romania-moldova-4-getting-started.pdf

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Getting Started

Half the fun is planning a trip – and Romania and Moldova offer a range of

diverse possibilities. See our suggested itineraries (p17) for more.

Local travel agents offer some excellent trips (or advice) – see p363 for a

recommended list.

WHEN TO GO

Its winters are quite cold and summers quite hot, but Romania is a year-round

destination. There is much variation in its climate: the average annual tempera-

ture in the south is 11°C, 7°C in the north and only 2°C in the mountains. In re-

cent summer months, temperatures have risen to above 40°C in Bucharest and

along the Black Sea coast, while winter chills of below -35°C are not unknown

in the Braşov depression and around Miercurea Ciuc in Transylvania.

In general, Romania’s climate is transitional between temperate regions

(the southeast can feel positively Mediterranean) and the more extreme

weather characteristics of the continental interior. The average annual rainfall

is 675mm; this figure is doubled in the mountains and in the Danube Delta

it’s often half that.

Summer (June to August) is an obvious time to visit for beach fun on the

coast and for hiking and mountain biking in the Carpathians; all tourist

facilities are open then and the weather is usually great, but you will have to

share the sites with more tourists. Best times for bird-watching in the Danube

Delta are mid-April to mid-May, and in October. Spring in Romania is a

pastiche of wildflowers, melting snow and melodious bird song.

At higher elevations, snow lingers as late as mid-May (the Transfăgărăşan

road doesn’t open until June!) and the hiking season doesn’t begin in earnest

until mid-June. The best months for skiing are December to March, though

the season extends either way some winters.

Moldova is best to visit from spring to autumn, as skiing is almost non-

existent and winter sports are not well-developed there. October’s Wine

Festival is an especially tempting time to visit, though spring and summer

are best for city strolling and hiking in remote areas.

See Climate Charts (p346)

for more information.

COSTS & MONEY

Cheaper than much of Europe, Romania and Moldova have nevertheless

graduated from the dirt-cheap-trip category in recent years, with basic,

modern hotel rooms edging into the €40-per-night level, and a sit-down

meal with a beer, some meat and soup costing between €7 and €10 (and

higher in Bucharest or Chişinău). Car-hire rates tend to be high too – up to

€40 per day – but bus and train tickets are quite cheap (about €3.50 to €7

per 100km by train).

Those looking to save can relish the abundant fast-food stands selling

burgers, kebabs and pizza slices (about €1.50 to €2.50), and the abundance

of cazare (private rooms) available from entrepreneurs loitering at train

stations or the more organised agroturism B&B network, which run about

€10 to €15 per person, including breakfast. These can provide lunch and

dinner upon request.

For a couple wishing to stay in mid-priced hotels, dine out once or twice

a day and perhaps hire the occasional guide or go on guided tours, expect

to pay €60 to €100 per day total, excluding travel. Backpackers staying in

private rooms, eating only one meal in a restaurant and excluding guides or

travel expenses can expect to pay more like €20 to €30 per day.

HOW MUCH?

In Romania/Moldova

Bottle of Mufatlar/Cricova

table wine €3-5/US$2-4

Museum admission

(adult) €0.60-2/

US$0.40-1.15

One-hour internet access

€0.60-1.50/US$0.50

Phonecards

€3/US$2.25-3

Local map €2.50-4/

US$1.50

GETTING STARTED •• Travel Literature

lonelyplanet.com

GETTING STARTED •• Internet Resources

Some remote areas – such as Maramureş, Transylvania’s Saxon churches,

Moldavia’s painted churches, much of Moldova – are far easier to see with a

guide or a hired car. Those wanting to go on long-term hikes should consider

going with a guide too; see p48.

TRAVEL LITERATURE

Much of the travel literature about Romania deals with historical or topical

social issues. Olivia Manning’s Balkan Trilogy (1987, reprinted 1998) is a

colourful portrait of Bucharest at the outbreak of WWII that has long been

considered the classic work on Romania. Serialised on British TV as The

Fortunes of War , it has reached a large audience with its details about life in

the capital in the late 1930s.

Norman Manea’s The Hooligan ’ s Return: A Memoir (2003) details this

accomplished author’s return to his homeland in the late 1990s, unleashing

not only a search for identity and a flood of memories (of having lived in a

Transdniestrian transit camp), but also many memorable observations on

contemporary life in Romania.

More of a history book, Lucian Boia’s interesting Romania (2001), pub-

lished in the UK, is the rare Romanian-written overview, with a rather

philosophical perspective on its complex history. Boia, now living in France,

nobly tries to show all sides to continually debated questions like national-

ism, Romania’s Slavic/Roman background – while adding an unexpected

Bucharest ‘walking tour’.

Dominique Fernandez’ political Romanian Rhapsody: An Overlooked

Corner of Europe (2000) is a good bet. This French author made four trips

through Romania and Moldova and nicely interweaves history, culture and

art with everyday people’s stories, and in the process shakes up some distorted

notions the West has of Romania and Eastern Europe in general.

Isabel Fonseca’s Bury Me Standing – the Gypsies and their Journey (1996)

offers one of the best insights into the Roma and their culture that you can

find. The author spent several months travelling with the Roma in Eastern

Europe between 1991 and 1995. The chapter covering Romania looks at

racial attacks against Roma in Transylvania.

Bruce Benderson’s unusual The Romanian: Story of an Obsession is an

account of nine months spent in the hay with a Romanian hustler who

maintains his heterosexuality – Benderson weirdly compares his exploits

with kings, writers and artists from Romania’s past.

One of the more intriguing titles is Alan Ogden’s 2000 book Romania

Revisited: On the Trail of English Travellers 1602-1941 . The author travelled

the country in 1998, following in the footsteps of historical travellers, from

the first motorists to romantics like Leigh Fermor. Dacian, Byzantine and

Saxon Romania are beautifully evoked in this gripping series of tales. Ogden’s

Winds of Sorrow: Travels in and Around Transylvania is an ensemble of essays

written following travels there between 1998 and 2002.

Compare Transylvania today with its 1930s state in Patrick Leigh Fermor’s

classic Between the Woods and the Water , based on the author’s shoestring

romp across Europe on foot.

Princes Among Men: Journeys with Gypsy Musicians describes Garth

Cartwright’s fascinating, if on occasion annoying, travels with Roma musi-

cians across the Balkans.

Highly recommended is Stephen Henighan’s Lost Province: Adventures

in a Moldovan Family (2003). One of the best travelogues about Moldova, it

follows a Canadian’s experiences teaching English in this forgotten country

and is humorous and touching while bringing up astute, even disturbing

points about Soviet cultural colonisation and the inter-ethnic tension he

finds there.

There are very few English-language accounts of travelling through

Moldova, but Tony Hawks’ Playing the Moldovans at Tennis provides a witty

but respectful travelogue account of the author’s exploits pursuing members

of the Moldovan football team for a game of tennis – all to win a bet.

INTERNET RESOURCES

Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) Go to Thorn Tree to talk with travellers in or just back

from Romania. Lots of news items and features too.

Moldovan Ministry of Tourism (www.turism.md) This state site is extremely helpful with

news bulletins, the latest visa regulations, festival information and travel advice.

Nine O’Clock News (www.nineoclock.com) Website of English-language paper in Bucharest.

Romania National Tourism Office (www.romaniatourism.com) In lieu of tourist information

centres in much of Romania, there’s at least this: a detailed site listing special events and overviews

of regions.

Romania.org (www.romania.org) Includes many links to sites on Romania.

Rural Tourism (www.ruralturism.ro) Lists rural B&Bs across Romania; also see p343 for more

sites dedicated to accommodation.

Sapte Seri (www.sapteseri.ro) Lists up-to-date restaurants, clubs, events (films, concerts) around

Romania.

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT...

‘Western-style’ shops sell just about anything you need, but it can be more expensive than back

home. Camping supplies aren’t always readily available but outdoors equipment shops generally

have pretty good stock on offer. Remember these few things:

Extra tissues or toilet paper

First-aid kit

Swiss army knife

Three-prong European adaptor

Torch (flashlight)

Universal sink plug

Sun block lotion

Insect repellent

Ear plugs

Extra video tapes or memory cards

Contact lens solution

Souvenir flag pins or postcards of your home country (to give as gifts!)

Checking the latest visa regulations (p354) – especially for Moldova

GETTING STARTED •• Top Tens

lonelyplanet.com

TOP TENS

Top Festivals

Festivals dot Romania all year long (less so in Moldova), running the gamut from film festivals,

and DJ contests to shepherd shindigs welcoming the sheep home. Here are our favourites:

Rooster Shooting, April, Apata (p136)

Snow Festival, April, Păltiniş (p162)

Juni Pageant, May, Braşov ( p132 )

Sibiu Jazz Festival, May, Sibiu (p159)

Transylvania International Film Festival, June, Cluj-Napoca (p191)

Hora de la Prislop, August, Maramureş (p239)

Mountain Festival, August, Fundata (p141 )

Wine Festival, October, Chişinău (p318)

National Theatre Festival, December, Bucharest (p

80)

Winter Festival, December, Maramureş (p136)

Top Communist Sites

No, really. Some of Romania’s communist achievements may be grisly or ugly or just dreadful

seas of concrete, but at least a couple are pretty awe-inspiring. Either way, these 10 sites are

such that when you see one it’s impossible not to look.

Palace of Parliament & B-dul Unirii, Bucharest (p

68)

Transfăgărăşan road (p154)

Soviet tanks, living-and-breathing communism in Tiraspol, Transdniestr (p

337)

National Archaeology and History Museum, Chişinău, Moldova (p

323)

Iron Gates hydroelectric power station (p110)

Gherla Prison (p199)

Danube Canal (p301)

Former Communist party Black Sea resorts, Neptun-Olimp (p297)

Blackened factory shells at Copşa Mică (p

151)

Ceauşescu’s apartment, Villa International, Timişoara (p218)

Top Movies

Both local and international films are finding Romania the perfect back-drop. Here are 10 to whet

the appetite: the first two are Romanian stand-outs, the rest are foreign films shot on location

in Romania and one is a wacky movie about a guy who hates mirrors:

Filantropica (Nae Caranfil, 2005)

The Death of Mr Lazarescu (Cristi Pulu, 2005)

Cold Mountain (Anthony Minghella, 2003)

Vlad (Michael Sellers, 2004)

Elvira’s Haunted Hills (Sam Irvin, 2002)

Pulse (Jim Sonzero, 2006)

Beowulf (Graham Baker, 1999)

Wild Dogs (Thom Fitzgerald, 2003)

Bloodrayne (Uwe Boll, 2006)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)

lonelyplanet.com

Itineraries

CLASSIC ROUTE

CASTLES, MOUNTAINS & FANGS 10 Days / Bucharest to Sibiu

The classic route for travellers wanting a taste of Transylvania starts outside

it at Bucharest (p61), where most flights come in. With only 10 days, don’t

linger. Hire a car from the Bucharest airport (p87) or hop in a train north

toward the hills, stopping in Sinaia (p118) for a couple nights and checking

out Peleş Castle. From there, cable-car up into the Bucegi Mountains (p122)

for hiking or biking. Drive or bus north for a couple nights in Braşov ( p127 ),

a surprisingly unjaded hub with a cobbled centre. Take day trips to the in-

famous ‘Dracula Castle’ at Bran (p138) and the better one at Râşnov ( p137 ),

with the options of skiing and hiking at Poiana Braşov ( p136 ).

If you have a car, spend a night in the timeless Saxon town Viscri ( p151 ),

before continuing on for a night in Sighişoara (p143), where the cute citadel

offers B&Bs, espresso and Dracula’s birthplace. Head southwest for a night

or two in Sibiu (p153), Transylvania’s most culturally rich town.

If you have a car (and it’s summer), drive south along the winding, stun-

ning Transfăgăraşan road (p154) that tackles the biggest of the Carpathians.

South of the pass, stop in the ‘real Dracula castle’ at Poienari outside Curtea

de Argeş (p103) before returning to Bucharest.

This 800km route

takes in the ‘big

three’ of Transylva-

nia’s Saxon country:

Braşov, Sighişoara

and Sibiu. On the

way are many

opportunities to

poke into rural

life, and up

into the mighty

Carpathian

mountains. Those

with a couple

extra days should

consider spending

some time in under-

rated (and over-

criticised) Bucharest.

U K R A I N E

M A R A M U R E ð

H U N G A R Y

M O L D O V A

M O L D A V I A

T R A N S Y L V A N I A

Sighi¢oara

C R I ð A N A

Viscri

Râ¢nov

Sibiu

Bra¢ov

B A N A T

Poiana Bra¢ov

Bran

Transf©g©ra¢an

Road

Bucegi

Sinaia

Mountains

N O R T H E R N

D O B R O G E A

Curtea de

Arge¢

B L A C K

W A L L A C H I A

BUCHAREST

S E A

S E R B I A

B U L G A R I A

ITINERARIES •• Roads Less Travelled

lonelyplanet.com

ITINERARIES •• Tailored Trips

ROADS LESS TRAVELLED

TAILORED TRIPS

DRACULA? SCHMACULA! 21-28 Days / Bucharest to Timişoara

This whirlwind month-long trip around Romania and Moldova skips the

heart of Transylvania. Start with a couple days in Bucharest ( p61 ), before

heading east to hit the beach at Mamaia (p294) and visit the Eforie Nord mud

baths (p295). Go north to Tulcea (p303), the springboard for bird-rich boat

trips through the Danube Delta (p301).

Bus or drive north to Iaşi (p254), a youthful gateway to Moldova, where

you spend three or four days in the more Soviet, but surprisingly modern

Chişinău (p318), with winner day trips to the Orheiul Vechi Monastery (p331)

and the Cojuşna Winery (p330).

Return to Iaşi then head northwest to Suceava (p271) for a couple of days’

touring the nearby cartoon-esque, colour-coded Bucovina Monasteries ( p275 ).

Cross into Transylvania’s Hungarian-rich Székely Land via the stunning

Bicaz Gorges (p269), taking in a hike if time allows. Stop in at Székely Land’s

biggest town, Habsburg-influenced Târgu Mureş (p171), then head to Cluj-

Napoca (p184), home to a lively student base, clubs, quirky museums and a

Hungarian/Romanian population. Head west for hiking and caving in the

Apuseni Mountains (p43); otherwise head southwest to another great under-

appreciated city, Timişoara , (p214), home to the 1989 revolution and now a

popular alternative air hub for Romania.

THE COUNTRY LIFE

‘Peasant’ isn’t a bad word but a proud one in these parts, and no visitor really

can get a sense of Romania or Moldova without spending some time in the

sticks – where family-run pensiunes (pensions) open their doors as one-stop,

kick-back bases. In Transylvania, and within half an hour of Brasov, you can

wake to the sound of chickens in Râşnov (p137); a bit more rugged is Vama

Buzăului (p143), in the lesser-visited mountains northeast.

Down from the Bârgău Valley, home to Dracula in Bram Stoker’s novel,

is remote Lunca Ilvei (p211), with horse-riding options.

Outside Sibiu, just a couple kilometres off the highway, are traditional

villages that feel worlds away, such as Sibiel (p163), with its glass-icon

museum and its hillbound paths. For more Hungarian flavour, get to villages

outside Cluj-Napoca, including Rimitea ( p196 ),

and Sâncraiu ( p197 ) or Gârda de Sus (p198), both

on the foothills to the Apuseni Mountains.

The king of rural life is Maramureş, where

you can stay in thatched-hut villages. Good

options abound in the Izei Valley, such as Botiza

( p245 ) or Săpânţa (p243), home to a ‘merry

cemetery’ of Pop Art–styled headstones.

In Moldavia, a good base to see the cartoon-

like murals of the Bucovina Monasteries is

the High Hostel outside Suceava (p273). In

Moldova, you can hire an island for US$12 near

a cliffside monastery at Orheiul Vechi ( p331 ).

TAKE THE KIDS ALONG

So much of Romania evokes past worlds and eerie myths that it’s sure to

capture the imagination of any child – or adult. The Dracula thing may be

overblown, but the castles are not. Tourists squeeze through the narrow pas-

sageways of the so-called ‘Dracula castle’ – 15th-century Bran Castle ( p139 ) –

but Poienari (p105) is home to the ‘real’ Dracula’s castle and Hunedoara’s

Corvin Castle (p181) looks more the part, with a drawbridge and walkways

over deep dungeon-like corridors.

The country route can offer horse-cart rides, walks to meet shepherds’

herds of sheep in the hills, or tours of local craftsfolk at work. You can sleep

in a fun, drawer-style ‘Saxon bed’ in traditional homes in Viscri ( p151 ).

Underground worlds beg for kids, particularly the Apuseni Mountain

caves (p197) and the swing sets and sculptures in the bizarre Praid salt

mine ( p171 ).

For all its noise, Bucharest ( p80 ) teems with

child-friendly fun, like The Dracula Show and

puppet theatre.

Half a million birds, including pelicans, flap

some wing in the Danube Delta (p301), which can

only be seen by ferry or hiring a fisher’s boat.

Just south of the beach resorts are Eforie Nord’s

mud baths (p296), where you can encourage kids

to get slimy. If that’s not enough mud, Molda-

via is home to muddy volcanoes (p283) that burp

and gurgle out all shades of brown. Cool.

Botiza

S©pân»a

Suceava

Orheiul

Lunca

Veche

Ilvei

Sâncraiu

Vama

Gârda

Rimitea

Buz©ului

de Sus

Sibiel

Râ¢nov

No castles, no

fangs, no blood-

red steaks served

with a wink. This

roughly 2000km

trip ventures

through some of

the region’s most

diverse and stun-

ning territory.

Those going by

train and maxitaxi

may need to allow

more time for

transfers. Those

saving time with

a car could add

a few days in

Maramureş ( p232 ).

U K R A I N E

M O L D O V A

M A R A M U R E ð

Suceava

H U N G A R Y

Bucovina

Monasteries

Orheiul Vechi

Monastery

Ia¢i

CHIðINµU

Coju¢na

Winery

Cluj-Napoca

Bicaz

Târgu

Gorges

Mure¢

Apuseni

Mountains

M O L D A V I A

C R I ð A N A

T R A N S Y L V A N I A

Timi¢oara

B A N A T

Danube

Delta

Tulcea

Apuseni

Mountains

Praid

N O R T H E R N

D O B R O G E A

Viscri

W A L L A C H I A

Muddy

Danube

Mamaia

S E R B I A

Bran

Volcanoes

Delta

BUCHAREST

Corvin

Eforie Nord

Mud Baths

Poienari

M O N T E N E G R O

B L A C K

BUCHAREST

S E A

Eforie-

Nord

B U L G A R I A

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