Romania has “exceeded all expectations” — a cheap Europe accessible to Russians. Why is she underestimated and why is she surprising?

Mysterious legends of Transylvania, medieval castles, sandy beaches and clear sea, salt caves, dizzying mountain landscapes, hearty cuisine and affordable prices compared to the rest of Europe — for all this, tourists go to one of the most atmospheric countries in the north of the Balkan Peninsula — Romania. How to get there, what is definitely worth visiting and trying — in the guide ” “.

How to get a visa to Romania now

Starting from March 31, 2024, travelers from Russia will need Schengen visas to travel to Romania, upon receipt of which they will have to submit biometrics.

The application form is filled out on the official website of the consulate. After sending it, you will receive a notification about the registration for the submission of documents, which takes place in all Romanian consulates in Russia: in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Rostov-on-Don.

A single visa allows you to enter the Schengen area for up to 90 days during any 180-day period. However, the Consulate General of the Republic in St. Petersburg warned that it would not be possible to obtain the Romanian Schengen for transit.

“If you want to go to France and you are going to apply for a Schengen visa with us, then it is better not to do this. You will receive a refusal,” the consulate said

The diplomatic department also added that Russians who previously had Schengen visas will be able to obtain, among other things, multiple-entry visas.

Tourists who have issued a visa to Romania before March 31, 2024, will be able to use it during the entire validity period, but only to enter this country.

How Romania attracts tourists

Romania cannot be called the most popular travel destination in Europe among Russians, and quite unnecessarily. She has a lot to offer the guests. And, importantly, at lower prices.

Most tourists go to admire the medieval castles, each of which keeps its own legends: Pelesh, Pelishor, Poenari, Korvinov and the most famous — Bran, where the bloodthirsty ruler of Wallachia Vlad Tepes Dracula spent the night during hiking and hunting.

Lake Balea in Romania

Outdoor enthusiasts go hiking in the Southern Carpathians, climb the highest mountain in Romania — Moldoviana, spend the night in tents near the shores of mountain lakes and rivers, breathe crystal clear air and enjoy picturesque views. Of course, the Carpathians attract skiers and snowboarders from all over the world.

Fans of a relaxing beach holiday go to the Black Sea coast. Popular resorts are Mamaia, Neptune, Jupiter, Eforie Sud, Eforie Nord and others. The beaches there are wide, sandy, with a gentle entrance into the water. The swimming season lasts from May to October. Tourists who want to get treated can go to health resorts — Baile Felix, Sovata, Baile Olanesti, Baile Tushnad, Tekirgiol and others.

Travelers who are more interested in nature than urban buildings will like mud volcanoes, waterfalls, national parks, caves and animals accidentally encountered in the forests.

This trip exceeded all my expectations in terms of visual and internal vibe. Most of all, I remember the autumn landscapes in the dazzlingly bright Romanian sun. They still stand in front of my eyes. And I also remember how we met the bears near the lake: it was an absolutely unexpected event for me, which left an impression for a lifetime

Yana Nazarovatrevel is an expert

How to get to Romania

It will not be possible to fly directly from Russia to Romania right now. There are Pegasus and Turkish Airlines flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg with connections in Istanbul, Antalya and Ankara. In addition, you can get Flydubai and Emirates airlines with a transfer in Dubai, but it is much more expensive.

80,000 rubles

there are flights from Moscow to Bucharest for the beginning of June (connecting flight in Istanbul, round-trip, without luggage)

After Bulgaria and Romania partially entered the Schengen area, Bucharest airport abolished border controls for tourists arriving from EU countries, but for Russians it still remained. Experienced travelers warn that it is better to have hotel reservations, transport and a return ticket with you just in case.

“The interrogation at the border was very tough — not to us, but to everyone in general. The questions were not only the standard “purpose of the trip” and “have you booked a hotel”, but also those that are usually asked to issue, for example, an American visa. Conditionally, “who do you work for”, “how long have you come for”. They also asked in more detail about the details of the trip,” said Yana Nazarova, who was in Romania in 2023.

Money, communication, transport

The national Romanian currency is the leu. Small coins are baths. One leu is equal to 5.22 rubles. Since Russian bank cards do not work in the country, it is better to take either a foreign bank card (if any) or cash on a trip. Almost all places accept only local currency, euros can be paid only in large hotels at a not very favorable rate.

Due to the fact that Romania is Eastern Europe, it is clear that it is much cheaper there than in Italy or France. The prices are reasonable, even lower than in Moscow. Both housing and food were not very expensive

Vyacheslav Zeninturist from Russia

Communication services are provided by Orange, Vodafone and Globalism operators. You can buy a SIM card at the airport or at any communication salon. You will need a passport for this. If the trip is going to be short, it will be more convenient to use eSIM, which, for example, Airalo has.

One of the most popular ways to travel around the country is by bus. According to tourists, public transport in Romania is well developed.

“We had three crossings across the country, and we found the right transport everywhere without any problems. It’s very simple: you come to the bus stop, everything is clear there, the bus departs on time and gets there quickly,” Daria from Russia shared her impressions.

According to another tourist, Arthur, there are usually no problems with taxis either. “They have Uber and Bolt, the taxi driver will never cheat you,” he said.

The situation with car rental is more complicated. Initially, the companies indicate a very low price, and then it turns out that it is necessary to leave a deposit for rent, which can reach several thousand euros.

“An important point: most companies allow you to rent a car only if you have a credit card. They must be sure that, if necessary, they will be able to write off the required amount. They categorically did not agree to our debit cards,” Yana Nazarova warned.

Where to find accommodation

With the help of a Russian bank card, you can book accommodation in Romania only on the Ostrovok portal. In Bucharest, two—star and three-star hotels (Duke Armeneasca, Old Town Boutique Hotel, Trianon Hotel) cost 6-9 thousand rubles per day, and more comfortable hotels (Novotel Bucharest City Centre, Grand Hotel Continental, Grand Hotel Bucharest) – from 15 thousand rubles per day.

8000 rubles

the average cost of accommodation in Bucharest per day (price for two guests) is

Apartments and apartments will be cheaper: for example, on Airbnb you can find options from two to five thousand rubles per night. But there are nuances here too.

“When we stayed in Bucharest, we chose a place in the historical part of the city, closer to the center. There was a large amount of interesting, beautiful, high-quality and, most importantly, cheap housing on Airbnb. But most of these places, especially those in the very center, had a lot of negative reviews and low ratings. When we started reading these reviews, we realized that the main thing that people were dissatisfied with was the exorbitant noise level,” Yana Nazarova was surprised.

According to the tourist, she and her husband still chose one of the apartments in the very center of the city, turning a blind eye to the warnings of other guests about noise. Upon arriving there, the couple found a package of earplugs by the bed. It turned out that the owners did not worry about their tenants in vain: the bars and clubs located nearby began to “buzz” from early evening until the morning on the very first day. The situation was repeated on the rest of the week, despite the fact that it was October — not the tourist season.

What is worth trying from food

Romanian cuisine is an amazing mix of Balkan, Turkish, Hungarian and other traditions. It is quite simple, hearty and healthy: it contains a lot of meat, vegetables and dairy products.

The most famous soup is chorba. It is made from beef, chicken or fish and a large number of vegetables with the addition of meatballs or sausages.

Traditional Romanian chorba soup

Of the meat dishes, you should definitely try mititei — small sausages, similar to kebabs, grilled with spices, and kiftele — a meat dish resembling classic cutlets.

A popular Romanian fish dish is saramura. During its preparation, the fish is first grilled and then boiled in a brine-based sauce. Hominy is served as a side dish — the most famous Romanian porridge made from boiled corn flour.

My favorite is the Romanian eggplant salad starter. These are baked, finely chopped and chilled eggplants with onions. There are different interpretations of cooking: somewhere they are filled with some kind of vinegar dressing, somewhere with oil, somewhere with egg yolk. Once we even met a mayonnaise dressing, and it was just incredibly delicious

Yana Nazarovatrevel is an expert

Another famous Romanian dish is placinda. This is a fried flatbread with a variety of fillings: sweet or salty. It is served as an appetizer, second course or dessert. Delicious Romanian cheeses are urda (soft) and kashkaval (hard).

Sweet tooth will definitely appreciate the famous Romanian dessert — amandin (chocolate cake filled with chocolate or almond cream) and papanashi (doughnut-shaped air cakes served with jam and sour cream).

Coffee, fruit tea and socata (a drink made from the flowers of the European elder shrub) are common among soft drinks, while wine and palinka (fruit vodka) are common from alcohol.

What to see in Bucharest

In Bucharest, the capital of Romania, various architectural styles are surprisingly intertwined: medieval buildings, Gothic churches and ancient streets are adjacent to office buildings and concrete structures of the era of “developed socialism” by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

The “City of Joy” and the capital of ancient Wallachia

The first mention of Bucharest in the documents of Prince Vlad III Tepes (the same Count Dracula) dates back to 1459. Then it was a village with the same name, which comes from the personal name Bukur. According to various legends, he was a shepherd, a hunter, a fisherman, and even a prince who allegedly founded the city.

According to another version, the name of the city comes from the Romanian word bucurie, which translates as “joy”.

In the XVII century, Bucharest became the capital of the ancient principality of Wallachia (a historical region in the south of Romania between the Carpathians and the Danube River), and in the XIX century — the capital of the Romanian state.

The breath of Europe is felt here at every step — in the XIX century the city was even called “little Paris”. By the way, Bucharest even has its own Triumphal Arch, which offers a great view of the center.

The impression is so ambivalent: on the one hand, there is a very beautiful historical center in Bucharest, which is similar to Europe and in which it is really nice to walk, but you step away from the center a little bit and realize that you are still not in Western Europe, but in Eastern Europe: graffiti, garbage, homeless

Vyacheslav Zeninturist from Russia

Despite the fact that some of the city’s buildings were destroyed during a strong earthquake in 1977, World War II and Ceausescu’s rule, Bucharest partially managed to preserve its architectural appearance, albeit with elements of some eclecticism.

It is better to start exploring Bucharest from the Old Town. Buildings of the XIX—XX centuries have been preserved in the Lipskan district. The streets there are pedestrian, covered with cobblestones, with a large number of small cozy cafes, shops and bars — an ideal option for leisurely walks.

One of the main attractions of Bucharest is the Parliament Palace. It is the largest administrative building in Europe and the second largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon. Its area is 350 thousand square meters. There are more than a thousand rooms in the building. To build it, it was necessary to destroy part of the historical part of Bucharest with ancient churches, architectural monuments and even residential buildings, but this did not stop Ceausescu, prone to gigantomania, like most dictators. Ironically, the author of the idea never managed to see his brainchild in its completed form — a huge palace made of steel and marble, which was supposed to symbolize the power of Romania.
In 1989, the ruler was overthrown and executed. Now everyone can get inside, for this you need to buy tickets.

Old Town in Bucharest

Another place worth noting is the Romanian Athenaeum concert Hall, which resembles a Greek temple. The international music festival named after the Romanian composer George Enescu is held there every year. Tourists can also get to a symphony orchestra performance or a chamber music concert.

Curious travelers should visit the National Museum of History The exhibits of which tell about the development of Romania from the earliest eras to the present, the National Museum of Art of Romania, where the works of El Greco, Rubens, Monet and Rembrandt are presented, and the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant.

In the evening, after a walk around the city, you can go to Uniria Square, where a musical fountain show takes place.

In addition, Bucharest is home to one of the most beautiful bookstores in Europe — Cărturești Carusel. It opened in 2015 in a renovated 19th-century building on Lipskani Street. Spiral staircases, curved balconies, tall columns, galleries with books — all this resembles a palace rather than a store. They sell books not only in Romanian, but also in other foreign languages. There is a cafe on the top floor where you can grab a cup of fragrant coffee and sit with your favorite book.

What to see in Brasov

Brasov, sometimes called the Romanian Salzburg, is located in the heart of the country, among the Carpathian Mountains. The city is known for its Gothic quarters and the Black Church — it is the largest Gothic structure in the whole of southeastern Europe. Inside there is a 19th century organ and the largest collection of Turkish carpets. The church got its name because of the fire, during which its walls turned black from burning and soot.

Types of Brasov

In addition to Brasov, the most famous castles of the country are located in the mystical and mysterious region of Romania, Transylvania.

Castles of Romania

Bran Castle is located 30 kilometers from Brasov, also known worldwide as Dracula’s Castle. It was in this place that the filming of the film “Dracula” by Francis Ford Coppola based on the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker took place. However, the prototype of the main character of the work — Count Vlad Tepes, famous all over the world for his extravagant cruelty – this castle never belonged to and was not his residence. According to one of the beliefs, the famous governor only stayed here a couple of times during his campaigns.

In general, there are a lot of legends around this place. For example, that the Turkish conquerors tortured the count in the cellars of the castle and that he made a deal with the devil and turned into a vampire after his death. Some of the locals claim that they saw the ghost of Dracula in the forests of Transylvania

There are many secret passages and underground labyrinths in the castle, and in the courtyard there is an ancient well through which you can supposedly get to the dungeon.

The mysterious atmosphere of the bloody vampire saga attracts hundreds of tourists to the castle, who can’t wait to wander through the gloomy corridors and see with their own eyes Dracula’s bedroom and a torture room with creepy devices, the functionality of which is better not to know. However, some travelers complain about the discrepancy between their expectations and reality.

For me, this castle was a complete disappointment. This is a popular place where there are a lot of people. From the outside, it really looks cool, but inside you have to walk in a crowd along a narrow path, and everything is fenced off on the sides, like in a museum. There is an old chair, an old wardrobe, a bed where the count slept

Daryaturist from Russia

Yana Nazarova agrees with her: “I didn’t see anything interesting and beautiful there for myself. The story of the relationship of this castle with the Impaler remained ghostly for me. It seems that most of these bundles are just invented to attract tourists. Crowds of people were moving in a line, we couldn’t even see anything or deviate from the route.”

One of the halls of Peles Castle

Not far from the city of Sinaia there is another famous Romanian castle — Peles. It began to be built by decree of the first King of Romania, Carol I, in 1873 and was named after a nearby mountain river. Peles became the first castle in the world to have electricity installed.

On the territory of Peles, which was once a royal residence, there is now a museum. Of the 168 rooms, only 35 are open to visitors. They feature various pieces of furniture and interior made of ebony and porcelain, carpets, tapestries, a collection of weapons, living rooms in Moorish, Turkish, Italian, English and other styles, paintings, sculptures and much more.

In the south of Transylvania, in the town of Hunedoara, there is another castle — Korvinov. Like other Romanian castles, it also has its own legend, according to which it was here that representatives of the Hungarian feudal house of Hunyadi kept the deposed Vlad Tepes in prison for seven years. There is no exact confirmation of this, but will this stop travelers who are greedy for beautiful stories!

A slightly less famous castle — Kantakuzino — is located in the town of Busheny. It was built in 1911 by order of Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino. The exterior of the castle may seem suspiciously familiar to film enthusiasts: it was there that the filming of Nevermore Academy from Tim Burton’s series “Wednesday” took place.

“As a result, I liked this castle the most. Architecture, a picturesque courtyard and park, a large rope swing, a bar-restaurant with a view terrace — all this created a very positive impression,” Yana Nazarova shared.

Nature of Romania

A real paradise for trekking enthusiasts is the Southern Carpathians, the highest point of which is Mount Moldoveanu (its height is 2.5 thousand meters). Untouched forests, clear lakes, alpine meadows with grazing horses — all this will accompany tourists during the hike. The Carpathians are also famous for the abundance of brown bears — there are more of them here than in the rest of Europe.

The glacial cave of Scarisoara belongs to one of the natural wonders of Romania, which is 3.5 thousand years old. Part of the cave is open to tourists, but it must be borne in mind that the temperature inside is very low (near zero), so it is better to take warm clothes with you when visiting. And there are bats there (which, in general, is not surprising for the homeland of the main vampire in history).

Southern Carpathians

Another impressive natural attraction in Romania isBigar waterfall. It represents streams of water running down a rock covered with bright green moss. The waterfall is often compared to the hat of a large mushroom, the dress of a princess or the roof of the house of some fabulous character. Its uniqueness also lies in the fact that it is located exactly on the 45th parallel of the north: halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

The legend of Bigar Waterfall

In Romania, legends are associated not only with castles, but also with natural attractions, in particular, the Bigar waterfall. According to one of them, many years ago there lived in these parts a family of peasants who could not get a child. The desperate wife turned to a local witch for help, who promised her that she would definitely have a daughter if she drank spring water from the river. But the witch warned that the girl who was born should never fall in love with anyone, otherwise she would lose her life.

The end of the story turned out to be sad. The daughter of peasants grew up and could not resist her feelings — she fell in love with a young man named Bigar. To prevent the tragic events that the witch predicted, the parents hid the girl in a cave. But the witch found her anyway and invited her to reunite with her lover: she turned her hair into streams, and her tears into water. The longing Bigar drowned in this water, forever remaining with his beloved.

Mud volcanoes which emit underground salt water with oil impurities, are located on the territory of the botanical reserve in the municipality of Skorzoasa near Berka. The local landscapes with cone-shaped elevations, similar to real large volcanoes, resemble some fantastic films about other planets. Gases are sometimes released along with the dirt, which ignite spontaneously from time to time. Tourists who come to admire the Martian views are warned that it is forbidden to touch dirt with their hands — this is written on the sign at the entrance.

What else to visit in Romania?

Salt mines

There are several large salt mines in Romania. One of them is located near the city of Cluj-Napoca and is called Salina Turda. Salt began to be mined there during the Roman Empire, later the mine was abandoned, during the war it was used as a shelter, and now it is a huge amusement park at a depth of more than a hundred meters underground with a Ferris wheel, mini golf courses, an amphitheater where theatrical productions and cinema sessions take place, and even an underground lake.

There is a black lake in this mine, you can go boating on it. It felt like you were floating on that lake from Harry Potter, where Harry and Dumbledore went to get another horcrux. It’s dark everywhere, loud echoes, like some other world… The coolest impression was left from there

Daryaturist from Russia

Transfegerash highway

Another place that cannot be ignored is the Transfegarash highway, which runs through the Carpathians and connects the Romanian regions of Wallachia and Transylvania. It is considered one of the most beautiful high-altitude roads in the world. The highest point of the highway is located at an altitude of about two thousand meters. Tourists travel through it by buses, cars and motorcycles. On the way, you can visit the Bylya waterfall and take a funicular from it to the mountain lake, the Vidrara dam and the ruins of the Poenari castle, where Vlad Tepes really lived and from the site of which his wife rushed into the abyss.

The Merry Cemetery

One of the most unusual cemeteries in Europe is located in the village of Sepinca in northern Romania. It is so named for a reason: it seems that the topic of passing away is presented here in a slightly different way than ordinary Europeans used to perceive it. The gravestones of the cemetery are bright, colorful, decorated with drawings in the style of naive art and poetic texts telling about the life and death of the people buried here.

The idea of creating such a non—trivial ritual place, which eventually turned into an open-air museum, belongs to a local woodcarver, Stan John Petrasch. He installed the first cross with a humorous epitaph back in 1935, and by the 1960s there were already more than eight hundred of them in the cemetery. Patrash took care of himself and created an epitaph for himself during his lifetime, where there is a phrase: “All my life I have not wished evil to anyone, but as much as I could I did good to everyone who needed it.”

Rock sculpture of Decebalus

The sculpture of Decebalus is the largest monument in Europe, carved from a monolithic rock, its height is 55 meters. It is a huge image of the face of the King of Dacia, who fought against the Roman emperors to preserve the independence of his country. The place for the monument was chosen for a reason: in these parts, in 105, Decebalus suffered a final defeat from the Roman emperor Trajan. He did not want to surrender and pierced himself with a sword.

How Romanians treat tourists from Russia

According to Russians, Romanians behave very openly with tourists and always try to meet them halfway.

I didn’t meet any negativity anywhere, there were no problems. On the contrary, everyone greeted me joyfully when I said that I was from Russia. Everyone responded well and were ready to help

Vyacheslav Zeninturist from Russia

Yana Nazarova also noted that all the people she met in Romania were friendly and hospitable. “In general, they are quite kind, open and positive people. We have not encountered any negativity,” she explained.

A tourist named Arthur added that Romanians love holidays very much and sometimes behave noisily. “But even if they get drunk, they won’t get rowdy,” he reassured other travelers.

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