Romania / România – Let’s explore here

Romania has been the biggest surprise to us so far on this journey – it really is a very beautiful and incredibly varied landscape, having mountains, hills and plains roughly equal in area, including the Transylvanian plateau (think Count Dracula!). The absolutely magnificent Carpathian Mountains dominate the centre of the country, and there are lots of forests and national parks.

Its population is around 19 million and it shares land borders with Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. It’s roughly the same size as the United Kingdom, and the highest point is Moldoveanu Peak in the southern Carpathians, at 8,346 ft (2,544m) above sea level.

Despite it being less developed in terms of tourism than many other countries in Europe, it absolutely has some of the best scenery to enjoy. But most of all the Romanian people really do know how to make the most of life, with constant singing and parties and festivals. Honestly, if you’ve not been, seriously consider it, it’s amazing! It also operates a digital nomad scheme, which you may find of interest.

Current travels

We’ve created a blog for our visit to Romania. You may find it helpful, and you may pick up some tips, or more likely mistakes not to make that we’ve made 😉

On our current road trip we travelled from Serbia along the magnificent Derdap Gorge in both directions (on either side of the gorge – one side in Serbia, the other in Romania). We went to the stunning rock sculpture at Decebalus, beautifullly preserved Sibiu, Dracula-mad Bran (where the annual festival was being held), before travelling across the Carpathian mountains to the capital, Bucharest, before heading on to Moldova.

We travelled back through Romania after visiting Moldova in order to get to the wedding in Italy in time! Due to having to spend five hours at border control between Moldova and Romania, and due to the enormous amount of car crashes in the country, with the resulting traffic queues, we ended up driving across the whole country to Hungary, barely stopping anywhere!

We were blown away by Romania, all of our preconceptions were entirely wrong – a really beautiful country, filled with many, many relaxed people. Really lovely!

Our best places in Romania

The Carpathian mountains

They’re massive! They seem to go on forever! They’re magnificent! They’re so accessible! The views are incredible! They’re beautiful! We love the Carpathians!

Transfagarasan

A magnificent, if massively overcrowded highway, up the mountains and though the forests to Arefu. Set off early to avoid the crowds and enable an actual road trip up the pass. If you’re too late you’ll be stuck in traffic for hours!

Bucharest

We found Bucharest to be an absolutely incredible night out – lots of people having lots of fun, dancing in the streets. Lots of very cheap beer may have had something to do with it! It reminded us of a cross between London and Istanbul! Although it appears run down in places, inside the buildings are in great shape. Again, we didn’t know what to expect of Bucharest, so we were really surprised just how great it really is.

Its a large city with some pretty crazy traffic one-way systems, so not easily navigated. There’s masses to see and do – it’s much more than a visit-for-a-day place. The crazy parliament building is a must see of course – it’s absolutely massive. I’m sure the likes of Boris Johnson would have ordered one if he could have got away with it 😉 Despite having the whole of the current parliament, multiple museums etc, its still only thee quarters full. And to think that Ceaușescu wanted it for his private residence!!

Sibiu

Sibiu is a UNESCO World Heritage site – due to how well preserved the fortified medieval town in Transylvania is. It’s a really beautiful place to visit, and is very well set up for tourism with a hugs amount of café’s and restaurants to choose from.

Derdap Gorge – Iron Gates

The rock sculpture of Decebalus is simply stunning. Although it’s not very old – it was completed in 2004 – it portrays the face of then King Decebalus who fought off two Roman emperors, providing a great sense of pride and confidence within the nation. It can also clearly be seen from the Serbian side of the Derdap Gorge.

Bran – the home of Dracula!

They are Dracula mad in Bran! Literally everything has some reference to the iconic vampire. However we could;t find any fake Dracula teeth – hmmm – is that because there are only real vampire teeth in Bran?!

On the night we visited, we stayed in the Vapirul campsite, about 10 minutes walk outside the small town. there was a lot of mist that night and we were bitten!! although probably it was by mosquitos – probably! 😉

Also, the night that we stayed the Bran festival was on, with lots of traditional music and local produce to eat – well worth a visit at that time!

What’s it like to drive in Romania?

Driving standards in Romania are really very poor – the worst that we’ve seen to date on our travels across Europe. Many drivers take extreme risks driving on the wrong side of roads on hairpin bends, or where they clearly cannot see ahead – really very dangerous! As a result of this we saw multiple car crashes happen every day – some right in front of us, some really close – just ridiculous! Romanian drivers just don’t seem to learn at all, despite the evidence right in front of them!

Romanian roads in the main are pretty busy, and it seems that people are generally in a hurry!! Also, for some reason, they don’t slow down in villages, and we were regularly overtaken by cars speeding at 70-80mph!! Beware!!

Also in Romania, just to add to the confusion, they indicate left on approach to roundabouts in order to travel straight on!

Many roads are also in a poor state, especially those on hills – where the tarmac appears to have melted, and the patchwork repairs of potholes is very poor. There are also many, many potholes larger than three feet in diameter, many of which are very deep. Again, as in many of the countries that we’ve travelled through, there’s an enormous amount of construction at hand, so maybe the roads will improve dramatically in the near future?

Also, you know when you see the road sign warning you of falling rocks – well in Romania it’s quite common to encounter scenes like this:

We’ve also created a dedicated page to driving abroad, which you might find helpful 🙂

What currency do they use in Romania?

In Romania they use the Romanian leu. The use of credit / debit cards is now widespread, although not guaranteed – have some cash just in case, particularly in rural areas. Euros are also accepted in many camp sites, as are Pounds sterling in some! Traveller’s cheques are accepted in major cities. There are lots of ATMs.

You should make yourself aware of the amount that your bank charges you for using credit and debit cards abroad. Often credit cards are cheaper for purchasing items directly, and for withdrawing cash from ATMs.

What language do they speak in Romania?

They speak Romanian in Romania, although Hungarian is also spoken in some areas. About a quarter of the population speak either English or French.

What time zone is Romania in?

Remember, when you’re planning your next trip to take a look at what time zone it’s in. 

Do I need a visa to visit Romania?

We’ve created a dedicated, more comprehensive page on visas, which you should find helpful. Check it out!

Is wild camping legal in Romania?

No, wild camping is illegal in Romania, although it is well tolerated.

Is it safe to drink water in Romania?

No, it is not safe to drink tap water in Romania. Bottled water is readily available across the country.

If you’ve got some awesome pictures, or some useful info that you’d like to share, let us know! 

And don’t forget to check out all the other pictures!