Vacation Romania - Interesting places you must visit

We all love our country and are proud of it abroad, but very often we choose to spend our holidays abroad. We probably have the impression that we already know everything there is to see, but things are not quite like that.

Wonderful things you may not know about Romania

1. Scarisoara Glacier

Hidden under the Bihor Mountains, it is the second largest underground glacier in Europe. With a volume of 75,000 cubic meters, the glacier has existed for more than 3,500 years.

2. Astra Museum of Popular Civilization  

It is an open-air museum located in Sibiu, which presents over 300 traditional houses, water mills, windmills, gigantic presses for wine, fruit and oil, stables and barns, offering visitors the feeling of wandering around a traditional village. The museum is also the second largest open-air museum in the world.

3. Transfagarasan

Declared by many "the best road in the world", Transfagarasan stretches for 90 kilometers (56 miles), passing through the Fagaras Mountains. Transfagarasan is full of sharp turns. The views become more and more spectacular as you climb higher, the peak being at 2,134 meters (7,000 feet).

4. The Happy Cemetery

Located in the village of Sapanta, it is definitely the most unique of its kind. A creation of local popular artist Stan Ioan Patras, the cemetery displays painted crosses adorned with satirical epitaphs, revealing the deceased's message to the living world. This joyful attitude towards death comes from the Dacians, the Romanian ancestors, who believed that death is just a passage to a better life.

5. House of the People

Surpassed only by the Pentagon, the People's House is the second largest administrative building in the world. A symbol of Ceausescu's megalomania, the building is 240 meters long, 270 meters wide and 86 meters high. Built on 12 floors, the monument has 1,100 rooms. According to Guinness World Records, it is also the heaviest building on the planet.

6. Round Village

Charlottenburg, (unofficially called Sarlota in Romanian) the only round village in the country, is an unparalleled landmark in the Banat region, located 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Timisoara, in Bogda commune. The village was built in the 18th century by Swabians, German settlers who settled in the country. The perfect circle of houses, stables and barns is built in a symmetrical style, all the houses having the same distance between them and standing at the same height.

7. Mount Rushmore of Romania

Not only the Americans have their mountain carved, on the banks of the Danube, carved in stone, there is the statue of the former Dacian leader and ancestor of the Romanians, Decebal. Sculpted by 12 mountaineer sculptors over a period of 10 years, the statue is 55 meters high and is the tallest stone sculpture in Europe.

8. Mud Volcanoes

For a wonderful summer weekend with the family, visit the mud volcanoes. The mud volcanoes of Berca are part of a nature reserve and probably the best chance to feel as if you are walking on the surface of the moon.

9. Sarmizegetusa Regia

Sarmizegetusa Regia is a historical site very dear to Romanians. An ancient city of high altitude, it was the center of the powerful kingdom of the Dacians, the ancestors of our people. Today, you can walk among the ruins of the fortress and admire the impressive sundial.

If all this does not thank you, our country has a lot to offer. From fine beaches to snowy mountains in the middle of summer, there is something for everyone.

What can you do in Romania?

• Visit the castles full of history: Romania hosts an impressive number of castles and fortresses. Peles Castle, one of the most charming castles in Europe, Bran Castle, the picturesque mythical home of Count Dracula and Corvin Castle, with its Gothic structure, are the most famous.
• Enjoy the amazing cuisine: Focused on taste and offering an unmistakable feeling of home, Romanian cuisine is full of dishes that go straight to your heart. You can't miss the sarmales with mamaliga, bulzul, mititii or papanasi.
• Go hiking in the mountains: The Carpathian Mountains are spectacular and there is no better way to enjoy the scenery than by hiking. You can choose from the many mountain trails available for both beginners and experts and you will discover spectacular glacial lakes and waterfalls.
• Follow the wildlife: Romania has the largest population of brown bears in Europe, also one of the largest bison reserves, and the Danube Delta is home to the largest biodiversity in the country.
• Do winter sports: One of the cheapest ski destinations, Romania boasts numerous and wonderful ski areas such as Azuga, Brasov, Predeal, Arieseni, Paltinis and many others.
• Go to the beach on the shore of the Black Sea: Romania has 15 resorts on the shores of the Black Sea, some with exciting wild beaches: 2 Mai, Cap Aurora, Constanta, Costinesti, Eforie Nord, Eforie Sud, Gura Portitei, Jupiter, Mamaia, Mangalia, Neptun, Olimp, Saturn, Vama Veche, Venus .
• Visit the eight UNESCO world heritage sites: The painted monasteries of Moldova, the Horezu Monastery, the Dacian fortresses of the Orastie Mountains, the fortified churches of Transylvania, the historical center of Sighisoara, the wooden churches of Maramures, the ancient and primitive beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe and the spectacular Danube Delta.
• Catch the festival fever: Untold, Electric Castle, Neversea, the George Enescu Music Festival, the Jazz Festival or the Sibiu Film Festival.

For Romania, the key word is diversity. Due to the surprising variety of attractions, from spectacular nature and rich wildlife to many cultural attractions, a visit to Romania has a lot to offer.