Practical Information - Making the most of your visit

Making the most of your visit

 

ROMANIAN GASTRONOMY

Although international cuisine is available everywhere in classy restaurants, make sure that you enjoy the local dishes. Romanian cuisine is rich, tasty and substantial, as most fruits and vegetables are still naturally grown. Pork is a special favourite, but you will find good beef, veal, and chicken too. They are delicious simply grilled. Typical Romanian specialties include "ciorba", a sour soup made from fermented bran, bacon, potatoes and beef or chicken. Hearty stews such as "Tochitura moldoveneasca", and "Mititei" small grill sausages perfumed with aromatic herbs are highly appreciated. Among Fish dishes, one may like to try carp on the spit, a local specialty in the Danube Delta. A range of excellent white and red Romanian wines of the famous vineyards of Murfatlar, Cotnari, Jidvei, Dealu Mare, Odobesti, Valea Calugareasca go with local and international dishes to perfection, while "Tuica", the local plum brandy, is often drunk as a digestive. But beware, it carries a sting in its tail! Local brands of beer are excellent.

 

WHEN TO COME TO ROMANIA

Romania is an attractive cultural tourist destination anf fit for winter sports, hiking, boating and activities of all kinds.

So when to come very much depends on what you really want to do! Beach holidays on the Black Sea Coast are at their best between June and September; at the other end of the scale, winter sports in the Carpathians are best practised from Christmas until March. Spring and autumn are perfect for touring vacations through the country while, Bucharest is at its best right through from spring to autumn, although not lacking charm in winter too. This is the time for the opera season, concerts, and Romanian cuisine in warm and welcoming restaurants.

CLOTHING

Apart from normal seasonal clothes, it is always advisable to pack a warm pullover, a raincoat and good walking shoes. Very warm clothing is recommended in winter. In any event, clothing is good value in Romania, so you can always do some shopping if necessary.

MUSEUMS

Bucharest boasts the National Fine Art Museum - housed in the former Royal Palace - (paintings, sculptures, tapestries, icons etc.), the Museum of the Bucharest City housed in the former Şutu Palace, the Art Collections Museum (the most valuable private art collections), the Romanian Peasant Museum (including original popular costumes, icons, houseware) the Village Museum (a true-to-life Romania village with typical homesteads from all regions of the country), the Firemen Museum, the Military History Museum. Open Air Museums Bucharest the Village Museum, the Old Princely Court; Cluj-Napoca the Ethnographic Museum, Sighetu Marmatiei (Maramures) the local museum; Timisoara Museum of the Green Woods; Constanta Archeology and History Museum.

FOLKLORE

Romanian folklore is one of the best preserved in the world and examples can be found all over the country. Maramures (wooden architecture and carving, costumes, pottery), Bucovina (woven materials, Easter painted eggs, costumes, traditions), Horezu (pottery, wood-carving ), the Apuseni Mountains (popular costumes, wood carving, folk celebrations, wooden architecture), Marginimea Sibiului (glass painted icons, popular costumes, houseware). There are also museums which house ancient peasant tools and technicalities in Bucharest, Sibiu, Cluj - Napoca, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Focsani, Timisoara, Sighetu Marmaţiei. Folk music and dancing is a vital, living tradition in Romania. Performances are given in many hotels and restaurants throughout the country.

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE

Traditional peasant houses are normally small and picturesque, blue trimming frequently contrasting colourfully with whitewashed walls in certain parts of the country, with multicoloured versions in others. Porches and overhanging eaves are a commonly found feature everywhere. Furniture, curtains, rugs and clothing are often handmade in the country-side.

SHOPPING

Interesting purchases to make in Romania are embroidered table cloths and table napkins, ceramics, pottery, carpets, wood, porcelain, silverware and icons. Recommended shopping areas are those in the centre of major cities. Normal shopping hours are 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., but shopping centres and department stores are open till 9.00 p.m. and even later. Non-stop shopping places are to be found in the cities. Duty-free shops are proper to international airports.

NIGHTLIFE

A meal in a restaurant or a hotel, with a floorshow, is an excellent way of spending a Romanian evening. If you want "to go on" there are nightclubs and discotheques in Bucharest and some other cities in the province.