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Sports |
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Watersports
Luxury resorts and beaches line the Black Sea
coast, which extends for some 245km (153 miles) from the
Danube Delta towards the border with Bulgaria in the south. The
sea is clean and the absence of tides makes it
perfect for swimming, windsurfing and many other types
of waterports.
Some of the best-known resorts include the seaport
of Constanta; Mamaia, which has a 7km-
(4.5 mile-) long beach; and a string of luxury resorts named after
women and mythological gods, such as Neptune, Venus or Jupiter (for
further details on seaside resorts, see also Resorts & Excursions
section).
Sailing is widely practised on the coast,
while Romania’s many rivers are well-suited
for kayaking. Tourists wishing to explore the waterways
of the protected and UNESCO-listed Danube Delta must conform to
strict conservation regulations. Visitors arriving with their own
boat must pay a fee at Tulcea Harbour Station and show their passports,
a sailing licence and valid registration papers for their craft.
Fishing
Romania has several easily accessible places for fishing
such as the Danube Delta (where there are over
160 fish species including sturgeon, wel, pike and carp) and on
lake shores around big cities. For details of legal requirements,
contact the Romanian National Tourist Office (see Contacts
section).
Winter sports
There are several facilities for skiing with pistes
of varying degrees of difficulty found in almost all mountain resorts,
the majority of which are equipped with cable cars. The main
ski resorts are at Poiana Brasov (13km/8
miles from Brasov) and Sinaia. Facilities are fairly
limited in comparison to more established skiing destinations. Locals
are very sociable and most ski instructors speak English.
National and international skiing and bob-sleighing competitions
are held annually. Sledging tracks, skating
and ice hockey are available at
most mountain resorts.
Health
spas
Romania has been a famous spa country since Roman
times and there is a choice of 70 health centres
as well as 3000 mineral-rich thermal springs. The most well-known
health resorts include Baile Herculane
in the Cerna Valley (southern Carpathians); Baile Felix
(near the city of Ordena in the northwest); and Sovata
(in Transylvania near Ursu lake, popular with women). Romanian
spas are particularly known for mudbaths (using the sapropelic
black mud from Lake Techirghiol) and the Gerovital
cure pioneered by Professor Ana Aslan. For further details
contact the National
Organisation of Spas, 2-4 Luterana Street, Sector 1, Bucharest
1 (tel: (1) 312 2993; fax: (1) 314 8097; e-mail: optbr@fx.ro).
Folklore and culture
Traditional folk music and dancing is still very much
alive and shows can be seen in many hotels and restaurants.
The legendary Romanian composer Georg Enescu’s Romanian
Rhapsody is world famous. Regional crafts and costumes
also play an important part of everyday life: wooden architecture,
pottery and ceramics, woodcarving and glass paintings can be found
throughout the country. The Dracula myth originated in Romania,
where a medieval king known as ‘Vlad the Impaler’ became
the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. One of Vlad’s
homes, Bran Castle, can be visited in Transylvania. |
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