RO - Romania

Territories and tourist destinations:
      Transilvania – The plateau enclosed in the Carpathian mountains. It still hosts relevant German and Hungarian speaking communities. Sinaia just 125 km from Bucharest is a famous holiday resort with ski resorts considered to be among the best in the country. In the immediate vicinity of Sinaia there are two other important tourist centers, Bușteni and Predeal. About forty kilometers north of Sinaia you will find Brașov, a city much visited for its Gothic architecture and for the alpine landscapes of its surroundings.
      Banat – It is a historical region today divided between Serbia, Hungary and Romania. The major attractions in the part under Romanian administration are the city of Timișoara and the spa center of Băile Herculane in vogue since the second half of the 19th century and frequented by the emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth.
      Oltenia – The south-western region, with imposing monasteries, caves and health resorts along the mountains in its northern part and a bizarre desert area in the south.
      Southern Bucovina – This northeastern region is famous for its world heritage of painted monasteries, hidden among the picturesque hills.
      Maramureş – The northernmost region, best known for its timeless villages, traditional wooden churches and beautiful mountain scenery.
      Crișana – It is the territory on the border with Hungary. Its capital is Oradea, a city renowned for its magnificent jugendstil palaces erected at the time of the Austro-Hungarian domination. Next to the border with Hungary is Arad, another city that experienced significant industrial development under the Habsburgs.
      Dobruja – The only region of Romania to overlook the Black Sea, Dobruja has its main center in Constanta, a merchant and passenger port and a city reminiscent of the Belle Époque. Costanza forms one with Mamaia, a famous seaside resort lying on a thin sandy strip that closes the lagoon of. To the south of Constanta and to the Bulgarian border, other well-known seaside resorts stretch, such as Eforie, Jupiter, Saturn. Another attraction of the region is the Danube delta on whose branches boats loaded with tourists during the summer.
      Moldova – Certainly one of the most extraordinary regions in Romania; it offers a pleasant blend of historic cities, medieval fortresses, churches, wine and friendly people.
      Muntenia – Also known as Wallachia. The capital, Bucharest, is in this southern region, as are the first residences of the Wallachian princes and mountain resorts on the Prahova Valley. It is also the name of the old kingdom of leaders such as the infamous Vlad Tepes (the impaler).

With a Black Sea coast to the east, it is bordered 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.

Understand:
The country – which joined the European Union in January 2007 – is enjoying better standards since the Communist periods, with foreign investment on the rise.