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Top 10 Basic Facts about Romania
Visiting Romania and the Republic of Moldova starting from Iași
Foods you should try
Do’s and Don’ts
Public holidays in Romania

TOP 10 BASIC FACTS ABOUT ROMANIA

1. LOCATION

Geographically, Romania is located in the South-East part of Central Europe. You can also place it in `Eastern Europe’ if you also want to emphasize its former belonging to the eastern political block (of countries). Also, it is located north of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube River, within and outside the Carpathian Mountain arch, bordering the Black Sea. Its neighbours are Ukraine (North and East), the Republic of Moldova and the Black Sea (East), Bulgaria (South), Serbia (South-west), and Hungary (North-west).

2. WEATHER

Romania has a temperate-continental climate. „Temperate” means that there are relatively moderate mean annual temperatures, with four seasons, whereas „continental” means there are influences from inside the Eurasian continent, with higher differences in temperature between the hottest and the coldest season. The best time to travel to Romania or within Romania depends on the target destination: great urban areas are best to visit in spring and autumn, the Black Sea coast is best between mid-June to mid-September, mountain areas are best in summer and winter, whereas rural experiences are always interesting, especially during religious holidays, traditional festivities, fairs, key moments of agricultural and pastoral life.

3. LANGUAGE

Romania’s language is called Romanian, with a Latin core (65% of the words are similar to Latin), blended with Slavic influences (up to 20%), and other minor influences from Turkish and Hungarian. Written Romanian is very close to Italian or French, whereas spoken Romanian feels like the Bulgarian language spoken by an Italian. If you ask locals to speak slowly, a Romance-language speaker (including English) will grasp 3-4 words out of 10, whereas a Slavic-language speaker will understand every 1-2 words out of ten.

4. LANDSCAPE

Romania is quite a diversified territory, with a balanced proportion between mountains, hills, and plains. Imagine a triangle of mountains (the Carpathians) in the middle of the country, surrounded by an outer layer of Subcarpathian hills, another one of peripheral plateaus, and then another one of plains, stretching to the southeast.

5. REGIONS &CITIES

Romania has 8 Development Regions (non-administrative) created for EU regional policies, whose names reflect the geographical position: North-East, South-East, Centre, South-Muntenia, South-West Oltenia, West, North-West, and Bucharest-Ilfov. There are also 8 historic regions, with slightly different shapes, which are also recognized as tourism regions: Moldova, Bucovina, Dobrogea, Muntenia, Oltenia, Banat & Crișana, Maramureș & Satmar, and Transilvania.

6. SURFACE & POPULATION

The surface area of Romania is 238.400 sq. km (no. 81 out of 191 world countries, or no. 12 in the European continent, out of 44 countries). Its size is comparable to that of the United Kingdom or Ghana. The population of Romania is 19 million, ranking 61st in the World, 9th among European Countries, and 6th among the EU countries.

7. RELIGION & ETHNICITY

Although Romania is a secular state (neutral in matters of religion), its inhabitants are still connected to the church. According to the latest census, 81% of the population are Orthodox Christians, 6% are Protestants (half Reformed and half neo-Protestant), 5% Catholic (Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic), 1.5% other, 6% unspecified, and only 0.2% non-religious. Romanians form the major ethnic group (89%) followed by Hungarians (6%), Roma (3%), Ukrainians (0.25%), Germans (0.16%) Russian-Lipovans (0.11%), and others.

8. NATURAL RESOURCES

Romania’s production covers about 70% of the gas and 20% of the oil domestic consumption. Coal mining lost its importance in the past 20 years along with the appetite for open-pit mining. Salt mines are still a big thing, and an important tourist attraction, whereas mineral and thermal springs are spread all over the country. Fertile soils provide support to the top production of cereals, whereas forests are still intensively exploited for construction and furniture and provide an important source for rural house heating.

9. BRANDS & PRODUCTS

For sure, the best ambassador brand of Romania is the car manufacturer Dacia (named by the first antique kingdom that existed within our national territory). It is followed by BitDefender antivirus, UiPath - the most successful software robot start-up, Saladbox franchise restaurants, Aqua Carpatica mineral water, Musette accessories, Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics and beauty, Gerovital first world’s antiaging formula, Antibiotice Iași producing famous „nystatin” medicine, Digi Television company, Arctic home appliances, Ursus beer, Cotnari wines, airlines TAROM and Blue Air. In terms of personalities, you may have heard of playwright Eugen Ionesco, writer Mircea Eliade, philosopher Emil Cioran, composer George Enescu, and the more contemporary Nobel prize for literature Hertha Müller, grand tennis slam winners Ilie Năstase and Simona Halep, football player Gheorghe Hagi and many more.

10. UNIQUE LANDMARKS & EXPERIENCES

Tour of the Merry Cemetery in Săpânța, Maramureș county
Explore the Muddy Volcanoes in Buzău county
Visit one of the 6 Salt Mines (Turda, Praid, Cacica, Târgu Ocna, Slănic or Ocnele Mari)
Take the tour of the Parliament of Romania, the largest building in Europe
Book a „Bison safari” in Bison Land, Neamț County
Take the Mocănița narrow-gauge steam train in Vișeu or Moldovița
Spend Halloween in Romania at Bran Castle or Hotel Dracula
Drive a scenic road (choice from Transfăgărășan, Transalpina, Transrarău, Bicaz Gorge route, and Ceahlău axial road)
Visit the unique medieval outside-painted UNESCO Monasteries of Voroneț, Moldovița or Sucevița
Kayak and bird-watching through the channels of the Danube’s Delta, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve

VISITING ROMANIA AND THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA STARTING FROM IAȘI

After visiting Iași and its surroundings, it is now time for you to discover more of Romania. Here are some tours that you should take from Iași depending on the number of available days you may have.

Hike to Ceahlău Mountain
Region of Moldavia near Iași
Republic of Moldova
Bucharest, the capital city
Bucovina and/or Maramureș regions
The Black Sea Coast
Transylvania (including Banat and Crișana)
Grand Tour of Romania

WEEKEND HIKE TO CEAHLĂU MOUNTAIN

When a student in Iași, hiking into the Ceahlău Mountain is a must. Take the daily bus from Iași (Codreanu bus station, near the train station) to Durău resort in Neamț County (3.5h), have a rest in Durău then walk the trail passing by Fântânele Cabin all the way to Toaca Peak (1904m) then to Dochia plateau (4-5h in total). Spend the night at Dochia Cabin, enjoy the morning view with a cup of tea and then walk back by Duruitoarea waterfall to Durău resort again.

Neamț County, Ceahlău National Park, Gardul Stănilelor

Neamț County, Ceahlău National Park, Jgheabul lui Vodă

Neamț County, Ceahlău National Park, Toaca Peak

REGION OF MOLDAVIA NEAR IAȘI

The region of Moldavia is a former principality ruled by the Princes of Iași for centuries. It is the most accessible area to visit from Iași.
There are some interesting cities to visit in 1 day, such as Botoșani, Piatra-Neamț, Vaslui, Bacău, Suceava, and some more complex areas that require a 2-day trip like Neamț County, Bucovina, and its UNESCO Monasteries, Focșani and Vrancea mountain area, Slănic Moldova and Târgu Ocna thermal resorts.

THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA IN ONE WEEKEND

The Republic of Moldova is our sister country and the eastern half of the historic Principality of Moldova. It is genuine, hospitable, simple, and full of wine and gastronomic experiences. The best deal is to leave on Friday by bus (Codreanu bus station) or by train (CFM, Socola Iași train station), visit Orheiu Vechi Natural Reserve and Cricova Winery on Saturday (by taking mini-buses from Chișinău), and explore the capital city Chișinău on Sunday.
If you can rent a car, a possible more complex tour will be Iași - Albița (Customs) - Hâncești Manuc-Bey Manor - Căpriana Monastery - Mileștii Mici Winery - Chișinău (Museums of History, Ethnography, Alexander Pushkin Memorial House, Water Tower City Museum, Nativity Cathedral, Central Park etc.) - Cricova Winery, Orheiu Vechi Wine Reserve – Soroca Fortress – City of Bălți - Sculeni (Customs) – Iași.

CAPITAL BUCHAREST ON A WEEKEND

Capital Bucharest is a wonderful mish-mash of styles (ranging from slim Belle Epoque to Communist brutalism), impressive squares, parks, a wide range of surprising museums, first-rate restaurants, and bars. Take the train from Iași Grand Station to Bucharest Northern Station. It is difficult to make an itinerary, but make sure you visit the Parliament House, the Village Museum, Stavropoleos Monastery in the Old Centre „Lipscani” area, the famous restaurant Carul cu Bere, Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum, Cișmigiu Park, Ceaușescu Mansion, the Choral Temple Synagogue. Also, book a walking tour with a tour guide and a communist-theme tour.

TRIP TO THE UP NORTH (BUCOVINA & MARAMUREȘ)

The North of Romania is a treasure of traditions, typical villages, tasty food, craftsmanship, woodwork, folk costumes, UNESCO-protected churches, sheep and cows, mountains with spruce woods, etc. A typical complete tour requires a rental car and 3-4 days available, although, with a little extra preparation, you can do this tour by bus (www.autogari.ro). A typical tour should include: UNESCO Medieval Painted Monasteries of Northern Moldavia (Voroneț, Moldovița, Sucevița), UNESCO old wooden churches of Poienile Izei, Bârsana, Ieud, painted eggs museums of Vama or Moldovița, ceramics workshops of Marginea, Baia Mare and Baia Sprie, mocănița narrow-gauge steam train of Moldovița and of Vișeu de Sus, salt mine of Cacica, Cascada Cailor Waterfall in Borșa, Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Sighetu Marmației, Merry Cemetery in Săpânța, Village museums of Suceava and Sighet, typical rural villages of Solonețu Nou, Ciocănești, Sadova, Preluca Nouă, Breb, Bârsana, Vișeu de Sus.

Suceava County, Rarău Mountain, Pietrele Doamnei

Maramureș County, Breb Village

Maramureș County, Rodnei Mountains, Iezer Lake

Maramureș County, Rodnei Mountains, a view from Piatra Albă

Maramureș County, Rodnei Mountains, a view of Pietrosu Peak

THE BLACK COAST (REGION OF DOBROUGEA)

Romania has only 245km of shoreline, with the northern 2/3 protected within the Danube’s Delta Biosphere Reserve and the southern 1/3 with wide beaches, towns, ancient Greek ruins, tourist resorts, and the city of Constanța. Take the night train from Iași to Constanța and enjoy the atmosphere of our seaside. Make sure you visit the old centre of Constanța (“Peninsula”), Mamaia Resort town, Vama Veche village, ruins of Histria Fortress, Cheile Dobrogei (gorges), climb Măcin Mountains, enjoy rural life at Sarichioi and Jurilovca. On the Danube’s Delta inner reserve, the recommendation is to start your exploration in the city of Tulcea, then take the daily boat to Sulina, Mila 23 or Sfântu Gheorghe where you can book tours around the channels with local fishermen.

TRIP TO TRANSYLVANIA (INCLUDING BANAT AND CRIȘANA)

Transylvania means multiculturality, beautiful countryside, UNESCO-protected fortified Saxon churches, old Saxon burgs and citadels, Hungarian count mansions (of which some transformed into museums or hotels), excellent food, milk factories, rolling hills and high mountains bordering the region. You need minimum 5 days to enjoy the complexity of the center and western part of Romania. The trip should definitely include the old centers of Brașov, Sibiu, Sighișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Oradea, Saxon Churches of Biertan, Prejmer, Saschiz, Viscri, picturesque villages of Viscri, Saschiz, Sâmbăta de Sus, Râmetea, Rășinari, the salt mines of Turda and Praid, citadel of Râșnov, natural caves of Scărișoara, Ursului, Turzii Gorges with its via ferrata trails. The Bran Castle is a must for Dracula stories, whereas the nearby Peles Castle (residence of the royal family) is a must for history and art lovers.

County Brașov, a view of the Bucegi Mountains from Citadel of Râșnov

Transfăgărășan Road, one of the iconic roads in Romania

Sibiu County, Clay Castel from the Valey of the Fairies

Mureș County, Sighișoara

Prahova County, Bucegi Mountains, Babele

GRAND TOUR OF ROMANIA

The Grand Tour of Romania starting from Iași is a 7-to-10-day adventure that can be done by train (cfrcalatori.ro), with combined buses for local travel on autogari.ro), rental car, car-sharing (blablacar.ro) or even hitch-hike! The Grand Tour by train at discount prices for students could have the following itinerary: Iași - Suceava – Gura Humorului – Vatra Dornei – Dej – Cluj Napoca – Oradea – Arad - Timișoara - Băile Herculane – Craiova – Bucharest - Constanța - Tulcea (bus transfer) - Brăila - Galați - Bârlad - Vaslui - Iași.

FOODS YOU SHOULD TRY

Romania is complex on its plate, and you need quite a while to take a ”grand tour” of its gastronomic offer.

The basic first-course that is served on a daily basis is ”ciorba” (sounds like chaw-buh), a sour soup containing ”borș”, a liquid resulted from the fermentation of bran, wheat and aromatic plants. It comes in a wide variety, such as "ciorba de legume" (vegetables), "ciorba de fasole" (beans), "ciorba țărănească" (meat & vegetables), "ciorba de fasole cu afumătură" (beans & smoked ham), "ciorba de sfeclă roșie" (beet or ”Ukrainian style”), "ciorba de perișoare" (meat balls), "ciorba de burtă" (veal tripes), "ciorba rădăuțeană" (chicken & sour cream), "ciorba de pește" (fish soup).

Among the starters (including salads and replacements of first course), there are a couple that you must try: ”zacusca” (vegetable dip), ”salată de vinete” (smokey eggplant salad dip), ”cașcaval pané” (deep fried breaded cheese), "cheese plates" (telemea / feta, brânză de burduf / matured in sheepskin, cașcaval / mild cheddar, caș / fresh firm white cheese, brânză proaspătă / fresh soft cheese).

Some traditional second or main courses are part of the weekly menu, such as "ostropel de pui" (chicken stew), "mici" or "mititei" (minced veal & pork meat rolls), "ciolan afumat cu fasole" (beans & pork stew), "tochitură moldovenească" (Moldavian stew with smoked ham, pork loin, eggs, sausages, polenta), "păstrăv la grătar" (grilled trout), "bulz ciobănesc" (cheese hidden in polenta).

Others are more ritualic and come during specific holidays, such as "sarmale" (stuffed cabbage rolls), "răcitura" or "piftie" (jelly meat).

Among the deserts, the most important ones are "cozonac" (sweet bread), "brânzoaice" or "poale-n brâu" (Moldavian cheese pie), "papanași moldovenești” (cheese donuts with blueberry sauce), "colțunași” (sweet dumplings), "plăcinta cu dovleac” (pumpkin pie), "clătite la cuptor” (oven-baked cheese crepes), "salam de biscuiți” (biscuit salami style).

DO'S AND DON'TS IN ROMANIA

Leave a tip if the service is good. Tips usually range from 5% to 15%, with an average of 10%, often rounding the amount (if the payment is cash). Tips cannot be billed yet. Tips are usually offered in restaurants, cafes, room services, taxis, hair salons.

Be aware of Romanian superstitions (i.e. do not place your purse or backpack on the ground as you may become poor, do not sit on the corner of the table if you want to get married, Tuesday is a day of bad luck etc.)

Accept food when visiting someone. Romanians are very generous and hospitable, and this is their traditional way of showing it. Tell Romanians what you think, and be honest, but in a mannered and polite way. They are known for being quite opinionated and telling you how it is.

Always shake hands with men, but do not be surprised if most women will avoid or will not even think about it.

You can hitch-hike (or use blablacar.ro) in Romania and it is very safe.

Address elderly or higher rank people by Sir, Madam (Domnule, Doamna), followed by their family name.

Tip street artists. Street performances tend to come back and we encourage this form of art.

When receiving gifts from someone, open them in front of him/her.

Always have a bit of cash on you (for small grocery shops without e-pay, tips etc.)

Be respectful when entering a church, and observe ritual as it is. No-flash pictures are allowed or whispering to colleagues.

Do not cross the street at a red light as a pedestrian. Western people usually do not obey it but in Romania it is mandatory. Watch both the traffic lights and the traffic when crossing the street.

Never drink and drive. Drink allowance is close to zero, so anything more than a 0.33l pils beer is a felony if caught driving.

Do not feed the bears. Lately, bears tend to get closer to inhabited areas in search of food and are very dangerous.

Do not give money to beggars, better buy them food or other essential things you think they might need.

Do not accept a taxi without a meter or which does not turn the meter on upon departure.

Avoid no-name fast foods near train or bus stations. It is hard to trace the ingredient quality.

Avoid making connections between Romania and the Roma people. Many people make this confusion, although Romania comes from the Roman Empire whereas “Roma” is a word in Sanskrit meaning an ethnic group originating in India.

Avoid over-criticizing Romanian people’s culture, corruption, etc. Local people tend to complain a lot, but they are not very comfortable when others verbalize it in the same way.

Avoid comparing communism as a set of principles (often seen as positive in Western Europe) with Romanian communism during Ceaușescu which was a completely distorted version.

Do not offer an even number of flowers to someone (except at funerals).

Do not ask Romanians if they believe in vampires and do not make confusion between Dracula (the Bram Stoker fictional character) and Vlad the Impaler (a 15th-century prince of Wallachia, south of Romania, who was, indeed, a source of inspiration for the novel Dracula).

As a woman, if you meet an older man and he kisses your hand, do not feel offended. Often, this is still a mannered way to greet a woman.

Do not be surprised if you are asked about your salary level or income right from the first conversation. You can nicely avoid it, or you can speak about the average net income in your country.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN ROMANIA

1st of January - New Year's Day
2nd of January
24th of January - Unification of the Romanian Principalities
The Good Friday (before Orthodox Easter)
First and second day of Orthodox Easter
1st of May - International Worker's Day
1st of June - Children's Day
The Descent of the Holy Spirit & Whitsun (50 Days after the Orthodox Easter)
13th of June - Holy Trinity
15th of August - Dormition of the Mother of God
14th of October - Saint Paraskeva's Day
30th of November - Saint Andrew
1st of December - Romania's National Day (Great Union's Day)
25th-26th of December - Christmas

Officially these are work-free days, except Saint Paraskeva's Day which is important, especially for citizens of Iași: they celebrate Saint Paraskeva and the city as well.

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