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Early Payment Discount !
Early Payment Discount on Daily Rental Rates on all products!
If you book and pay in full by 10th September 2010
Only Available for bookings valued over $1,000
(Offer only applies if you pay by Bank Transfer, Cheque or Cash)
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* Terms & Conditions apply, please contact us for details.
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Romania Information
Romania (România) is located in between Central and Eastern Europe. Romania enchantes travelers with its diversity: be it natural (mountains, hills, sea, delta) or cultural(Romanians, Hungarians, Saxons, Rromas). Over the last decade it has known significant development and is one of the most recent members of the European Union. Still it may surprise some of its visitors who are used to Western Europe. Romania is a large country which can sometimes be shocking with contrasts: some cities are developed like while in some villages locals live as they did a few centuries ago. While it has significant cultural similarities with other Balkan states, it is regarded as unique due to its strong Latin heritage. In fact, the Romanian language and grammar are so similar to old Latin that some might not tell the difference. Things for which Romania is famous for include: the Carpathian mountains, Constantin Brancusi, wine, the ballpoint pen, medieval fortresses, Mircea Eliade, the electronic microscope, Dacia cars, Dracula, insulin, women, E. M. Cioran, stuffed cabbage leaves, multiethnic peace, the jet engine, Nadia Comaneci, the Black Sea, Gheorghe Hagi, sunflowerfields, painted monastaries and the Danube Delta.
With a Black Sea coast to the east, it is surrounded by Bulgaria to the south, Serbia to the southwest, Hungary to the northwest, Moldova to the northeast and Ukraine in both the north and the east. While its southern regions are usually seen as part of Southeastern Europe (Balkans), Transylvania, its largest region is in Central Europe.
The country - which joined the European Union in January 2007 - is currently enjoying its highest living standards since Communist times, with foreign investment on the rise and one of the fastest growing economies in Europe. This has given way to a series of technological developments. Therefore, we can see a fast-changing, booming Romania, and you will be amazed at how civilized, advanced, clean and of quality it is. Of course, along the way, you will be met with experiences that you are sure to remember for a long, long time.
Regions
Transylvania
It is the most famous region of Romania, a land of medieval castles and towns, dark forests, snowy peaks (especially those in Transylvanian Alps) At the same time a region experiencing rapid economical development, with modern youthful cities, huge shopping centers, massive infrastructure projects etc.
Banat
This western-most province is probably the most economically developed in Romania. It has beautiful baroque cities and traditional German villages in the western plains and huge mountain forests in the eastern parts.
Oltenia
The south-western region, with impressive monasteries, caves and health resorts along the mountains in its northern part and a bizarre desert-like area in the south.
Bucovina
This north-eastern region is famous for its Painted Monasteries, tucked away between picturesque rolling hills.
Maramures
The northern-most region, it's best known for its timeless villages, traditional wooden churches and beautiful mountain landscape.
Crisana
Located along the border with Hungary, this western region is the entry point for most travelers into Romania, who often neglect its Central-European style cities, numerous medieval sites and resorts on the western side of the Apuseni mountains.
Dobrogea
A seaside province dotted by ruins of ancient Greek and Roman cities, with various summer resorts along the Black Sea Coast and the unspoiled natural landscape of the Danube Delta in the region's north.
Moldavia
Certainly one of the most extraordinary regions in Romania, it offers a pleasant blend of historical cities, medieval fortresses, churches, wine and friendly locals.
Wallachia
Also as Muntenia. The capital, Bucharest, is located in this southern region, as well as the early residences of the Wallachian princes and the mountain resorts on the Prahova Valley. It is also the name of the old kingdom of leaders such as the notorious Vlad Tepes (The Impaler).
Cities
* Bucharest is the capital of Romania. Bucharest offers some excellent attractions, and has, in recent years, cultivated a sophisticated, trendy, and modern sensibility that many have come to expect from a European capital.
* Brasov - located in south-eastern Transylvania, its main attractions are the well kept medieval downtown, the nearby luxury resort of Poiana Brasov and the proximity to Rasnov and the Bran Castle.
* Sibiu - one of the most beautiful cities in the region, it has the best preserved historical sites in the country, numerous museums and exhibitions, proximity to the stunning Fagaras mountains, for which reasons it became the 2007 European Capital of Culture [3].
* Sighisoara - the city's downtown area, the Sighisoara Citadel, is the last inhabited medieval citadel in Europe and one of the best preserved.
* Iasi - the second largest Romanian city, it was the capital of the Moldavian principality until 1861 and briefly capital of Romania. Today it remains one of the major economic and cultural centers in the country.
* Cluj-Napoca - the largest town in Transylvania, is a major economic center and also a very youthful city, as it has one of the largest universities in Europe.
* Constanta - it's Romania's main Black Sea port and one of the major commercial hubs in the region. The northernmost district, Mamaia, is one of the best Black Sea resorts.
* Bacau - On the Bistrita River,a big city in the center of Romanian Moldavia; It is an industrial center in an oil-producing region.
* Suceava - the main city in Bukovina and the medieval capital of Moldavia; it can be used as starting point for visiting the Monasteries in the region.
* Timisoara - the largest town in the Banat region, it's one of the most prosperous and modernized cities in Romania; it was here that the 1989 Romanian anti-communist revolution began.
Other destinations
* Gura Humorului - the usual starting point for visiting the monasteries in Bukovina.
* Tulcea - the starting point for trips to the Danube Delta.
* Sfântu Gheorghe - the capital of Szeklerland, historical and cultural region
* Rasnov - a town near Brasov that features an extraordinary fortress.
* Sinaia, Predeal, Poiana Brasov - ski resorts
Driving in Romania
Traveling by car or coach is the easiest way and a vast majority, over 60 percent of foreign tourists use this way of transportation. The steering wheel is on the left and European driver's licenses are recognized by police. If you drive your own car, you must purchase a road tax sticker (the "Rovinieta") either from the border or from the nearest gas station. Driving without one will incur a severe fine.
Some Romanian drivers are very temperamental; they break many rules of driving in order to get to their destination faster. On the highways, there are often 3 cars per lane of traffic - one in the left side of the first lane, one in the middle of the first lane and one in the right side of the first lane. Essentially, many drivers find it necessary to behave aggressively because it can be the only way to pass semi-trucks (lorries) on the 2-lane highways. City traffic is also typically chaotic because faded paint makes it nearly impossible to determine street lanes and local residents tend to drive aggressively. First time visitors who drive cautiously may initially find it difficult to adjust to either highway or city driving - the driving style is quite similar to that of Italy, just by worse drivers on far worse roads. Speeding is very common, angry drivers are the norm, the accident rates are amongst the highest in the European Union.
The traffic in Bucharest can be infernal and you may find it easy to waste time in traffic jams. Bucharest is a very dense and crowded city, with narrow, twisting roads, built mainly in the 19th century, with little traffic in mind. Those roads are suffocated by over 1 million cars - it is possible to take 2 hours to drive a distance that could be walked in 20-25 minutes. While in Bucharest, seasoned travelers recommend walking, taxis, or the subway which has recently started a process of upgrading. The subway fare is still very cheap. Honking (tooting) is usual in Bucharest and other cities. Direction signs are rare and confusing (except for signs saying what road you are currently on), and a map (or GPS) is needed for navigating.
If you have a good car and you also like speeding be aware that Romanian police have recently bought very modern radars to catch speeding motorists. Speed limits are generally 100 km/h outside of a city and 50 km/h within a village. Some police cars are modern, while others are old Dacia cars. Although rare, some highway patrols have BMW bikes. On major roads, motorists in the opposite direction will sometimes flash their headlights to warn they recently passed a radar trap which may be just ahead of you. Highways and national roads can also be discreetly watched by Police Puma helicopters, produced also in Romania. (Note: Americans will notice Romania has substantially less highway patrol than the US.) Since December 2006, even small offenses are downed by heavy fines by the traffic police (Politia Rutiera), they may even take one's driver's license for an irregular passing. Both hidden and visible speed cameras are becoming common on major roads and highways. Policemen sometimes seem to be more lenient with locals, than with foreigners - however, fines are stricter for locals than for foreigners (for locals, as few as two or three minor offenses will get their license suspended for six months). Bribing is a very common way of dealing with the police, but it can be risky especially to a foreigner. As of 2008, bribing is less and less accepted, so for a foreigner it is highly unrecommended to attempt this get-away technique - it can easily land you in jail. The Romanian police is very tough on drunk driving - controls are very frequent - and basically any alcohol counts as drunk driving. If you are involved in a car accident while driving, and the accident has human victims you must stop and wait for the traffic police. Driving away from the scene is considered hit-and-run. Simpler accidents with no victims can be solved with yourself and all parties involved having to go to a police station and make a statement, but, if in doubt, better phone 112 (Emergency Services) and ask for directions. In most of the cases, after an accident it is mandatory to take a blood test to establish if the drivers had consumed alcohol. Refusal to undergo this test is almost certainly to land you in jail - the punishment is usually more harsh then the one for drunk driving.
Many important roads were once wagon trails which go straight through the center of many villages. Passing while driving is the norm rather than the exception as slow moving trucks, slower moving horse drawn carts, and non-moving herds of cows often frequent the major roads. Travelers joke that if you haven't experienced a possible head-on collision then you haven't been driving in Romania. Road blocks and traffic delays occur frequently due to construction, rock slides, car accidents and the return of the cows from pasture to the villages.
Types of roads
Motorways (autostrada)
* A1 - planned to connect Bucharest with cities in southern Transylvania and then proceed to the western border; the only part completed so far is the 110 km long stretch between Bucharest and Pitesti. Arad - Timisoara is under construction, and should be opened by November 2010.
* A2 - by 2010 is expected to link Bucharest with the Black Sea port of Constanta; for now, out of the total 225 km length, only the Bucharest - Cernavoda segment (about 150 km) is completed. Cernavoda - Constanta is expected to be completed in early 2009.
Although no segment is yet completed the main motorway will be:
* A3 - is supposed to cross Transylvania diagonally from west to east and then head south to Bucharest. The Bors - Brasov segment, also called the Transylvania Motorway [27], is currently the largest road project in Europe; it will connect the Hungarian / Romanian border with Oradea, Zalau, Cluj-Napoca, Targu Mures, Sighisoara and Brasov. First two segments should open early 2008. Bucharest-Brasov is also under construction, but the first segment will be completed at the earliest in 2009.
The speed limit on motorways is 130 km/h.
Expressways (drum expres)
The only completed expressway is the 60 km long Bucharest - Giurgiu road. It is in the process of upgrading to motorway standard.
The speed limit on expressways is 100 km/h.
National roads (drum national)
In the absence of motorways the national roads remain the most important element of the Romanian transport system, as they connect the main cities in the country. They sometimes have 4 non-separate lanes, but many have only two lanes (a notable example is DN1 Câmpina-Brasov - the 100 km mountain stretch can take 6-7 hours to navigate during weekends. Thanks to recent investments most of them are in reasonable condition, but they are frequently overcrowded and (as they pass through villages and cities) rather slow.
The speed limit on national roads is 100 km/h
Other roads
County (drum judetean) and rural (drum comunal) roads are generally in a poor condition compared with national roads (lack of signs, abundant potholes etc.). Some rural roads are covered with gravel.
The speed limit on these roads is 90 km/h.
Note that for ALL roads, when in a city, town or village, the speed limit is 50 km/h. As such, driving a National Road becomes a constant accelerate-and-brake adventure, one having to be constantly spotting speed limit signs, city limit markers and the behavior of other drivers.
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