapes
    are picked in autumn, so as fall came, the show discussed the Romanian wine
    making industry, a sector that is not only very large and growing, but also
    increasingly recognised for the quality of the wines it produces. The show then
    travelled to Romania’s first urban nature park located just 5 km from the
    centre of Bucharest, the Văcărești Nature Park. The list of outdoor activities
    continued with a trip to Bucegi Mountains, followed by Hunedoara, with its
    gastronomic attractions such as bacon salami, truffle cheese, olive cheese and
    fruit spread. Towards the end of the year, the show visited two historical
    regions, Bukovina and Maramureș, rediscovering why they are in such demand for
    spending the winter holidays. In our last show in 2021, we talked about where
    visitors can spend New Year’s Eve in Romania. (CM)

  • Tourism and holidays in Romania

    Tourism and holidays in Romania

    For two years, the Romanian tourism industry has been operating with interruptions, and the efforts for recovery have been thwarted by the anti-Covid measures. Restrictions on leaving or entering the country, the obligatory quarantine upon reaching the destination or returning home, the introduction of “green certificates” and the facilities granted only to vaccinated people or the constant change of the traffic light system have generated a wave of travel cancellations, refunds and litigation.



    Due to restrictions, Romanians chose the tourist destinations of Romania. But in 2021, holiday vouchers were canceled, although they largely ensure the survival and development of the sector, which has lost more than 30% of its workforce in 18 months. Even so, last year, revenues increased compared to the first year of the pandemic, although they did not reach the level of 2019. On Easter and May 1, the number of tourists in Romania’s hotels and guesthouses was double compared to a normal year.



    Tourist destinations from all over the country were chosen, especially rural guesthouses, mountain and spa resorts, as well as the Danube Delta. The star of the summer season was, by far, the Black Sea Coast. On the New Years Eve, Romanians spent 45 million Euros on foreign destinations and 30 million Euros on domestic ones — show data from the National Association of Travel Agencies in Romania. “2022 New Years Eve celebrations do not compare with the last normal New Years Eve celebrations, in 2020, but considerable growth was reported as compared to the ones in 2021” – said Traian Bădulescu, the spokesman of the National Association of Travel Agencies in Romania.



    According to him, with the announced relaxation of restrictions on December 7, reservations for the New Year’s Eve across Romania increased by 30%. Among the Romanians’ favorite destinations abroad we can mention Egypt, Dubai, Zanzibar, the Dominican Republic, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Mexico and Costa Rica. It was obvious that people wanted to travel where there were less restrictions, especially to green destinations. Consequently, the Western European countries were less popular this time.



    For 2022, the new Liberal- Social Democratic coalition, which has been governing the country since the end of last year, decided to grant holiday vouchers again, as the employer’s associations forming the Alliance for Tourism even recommended a law on granting holiday vouchers for a period of at least 5 years.



    These days, the Romanian Association of Spas and Spa Resorts has proposed to the Executive to grant health vouchers for medical recovery in the 34 existing spa resorts nationwide. According to the president of the Association, Gheorghe Paciu, it would be very important that the medical recovery, so necessary in the current context of the pandemic, should be done in spas, and Romanians should use the national resources of recovery, the therapeutic, thermal waters and mud, which are famous internationally. (LS)

  • January 4, 2022

    January 4, 2022

    CORONAVIRUS — Almost 4,000 new infections with Covid-19 have been reported today in Romania, more than double Monday’s figure. Also, 52 related deaths have been reported, of which 5 from a previous date. Health Minister Alexandru Rafila says that the number of infections in this 5th wave of the pandemic is expected to be double the one in the 4th wave, when there were 400,000 confirmed cases. Since the onset of the pandemic, over 1,8 million people in Romania had the infection, and almost 60 thousand died. The country has the second lowest immunization rate in the EU, after Bulgaria. Less than 7.9 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated, which is little over 40% of the eligible population. About 2 million of them have also received the booster jab.



    ENERGY – Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca today held a working meeting with members of his cabinet and representatives of Transelectrica, Transgaz and Romgaz companies, to assess the stage of preparations for the winter season, from the perspective of the energy sector. According to the Government’s press office, the conclusion of the meeting was that the supply of electricity is ensured for essential services, household consumers and for other categories of consumers. Also, there are enough natural gas stocks to cover the demand.



    COLLECTIVE – The Bucharest Court of Appeal on Monday postponed by two months, until March the 3rd, the final ruling in the case of those guilty of the tragedy of October 30, 2015, in Bucharest, when 65 people died in the fire that broke out during a concert in the Collective Club. In December 2019, the Bucharest Tribunal, the first instance court, gave sentences of up to 13 years in prison and the payment of total damages of over 50 million lei (10 million euros) to the victims’ families.



    TOURISM – Romanian tourists have spent on the occasion of the New Year some 45 million euros on foreign travel destinations and 30 million euros on domestic destinations, according to a report of the National Travel Agencies’ Association. In Romania, the average stay was 2 to 3 nights and the tourists’ favourite destinations were the mountain resorts and the rural areas. The destinations preferred by travellers abroad were Egypt, Dubai, Zanzibar, the Dominican Republic, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Latin America. Around 10 thousand Romanians went on city-breaks to Europe, mostly to cities like Athens, Paris, Prague, Rome or Barcelona.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea has today qualified to the second round of Melbourne Summer Set 2 (WTA 250) after an easy win over Russian Varvara Graceva (6-0, 6-0). Also today, in the first round of Melbourne Summer Set 1, Romanian Jaqueline Cristian was defeated by Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (7), 6-2. The all Romanian team Simona Halep/Elena Gabriela Ruse lost in the first round of the women’s doubles at the Melbourne Summer Set 2, to the American-Czech pair Bernarda Pera/Katerina Siniakova, who are 2nd seeds, 6-2, 7-6 (2). In women’s singles, Ruse may be up against Simona Halep in the second round, if the latter gets past Australian Destanee Aiava. All these competitions are held ahead of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, due in Melbourne between January 17 and 30. (EE)


  • Discover Romania’s Hunedoara County

    Discover Romania’s Hunedoara County

    Discover Hunedoara! Millions of years of tales and legends.
    It is literally the urge of the local authorities for their prospective tourists.
    The Corvins’ Castle is one of south-eastern Europe’s most important Gothic art monuments.
    As for Bucura lake, it is arguably Romania’s largest glacier lake. Lying at altitude
    of more than 2,000 meters, the Bucura Lake is concealed between the Retezat
    massif ridges, in the Retezat National Park, a true realm of glacier lakes. These
    are just two of the tourist assets you shouldn’t miss if you happen to be in
    western Romania, in Hunedoara County. Our guide today is the head of the Monuments’
    management and tourism promotion Directorate, Radu Barb.

    Your journey may start in any part of the county you
    may be, yet, since the winter season is drawing near, we also have very important
    tourist resorts, such as Straja, where you can go skiing on some extraordinary
    slopes. The services are perfect to a fault. The tourist can find anything they
    want in Straja. Then I recommend Sarmizegetusa Regia. Here you can spend quite
    a few hours, with guides, along very important routes. It is Romania’s leading tourist asset, the Romanian
    people’s birthplace. The Costesti fortress is nearby. Then you can go to Orastie
    and in Hunedoara, for the famous Corvins’ Castle.


    Radu Barb also recommended that we have a stopover in the
    Gold museum in Brad. Founded in 1896, throughout the years Europe’s largest collection
    of native gold items has been growing in time, on the premises. The collection
    has more than 1,300 exhibits found in mines country and worldwide, most important
    of which are the native gold exhibits, originating in the Metaliferi Mountains.

    Radu Barb:


    The museum is one-of-a-kind in Europe.
    We have a special collection here. The museum is open to all visitors and is
    located in Brad municipal city. It can be rated as one of Europe’s most important
    museums of its kind. What we can see is an impressive collection of gold objects, mine
    flowers and tools miners used throughout the years. It is a collection
    illustrative for the county’s and Romania’s riches and it takes people around
    two hours to visit. From there, you can head for the area’s other points of interest,
    such as Tebea. Also, in Vata de Jos we have recently opened a new museum,
    themed the Apuseni Mountains’ heritage. It is an ethnographic exhibition where
    visitors can see for themselves what a traditional house looked like, from
    Zarand Country. We have authentic traditional apparel, household items, and all
    these can be found close to Brad. It is very important, that, when we visit the
    Hunedoara County, we outline the route, according to preferences.


    Built in the 14th century, the Hunyads’ Castle in
    Hunedoara is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval
    constructions of that kind. It has 42 rooms, two open space balconies and two
    attics. The access to the castle is made via a wooden bridge supported by four sturdy
    stone pillars.

    The head of the Monuments’ management and tourism
    promotion Directorate, Radu Barb:


    Before entering the
    castle, we should visit the museum of the castle. There are a couple of interesting
    points for which, if you don’t make your research before you start the journey,
    they can be missed out on, and that would be a pity. There are several small museums,
    there, located on the right-hand side of the castle, with very interesting
    exhibits. It is one of Romania’s most superb castles, it is very carefully
    preserved and very well managed. It has Iancu de Hunedoara at the centre. You
    can spend about four hours there, with guides to accompany you.


    Hunedoara was and still remains a place of the old-time
    traditions. In any corner of the county you may be, you ‘re sure to meet
    craftsmen and you can also taste the local dishes, prepared using old-time
    recipes.


    Radu Barb:

    We have several memorial houses. For instance,
    the Drăgan Muntean House, the house of a very popular traditional music
    vocalist. Traditions and customs are being preserved. There is also a festival
    themed Woodsmen pies, where a couple of thousand people gather each year, in July
    or August. Here, visitors can see several traditional peasant houses. In the Dragan Muntean
    House you can find traditional apparel, blowing instruments such as the flutes,
    as well as other traditional objects. Nearby the memorial house, there is a
    village that has a marble road. It is named Alun, and the scenery there is breath-taking.
    It is a typical destination for trekking aficionados. There are also
    gastronomical points, but for all that info, all you need to do is download Discover
    Hunedoara, from Google Play or Apple Store. The app
    enables us to see all the tourist assets around us, if we happen to be around.
    So we offer a virtual guide, available to everybody.


    Apart from the usual dishes, made of sorts of cheese and
    meat, in Hunedoara, you can also taste the ham salami, the pressed cheese with
    truffles or the fruit stew.


    Radu Barb:


    We also have an association of traditional
    and ecological food producers. In the village of Hărțăgani, for instance, there
    is a woman preparing a sort of pie known as varzare in Romanian,
    following a recipe from the days of yore. We promoted it on the county’s tourism
    promotion page, labelled Enjoy Hunedoara!, and the impact was very special. And here
    we can also mention the famous virsli of Brad. These are very special little
    sausages. We can also mention the rolled minced meat and cabbage leaves package.
    There is a wide variety of produce.


    So
    here we are, with a tourist destination for all ages and for all seasons.

    (Translation by Eugen Nasta)


  • An invitation to Gorj County

    An invitation to Gorj County

    Gorj County welcomes its visitors around the year, with adventure tourism, rural tourism, mountaineering, religious and cultural sites, and, during the winter, ski tracks. As the spokesperson for the Gorj County Council Oana Paloș told us, the first thing to know about Gorj County is that, while the county is rather small in terms of surface area, the tourist offer is as rich as it is diverse.



    Oana Paloş: “Tourists need not waste a lot of time moving from one point of interest to another. Apart from the already famous sites, which include the works of sculptor Constantin Brâncuși in Târgu Jiu, Tismana Monastery and the mountain resort of Rânca, on the Transalpina, the lower Jiu area at the feet of Parâng and Vulcan mountains offer tourists countless new things to discover, from tourist sites to outdoor activities. All you have to do as a tourist when you reach Gorj County is relax and go with the flow of the locals life, and take in the energy of this place. This will give you the holiday of your dreams.



    Gorj County has something for everybody, and it can cater to any tastes, says Oana Paloș, from the Gorj County Council.



    Oana Paloş: “If what you are looking for is a holiday in the countryside, to relax and taste traditional, home-made food, you can choose one of the many boarding houses at the feet of the mountains, coming from Vâlcea and Bucharest, in Polovragi, Baia de Fier, Mușetești. From here, you can go down towards the heart of the county, also in the mountains, in Runcu, on the Sohodol Gorges, in Peștișani, all the way up to the other side of the county, towards Mehedinți and Herculane, in Tismana and Padeș. First of all, these are places to relax in, to breathe in fresh air, to eat healthy food and to go trekking on blazed trails, be it winter or summer. Safety is always important, and the Gorj mountain rescue service and Gorj County Council are very active and easy to contact.



    If what you seek is an adrenaline-filled holiday, but one which does not require physical and technical training and is suitable for all ages, Gorj Countys qualified guides are waiting to offer you an unforgettable experience. The mounts of Vâlcan, Mehedinți and Godeanu, with heights up to 2,500 metres, are home to mountain climbing programmes, off-trail skiing and snow racket hiking. During the winter, the frozen waterfalls in Gorj County are an additional attraction to climbers.



    Oana Paloș: “I would also like to tell adrenaline seekers that adventure tourism is at home in Gorj County. We have a hillclimbing championship in Rânca, an off-road championship in Runcu, bike routes on the highest-altitude highway in Romania, the Transalpina, and huge, deep caves to explore.



    While in Gorj, you can also visit several Orthodox monasteries, some of them built hundreds of years ago. Polovragi Monastery is located in the east of the county, and its building started in 1505 and ended in 1700, under the rule of Constantin Brâncoveanu. Also worth mentioning is Tismana Monastery, whose construction works started in the 14th Century. The building stands out thanks to the colour of its walls, made using a recipe that has been lost over the years, but which is still known as “Tismana red. Oana Paloș, spokesperson with the Gorj County Council, tells us more:



    Oana Paloș:“Tourists would be well advised to carry their cameras with them, because the landscape and the views are truly fabulous. Especially now, in autumn, forests put up a breath-taking show. And they also enrich the experience provided by the adventure parks in Rânca, Mușetești, Drăguțești, designed for adults and children alike.



    If tourists are interested in staying in a hotel, the 3 and 4-star hotels in the region provide high-quality services, says Oana Paloș.



    Oana Paloș:“They can also get familiar with the urban vibe in Târgu Jiu, which hosts national music, theatre and literature festivals. For instance, the countrys biggest folk music festival takes place every year in Târgu Jiu, and we continued to organise it even during the pandemic. For those who want something different, we have the option of glamping, which is high-end, luxury camping amid wonderful landscapes. There are also holiday villages, in scenic locations, with 100% rustic-style wooden houses. Tourists may observe the local traditions and culinary customs passed down from one generation to the next. These are actually family businesses that help tourists spend their winter holidays in a genuinely Romanian way, with people going carolling and nobody staying alone. Very old holiday traditions can be seen here, which are preserved in few other places in the country. As for the tourism infrastructure, we are improving it by the year, and new offers appear every day, especially in the entrepreneurial field. I should say the hospitality industry fits the Gorj locals like a glove.



    Gorj County is also the birthplace of the celebrated sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, whose works had a major impact on modern art. The town of Târgu Jiu is home to some of his monumental pieces, such as the Endless Column, the Gate of the Kiss, and the Table of Silence. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Le parc national de Piatra Craiului

    Le parc national de Piatra Craiului

    C’est là que se trouve le Parc national du
    même nom et qui, d’un point de vue administratif, s’étend sur les départements
    de Brașov et d’Argeș. Les bases de cette réserve naturelle ont été jetées en
    1938. Les visiteurs y découvrent aujourd’hui une multitude d’itinéraires
    touristiques et d’attractions naturelles mises en valeur par l’administration
    du parc.








    Située au centre de la Roumanie, à seulement
    25 km de la ville de Braşov, cette zone montagneuse est très facile d’accès,
    explique Mircea Vergheleț, directeur de l’administration du Parc national de
    Piatra Craiului: « Le point d’entrée principal, c’est la ville de Zărnești,
    sise au nord. Au sud, la moitié du parc s’étale dans le comté d’Argeș, les
    principales portes d’entrée étant les localités de Rucăr et de Dâmbovicioara.
    Le paysage est vraiment impressionnant, car c’est la seule zone calcaire du
    pays à atteindre plus de 2000 mètres d’altitude. Il y a plusieurs zones
    d’intérêt, dont le versant occidental, que les touristes allemands désignent
    par le mot Westwand. Il s’agit d’une paroi verticale qui peut
    atteindre 500 à 600 mètres d’altitude, à certains endroits. C’est une
    caractéristique du relief calcaire. Ce qui fait la particularité de Piatra
    Craiului, ce sont les couches calcaires. Formées sur les fonds marins, elles
    ont normalement une position horizontale, mais là, en raison des mouvements
    tectoniques, elles se présentent en position presque verticale. Tout cela pour
    dire qu’ici le relief est beaucoup plus spectaculaire que nulle part ailleurs
    dans le pays. »








    Le Parc national de Piatra Craiului compte
    actuellement 44 itinéraires balisés et homologués, ainsi que 11 sentiers de VTT
    conçus par l’administration du parc. Notre interlocuteur, Mircea Vergheleț, détaille
    : « Nous avons réussi, par le biais d’un projet, à placer des panneaux
    d’information, mais aussi beaucoup de poteaux indicateurs et de flèches
    signalétiques pour aider ceux qui empruntent ces trajets. Les itinéraires, on
    les retrouve aussi sur notre site Internet. Ce parc national abrite des espèces
    animales et des habitats importants. Il y a tout d’abord une grande population
    de grands carnivores : loup, ours et lynx. Ceux-ci peuplent la plupart des
    régions des Carpates roumaines. Les touristes sont surtout attirés par les
    chamois. Comme depuis une vingtaine d’années la chasse est interdite à Piatra
    Craiului, les chamois ne craignent plus l’homme. Ils se laissent prendre en
    photo à 4-5 mètres de distance, pour le grand bonheur des touristes. »









    Il faut savoir que le massif de Piatra
    Craiului est l’une des montagnes les plus difficiles. Comme les pentes sont
    très raides et qu’il y a des zones entières couvertes d’éboulis, les touristes
    doivent se munir d’un équipement adéquat. En plus, il faut emporter
    suffisamment d’eau, car celle-ci manque complètement dans les zones alpines et
    subalpines. Dernier détail important, il ne faut jamais quitter les sentiers
    balisés. Selon les données recueillies par les sauveteurs en montagne et
    l’administration du parc, la plupart des accidents surviennent lorsque les
    touristes s’en éloignent.








    Mircea Vergheleț, directeur de
    l’administration du Parc national de Piatra Craiului, précise : « Nous
    avons huit refuges de montagne, dont trois sont situés sur la crête : Vârful
    Ascuțit, Șaua Grindului et Șaua Funduri, sur le versant sud. Les autres refuges
    se trouvent à moindre altitude, en certains points clés, très importants pour
    la survie des touristes en cas de danger. On parle de survie en hiver,
    lorsqu’il y a des tempêtes de neige. En été, le danger guette les touristes qui
    ne font pas attention à la longueur du trajet et au dosage de l’effort. Sur la
    crête, vous risquez d’être pris au dépourvu par un orage. D’où l’importance de
    ces abris, que nous nous chargeons d’entretenir. Pour ce faire, nous collaborons
    surtout avec les sauveteurs alpins de Zărnești, qui nous aident aussi à
    aménager les haltes en montagne, à réaliser le re balisage des itinéraires,
    ainsi qu’à maintenir en bon état la signalétique que nous fabriquons avec les
    rangers. »









    Normalement, toute visite du Parc national de
    Piatra Craiului doit commencer au Centre d’accueil. Pour le moment, il est
    fermé au public en raison de la pandémie, mais il est fort possible que l’accès
    soit autorisé pendant la saison estivale.








    Mircea Vergheleț explique : « Le
    Centre d’accueil est situé à environ 1 km de la sortie de Zărnești, en
    direction de Plaiul Foii. Il comporte pratiquement un itinéraire virtuel qui
    vous fait faire le tour du Parc national de Piatra Craiului à l’aide
    d’expériences sensorielles, d’images et de sons. Nous avons également une
    maquette de la montagne sur laquelle sont projetées différentes images que
    l’utilisateur peut modifier. Une autre attraction, c’est le bac à sable à
    réalité virtuelle, grâce auquel les enfants peuvent facilement comprendre les
    représentations des formes géographiques sur une carte. Le centre est fermé
    pour l’instant, en raison des règles imposées pour lutter contre la pandémie.
    Nous espérons pouvoir le rouvrir lorsque cette vague de Covid-19 sera passée.
    Les horaires sont affichés sur le site Internet de notre centre,     www.pcrai.ro. Nous
    demandons aux visiteurs de le consulter au préalable. Piatra Craiului est un
    endroit idéal pour passer une journée ou plusieurs. L’occasion de profiter de
    paysages à couper le souffle, de découvrir la nature sauvage. Je pense que
    c’est un bon moment pour visiter Piatra Craiului, surtout en cette période où
    les attractions touristiques de Roumanie sont beaucoup plus recherchées
    qu’avant. »









    Pour profiter de cette expérience, l’idéal
    serait de séjourner dans l’une des nombreuses maisons d’hôtes de la région. Là,
    on vous fera découvrir la cuisine du terroir et vous fournira des suggestions
    d’itinéraires.

  • August 2, 2021 UPDATE

    August 2, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19. The
    number of new Covid-19 cases in Romania is growing. Last week, the total number
    of infections was almost two thirds higher than in the previous week. On Monday,
    137 new cases were reported from 12,600 tests. The number of coronavirus
    patients in hospitals stays at over 400, with the number of patients in intensive
    care also slightly on the rise in recent days. Five new COVID-related deaths were
    also reported. In spite of the warnings regarding an imminent new wave of
    infections, the vaccination rate dropped slightly last week. Romania has only
    now managed to get 5 million people vaccinated, a target originally set for
    early June.




    Attack. Romania
    firmly condemns and describes as utterly unacceptable last Thursday’s drone
    attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker off the coast of Oman, which killed 2
    people, including the ship’s Romanian captain, the foreign ministry says in a
    news release. According to the ministry, in light of information presented by
    Romania’s international partners indicating that the attack was deliberate and
    was coordinated from Iran, Romania is requesting the Iranian authorities to
    provide explanations regarding the incident. Iran’s ambassador to Bucharest was
    invited at the ministry to this end. Meanwhile, the US and UK announced they
    were joining Israel and preparing a quick and coordinated response. Britain
    also summoned Iran’s ambassador in London to the Foreign Office. Tehran however denies the
    accusations, which it dismisses as ungrounded.






    Roma Holocaust. The 2nd
    of August is Roma Holocaust Memorial Day in Romania, marked since 2020. The
    Romanian Foreign Ministry pays tribute to the Roma Holocaust victims and
    emphasises that the suffering of the Roma in Nazi concentration camps during WWII
    was for a long time unknown to the general public, which helped propagate
    prejudice against this community. According to the final report of the
    International Committee Studying the Holocaust in Romania, around 11,000 Roma
    ethnics died, out of the nearly 25,000 deported in Transdniester, a
    Russian-speaking breakaway region in today’s Republic of Moldova. Also, on 2
    August 1944, around 3,000 Roma were killed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. A
    total of 500,000 ethnic Roma were killed in Europe during the Holocaust.




    Tourism. Romania saw 805,000 tourist arrivals in June 2021, up 141% compared to
    June last year, with foreign visitors accounting for 8.7% of that number. According to the National Institute for Statistics 81% of the foreign tourists
    who visited Romania were from Europe, the majority of whom (71%) from the
    European Union. The average stay in the first six months of the year was 2-3
    days in the case of foreign visitors.






    Olympics. The Romanian
    rowers Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi on Monday qualified into the
    semi-finals of the men’s canoe double 1,000 m at the Tokyo Olympics, after
    coming in third in the quarter-finals. Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi won
    the bronze medal at this year’s European Championships in Poznan, while
    Mihalachi also won two 2 world championship titles in this event in 2010 and 2014. In
    the history of Olympic Games,
    Romania has 34 kayaking and canoeing medals, including 10 gold, 10 silver and
    14 bronze. However, the last time a Romanian rower won an Olympic medal was 21
    years ago at the Sydney Games. (CM)

  • July 11, 2021 UPDATE

    July 11, 2021 UPDATE

    Pandemic Romania. Romania recorded today 26 new Covid cases from
    18,000 tests and one new death, while 56 Covid patients are still in intensive
    care. The Romanian government extended the state of alert nationwide for a
    further 30 days from 12th July. The coordinator of the mass
    vaccination campaign, dr. Valeriu
    Gheorghiţă warned that Romania may see an increase in the number of new Covid
    cases from the middle of next month driven by the spread of the Delta variant.
    More than 4.8 million people have received the Covid jab in Romania since the
    start of the vaccine roll-out in late December, with more than 4.6 million
    being fully vaccinated.






    Pandemic world.
    Great Britain recorded over 32,000 new Covid cases on Saturday, while Italy hit
    1,400 new daily cases. Russia also reported 25,000 new cases and 750 fatalities,
    the highest death toll since the start of the pandemic. The Netherlands decided to toughen
    measures to contain the spread of the virus as the number of daily cases grew
    14 times compared with last week, from 500 to 7,000 cases. All night clubs,
    bars and night-time music events are banned for the next five weeks. In Paris,
    the government is looking for ways to step up vaccination amid fears of the
    spread of the Delta variant, which is creating problems in neighbouring
    countries. Unvaccinated travellers to Great Britain from France are asked to self-isolate
    for seven days, just like those arriving from countries in Asia and Latin
    America. Worldwide, Covid cases passed 187 million, while at least 4 million
    people have died, according to wordlmeters.info.
    The US, India and Brazil have the highest death tolls.




    EU. Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu is attending on Monday in Brussels a
    meeting of EU foreign ministers focusing on the geopolitical aspects of the new
    digital technologies, the EU’s Strategic Compass, a reflection process aiming
    to define the EU’s role as a relevant player in the area of security and
    defence, the situation in Ethiopia and the recent developments in Afghanistan
    and Lebanon. According to a statement from the Romanian foreign ministry,
    Aurescu is also expected to present the results and conclusions of a recent
    South Caucasus tour undertaken together with his counterparts from Austria and
    Lithuania.




    Tourism. Over
    100,000 people visited the Romanian Black Sea coast this weekend. Following an
    easing of Covid restrictions and lower new cases, many Romanians are choosing
    local destinations for their seaside holidays. The most popular resorts are
    Mamaia, Costinești and Vama Veche. According
    to the Federation of Employers in Romanian Tourism, the average occupancy rate
    this weekend in classified accommodation facilities is 75%. Despite an expected
    rise in prices as the peak of the tourist season is nearing, the number of
    tourists is expected to grow.




    Cannes Festival. A number of
    Romanian productions are in competition in the 74th edition of the
    Cannes Festival, which is taking place between 6th and 17th
    July. Andreea
    Cristina Borțun’s short film When Night Meets Dawn and Radu Muntean’s
    Intregalde are shown in the Directors’ Fortnight section dedicated to new
    voices; Carina Dașoveanu’s Love Stories on the Move is shown in the Cinéfondation
    section founded in 1998 and aimed at supporting young directors and producers;
    and a collection of ten Romanian short films and ten feature films is screened in
    the Critics’ Week section, whose president this year is Romanian film maker
    Cristian Mungiu, a former winner of the Cannes trophy.




    Tennis. Romanian tennis player Elena Gabriela Ruse
    won her first WTA title on Sunday, in Hamburg, when she defeated Germany’s Andrea
    Petkovic in the final in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. In the semis, Ruse defeated
    first seed Dayana Yastremska of
    Ukraine. (CM)

  • Tourist attractions in Harghita County

    Tourist attractions in Harghita County

    Harghita is a destination with surprising landscapes and unusual tourist attractions, especially recommended to families with children. We will be talking with Károly Szabó, executive director of the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, about the Red Lake, one of the most beautiful in Romania, the Praid salt mine, and countless historical sites, all of which make for a delightful destination for either a complete holiday or just a weekend retreat.



    Károly Szabó: “Harghita County is a mountainous region with breath-taking landscapes spreading 6,600 square km. Both the scenery and the tourist attractions here are unique in Europe: St. Ann Lake or the Praid Salt Mine, or the equally famous Red Lake, Bicaz Gorges, Tușnad and Borsec spa resorts, or the Corund pottery. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit these established tourist sites every year. But there are also less well-known places that have been growing quite beautifully in recent years, such as Toplița, Zetea and Ordoheiu Secuiesc.



    The spa resort of Tușnad is dubbed “Little Switzerland. Mineral-rich hot springs, the climate and the scenic views are just some of the elements that blend in effective therapeutic programmes for heart conditions, digestive and locomotory problems and endocrine disorders. Here is Attila Pilbath, manager of the Băile Tușnad eco-tourism destination, with more details:



    Attila Pilbath: “What I recommend here first and foremost is the landscape and the protected areas, which are the very reason we decided to have Tuşnad certified as an eco-tourism destination. St. Ann Lake is the only volcanic crater lake in south-east Europe. There are countless accommodation and leisure options here, from the outdoor pool up to international standards to the Tinovul Mohoș nature reserve, from insectivorous plant species that only grow here to the large number of bears that can be watched safely from special observation spots.



    The Tușnad ski slope is a relatively recent addition to the list; it is 500 m long, equipped with snow cannons and ski lift, and is recommended for beginners.



    Our trip around Harghita County continues, with our guide Károly Szabó, executive director of the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association:



    Károly Szabó: “Praid salt mine receives over 5-600,000 tourists a year. Imagine an underground cathedral, several hundreds of square km large and 100 m high, where everything from the walls to the ceiling is carved in salt. And in contrast, the Bicaz Gorges and Red Lake offer amazing views, with fast flowing rivers that cross through the mountains. Harghitas population is 82% Hungarian, which makes it a unique place in Romania in terms of traditional customs, cuisine and costumes. The Dârjiu fortified church is a UNESCO-listed site. In turn, Șumuleu Ciuc is very important in religious terms, more than 300,000 and Pope Francis made a point of visiting it in 2019. These are just some of the reasons why the 600 certified accommodation facilities in the region are sometimes not enough to accommodate tourists in high season.



    Those who seek excitement and adventure can try the 2 summer bobsleigh installations, one in Borsec and the other one in Lunca de Sus. This and many other attractions are featured in a mobile app and on a website called “Visit Harghita.



    Károly Szabó: “The brand we are using to promote the region is “Visit Harghita. Our website visitharghita.com lists all the places we believe worth visiting, and also a large number of traditional craftsmen such as pottery makers and blacksmiths. We also recommend here dishes that are only cooked in Harghita, such as the “Kurtos Kalacs, a special kind of cake that has become a worldwide known brand. Harghita County is a quiet region, which is particularly attractive for families, but it also takes pride in large-scale events, such as Tusványos Festival, which has tens of thousands of participants.



    The Harghita Intercommunity Development Association is founded by local communities, and is working on a lot of projects:



    Károly Szabó: “As many as 45 town halls and local authorities are affiliated to our association, and all of them support tourism. In spite of this atypical period we have been through, we launched an initiative called “family friendly, under which we have certified 52 accommodation units and restaurants as being suitable for families. Another project we are working on is the 1,400-km long pilgrim route Via Maria, which starts from Austria and reaches Șumuleu Ciuc, and which we are planning to extend. We also started working with local guides, who had a difficult year in 2020. Our website visitharghita.com now includes as many as 96 programmes offered by local guides, with photos, prices, and phone numbers, so there is plenty to choose from.



    That was Károly Szabó, executive director of the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, wrapping up this weeks instalment of Travellers Guide. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Romania’s Tourism Fair

    Romania’s Tourism Fair

    The spring edition of Romania’s Tourism Fair was held
    over February 18 and February 21. It was a special edition, held exclusively
    online, enabling exhibitors to display their holiday offers for the most
    attractive domestic destinations. Also, online visitors of the fair had the
    opportunity to compare accommodation and transport fees straight on the
    platform, which also included gadget offers and holiday accessories.


    Delia Botan is Romexpo marketing manager. She gave
    us details about the success of Romania’s Tourism Fair’s first online edition.


    Delia Botan:


    The Romanians have a tremendous urge to explore the
    world, and that was obvious at the virtual version of Romania’s Tourism Fair.
    Ten thousand people registered for this edition and made roughly 32,000 visits
    on the platform, for the four days of the fair. The exhibitors’ offer was
    extremely generous for the visitors of our platform. All in all, promoted as
    part of this virtual edition were Romania’s most beautiful touristic areas, which
    were represented, as usual, by county councils and municipalities. Practically,
    we could say our visitors had their fair share of the most comprehensive
    digital experience in the field of tourism, being a couple of clicks away from
    purchasing their much-desired holiday, at once enjoying the leisure of their
    own home.


    The Descoperimromania.ro platform was one of the
    exhibitors. The platform presented the most beautiful and the most attractive
    destinations. With details on that, here is project manager Alina Rosoiu who
    also disclosed virtual visitors’ areas of interest.


    Alina Rosoiu:


    Tourists are interested in Romania, in traditions, in
    special accommodation units with a limited number of rooms. This year,
    tourists’ interest in hotel compounds has been on the wane. Extremely sought-after
    are the little guesthouses and agro guesthouses. We have a special interest in the
    Danube Delta, in the Romanian Black Sea coast, in Maramures and, last but not
    the least, in Bukovina. We have very good offers for tourists. For instance,
    Easter Holiday packages start from 200 Euros, for a stay in the Danube Delta, and
    from 150 Euros for a stay in the Danube Gorges. The pandemic, which is still
    ongoing, may scare us, yet we need to know Romania is a safe destination. We do
    our best for our guests’ safety. We’re waiting for you and we comply with all
    the sanitary safety standards in place. We’re in the middle of nature, so there
    is a minimum amount of risk. Accommodation units abide by the sanitary
    protection requirements, so it should be no problem for you to visit Romania.


    One of the most sought-after destinations at the fair
    was Maramures, as expected. Maramures
    County Council’s head of the Public Relations Department, Laura Danci, gave us
    the details on that.


    Laura Danci:


    The stand of Maramures this year was not as lively as
    it was in the previous years, sadly, because of the pandemic. We were present
    only through an online platform, yet we did have a couple of offers and we also
    came up with a new site, Visit Maramures. The offer we have come up with at the
    Tourism Fair was labelled ‘Twelve reasons to visit Maramures’ while on our new
    site, Visit Maramures, we have covered just about everything Maramures had to
    offer to tourists, from gastronomy, traditional craftsmen to cultural tourist
    routes, to landscape. In the previous years we also launched an application for
    mobile devices, Visit Maramures, where we made available all tourism
    information centers, all the guesthouses. Yet we thought that a website will be
    a lot easier to access by everybody. We took part in the fair, and the feedback
    we got was quite good. We had very many visitors, even online. Hundreds of visitors
    asked us what they could visit in Maramures and what a surprise we had, in
    three days alone, the site had 2,047 views.


    Carmen Păun is Head of the Marketing and PR Office
    of Oltenia’s Museum in Craiova, Ms Paun invites us to take a cultural trip to
    southern Romania.


    Carmen Paun:


    It has been a privilege for us, as a cultural
    institution, to receive an invitation from Romania’s Tourism Fair, the virtual
    edition, 2021. Our products have met the demands of our public, whose interest
    in digital consumption is growing: information, education, entertainment. Our
    offer entirely focused on these three components. We started off from the idea
    that the scope of a museum and its cultural products needs to go beyond the
    physical confines. So we created cultural products meant to draw the public
    especially through visual impact and then through the information we offer.


    The Museum of Oltenia is an institution which is more
    than 105 years old, it is a cultural landmark for the area of Oltenia, having a
    regional importance.


    Carmen Paun:


    It manages an impressive heritage, of which 570 items
    have been included in the treasure category. We do our job in four separate
    buildings, right at the heart of Craiova, always awaiting our visitors with our
    12 essential permanent exhibitions of three sections that we have. Also, we
    have three interactive areas and two modern conference rooms. So what we got is
    a huge potential Oltenia’s cultural sector in Craiova offers to the public. As
    of late we have also promoted educational programs. We have digitalized the
    content of our exhibitions extensively.




    Thanks to the local administration, since 2016, Dolj
    County has had a cultural-artistic route, labelled Dolj history and
    traditions, with five major assets: the Bania House, the history and
    archaeology section, and two semi-fortified buildings, cule, in
    Romanian, located in the commune of Brabova. For the refurbishment of the two cule
    alone, more than one million Euros has been invested .


    We have also reached Transylvania and we spoke to
    Sturza Ileana, with the Zlatna Tourism Promotion and Information Center.


    Sturza Ileana:


    Our virtual
    tourism information and promotion stand covered the accommodation units in the
    region, natural tourist assets, the anthropic ones, the region’s specific
    traditions and the tourist routes. For lovers of nature, we have two, maybe
    three-hour routes, but also routes lasting 13 to 14 hours or even a couple of
    days. I should also like to mention the natural assets, the limestone blocks in
    Valea Mica, the Fenes Gorges, the Bulbuci Rock. For those who are into climbing
    and sports climbing, the Fenes Gorges and the Bulbuci Rock are the perfect
    destination. We have received collaboration offers from travel agents, from
    other tourism operators and I think we have made ourselves more visible that
    before. I can infer that from the great number of viewers we had.


    Access was free of charge to the virtual edition of
    Romania’s Tourism Fair. The virtual stands could be accessed from anywhere,
    while special offers were found very quickly, thanks to the intelligent
    filtering system.



  • Bărăgan 3D

    Bărăgan 3D

    A new virtual project was launched in
    November in Romania: the first travel guide dedicated exclusively to Bărăgan, a
    region in the south-eastern part of the country. The guide is called Itinerama -
    Explorer in Bărăgan and provides visitors with a comprehensive list of material
    and intangible heritage sites from the area. The platform also contains the
    first audio guide of the region, the first 3D museum of Bărăgan and special
    sections dedicated to the music conductor Ionel Perlea and the sculptor Nicăpetre,
    who hail from this area.




    Cristian Curuș, who is the manager of
    the project, said 100 different sites with tourist potential were identified in
    the first stage:




    Some of these sites are already used
    as tourist attractions, such as the museums and the archaeological sites that
    can be visited for a very modest fee. There are, however, many other places
    that are not on the tourist map. Some of these places are considered heritage
    and are on the list of protected monuments, but are not open to visitors, such
    as manor houses, churches and even archaeological sites to which visitors don’t
    have access. For example, tourists haven’t had access to the site in Popina Bordușani, in Ialomița county, for
    the last two years, but thanks to this project, we’re trying to organise together
    with the Ialomița County Museum a series of guided tours for visitors. The Bărăganguide
    proposes four itineraries: the upper Bărăgan region, with the most important
    sites in Călărași and Ialomița counties; Bărăgan from south to north, with a series
    of potential tourist sites along Danube river on the stretch between Călărași and
    Brăila, a tour of manor houses and a tour of the churches. Visitors can organise
    these trips on their own. The project’s website, itinerama.ro, will be providing
    interactive maps showing the distance in km between various sites, the time it
    takes to get there, etc, so tourists can create their own itinerary.




    Adriana
    Lucaciu is one of the photographers who worked on the project to create an
    online tourist guide of Bărăgan. She told us what the experience was like for
    her:




    We took
    photos of many manor houses which are unfortunately abandoned and not in very good
    shape from a conservation point of view, we also took photos of the Popina
    Bordușani protected area, which is very little known despite being a beautiful
    place. We also took photos of many road side crosses from the 1800s, some of which
    are located where you might least expect them, in the middle of fields, and decorated
    with all kinds of carved symbols about which visitors can find out more from
    the Agriculture Museum in Slobozia.




    Adriana
    Lucaciu now tells us more about the Agriculture Museum in Slobozia, which she
    says is a very nice place to visit:




    The Agriculture
    Museum in Slobozia is very pleasantly built. It has an area with workshops as
    they used to look like in the old time. Visitors can walk down the corridor and,
    on either side, see rooms recreating different workshops, an ironsmith’s or a
    baker’s, as well as an old school classroom with wooden benches and old
    manuals, and an old kitchen. The museum also has a collection of stone crosses from
    the village of Poiana, which were brought over after the local cemetery was dismantled.
    The crosses date back from the 1800s. There are explanations for visitors
    containing translations of their inscriptions and the interpretation of the
    symbols.




    Photographer
    Adriana Lucaciu says there are a lot of unusual sites in the region:




    Looking
    at a list of heritage sites, we came across a mention about a so-called cursed
    cemetery in Lehliu. So, we started to look for it, but no precise location was
    mentioned. When we arrived on Lehliu, we started to ask the locals about the
    cemetery but all we got in response were funny looks. Eventually, we met a
    young man who remembered that there was an abandoned cemetery in the village
    but didn’t know exactly where, only pointed in the direction of a street. We walked
    up and down that street and then a nice old man came out of his house and we
    asked him about the cemetery he said it had been abandoned before he was born. He
    pointed at some trees in the distance and said that if we go past those trees and
    venture into the wasteland behind, we’d be sure to find the crosses. That’s exactly
    what happened and I can’t tell you how we felt when we saw the stone crosses,
    some still standing, some fallen to the ground, taken over by the vegetation on
    the bank of the river.




    Itinerama – Explorer in Bărăgan, the
    project to map out the tourist attractions in this south-eastern Romanian
    region, is carried out with the support of the Administration of the National
    Cultural Fund, the National Institute for Heritage and the museums in the Bărăgan
    area.

  • The Retezat-Hateg Country

    The Retezat-Hateg Country

    The
    Retezat – Hateg Country lies in Transylvania’s south-eastern part. It includes
    three of Romania’s historical areas, Banat, Transylvania and Oltenia. The
    region is home to a rich historical past: caves, with evidence of human
    presence dating from the Paleolithic age, ruins dating from the Dacian-Roman
    times, small medieval citadels and towers, old churches, but also houses or
    small houses, residential areas of local noble families. Anca Rusu is the
    manager of the Retezat – Hateg Country tourism
    destination. She told us our destination today was one of Transylvania’s most
    beautiful regions.

    Anca Rusu:


    It’s the foreign tourists who have become extremely familiar with the
    notion of Transylvania. Considering
    the experience we had at the international fairs we participated in, we found
    out tourists do not have that many data when we speak about Romania, but when
    we say Transylvania – the region between the mountains, on the map, they can
    immediately point to our thereabouts as well. A trip to the Retezat – Hateg
    Country is a journey in time. On a rather small territory, they can find a world
    that had disappeared 70 millions of years ago, they can face real-size
    dinosaurs, can explore volcanoes and traces of long-lost seas. As for the
    recent times, they can see mountain-scapes, lakes and carnivorous plants, all
    remains of the Ice Age, 10,000 – 12,000 years ago. They can enjoy the traces ancient
    Romans left in Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana, but also the worship sites of early
    Christianity in Romania, such as the church in Densus. Also speaking about the
    region, we just cannot ignore the traditional food prepared by the locals. We
    recommend the famous Salaj sausages, ‘virsli’ in the local idiom, and, in a bid
    to round off the experience, they can also try the ‘vinars’ which is a glass of
    plum brandy, always prepared using the Rachitova plums.


    There
    is a great number of hiking or backpacking routes in Hateg Country and Retezat.

    Anca Rusu:


    We tried to keep count of them, and, so far, they are as many as 70.
    These tourist hiking routes are certified, they are managed by the
    administrators of protected areas jointly with the Salvamont Public Service,
    they can also be thematic routes, usually telling a story. However, the most
    important thing is the fact that our area is Romania’s only such area where you
    can find an overlapping territory of three large protected areas, nature or
    national parks. I’m speaking about the Retezat National Park, which is
    Romania’s first national park, the Hateg Country UNESCO International Geopark, and the Grădiștea Muncelului
    Cioclovina Nature Park, which is very familiar thanks to the Dacian fortresses
    compound in Orastie Mountains. The soil tourists step on is a very special one,
    while the respect for all that as well as their behavior while being there, in
    that wonderful place, is of utmost importance for us and for the locals.
    Extraordinary nature or man-made values are to be found there, they are so
    special that in 1979, they enjoyed official recognition by UNESCO, as a reserve
    known as The Man and the Biosphere for an area in Retezat, then there is the UNESCO
    International Geopark, recognized for
    Hateg Country’s depression area, then there is also the Dacian fortresses
    compound in Orastie Mountains, protected by the law and internationally
    recognized by UNESCO.

    The
    manager of the Retezat – Hateg Country tourism destination, Anca Rusu, told us
    a great many of the tourists who get there did not booked a long-enough stay
    for their purposes. Therefore, as soon as they discover the richness of the
    tourist assets, they keep coming back, again and again. The list of the area’s
    tourist assets is generous, yet no less generous is the list of activities they
    can perform there.

    Anca Rusu:

    The area is very important for lots of activities. Trends in tourism
    have changed a lot this year, because of the pandemic. If they happen to be in
    the region at this time of the year, we recommend tourists to have a light backpacking
    trip taking one of the routes in the three protected areas. We recommend
    one-day routes, for them. For instance, a backpacking trip to the Malaiesti
    Fortress or a backpacking trip to the Lolaia waterfall, located right at the
    entrance of the Retezat National Park. Also a backpacking tour on the theme
    route towards the Fundatura Ponorului, in the Sureanu Mountains. The scenery is
    breathtaking there, in an area known as the photographers’ heaven.


    Make
    sure you don’t miss cultural destinations either, Sarmizegetusa Regia,
    Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana, the fortresses, the castles or the old stone
    churches.


    Anca Rusu:

    We have everything in the region. For those who are more into
    adrenaline-rush activities, we recommend a hang-gliding flight in Clopotiva,
    which is one of Romania’s best spots for hang-gliding. If they are lucky,
    there, tourists can find the vice-champion in hang-gliding, Toma Coconea, one
    of Romania’s leading athletes and an ambassador of the Retezat – Hateg Country
    tourism destination. For families with children, the House of the Volcanoes is
    a must-see, it can be found on the territory of Densus commune, where they can
    explore a string of educational programs and can play at the little
    paleontologists, rubbing shoulders with the administrators of the place. It is
    very important for them to know that, at this time of the year, they need to
    book their visit to the objectives in advance, in order to maintain the safety
    measures everybody has heard about.

    As a rule, there are two main categories of
    tourists in the area, according to the manager of the Retezat – Hateg Country
    tourism destination, Anca Rusu. There are those who want an active tourism for
    themselves, and the families with children who reach the Retezat-Hateg Country
    Geopark. However, no matter what they prefer, we recommend tourists to pay a
    visit to a culinary point if they want to make the most of the local food, and
    to one of the local craftsmen, if they want to become familiar with the
    traditions of the region. Also, you should know that a great many of the events
    that used to be staged here have been rethought and rescheduled, so that everybody’s
    tourism experience can be complete.

  • Vineyard Tourism in Romania

    Vineyard Tourism in Romania

    If you are a wine lover, and want to visit Romanian wine cellars, but dont know what that entails, this edition will give you a head start. In addition, we will find out about outstanding vineyards, get to know the people behind the vine, and we will find out about events where good traditional music and food are accompanied by internationally praised wines.



    Alina Iancu, founder of two web portals dedicated to wines, Crameromania.ro and Revino.ro, told us about the many reasons why we should choose vineyard tourism in Romania:

    “The first reason would be the local grape varieties, and the surroundings of vineyards, because there are so many of them. We are talking first and foremost about Transylvania, which is well worth discovering. We should be blending wine tourism into any other form of tourism in the country. If you have fair weather, then we can have tours of the premises. Then, we introduce you to the process of wine making, starting with the vine itself. The we have the tasting. You can choose from among a number of packages, which are 45 minutes to an hour, followed by a moment of socialization. Tourists can blend their own wines, and even design their own label. There are vineyards that host both tourist groups or company outings, where you can customize your wine, and even be able to reserve your own barrel of wine.”



    There are some vineyards that have tennis courts, bicycles to rent, and bike trails between the rows. At the same time, more and more companies hold team building sessions there. The vineyards offer the spaces and the activities. In the end, though, a vineyard is about enjoying the wines, in addition to the strolls in the open air. Alina Iancu has a few recommendations:

    “Lets go to two vineyards close to Bucharest. 100 km away we have the Dealu Mare vineyard, very well organized for tourism, with good staff and with a great deal of natural beauty. Then we recommend the Dragasani Vineyard, a smaller, family owned business, where tourists are hosted by the owners. It is beautiful, and has great wines, with an emphasis on local varieties. We have groups of 15 to 20 people, many of them foreign tourists. I recall one case, someone transiting through Bucharest, who wanted me to drive them to the vineyards. I think we are quite impressive. We have a vineyard map, so that I managed to provide a pretty good presentation of the general image, in addition to the visits. Compared to other countries, we have a fair and complex presentation of wine makers. There are countries where tourists go on 30 to 40 minute tastings, without visiting the vineyard proper. They can only imagine what goes on there. In Romania, presentation is complex, the tourists are quite impressed by the domestic varieties, and those are the ones we take most pride in.”



    On an average, a wine tasting costs between 50 and 100 lei, which is 10 to 20 Euro, depending on the place, but the price may vary depending on the event. Duration is between 45 and 90 minutes. For instance, in southern Romania, at a vineyard with a 300 year old history, tied to the fate of a princely family, a tasting of 5 wines and a specialty menu, a tasting costs 210 lei, almost 50 Euro.


    Here is Alina Iancu once again:

    “Right now there are several projects, such as crameromania.ro, which introduce the vineyards, identifying the wine cellars that accommodate tourists, with contact links for each of them. You can also schedule a private visit. Our projects are in both Romanian and English, so that tourists will have no trouble understanding the information, because right now you can find online plenty of info on Romania and its domestic varieties. Lots of more accommodation has been created recently, but the pandemic has brought with it a lot of restrictions. Certain vineyards have ceased these activities altogether, but they are sure to start once again. Right now all visits are by appointment, and there are certain restrictions in terms of tastings and meals.”



    Alina Iancu told us that, in addition to promoting Romanian varieties, these activities include promotion of other products too, such as cheeses and meat preparations made locally.