Whether you’re in the mood for the city life and Communist-era architecture of Bucharest, the bucolic charm of the villages, or the Gothic atmosphere of Transylvania and its part in the Dracula legend, you’ll find lots to explore and love about Romania.
Bucharest’s Balkan beauty
Bucharest is a proud and interesting city. Here you’ll find monuments harking back to the past mixed with exciting new areas of development.
The vast Palace of Parliament was former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s obsession, and despite having some 3,000 rooms, it still wasn’t finished at his death. Book in advance for a guided tour of this Communist folly – it offers a unique perspective on the nation’s history.
More graceful highlights of the capital are the Athenaeum, where the Philharmonic Orchestra plays, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the pretty Cismigiu Gardens.
Of creatures and castles
While the actual link between Bran Castle and Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ is tenuous at best, the vampire myth and Transylvania are indelibly linked. The castles of the region are simultaneously stunning, romantic and a little spooky – best experienced when shrouded in fog.
Give in to the myths if you must, or remain a sceptic, either way a tour of the castle – the kind of place where Dracula should live – is worth the trip alone. The looming towers, the collection of Queen Marie’s furniture – it’s a 15th century fortress full of creepy corners, secret passages, creaking noises and lavish decoration.
You’ll have to travel elsewhere in the country to find somewhere that Vlad the Impaler actually lived. Poenari Castle sits on a cliffside in the Carpathians and is reachable by a climb of nearly 1,500 steps.
Medieval manners
Much of Romania has an olde worlde feel, and the peasant culture dominates in regions like the lovely Maramures. It’s a place full of incredible medieval churches. Saint Parascheva in Poienile Izei is a 17th century wooden church that contains stunning frescoes.
Elsewhere in towns like Sighisoara, Sibiu and Brasov you’ll walk cobbled streets, idle at cafes and marvel at Gothic and baroque buildings and churches. The history is rich and complex here – at St Mary’s Evangelical Church in Sibiu, built in the 14th century – you’ll find the tomb of a Prince who once revelled in the name Mihnea the Evildoer.
From the time warp villages to the cities treading a fine line between communism and capitalism, Romania is a fascinating country that at times seems to offer a view of a different world. Car rental in Romania is your ticket to seeing all that it holds.