Radio România Internațional

Category: Traveller’s Guide

  • The Civilization of Wood in Romania

    The Civilization of Wood in Romania

    The people of Maramures have always been faithful to wood, to which they gave the most diverse forms, from the bowl they ate from, to the roof over their heads, and the churches in which they worshiped. And tourists always stop and marvel at the beauty of the old houses, gates and churches. These can be seen by accessing a dedicated cultural-tourist route, “Wood Civilization in Romania”, about which we learn from Edit Pop, the manager of the Eco Maramures ecotourism destination.

    “The vast forests of historical Maramures provided raw material for human settlements, from which both houses and annexes were built, as well as the carved Maramures gates and the woven fence. This is how the story of the wood civilization was born, which continues today in Maramures, but, of course, on a different scale. From a tourist perspective, the wooden churches from the 16th to the 18th century, which are historical monuments and of which we have one in each village in the Eco Maramures destination, are the ones that attract culture lovers the most today. The “Wood Civilization” route was born in 2021 as a tool for promoting cultural tourism. We proposed a route in the Eco Maramures destination in another show, but this route, the following month, after its certification, was included in a much larger cultural route, the wood civilization in Romania, along with the wood civilization in Bucovina and the “Dowry Box” of Neamț County.”

    Getting to know Maramures starts right from the authentic village, where tourists can discover the traditions, but also the culinary part, which is ancestral, with recipes from elders. It is also from there, more precisely from the Eco Maramures ecotourism destination, that the “Wood Civilization in Romania” route also begins.

    “This route follows a route through the most representative villages and with the most representative wooden objects in our destination. Our route starts from Budești, but can be done as a circuit and can be started from any of the other villages. In the commune of Budești, we propose to visit the wooden churches of Josani, which is a UNESCO monument, and the one in Susan, which is a historical monument. Then, the route continues to the village of Vecini, in the commune of Sârbi, where tourists can visit the traditional technique installations that are also built of wood. These installations are powered by the water of the Cosău River and still serve the needs of the village today. We will find there the whirlpool in which heavy woolen fabrics are washed, the mill with a horizontal wheel for grinding cereals, the pounding crucible used for hardening woolen fabrics, and the installations that produce the drink so famous in Maramureș, the horinca. Without these folk technique installations, the traditional winter costume of Maramures practically could not continue. In the villages, when tourists arrive in Eco Maramures, they will see many people dressed in the traditional winter costume woven from wool.”

    The Maramures village of Breb, also included in our route, was selected in November in the “Upgrade” Program of the “Best Tourism Villages 2024” competition. The program, run by the World Tourism Organization, represents a global effort to highlight the villages of the world where tourism is a tool for preserving cultural heritage, celebrating diversity and protecting biodiversity. The village of Breb is famous for its traditional wooden houses, some of them hundreds of years old. Here you can see hand-carved Maramures gates, wicker fences, pointed shingle roofs and a remarkable attention to detail, all in the traditional Maramures style. Our journey continues, together with Edit Pop, the manager of the Eco Maramures ecotourism destination.

    “Next is the commune of Călinești, with two other wooden churches, the church in Căeni and the church in Susani, after which we go to the famous Breb, the village that built its fame on tradition and culture. Here we can visit the old church and many traditional wooden peasant households. We will see many houses here. In addition, we can also visit the craftsmen, those who make the tradition and culture of wood continue. There are many craftsmen even today in the villages of Eco Maramures. Then, the last destination, the last locality, Desești, where we visit the UNESCO monument church.”

    For detailed information about the objectives of this route, Edit Pop, the manager of the Eco Maramures ecotourism destination, recommends accessing the ecomaramures.com website.

    “We have a very tasteful website, with a lot of information. The Eco Maramures destination has a lot of cultural objectives to offer. All the information is available there and, when tourists plan their vacation, it is good to allocate a little more time. This cultural route, which we talked about, can be covered in a very short time, in eight hours. However, I would recommend allocating time for a more leisurely visit, over several days, because the destination really has something to tell.”

    So, a vacation in Maramures is, in fact, a continuous and complex journey. More and more tourists have learned about this unique experience.

    “There are more and more foreign tourists who come here, more recently, after the pandemic. We had a pretty tough time in terms of arrivals, but now things are settling down. There are even more foreign tourists than in 2019. They are fascinated, they are simply captivated by this village life, because the villages in Eco-Maramureș are not ready for artificial tourism. There, life goes on at its own pace, people take care of their animals, take care of their households, and the tourists, when they step into these villages and walk through them on foot, in a slower way, provides a feeling of integration. They find something that outside of Romania and outside of rural areas has long been lost. So, there is that authentic, true atmosphere that they live and rediscover.”

    The Eco Maramureș destination has been certified since 2014, and is part of a network of ecotourism destinations at a national level. Since its founding, the emphasis has been on transforming ecological tourism into a local development engine for communities. The goal is for each villager to find their own place, where their family can thrive and basically bring new value and experiences that tourists can experience in Romania.

  • Spas in Valcea County

    Spas in Valcea County

    Known for its spa tourism since the end of the 19th century, Vâlcea County is very popular for its resorts. They treat and relax thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. Each resort has its own charm and, what’s more, tourist packages are prepared even for the winter holidays. In addition to the healing baths, you can also enjoy other activities nearby.

    It is a sought-after area for prevention, treatment and recovery, recreation and leisure, as we learned from Monica Gheorghiu, director of the National Center for Tourist Information and Promotion Vâlcea.

    “Vâlcea County is very popular for its four resorts: Călimănești-Căciulata, Băile Olănești, Băile Govora and Ocnele Mari. Important, without a doubt, is Călimănești-Căciulata, which has a beautiful chain of hotels, parks, hermitages, thermal waters and promenades, which are increasingly preferred by tourists. Also, most of the geothermal pools in Romania are located here, and, in their free time, hiking in the Cozia National Park or visits to the famous monasteries, Cozia, Turnu, Ostrov, Stânișoara, complete the program of tourists who spend quality time here, in the resort. The Călimănești-Căciulata resort has been known for its mineral waters and their curative properties, since ancient times. For example, it is known that the waters were first used by the monks of the monastery and are documented since 1520. It is even said that Prince Mircea the Old treated himself in his old age with the mineral waters of Călimănești and also Franz Josef, the king of Austria-Hungary, benefited from the treatments of the waters of Căciulata. The resort is recommended not only for digestive system diseases, but also for urinary system diseases or rheumatic, degenerative, neurological and gynecological diseases.”

    In the Călimănești-Căciulata resort we find the largest balneoclimatic treatment base in Romania. There are over 5,000 accommodation places in the complexes with treatment bases, where approximately 1,500 patients can be treated simultaneously. Also, during 2024, up until September, the resort was visited by over 191,000 tourists. Thus, statistical data positions it in second place in Romania in terms of the number of arrivals to the destination.

    “Thermal pools, parks, boat cruises, socio-cultural events, you will find them all in an exceptional resort, which we also recommend in all seasons, and development continues here. We can tell listeners that a sports complex is being built in Seaca, another swimming pool, and a forest park that will complete the tourist offer. We can also talk about Băile Olănești, another important resort in Vâlcea County. In addition to digestive and kidney diseases, respiratory diseases caused by occupational diseases, caused by exposure to noxious or toxic substances or allergies, are also treated here. In Băile Olănești, we encounter two natural healing factors that harmonize very well, climatically and topoclimatically.”

    In addition to the hydromineral factor, represented by the mineral waters in this area, Băile Olănești occupies a leading place in Romania in terms of the number of springs, the total flow, but also the variety of composition and concentration of mineral waters, says Monica Gheorghiu, director of the National Center for Information and Tourism Promotion Vâlcea.

    “In this resort, there are over 35 hydromineral sources, both natural springs and as a result of drilling works. A number of 15 springs are captured for internal cure, two springs for external cure, and four wells are used in balneotherapy. Also, let’s not forget that here we are as the gateway to the Buila-Vânturarița National Park, where tourists can go on numerous hiking trails and visits to the hermitages in the area, which are true “Meteoras” of Romania. Iezer, Pahomie, Pătrunsa are spectacular places located in a particularly beautiful natural setting. We also move on to Băile Govora, another important resort for Vâlcea County, where those suffering from asthma or bronchitis are treated, so the treatments for the respiratory system are well developed here. It is located in a very beautiful area, in a subcarpathian depression, surrounded by hills, covered with oak, pine and beech forests, at an altitude of approximately 400 meters.”

    In Băile Govora, the climate is moderate continental, with slightly cool summers and mild winters. Thus, the climate helps to prevent or treat lung diseases.

    “It is an important resort for us due to the variety and therapeutic character of the waters rich in chlorine, iodine, bromine, or those in magnesium, calcium and sulfur. It is also located in an area where there is no allergenic pollen, the humidity being relatively constant. Thus, wonderful conditions are created for carrying out treatment activities. At the same time, it is located on the road leading to the Horezu Monastery, to the Horezu area, a rich ethno-folklore hearth in Vâlcea County, and the place where the story of Horezu ceramics began. On the other hand, we recommend Ocnele Mari, another resort of local interest, which is increasingly sought after by tourists, at least during the summer season, through its saltwater pools and not only, it possesses tourist attractions of great interest. In addition to the saltwater pools, we have the Ocnele Mari salt pan, which falls into the category of tourist attractions with a therapeutic role, due to this natural factor that is present in abundance: salt. It is the ideal place where tourists can enjoy the therapeutic effects of this mineral.”

    The Christmas package for a double room at a three-star hotel unit in Călimănești-Căciulata is 2,834 lei (570 euros). These cover three nights’ accommodation from December 24-27 for two adults, as well as breakfast. Also included are a traditional breakfast, a festive dinner with a DJ, a meeting with Santa Claus, a carol singing program, and free access to the Aquapark.

  • The Museum of Romanian Records

    The Museum of Romanian Records

    The Museum of Romanian Records emerged out of a desire to promote Bucharest and Romania. Here we can find large collections of corkscrews, irons, vintage cameras or Romanian philatelic objects, but also over 30 other smaller collections. The items themselves might seem simple when described, but once seen, they will be perceived as works of art due to the special and varied patterns.

     

    Our guide today is Victor Bota, the curator of this unique museum and president of the Romanian Remarkable Results Foundation. He told us more about some of the collections and the most valuable items on display.

     

    “These hidden, lost histories should be brought to light. And where else can one discover them but in a museum, where you can see the history of mankind by looking at a single object, a corkscrew or an iron, from the moment it was invented and produced until now. All these technological breakthroughs are visible here. The density per square meter I think is unique in the world. There are over 5,000 square meters of exhibits, but the density is fabulous. For instance, the corkscrew exhibition area measures 500 square meters, with 31,000 items on view”.

     

    Right now, the Museum of Romanian Records has the largest collection of corkscrews in the world. It is certified by the Guinness Book of Records. However, since the record was set, with a number of 23,965 objects, today, the collection totals over 31,000 unique objects.

     

    “When we talk about their importance, we have to understand that this object appears in history around the XV-XVI centuries. There are records, but no very solid sources have been preserved. Basically, the first invention patent was registered in Great Britain by the priest Samuel Henshall, in 1795. The model of the first patent is here, in our collection, but it is not the most valuable. We also have the most important historical corkscrew in the world. In 1833, the old London Bridge, the Old Bridge, was demolished. Pieces of steel and wood were removed and this tribute corkscrew was produced. It also has quite an interesting mechanism. It’s not a corkscrew with just a twist and a handle. It has a mechanism that creates a twist in one direction. The inscription on it reads it had stood at the foot of London Bridge for 656 years. If we do the math, the item dates back to around 1100-1200, when the metal was forged into the base of London Bridge. If they could tell stories, these items would tell the history from before the Tudors, because they only became a dynasty until 1400-1500. So, the Thames has something to tell through the voice of this piece of metal in Romania, about the world history of corkscrews”.

     

    The Museum has between 3,000 and 5,000 items that are extremely rare or unique. For example, 18th-century corkscrews of noble families in France. However, the visit continues with the trivet section. Victor Bota explains how the word was imported from English.

     

    “It was very difficult to say ‘iron stand’, ‘fireplace tool stand’, ‘pan stand’ in Romanian. Then, in order to find a single common denominator, the Romanian language imported this word, “trivet”, from English. A few hundred years ago, only the nobles had corkscrews and irons, and they were personalized. Therefore, the art, the design, the form are absolutely fascinating. It comes in all geometric forms and graphic representations. I usually have a challenge for new guests – think of a pet and let’s see if it’s not on these trivets. Very rarely have we discovered a pet that we don’t have”.

     

    Arriving at the collection of irons, tourists often ask themselves when this object appeared. Victor Bota, the curator of the Museum of Romanian Records and the president of the Romanian Remarkable Results Foundation, recalls the principle of the iron, that of stretching, of smoothing, which it first appeared in the Paleolithic.

     

    “People needed to use a piece of wood, a piece of bone or a stone to stretch animal skin and then simply use it as clothing. That’s how the mechanism was invented, and it has followed the evolution of humanity step by step through the Neolithic, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, reaching the present day with extraordinary technical characteristics. The idea behind it is, in fact, energy. In fact, the Guinness Book of Records states that an iron is a triangular, metallic object that accumulates energy and straightens wrinkles. But how does it accumulate energy? On trivets, directly over the fire, on a cast iron stove or, in the case of certain irons, a piece of steel is taken, heated and then inserted into the iron. After the development of the electric iron, the traditional iron is second in terms of cleanliness. They are so beautiful that, at first glance, you wouldn’t say they are irons. They are genuine works of art. It’s something you realize by simply looking at them”. (VP)

     

  • Herculane SPA in south-western Romania

    Herculane SPA in south-western Romania

    We’re heading to south-western Romania, today. Our stopover is one of Europe’s oldest balneal resorts. In Herculane Spa, Baile Herculane, in Romanian, we can find a wide range of treatment procedures based on the healing properties of the waters. Also, the resort can very well be the departure point for other fascinating tourist assets nearby. Not the least, in 2025, an event will be staged in Baile Herculane, with the participation of all Europe’s major balneal resorts, ‘The General Assembly of Europe’s Historical Thermal Cities Association’”.

    Herculane is a spa with an impressive history. It was first documented in the year 153 AD. In the meantime, the spa has gathered quite a few legends and tales that today make Herculane Spa a cultural destination in its own right, and not just a destination with a breath-taking scenery. With details on that, here is the PR Manager of the Pro Tourism Herculane Association, Laura Patru:

    “The spa saw its heyday in two major eras. The Roman period of time was the such first era. And that, because it played host to a large number of Rome’s noblemen of that time. To this day, in Herculane, we have preserved archaeological evidence of that particular era. The Roman hallmark is still visible in Herculane. The second era was the Austrian one. Ever since, all its buildings still stand, which we consider iconic for the resort, they were built in the Romantic style, and that earned the spa its fame, a reason why it was known as the Pearl of Europe.”

    All that and the cure factors contributed to Herculane Spa’s renown. Actually, the waters’ healing properties are mentioned in the legends:

    „Hercules, while he was performing his labours, or at least that’s what the local legend says, being completely exhausted, bathed in the Herculane thermal springs. So he regained his strength and that helped him to carry his labours through. And here we are, today, still using those thermal springs so we can regain our strength and restore our health. Herculane benefits from more than 17 thermal springs, each of them with their own properties. So we have water for the external cure, which we use to cure rheumatic and skin conditions.

    It is a factor helping us a lot to treat post-traumatic, physical conditions. Yet we also have springs for internal cure, like those used in the treatment of stomach conditions. We also have external cure for eye conditions, yet all that is, of course, supported by the modern technology, which is available in the treatment centres across the resort and which helps us do everything much more efficiently. Also, here the air has a strong negative ions concentration.

    Even though, in Herculane, we are less than 160 meters above sea level, the body feels the air just like in the Swiss Alps. It is very strong, while all these elements put together help us create, for all our guests in the resort, a new state of well-being. “

    Fortunately, in recent years, Herculane SPA has enjoyed the significant contribution of several investors. Quite a few of the resort’s iconic hotels have been completely refurbished, revamped and brought to modern standards. Therefore, tourists who reach the resort enjoy accommodation and treatment services at European level. With details on that, here is here is the PR Manager of the Pro Tourism Herculane Association, Laura Patru:

    “Today we blend balneal culture into the SPA-type facilities, as people discover, more and more often, how important prevention is. We do not only follow a treatment facility at the time when our condition is unbearable, we come to have our treatment well in advance, we make prevention. Then, the SPA culture, at European level but also with us, is more and more sought-after.

    People are stressed out because of their jobs, they need to relax, to enjoy natural factors, while Herculane has all the facilities for that, both through its big hotels, built there from the beginning, and through the natural factors, added to which are these additional spa services. They create a complete product, tailored for the entire family. “

    Romanian tourists will come to pursue a treatment plan with a referral from their family doctor. For the foreign ones, it is recommended to have a medical referral from their countries of origin proving they are eligible for treatment in Herculane. Furthermore, everybody benefits from a medical check-up from the treatment facility’s balneology specialist. physician. It is recommended for the stays including a balneal cure to have a minimum of five days so the balneal effects can be felt, enabling us to have enough time to take trips to the surroundings.

    “The offer of the region is very generous, to that end. Herculane now has, for the horse lovers, an equestrian centre. At a mere half an hours’ drive we have the spectacular scenery of the Danube Gorges, where you can have boat rides and where you can see Decebalus’s face carved in stone. It is Europe’s greatest rock-carved sculpture. Also close by you can have the Iron Gates Museum, while I’m dead positive guests can find out a lot of impressive things, all the more so as there also is a section dedicated to the Ada Kaleh submerged island.

    Also close by, tourists can visit the water mills in Rudaria, included on the UNESCO heritage list. It is a group of mills whose working principle is the same as 300 years ago, and where the locals bring their grains. The place is close to nature and to traditions. Also at a short distance from Herculane, for those who are into doing a little bit of physical exercise, there are the Inelet hamlets. It is a village you can reach only by climbing wooden stairs fixed in stone. Yet once you get there, the scenery is absolutely breath-taking, and life there is preserved just like 100 years ago. Technology has not reached the place, just as it reached other places, and it is a true experience. “

    The landscape in Herculane provides a wonderful background for the winter holidays and the resort is packed with tourists, each year, for the winter holidays. Here is the PR Manager of the Pro Tourism Herculane Association, Laura Pătru, once again, this time extending an invitation for the end of the year.

    “There are, in the spa, packages for the December 1st holiday, Christmas or the New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s Eve packages have three- or four-day stays on offer, while the big hotels, but also the smaller units go at all lengths to bring to their guests everything they want. You can find live music, yummy dishes in the hotels where the service is more complex, programs for the little ones, or the New Year’s Eve Party for children. As for Christmas, it is as traditional as it can be, as, if they come to us, we want our guests to mirror themselves in the magic of childhood. We are, of course, being visited by Santa each year, while the little ones have a lot of activities and workshops that can make their holiday more beautiful, as well as facilities especially dedicated for them. We have swimming pools for children, salt mines, so winter in Herculane is a mix of tradition and relaxation.”

    So here we are, this week, with a family destination, a destination for all seasons! ,

  • Walking on Brâncuși’s route in Gorj County

    Walking on Brâncuși’s route in Gorj County

    UNESCO included on its world heritage list, in 2024, the Heroes’ Path, a sculptural ensemble in Târgu Jiu made by Constantin Brâncuși. The ensemble includes four major works: The Table of Silence, the Alley of Chairs, The Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column. They were created and sculpted by the great Romanian sculptor between 1937 and 1938. The four works have been included in a cultural and tourist route, whose theme is culture, history, religion and monumental art. The route is called “The Peasant Genius Constantin Brâncuși and Gorj County’s cultural heritage.”

     

    Laura Dragu Popescu is the president of Gorjul Professional Tourism Employers’ Association. She told us that the objectives included in the route are the works of the great sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, to be found outdoors, in the city of Târgu Jiu. The route also includes the Saint Apostles Peter and Paul’s Church, the Sohodol Gorges, a traditional architecture museum, two famous monasteries, as well as memorial houses.

     

    So here we are travelling on Brâncuși’s route with our guide Laura Dragu Popescu: “If we were to interpret this monumental ensemble, we can say that, at the Table of Silence, the hero has the last supper with his family, before the battle. He then walks along the Alley of Chairs, where the chairs symbolize the persons who do not participate in the war. At the Gate of the Kiss, he gives one last embrace to his loved ones. After or during the battle, the hero’s soul travels to God. Man’s soul travels to God passing through Saint Apostles Peter and Paul’s Church. We then carry on along The Heroes’ Path with the road taking us to the Endless Column. This is how we can interpret this axis, which is part of the Cultural and Artistic Route called ‘The Peasant Genius Constantin Brâncuși and Gorj County’s cultural heritage’. This route includes visits to the Constantin Brâncuși Memorial House in Hobița, to Polovragi Monastery, to Tismana Monastery along the Sohodol Gorges to the Memorial House of Maria Apostol, a local and very popular traditional music vocalist, to Lainici Monastery, to the Traditional Architecture Museum in Gorj, inCurtișoara, where a manor that belonged to Tătărăscu family can be visited.“

     

    Then in the city of Târgu Jiu, the Ecaterina Teodoroiu Memorial House and Mausoleum can be visited. Along this route, full of culture, history, religion and monumental art,a beautiful part of the historical and picturesque Gorj is presented: “It is a delight even for the most demanding tourist who goes to Gorj County and chooses to cover this route. Tourists who visited Gorj in the past return in very large numbers. This happens in the case of both individuals and groups, who opt for spending three nights and four days as part of this tourist program, in Gorj County.If tourists from abroad choose to come to the historic and picturesque Gorj county, they can land at Bucharest airport. There are many travel options from Bucharest to Târgu Jiu, from regular buses, which have daily departures from the Militari Bus Station to trains that leave Bucharest and pass through Târgu Jiu.”

     

    About 30 km from the county seat, Târgu Jiu, following this route, you will reach the Tismana Monastery, a place full of spirituality, a place recommended by Laura Dragu Popescu, president of the Gorjul ProfessionalTourism Employers’ Association: “The monastery was founded by Saint Nicodemus the Holy, from Tismana. Next to the monastery, there is the Gold Museum, a historical objective, made with the help of the National Bank. It is a return into history, it is the place where the Treasure of Romania once rested (during the Second World War) during years laden with pain for the Romanian people. Around the Tismana Monastery, there are very beautiful trails, up to three hours long. The longest route is three hours long and is done on the top of the mountain that leads to Cioclovina de Sus. This route is wonderful and can be covered by people with normal physical resistance. On the way to the Tismana Monastery, tourists can see the memorial house of the great artist from Gorj, Constantin Brâncuși. Tismana Monastery is a success story among the unique places in beautiful Romania. Lovers seek to see the moonrise at Tismana. They say that the most spectacular moonrise is on the mountains around Tismana locality. Gastronomy in Tismana is special, the locality hosting the Trout Festival, which is always celebrated on Annunciation Day, on March 25.”

     

    On the other hand, in the Curtișoara Village Museum, tourists can see the traditional architecture specific to the area. The oldest house exhibited here was built over 200 years ago and dates back to 1802. The museum also exhibits two churches, one of which was established in 1821. Laura Dragu Popescu gives us more details: “There are many elements that appeal to lovers of traditional houses. Both themed tours and many musical productions take place here. Inside the museum, there is a house called Casa Gheorghe Zamfir. In the house, you can see objects that belonged to the panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir. As a curiosity, one will find, within the premises of this museum, a traditional house with interesting architecture from the Gilort area. Inside, there are personal items of other popular artists known in our area. So, the new and the old are valued in this museum of traditional folk architecture in Gorj County. It is located quite close about ten km from Târgu Jiu.”

     

    The cultural-tourist route ‘The Peasant Genius Constantin Brâncuși and the Gorj county’s cultural heritage’ can be covered by tourists who love originality in every season of the year. Moreover, the statistical data confirm that Gorj county is doing very well in terms of the number of accommodation places. Hotels and guesthouses will give you the opportunity to stay in a safe destination from three to seven days, basically a good part of a vacation. And whoever comes to the historic and picturesque Gorj once, will surely return. (EN, LS)

  • Attractive Romania

    Attractive Romania

    Attractive Romania was launched in 2024. It is the most complex online platform created for the promotion of cultural tourism at home, Alao it is Romania’s first cultural program of this kind. The platform looks to present 12 cultural routes, using the online version of the information.

    The cultural assets, such as castles, fortresses, traditional houses or the villages in the Danube Deltra have been documented with the help of specialists who worked together for the audio and video guides. The 275 tourist assets will be more accessible through the placement of the road infrastructure signaling route. Paul Opricean is a content expert. He explains how the online platform came about.

    “Attractive Romania is a program of the European Investments and Projects Ministry which received public funding through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which started off from the idea whereby hundreds of tourist assets countrywide, maybe they are very little known. However, combined, they make a true cultural mosaic of the country, all of them having a tremendous historic and heritage value, for Romania, but also for the entire European space. And here I’m speaking about those objectives that have retained their vividness through their stories and legends, through the fine people in the local communities, who can still spin the yearn about them.

    That is why, through this program, important steps are being made for their promotion, for the creation of a content which is attractive for tourists and, most importantly, for the creation of a road signaling infrastructure as, we must admit, it is important to find them easily. And here I’m speaking about the more than 8,000 such signaling systems which roughly cover 55,000 square kilometers countrywide. “

    The twelve suggested theme routes cross the entire Romania, with 275 assets that are worth visiting and which, by 2026, will also be signaled through the specific road infrastructure. Unique, thanks to its video, photo content, through the virtual tours, animation, 3D reconstruction, audio guides, texts and reviews posted by the users, the platform bring the prospective tourist as close as possible to the experiences they can discover offline.

    “Tourists can use the Attractive Romania platform in very many ways, for educational purposes, since it is both the most complex, specialist-validated digital library with info on cultural assets, and a source of inspiration for the planning of their future trips. To put it briefly, through the platform, the information can be accessed by the user online, through a dedicate website, at www.romania-atractiva.ro. Or through the free-of-charge app for the iOS and Android operating systems. The content is available in several of the most widely-spoken languages: English, Hungarian, French, German and Romani, while the platform brings together an extremely complex multimedia content. Practically, there are 5,800 video, photo, virtual tours, animation, 3D animation, audio guide and of course, texts that capture each an every tourist asset’s unique selling point. “

    The cultural-artistic routes have completely different themes. Dwelling on that, here is Paul Opricean, a content expert with Attractive Romania:

    “We have routes with a historical character that present castles, Roman castra, fortresses, towers, palaces. There are four more ecumenical routes, which highlight monasteries from Moldavia, wooden churches, fortified churches, and the Route of Saint Ladislaus. Then, we have a route of traditional Romanian gastronomy, one dedicated to the landscape of the Danube Delta, and a route that presents the value of villages with traditional architecture. Of all these, one of the most accessed within the platform is that of gastronomy. It’s an extremely complex route, which truly captures the richness of the entire Romanian culinary landscape, including its Balkan, Turkish, or Hungarian influences. That is exactly why I recommend it to tourists, because they must include them in their stops, must include any of the 30 gastronomic regions throughout the country. Here they will discover old recipes that they don’t imagine are preserved anymore, they will discover fresh, seasonal, flavorful ingredients and, perhaps most importantly, they will meet talkative storytellers along the way, at local food spots.”

    On the other hand, the castle route proposes a return to the time of kings, knights and great battles, in an incursion full of history and mystery. Tourists are invited into halls where the echoes of balls still resound, and royal splendor meets the harsh shadows of bygone times. From mysterious ruins to fortifications transformed and restored over hundreds of years, every wall speaks of a lesser-known European history, intertwined with stories and legends. Here the secrets of the nobles and chapters of history full of glory, but also of dark times of torture and betrayal, are waiting to be discovered. “Tourists can make their own route according to their own preferences, they can make a combination between gastronomy and history, they can also include other types of tourist objectives. The platform is not limited to these main objectives, presented at length, it also includes a series of proposals for secondary, adjacent objectives. I encourage tourists, no matter where they come from, to firstly take an X-ray of all the cultural sites on the platform, read their story, see their extremely valuable content materials, to finally decide which one to visit and include them in their next trip. We should not aim to visit an entire route, from one end to the other. It would be complicated, since the targets are spread all over the country. Instead, we can create the perfect route for us, precisely based on the themes that arouse our interest. It is important to start the journey with openness, with enthusiasm, because every step through Attractive Romania tells a story.”

    And the story of Attractive Romania has already aroused interest, as we learned from content expert Paul Opricean.

    “The platform is already extremely accessible. There are more than 150,000 users, of which 50,000 are just downloads of the app on iOS and Android, and the echoes in the online environment are extremely strong. Social media platforms basically live by these cultural objectives that are known more and more. In terms of impact, we are talking about more than 6 million people who have already interacted with our content. Attractive Romania is a really successful platform, six months after its launch.”

    Attractive Romania, the first national program to support cultural-historical tourism, started in 2023, and will conclude in June 2026.

  • On the Transalpina in Ranca

    On the Transalpina in Ranca

    Transalpina is the road located at the highest altitude in Romania, which is why it earned its reputation as “the road above the clouds”. On the way to the ridges of the mountains, we arrive at one of the recognized ski resorts. A holiday destination throughout the year, Rânca can also be a starting point for numerous hikes.

    The main attraction of the Rânca resort of local interest is skiing, as we learn from Nicu Mitroi, the administrator of the ski area.

    “Skiing has a main advantage also, because the resort is located at 1,600 meters, on a plateau that many specialists in Europe have compared to Cortina d’Ampezzo, in Italy. Located at an altitude of 1,600 meters, the ski slopes extend up to 2,000 meters above sea level. The ski slopes in the Rânca resort have a total length of seven kilometers, they are served by three chairlifts, a four-seater chairlift with automatic snow removal, and two fixed chairlifts, one four-seater and one three-seater, as well as two ski lifts. The five cable car installations have eliminated boarding queues from the resort since last season.”

    In the Rânca resort, tourists have access to five slopes: four on Mount Corneșu and one on Mount Papușa. The slopes on Mount Corneșu are equipped with cable transport facilities, such as teleski or babyski, and one of the slopes has night lighting and a sound system. Tourists can also practice skiing and snowboarding on the slope of Păpușa Mountain. Separate areas are also available for activities such as tobogganing.

    “We have the lowest prices in Romania and we have maintained these rates over time. The amount of natural snow is abundant in the area, especially south of the Southern Carpathians, where the cold air currents from the north meet the Mediterranean currents and a consistent layer of snow falls. However, we have acted and have artificial snow for the maintenance of the slopes. In the second half of November, we make a consistent layer of ice, so that artificial snow and natural snow have continuity throughout the winter. We open the ski season at the end of November and close it at the end of April.”

    The Rânca resort is located on the Transalpina, known as the “road among the clouds” due to its altitude. Asphalting works began in 2009, only by 2012 it was 99% paved, but it has a rich history. According to some sources, the road was first built by the Roman legions during the wars with the Dacians, which is why it appears on some maps as the IV strategic Roman corridor. It is certain that the road was rebuilt in the interwar period and put into use in 1938, when it was inaugurated by King Charles II, which is why today it is also called the King’s Road. History also records a rehabilitation during the Second World War, when the Germans needed this access road for military reasons. Nicu Mitroi, the administrator of the Rânca ski area, returns with a brief history.

    “The main attraction in the Rânca resort is the Transalpina road, which is the highest road in the country. It reaches a height of 2,145 meters, in the Urdele pass. This road was modernized during the interwar period, during the reign of the king, at the initiative of the prime minister, Gheorghe Tătărescu. It was built on a transhumance path, used since the time of the Romans. This connected the Dacian fortresses in the Șurian Mountains and Traian’s Bridge over the Danube, near Drobeta Turnu Severin. Novaci is an area rich in shepherding. The Transalpina road was built on the transhumance path, which, in turn, as far as we know, was made by the herd of sheep, led by a donkey loaded with a burden. Donkeys, when climbing to the ridge, never exceed a slope of 15 degrees, circle the path, and follows the crest of the mountain to the top.”

    Currently, the Transalpina is an area that attracts many tourists with its rich offer of activities: hiking on mountain trails, cycling, ball sports, enduro, trips around the area’s caves and monasteries, paragliding, or zip-lining. There are also many tourists who seek to relax in the oxygenated air, on sunny meadows or in the shade of fir trees, admiring spectacular landscapes.

    Transalpina offers a quick access to the ridge area, and from here, tourists can easily go hiking on the Parângului ridge, on a well-marked route. From the ridge you can reach the area of the most spectacular glacial lakes in Romania. For mountaineering and rock climbing, there are nearby areas for practicing these sports. There are routes that start from 10-20 meters, with difficulty of 6-7 degrees for climbing, up to 300 meters, with difficulty of degree 6 for mountaineering.

    “As summer activities, from the Transalpina road, a lot of ridge trails branch off to the glacial lakes, Lake Gâlcescu, Lake Mija, Lake Tău, etc. There are other routes that go through the Gilort Valley, the Oltețului Valley, the Galbenului Valley, as well as hiking on the paths of these valleys, but also bicycle routes, off-road, enduro routes. The resort has summer tubing, children’s playgrounds and a number of other summer activities for recreation. The accommodation structure is diversified, comprising about 5000 beds covering all tastes, from hotel conditions to family cabins, some of them have swimming pools, saunas, SPAs. Next to these accommodation structures, there are restaurants where tourists are welcomed with aromatic cherry cordial, mulled wine in winter, tasty traditional food and beautiful stories. Tourists can also dine at the sheepfolds near Transalpina.”

    Dominated by the Păpușa peak, with a height of 2136 meters, Transalpina is in the top list of the high-altitude alpine roads in Europe. And the Rânca resort is a destination both for adventure lovers and for those who want to enjoy silence, ideal at any time of the year.

  • Speleological tourism in Romania’s Anina Mountains

    Speleological tourism in Romania’s Anina Mountains

    Romania is home to roughly 12,000 caves, actually being one of Europe’s top countries in terms of the number and the diversity of the caves. Being of a very special beauty, the caves stand out thanks to the uniqueness of their karstic formations and the great length of the galleries, with some of them even being longer than ten kilometres. Actually, in the early 20th century, Romanian explorer Emil Racoviță laid the foundation of the world’s first biospeleology institute. At that, Racovita began the mapping of the subterranean universe. If we look again at the most beautiful caves, one of Europe’s most beautiful such caves can be found in western Romania, in Anina Mountains. It is called the Comarnic Cave.

    The Comarnic Cave is one of Romania’s most beautiful and wildest caves. It is 6,203 meters long, lying at an altitude of 100 meters, with a three-level development. Of them, tourists can only see the upper level, stretching along 1,750 meters. The lower level is crossed by Ponicova rivulet’s subterranean segment.

    Bogdan Badescu is the president of the Resita-based Explorers Speleological Association. At national level, Bogdan is a well-known speleologist and a former president of the Romanian Speleology Federation. Bogdan Badescu is our guide today and it is from him we found out that, in order for a cave to be formed, a soluble rock is needed. We’re speaking about limestone. As for the Caras-Severin County, there are many calcareous areas there.

    “The limestones are formed at the bottom of the seas or at the bottom of lagoons, there where there are many sea creatures, which, after they die, they remain at the bottom of the seas, while all those shells of snails and bones make a bed which gets thicker in millions of years. And that’s how we get to have the present-day situation, where we have the Anina Mountains, which are more than 1,000 high, all of them being formed of limestone.

    Three elements are required for a cave to be formed. We need a soluble rock. We also need water, I mean water that can flow through the soluble rock, thereby dissolving it so the space can thus be formed. Then we also need the course the water can flow through. Having the rock is not enough, unless a couple of seeps exists, for the water to flow through. In a very long period of time, the water, as it flows, dissolves the limestone, more and more. If, initially, a gallery had a one-centimetre-wide seep, now it is 10 to 20 meters wide and high. “

    Interesting to note is the fact that there are no stalactites in the Comarnic Cave, yet there are deposits of calcium carbonate, the cave’s earliest such deposits. With details on that, here is the president of the Resita-based Explorers Speleological Association, Bogdan Badescu:

    “ As we advance into the cave, we notice many more such calcium carbonate formations in various stages and shapes, all of them very beautiful. And, towards the middle of the cave, there where it is around 200 meters deep, as against the surface of the ground there are some huge basins which right now are even full of water. In popular terms, they are known as the Chinese walls. Their charm is very special. Another strong point of the cave is made of its silex formations. On the walls, we can see some stripes of a darker, black-brownish colour. Those are the silex interlayers. Of them, in the past, tools were manufactured, by the primitive men. It is the staple rock used for the manufacturing of the first tools.”

    Unfriendly as it may seem, and with life circumstances being very difficult, the environment of the cave is home to adapted forms of life. A true subterranean universe. With details on that, here is the president of the Resita-based Explorers Speleological Association, Bogdan Badescu:

    “There is a series of invertebrates which, as a rule, are one, two millimetre-long, or even less than one millimetre. Those invertebrates permanently live in the deep environment of the cave and they feed on one another, or on the trophic resources sometimes brought by the water from the surface. Apart from those invertebrate species in the cave, around one hundred, there are also the species that reach the cave accidentally.

    The Ponicova rivulet, especially when the river flow is high, can mostly bring crabs or frogs in the cave. Those species, for a while they live as long as they can find food and the time comes for them to die, yet they manage to survive for quite a long period of time. There also are the butterflies and the spiders who you’re most likely to come across in the first dozens of meters, at the entrance of the Comarnic Cave.

    The symbol-species everybody knows are the bat species. They are mammals entering the cave permanently, there they have both the birth habitat but also the hibernation and sheltering habitat. Especially in winter they form quite large colonies in the Comarnic Cave .”

    Practical info on how to visit, providing it is the director of the Semenic-Caras Gorges National Park, Nicolae Ifca, who is also the administrator of the Comarnic Cave.

    “I recommend tourists to access the official site of the park, at www.pnscc.ro, where they can get all the info on the visiting hours for absolutely any objective that can be found in the park. In the cave we come across several halls, bigger or smaller, a great many stalactite-type formations, stalagmites, columns, but for each and every one of them we have a name given by the administration, that’s for sure. Our daily timetable begins at 10:30 am with the first admission, while the last admission is at 15:30. From Monday to Friday we provide a guide to the visit, with a request to be made in advance, yet on Saturdays and Sundays we provide a guide on a permanent basis. “

    In the Semenic-Caras Gorges National Park we find eleven nature reserves, but also 65,000 hectares of virgin and old-growth beech forests, included, in 2016, in the UNESCO world heritage list. And it is also here that we can find a rare specimen of Sequoia, whose circumference is 5.7 meters and whose estimate age is 200 years. The giant tree has been included in a route starting off right from the Comarnic Cave.

    Actually, the Semenic-Caras Gorges National Park Administration provides guiding services for seven tourist programs, in the protected area. The guides are the park rangers who know the area, they can offer numerous pieces of info on the local history and culture, flora a and fauna species, or ecosystems. The fee per persons for a guided programs is 70 Lei (14 Euros).

  • Romania’s wine story

    Romania’s wine story

    The itineraries and the tours taken around Romania’s wine cellars are focused on one single eventual aim: getting acquainted with the regions dedicated to the production of wine and to wine tasting. Tourists can take part in wine-tasting sessions, can make guided tours in wine cellars and vineyards. Not the least, they can make the most of of their extraordinary culinary experiences. Any time of the year has its charm yet the most sought-after timeframe is between May and October, when the temperature outside allows tourists to enjoy having experiences other than the wine-related ones.

    Alexandra Gălbează is the founder of Romania’s Enotourism Association. There has been a growing trend in recent years as regards this form of tourism. Moreover, the offer has become more diversified. Or at least that’s what Alexandra Galbeaza told us.

    “Of course that, strictly speaking, enotourism means visiting a wine cellar, yet in recent years, especially after the pandemic, the vine growing tourism also has other connotations. It does not only mean visiting a wine cellar but also the opportunity to enjoy a different experience, apart from the wine-tasting proper. We’re speaking about staging musical live concerts in a vineyard, picnics, also in the vineyard, musical evenings, plays, concerts, theme parties with camp fires that carry on late into the night, especially if we speak about the wine cellars that also have accommodation capacity. So tourists can stay the night at the wine cellar, having visited it. “

    Accompanied by the founder of Romania’s Enotouriosm Association, Alexandra Gălbează, we start our journey from the Dealu Mare vineyard, which lies very close to Bucharest.

    “We began with this region become it is very close to Bucharest where we have very many people. Those who want to escape the capital city have the opportunity to go, at a stone’ s throw away, to a place where they can enjoy a enotourism experience. It also is, arguably, the region with the greatest number of wine cellars. It is a dense area, with the wine cellars lying quite close to one another. So the enotourism activities can also be diverse and many. It is also at this point that we can speak about the recently-built wine cellars, but also about wine cellars with a rich history. We’re speaking about the wine cellar known for the production of the sparkling wine but also for being the purveyor of the Royal house. Also, here we have accommodation facilities. We can start off with a tour of the cellar, with a wine-tasting session and it is also in this region that we can speak about another wine cellar as well, whose history is also rich, which used to be a royal property and which is now owned by Prince Nicolae of Romania and his wife. This wine cellar has developed very many enotourism packages. We have accommodation, theme parties with wine and food pairing can be staged, there also is the personalized partying that can offer a personalized experience. These are initiatives the wine cellars took the liberty to have, yet there are also initiatives that started from the region’s wine cellars uniting their forces. “

    We continue our journey and we’re heading to eastern Romania, in Moldavia, and here our stopover is the Vrancea region. Here we can find a wine cellar with a long-standing tradition in wine production, whose premises have nonetheless been modernized in recent years, and which are placed in a dreamlike landscape. This wine cellar offers accommodation as well, while those who wish to spend more time here can benefit from multiple experiences.

    ” Apart from the fact that they can enjoy the tasting and the local wines, they can stay there for a couple of days, they can cycle all the way to the vineyard, sports aficionados can even stay over night for a game of tennis, if the weather is friendly, we also have a swimming pool. Then travelling further to Moldavia, in the Iasi region we can find a wine cellar with a rich history. It is the cellar where wines are made of indigenous sorts alone: Frâncușă, Grasă de Cotnari. So enotourism cannot be limited to the wine-tasting proper. I am not the only one to say it, also saying it are the European initiatives starting the Wine Road, Iter Vitis, the cultural road of the wine. That means we blend the wine into the cultural story of the place. In Moldavia, we speak about the local wines, however, the Cucuteni civilization can be found close by. Tourists can visit, can find out the story of the place, of the Cucuteni civilization, which is known to be Europe’s oldest civilization. “

    The schedule of a visit to the wine cellars needs to be made well in advance. It is a kind of tourism that can be made all year round. For instance, if we want to enjoy the landscape, the vineyard, the best period would be autumn or spring, where we can enjoy the scent, the fragrance, the green landscape. Also, we can go there in the cold season, yet the tour of the wine cellar will be limited to the interior experience. With more on that, here is the founder of Romania’s Enotourism Association, Alexandra Galbeaza.

    “Those who want to go the wine cellar and enjoy the experience need to make a call and schedule a visit in advance so they can make sure that at the wine cellar, there is someone who can welcome them. Also, having reached the wine cellar, the story begins with the tour of the cellar, with the story of the place. Specific info is being offered on how the wines were obtained, on the way the wine is produced, starting from the vineyard and all the way to the end product. A point the visit also covers is the bottling area so that visitors can see how wine is bottled, and, not the least, there also is the eagerly-awaited visit to the barrels area, while the tasting oftentimes also takes place in the barrels area or the hall especially dedicated to tasting. That depends on each wine cellar yet it also very much depends on the experience the tourist wants to have “.

    The founder of Romania’s Enotourism Association, Alexandra Gălbează, has organized the Enotourism Forum. Here she is once again, this time breaking the news about other interesting projects.

    “The next event, it will be in the spring of 2025, most likely. It is an event exclusively dedicated to this particular sort of tourism where we seek to invite representatives of the wine cellars tourism agencies, but also tourist guides, in a bid to think together of what actually happens and what it is required so that this segment can develop in Romania. Also, we intend o create a wine route at national level, accessible, of course, according to the country’s major regions, so that in the future we can integrate this route into the European cultural route. “

    A great many tourists are in pursuit of authenticity, of the peaceful life and are happy to discover that, in Romania, there are still traditions and local cuisine. They are delighted with the Romanian wines, especially with the indigenous sorts, all that and the high-standard accommodation offer turn the visit to the wine cellars into an unforgettable experience.

  • The Golden Apples Cultural-Touristic Route

    The Golden Apples Cultural-Touristic Route

    The Cultural-touristic “Golden Apples” Route includes destinations such as Bukovina, the Danube Delta, Mărginimea Sibiului, Târgu Jiu and Oradea. All these travel destinations have got the Golden Apple Award from the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers (FIJET). Bukovina was the first to get the aforementioned award back in 1975 for the famous outdoor paintings of its churches. The award can be admired in the museum of the Moldoviţa Monastery.

    This travel route with award-winning destinations was also approved by the Ministry of Tourism in 2021, according to Laura Dragu Popescu from the Professional Travel Employers Association, Gorjul, the founder of the aforementioned route.

    Laura Dragu Popescu:” The purpose of having these routes approved was that of promoting and developing a travel product with a cultural component and showcasing a travel programme available to travel lovers in Romania. And it also showcases the travel destinations FIJET awarded in our country. There are 7 destinations awarded in the Golden Apples Route. Let’s start with Targu Jiu, which got its Apple Award in 2014. We continue with Oradea and Sibiu. Then we go to Moldoviţa, in Moldavia, which has on display the first Golden Award Romania received back in 1975. Next we go to the Danube Delta and we present to the public a series of destinations, which are worth seeing.”

     

    Out of the destinations proposed by this route, Laura Dragu Popescu with the Professional Travel Employers Association Gorjul, invites us to discover those from Romania’s western regions.

    Laura Dragu Popescu:” Târgu Jiu is probably one of the most beautiful cities in Romania. Its uniqueness is visible everywhere and the Brancusi Axis, created by the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi attracts thousands of visitors monthly. After Târgu Jiu many tourists choose to travel to Timisoara and Oradea in order to visit the western part of Romania. Timișoara got the Golden Apple award last year, in 2023, while the city was European Capital of Culture. It is very close to Targu Jiu and a very visited spot by those who want to make the most of the city’s cultural, medical and sports potential, being at the same time, an attraction for young people, because Timișoara is a major university center.”

    In Timișoara one can visit the Museum of the 1989 Revolution, which has been enlarged and diversified after additional research was conducted into the anti-communist uprising in Romania more than 30 years ago.

    Furthermore, in Timisoara one can find a genuine melting pot, where various ethnic minorities have been living in peace for a very long period of time. So the cultural agenda is also very rich, you know. The city is also famous for its Christmas Fair, which begins in December and ends later in January as the Serbs, Germans and Romanians here celebrate Christmas on different dates.

    So, the Christmas Fair in Timișoara is the longest of its kind in Romania.

    Let’s now carry on our journey together with Laura Dragu Popescu, with the the Professional Travel Employers Association, Gorjul. Close to Timișoara, on the Golden Apples Route of course, there lies the city of Oradea, part of the historical region known as Crișana.

    Laura Dragu Popescu:” This is an interesting city from the touristic point of view. There are 89 Art Nouveau objectives, out of which 26 have been declared historical monuments. The city is 900 years old and from the viewpoint of a travel agency it’s a cultural and spa destination as Oradea is very close to the Felix Spa and another spa known as May 1st. In Oradea, tourists can admire the Church with a Moon, which has a little museum on its premises. They can visit the Citadel here, the Museum of the Criş Land, the Palace, the City Hall and also the Sion synagogue. One can spend here a four, five-day holiday without the fear of monotony. There is also an Aqua Park close to the center of this city and those interested in religious monuments can take a look at the St. Cross Monastery, which is very interesting. This axis Târgu Jiu-Timișoara-Oradea, is more than attractive for tourists, you know. It’s the western part of Romania, which is accessible from Bucharest by plane, bus or by train, which cover this distance on a daily basis. We thought this ‘Golden Apples Route’ as means of promotion out of a bigger collection our professional association is promoting, a collection with novel travel programmes. We consider it a part of beautiful Romania.”

    This Golden Apples route, a travel project promoted by the Professional Travel Employers Association, Gorjul is available for tourists the entire year, as Laura Dragu Popescu says.

    Laura Dragu Popescu: “Prices for such a holiday package can start from 530 euro per person including transport and seven days bed and breakfast plus a guide or 670 Euros for accommodation and three meals per day. The group has to be of at least 15 people. We must also mention that the sums mentioned don’t cover tickets at various tourist objectives or other personal expenses such as souvenirs, photos etc.

    This programme, the “Golden Apples Route”, is being carried out through various travel agencies and groups smaller than 15 people can call the agency and can join other groups with a departure set by that agency.  

    In other words, the Golden Apples Route has been designed as a group travel programme. Visitors can travel by themselves, but the expenses will be higher this way though. According to the great Romanian historian, Nicolae Iorga: “Every place on earth has its own story but you’ll have to pay attention and listen carefully to it and you may understand it if you love it a little” So we invite you to discover the story of Romania’s Golden Apples.”

    The cultural route programme and of the cultural-touristic routes were created in 1987 by the Council of Europe, with the purpose of highlighting a common European heritage.

    So, travel authorities in Romania have created a voluntary system of acknowledging the Cultural Travel routes developed by travel agencies or local public authorities.

    You can find more information on the Golden Apples route or the destinations awarded by the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers on the webpage of the Romanian Ministry of Economy Entrepreneurship and Tourism.

    (bill)

  • Harghita, the Family Friendly County

    Harghita, the Family Friendly County

    In the center of Romania, in Harghita county, there is a petting zoo. Contact with animals can be therapeutic, and here you can find deer, Icelandic horses, or rabbits. Another unique experience, for the whole family, is the visit to one of the sheepfolds. But you can also choose a trip to the Tinovul Mohoș botanical reserve. Here you can see rare species of plants, such as carnivorous ones. In fact, the year 2024 was declared the year of adrenaline in Harghita county. The thematic year will focus on tourism services that encourage an active lifestyle, exercise, and adventure. You can explore Harghita county on horseback, try six bobsleigh tracks, take a paraglider, or a hot air balloon flight. You can climb mountains or explore the world of caves, these are just a few examples of the countless opportunities that await you!

    Going to visitharghita.com, the website developed by the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, you will find many lists of attractions and holiday activities. And many of these, says Zsolt Mezey, project manager, are intended for families.

    “My first proposal is the Salt Land destination. Here we have many experimental activities that aim to present the crafts in detail through the personal involvement of the visitor: ‘knowing by doing’. The experience is unforgettable, because, assisted by a professional, you become an apprentice and learn the secrets of the craft. You take the masterpiece crafted with your own hands home as a souvenir. The experimental activities of pottery, cooking the famous kürtőskalacs, or crafting Corundum aragonite jewelry will all be unforgettable. You can find more details on the application, or on our Visit Harghita page.”

    An experience that is becoming increasingly popular is the Via Ferrata. The name comes from Italy, from the Dolomites, and originally it was an infrastructure for soldiers in the world wars, as we learned from Zsolt Mezey, project manager at the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association.

    “In the Gheorgheni-Lacu Roșu tourist destination, there is only one via ferrata route called “Wild Ferenc”, and it is on the south-western wall of Suhardul Mic Mountain. This route has a length of 200 meters and a difference in level of 170 meters. Another route can be found in Cheile Șugaului, on the wall of Mount Munticelu, called Astragalus. It is found in the Cheile Șugaului nature reserve. Munticelu has a total length of 700 meters, has five routes, with an elevation gain of 285 meters on the main route. I think that the most beautiful of all can be found in the Corbu commune. A via ferrata route called Falco Tinnunculus (Falcon Rock) was created, with an approximate length of 150 meters, which includes both a 15-meter-long suspension bridge and a vertical section equipped with approximately 15-meter-long stairs. This program is available between April and November, but it depends a lot on weather conditions.”

    The next destination on our list is the Tinovul Mohoș botanical reserve. The hour long tour is very interesting for children.

    “It takes place in a habitat reminiscent of the Ice Age, where carnivorous plants and other rare plant species can be seen. Many species in Tinov survived from the Ice Age. The tour takes place on pontoons and rafts, under safe conditions, with a friendly and knowledgeable guide. Also there, I propose a boat ride. It is an activity liked by families at Saint Ana Lake. The boats are suitable for families of 3-4 people, and the life jackets are also available in children’s sizes. Another family friendly experience is the bobsled, which offers unforgettable landscapes and moments. We currently have a summer track in Borsec. It has a length of almost 1,500 meters. The climb to the top of the piste is done with the existing ski lift and is open during the spring-autumn seasons. The bobsleigh track in Toplița is the longest bobsleigh track in Romania. It is 1,800 meters long, plus the curves. Most of the track descends through the forest, with the sled reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour, and there is also a slow uphill section. The ascent-descent circuit takes about eight minutes. Children between the ages of three and eight can only participate if accompanied by an adult. Access is allowed for 2 people in a sled, provided that they do not exceed 150 kilograms together.”

    The oldest bobsleigh track is located in the Lunca de Sus commune, and has become, in a very short time, an attraction for tourists visiting the area or for adrenaline lovers who come here specifically to experience this sensation. In addition to the adrenaline rush, tourists can enjoy a special landscape, which many compare to the ones seen in Austria or Switzerland.

    On the other hand, a mountain kart ride can be just as interesting, says Zsolt Mezey, project manager at the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association. “It’s a newly developed and fun means that gives us the opportunity to go carting all year round. The ergonomic seat makes it possible to focus only on the pleasure of speed. The three-wheel cart is a high quality and safe means of transportation that is perfect for families, groups of friends, and team building programs. Mountain karting is a new and unique adventure not only for Romania, but also for the whole of Europe. Here, the program lasts about an hour and a half, and there are two superb tracks, one is at Harghita Madaraș, and the other near the mountains in the vicinity of Baile Tușnad. A descent is 3-3.5 kilometers. All participants are normally trained and briefed, and given helmets. A specialist is present at the descent. On the other hand, the newest mountain kart can be found in Vărșag. They have the slogan ‘We take you up on the chairlift, you just have to enjoy the speed as many times as you want.’

    At the end, you can stop at the sheepfold. Here you will discover the specific customs, traditions and activities. You will taste organic products and enjoy the wonderful landscapes and the mountains that surround you. The meal will be hearty, composed of the following: traditional platter, bulz, Transylvanian stew, Transylvanian topcit, or balmoș. You will have access to the grill, and you will be able to taste the trout or the steak on a hot stone slab.

  • Herculane Spa and Secret Treasures

    Herculane Spa and Secret Treasures

    Today we arrive at one of the oldest spa resorts in Europe, attested around the year 150 CE. Located in southwest Romania, the Băile Herculane spa resort offers a varied range of treatment procedures. In addition to the special therapeutic quality of the mineral waters, the strongly ionized air balances the nervous system and ensures restful sleep. Thus, you will also be able to explore the surroundings of the resort, which offer multiple possibilities for leisure.

    The archaeological discoveries made in 2016 in Herculaneum revealed pools used for bathing in thermal water built by the Roman civilization. Such constructions are not found elsewhere in the world, except in the area of Asia Minor or in the famous ancient city of Pompeii. Therefore, it is a place full of history, but also of stories and legends, says Laura Pătru, PR manager at the ProTurism Herculane Association.

    “It has been attested since 153 CE, so it had time to collect a lot of stories, starting with those of the noble Roman families who came to Herculaneum, and whose traces are still visible today. There are still functional baths from Roman times in the Herculaneum Baths, so these stories are also preserved and tangible for those who visit the place. The resort also went through a period that we call the Austrian period, in one of its moments of glory, when it was a favorite place for many crowned heads, and today still bears the marks of these guests over time. Those who are passionate about history can come to see the gazebo of Empress Elisabeta, in Herculaneum, a place that was built by the locals so that Empress Sisi could have breakfast there.”

    In the old center of the resort, you can still see the old treatment facilities. In the alley between them stands the statue of Hercules, in the middle. But few people know that in these complexes, which guard the statue of the legendary hero, operated the first hydraulic elevator in Europe, a technological marvel of the era, which appeared at the end of the 1800s. The elevator cabin was lifted by the water pressure from the thermal springs. And the legends are as fascinating as the history of the place.

    “There are a lot of legends, because the natural landscape in Herculaneum is spectacular and, of course, it is related first of all to the legend of Hercules, the founder of the resort. Tourists can visit the Outlaws’ Cave, a place where treasures are said to be hidden, or see the Steam Grotto, where Burebista himself, the king of the Geto-Dacians, is said to have come to speak with the gods. So when we talk about history and legends, the Băile Herculane resort is very rich. Above all, Herculaneum is a spectacle of nature, both in terms of scenery and resources, so it can easily be a complete holiday experience, all the more so as it is an excellent base camp for a lot of sites in the surroundings.”

    In Baile Herculane, you will also notice the building of a casino. It was built between 1862-1864 by the same Viennese architect who also designed the initial plans for Peleș Castle: Wilhelm von Doderer. A meeting and entertainment place for the crowned heads and the nobility of the time, the Herculane Casino was not only the first casino of this area of the continent, but also one of the most beloved by the aristocracy of the time. The place where fortunes were lost and made for the courts of Europe, a place bustling with carriages, precious stones, and period dresses.

    Another famous vestige of the city is the railway station of the resort, considered the most beautiful in Romania and one of the most romantic in Europe. It is a copy of one of Empress Theresa’s hunting castles, near Vienna. From here, it is seven kilometers to the center of the resort, where tourists can enjoy the healing waters, says Laura Pătru, PR manager at the ProTurism Herculane Association.

    “There are 16 springs, each with its own particularity, so a wide variety of conditions can be treated, from rheumatism to neurological and dermatological conditions. It’s quite a wide range. At the same time, the accommodation units in Băile Herculane keep up very well with all the European trends in terms of spas, and this trend says that we must somehow combine these water therapies with relaxation therapies. In the accommodation units of Herculaneum, you will find massages that include thermal waters, which are not exactly the treatment that we know from our grandparents, in the way it was perceived, but, nevertheless, we enjoy the power of the waters in a more modern way, which relaxes us. Of course, we try to bring the nature of the place indoors as much as possible, so that the therapeutic product from Herculaneum is specific to that place. You will find in the offers massages with combinations of local herbal oils, or massages with honey from local sources, because the experience must be authentic and specific to this place. The treatment bases in the resort are quite well developed, they also have a balneology segment and a spa segment. Therapies are very varied, there are local and international therapists.”

    If you also explore the surroundings of the resort area, in the warm season, you will see a lot of butterflies. There are over 1,500 species here. This fact is due to the special properties of the air in the area, which means that 45% of the butterfly species in Romania are concentrated in Herculane, but also the only place in the world where some species of butterflies can be found. Also in the surroundings, you will be able to explore the Danube Gorges, a truly spectacular place, says Laura Pătru, PR manager at the ProTurism Herculane Association.

    “Also, there is the Face of Decebalus carved into the rock face, which is the largest mountain sculpture in Europe. You can go on boat trips, by steamboat, and it is a very relaxing area, with spectacular landscapes. From Herculane, the village of Ineleț can be reached in a fairly short time. Access to it is only by a vertical wooden staircase, along a waterfall. The fact that this village is so difficult to reach has made tradition there, and time, stand still. Because technology has not yet penetrated this hamlet so high in the mountains, visitors can see the Banat Montan from 100 years ago, with its people and traditions.”

    Here, then, are some reasons to visit the Băile Herculane resort, a place where the healing power of water has not disappointed for 2,000 years.

  • In Sibiu with the Mocanita

    In Sibiu with the Mocanita

    Today we go to Transylvania and stop in Sibiu county. We will make a journey with the so-called ‘mocanita’ train, on a narrow railway, cared for by volunteers, which connects the tourist pole of Sibiu with the rural communities of the Hârtibaciului Valley. We will go into a nature reserve, abundantly dotted with wild fauna and special flora, in a peaceful rural landscape, dominated from a distance by the snowy ridges of the Carpathians. The Sibiu-Agnita-Sighișoara narrow railway line is classified as a historical monument.

    Out of the 64 kilometers of narrow railway on Hârtibaciului Valley, until now, the seven kilometers between Hosman and Cornățel stations have been put back into operation by volunteers. Here, says Mihai Blotor, president of the Friends of Mocănița Association, diesel locomotive races are organized regularly, and steam locomotive races occasionally.

    “Tickets can be purchased on the website sibiuagnitarailway.com. In fact, the reservation is made from there, because you will receive the ticket when boarding the train, it being a cardboard ticket, as it used to be, which cannot be sent by mail. More recently, tickets can also be bought directly from the station. From the station, we leave for Hârtibaciului Valley, from the edge of the village of Cornățel. In the first part of the route, we go parallel to the road. People from cars will greet us, some will even honk. Then the road turns, and we go through the middle of the valley, among hills full of oak forests, among flocks of sheep, with the Carpathian Mountains always on our right side.”

    Hârtibaciului Valley remains one of the most picturesque and least explored areas in Sibiu County. It is also called, with good reason, the Green Valley. After crossing two bridges, we reach a truly wild area, says Mihai Blotor.

    “We usually see deer and wild boar there. I heard there are bears too, but I haven’t seen them from the train yet. We drive through a natural protection area for birds, the second largest in Romania after the Danube Delta, a Natura 2000 area. We usually see storks, egrets, gray herons, little screaming eagles, and many other small birds. We have information posters in the train carriages. We then arrive at Hosman Station. The station itself is about a kilometer outside the village, but offers a very nice panorama of it on the right. We can see the fortified church, built on a hill in the middle of the village, and the Făgăraș Mountains, usually covered with snow, in the background. It is an image that promotes Transylvania, or even Romania, in international posters. This is how you will recognize the village of Hosman. At the church, you can visit with specialized guides. Children will not be bored either. There is a treasure hunt for children. In the village there is also the old mill. It is a mill with a machine that still runs on oil, as mills used to be in the 1900s. Hârtibaciului Valley is full of fortified churches. There were many Saxons here, and each community had its own church, different from another church, all surrounded by defensive walls. For example, Alțâna, Nocrich, would be the closest to the final station of the train.”

    The biggest and best-known event on the Hârtibaciului Valley is right in Hosman, at the final station of the mocanita. It’s the Holzstock music festival, which usually takes place in July or August every year. Then the narrow gauge train makes special runs for the participants in that festival. But it is not the only event, says Mihai Blotor, president of the Friends of Mocănița Association.

    “We have village days. Each village then organizes a traditional parade. In addition to these, there are some events overlooked by us, the locals, but which seem to be very successful especially with foreign tourists: the animal fairs, organized every month, in a different village in the valley. Foreigners are very happy to see all the animals, all the tools and harnesses, for example for horses, for carriages, which they have in the museum, but here they have the opportunity to see them in real life.”

    If you want to enjoy a truly special horse-drawn carriage ride in Hârtibaciului Valley, schedule your trip during the Horse Riding Days event.

    “It’s our biggest event, started in 2015. It was our reason to bring a steam locomotive, because we usually run with diesel. We have perpetuated it, even though we now run by steam at other times of the year too. “The Days of the Mocănița” remains our biggest and most sought-after event, because in addition to the train ride, we have all kinds of other activities, including for children. For adults, we prepare folklore shows. We also had an inflatable pool at one point, because it was very hot outside. “The Days of the Mocănița” event takes place every September, around the last weekend of the school holidays. We will travel with a steam locomotive and five passenger cars. There will be round trips about five times a day through the glorious nature of the beginning of autumn in Hârtibaciului Valley, when the colors change, and I think it is the most beautiful time of the year. At last year’s “Days of the Mocănița”, we had people from South Africa who didn’t know about the event, but were cycling through the area. They saw a train in the station and they stopped to board it. They said that it was, until then, the most beautiful adventure of their whole trip from the right to the left side of Romania, by bicycle, because it was also so unexpected. We don’t even promote ourselves much, we are a kind of hidden treasure of Transylvania. A lot of it happens by accident, and that makes the experience even more enjoyable.”

    We learned from Mihai Blotor, the president of the Friends of Mocăniței Association, that the biggest project is to extend the route, so that tourists can reach as many of the local communities as possible, thus encouraging their sustainable development. In addition, communities have been, and continue to be, involved to shape a complete tourism product. Last year, the ticket price included a guided tour of the village of Hosman and its sights, and visits to local cheese makers. This year, an integrated package is taking shape with the school farm in Cornățel, where children can learn a lot about all the animals that are in a village yard, or get a ride on the ponies.

    The Mocănița on Valea Hârtibaciului is the only functional narrow gauge train in Romania, operated entirely by volunteers. The 2024 season will start in the first part of April.

  • The cultural-tourist route of open-air museums in Romania

    The cultural-tourist route of open-air museums in Romania

    The cultural-tourist route of open-air museums in Romania, developed at the national level and recognized by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism, has been launched in Romania considering the large number of tourists who showed interest in these objectives. Developed at the initiative of the County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art in Baia Mare, the tourist program offers tourists a foray into traditions, in 11 tourist and cultural sites in Romania’s ethnographic heritage.

     

    Monica Mare, the manager of the Maramureș County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art from Baia Mare says that the idea was born out of the need to promote museums, being a good opportunity to capitalize on the heritage of traditional Romanian architecture:  “The idea of ​​the project initially started with eight museums. We have also created several leaflets on which one can find a map with these museums. If you are in Bucharest, you can start the route from there, from the Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum in Bucharest, which is probably the most visited among the ethnographic museums in Romania, and after that, you can head towards the center of Romania. Tourists can go through the Golești Museum, after that they can reach Brașov, then Sibiu, where they can go to the ASTRA Museum, then travel to Transylvania, to the museum in Cluj and get closer to Maramureș, where they will find two ethnographic museums included in the route, the Village Museum from Baia Mare and the Maramureș Village Museum from Sighetu Marmației, respectively. Also here, in our area, in Oraș Country, in the vicinity of Maramureș, we have the Negrești Oaş Museum, and if we cross the mountains, to Bukovina, we find the Bukovina Village Museum. It depends on how much time the tourist has to visit and we thought that this route can be fully covered or the visitor can choose, in a first phase, a few museums in the area of ​​interest and after that we can arouse their curiosity to reach other areas of the country.”

     

    All open-air museums develop projects throughout the year, but especially in the warm season, which is the high season for visiting. You will be able to see folk craftsmen at work and you will be able to buy items they have created. Moreover, you’ll even be able to participate in the crafting art of the artisans:  “The Baia Mare Village Museum also has such programs. Throughout the year, we organize fairs, and we also have a souvenir shop, where we try to capitalize on the work of the Maramureș craftsmen. The other museums in the country also have such stores. Craftsmen need to be promoted. For the traditions to be passed on to future generations, the craftsmen must understand, especially the younger craftsmen who take over the crafts, that one can live from one’s craft and it is our duty, as ethnographic museums, to support the craftsmen, to make them known. Together with the centers of traditional culture, which have records of these craftsmen, we try to promote them at the travel fairs we participate in, and in the activities carried out by the museum.”

     

    As soon as you enter the Maramureş-style gate of the Baia Mare Village Museum, you are transposed into a world of the authentic Maramureş village, says Monica Mare, manager of the Maramureș County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art:  “If the Museum in Sighet only preserves objects of traditional architecture from Maramureș Voivodeship, the Village Museum in Baia Mare takes you to the Maramureş villages from all four ethnographic areas. We call them countries: Codru, Chioar, Lăpuș and Maramureș Voivodeship. You can visit a house in Lăpuș, with its thatched roof. You can go inside and see how people used to live, where the fire was made, you can see the oven, or how the baby was rocked in the cradle, or what the guest room looked like, where the most beautiful textiles and the dowry chest were kept and where people met at major life events. The oldest monument we have is our little church, a monument from 1630, which is placed on the hill, as are most of the churches in the Maramureş villages, and practically the museum was formed around it. It was the first monument brought here to the Village Museum. It makes our village alive. The village on the hill, as we call it, is alive, because services are still held in the church on the big holidays and on Sundays. There is a whole community that comes here to worship.”

     

    Another tourist asset promoted at Baia Mare’s Village Museum is the oldest house as part of the museum’s heritage, dated 1758.

    Monica Mare: “The team I coordinate for the time being can boast the fact that, although the years are complicated and the budget is tight, as usual, last year we succeeded to open, for the public, a new traditional architecture asset we transferred to our museum. A house from Chioar Country, a very beautiful one, typical for the Chioar Country style, which we placed in the vicinity of the church, is also from Chioar Country. The blue of the house is so very specific for Maramures, it can be visited by tourists. Also, from Maramures Country we boast the Petrova House, where the founder of the Romanian School of Stomatology, Gheorghe Bilașcu, was born, and these are but a few of the landmarks we offer so you can pay us a visit. I am just saying, “Come on, come to Maramures !” Visit the Village Museum in Baia Mare and all the museums included in the Romanian open-air museum’s ethnographic route! ”

     

    We found out from the manager of the Baia Mare-based Maramures County Ethnography and Traditional Art Museum, Monica Mare, that the available prospectuses are in Romanian and English. At the main assets as part of the visiting circuit there are plaques with a QR code for additional info, which direct you to the site of the institution, where translations are available in the most widely-spoken languages. In another move, children and youngsters can participate in a treasure hunt. They will be dared to cut themselves off from their own cell phones and visit the musem in a different manner. Also, the bigger museums lying along the cultural-tourist route of open-air museums in Romania have a wide range of promotion materials. The Museum in Sibiu, for instance, has Astra App, an application offering guidance, audio guidance included, in several of the most widely-spoken languages. (LS, EN)

  • Mountain Vacation in Zarnesti

    Mountain Vacation in Zarnesti

    There are a few specialized agencies that organize guided tours for animal watching. But here you will also find a museum of the Piatra Craiului National Park, a church built more than five centuries ago, an adventure park and a 70-hectare bear reserve, unique in Romania.

    Andreea Maria Nuță is a mountain guide. Six years ago she moved to Zărnești, where she founded a company through which she promotes the area and guides all tourists to the most interesting places. Zărneşti is a small town, says our guest, a settlement that was industrial, because in the past several factories operated there. Nowadays, it is known especially for its surprising nature, and for the special holidays that can be organized here.

    “As a setting and as a feeling it compares to the great resorts in the Alps, like Chamonix, but also to the resorts in the Tatra Mountains, like Zakopane in Poland, so somehow it’s exactly the starting point to perhaps the most beautiful routes from Romania. It is located close to the bend of the Carpathians, at the end of the famous Rucăr-Bran corridor, which makes the transition from southern Romania to Transylvania to northwestern Romania, surrounded by mountains. Its location is right next to Bran Castle, a little off the main road, for a little more peace, at the foot of the Piatra Craiului Mountains and beyond. So, as a geographical settlement, I think it is perhaps the most beautifully positioned small town in Romania.”

    From Zărnești, you can go on dozens of routes to the most important, beautiful and high mountain massifs in Romania. Moreover, the settlement has many characteristics from the Saxon architecture representative of southern Transylvania from the 13th century, continues Andreea Maria Nuță, mountain guide.

    “The houses and all the architecture of the place bring to mind the Saxon houses, different from those usually found in Romania. The closest routes are those in Piatra Craiului. Piatra Craiului is a national park. I like to say that it is the little gem of the Romanian Carpathians, because it is not a very large mountain, but it is made of limestone. In addition to many formations, gorges, caves, grottoes and arches and all kinds of rock formations that make you fall in love with Piatra Craiului, we can also enjoy a special light depending on the time of day. For example, at sunset the limestone walls turn pink, at sunrise they are bright white. It is particularly beautiful. So, any transfer from Piața Craiului, depending on the level of training, I recommend opening it up for a tourist with average training.”

    All the routes that lead to the cabins in Piatra Craiului are hiking trails, very beautiful, through beech, spruce, or birch forests. Moreover, whoever arrives in Piatra Craiului must eat the famous apple pie with fortune cookie notes. The fortune cookie notes are, as a rule, quotes about the mountain, very beautiful. And, above the cabins, the route is more difficult. Connoisseurs call it “scrambling”.

    “It’s a combination of hiking and a sort of rock climbing. There are passages set up with safety chains in rough areas. There are exposed areas, where we need to help each other with our hands to move forward. The most spectacular route in Piatra Craiului is obviously the ridge route. In its entirety, it is 23 km, but crossing the ridge requires a good physical condition, it involves exposed areas, where tourists should be physically well prepared for the prospect. There are very narrow areas to walk on, so the best recommendation for a tourist who has never been to Piatra Craiului, but would also like to see what happens above the forest, would be Piatra Mică. Piatra Mică is an individualized peak in Piatra Craiului. It is a preview with absolutely all the elements that these mountains have to offer, meaning it has dense forests. It also passes by the Curmătura cabin, ascends to the ridge of Piatra Mica a Craiului, which has areas with safety chains. The peak of Piatra Mică, which is just under 1,900 m, offers a dreamy, 360-degree panorama of the entire surrounding area.”

    Zărnești is in Bârsa Country, a name given by the rivers that cross the entire area, says our mountain guide, Andreea Maria Nuță. Bârsa Country is surrounded by Piatra Craiului, by the Făgăraş Massif, the highest mountains in Romania, by the Bucegi Mountains, the cradle of Romanian mountaineering, and by the Bend Carpathians, all these mountains being different from each other. Thus, Zărnești can be the perfect destination for any mountain route. Including a wildlife watching tour.

    “This must be done with a specialized guide who knows how to look for, follow, and interpret the tracks that animals leave not only on the path, but also on the trees, and in everything that happens in the forest. But, for everyone, the best recommendation is the bear sanctuary from Zărnești, Liberty. It is a particularly optimistic place. Indeed, bears that can no longer be returned to the wild for various reasons end up there, but they are not kept in cages or treated like in a zoo. It is a particularly vast place, the bears have very large pens. Although the sanctuary currently houses 127 bears, there is a possibility that those who enter will only see a few bears, because the place is vast, and the bears there live as they would in their natural environment. Tours with tourists are only two a day, in Romanian and in English, to limit the access and interaction of the bears with people.”

    But what impression do tourists leave with?

    “I interacted with foreign tourists, a lot of them. Obviously, what impresses them the most here in Romania, especially for those who come from Western Europe, is the wild life. We still have absolutely all the animals that need to live in this type of climate and vegetation. We have bears, wolves, foxes, lynxes, wild cats, beavers, all the animals. Then we still have virgin and secular forests and a wide variety of flora. Our greatest wealth still are the natural resources, the flora and fauna we still have here. Tourists leave impressed, not knowing that Romania is such a beautiful country, with so many things to offer. Some come back for more tours.”

    There’s no particular season you should think about if we’ve convinced you to visit the area. You can arrive at any time of the year. You will find guesthouses of two, but also of 4 stars. The price for six nights’ accommodation without meals included, in July, for example, varies from 300 euros for two stars, to 1000 euros for four stars.