Why haven’t you been there yet?

 

Or maybe you have. But there are so many other places to see. Romania is my home-country, is that country where “Charles bought a house in 2005. And Harry has never been photographed naked once” as a campaign stated, is that country whose capital city is often confused to our neighbor’s and whose well known personalities vary from a world-famous gymnast (Nadia Comaneci) to a tennis player (Ilie Nastase) and up to a vampire. Not to mention that Snoop Dog checked-in in one of our villages. Curious enough now?

Romania offers you everything you want. You name it. You want to see signs of 21st century development? We have it. Or maybe you’d like to see reminisces of the communist era – we have a huge one in Bucharest. Urban or rural, mountains or sea, international recognized sites for their natural beauty. And also 3rd city in an international Internet speed ranking.

If I made my point and the idea of organizing your next holiday in Romania started sparkling in your mind, I prepared top 5 sites I think you shouldn’t miss. Of course, they represent my personal opinion and Romania has many more places that are worth seeing, photographing and falling in love with.

Sibiu

One of my favorite cities in Romania is Sibiu, a charming old town with a story-like atmosphere. I love it for its calmness, for its people’s kindness, for the beautiful houses – did you know that houses here have eyes? Literally. If you go to Sibiu for one or two days, you can have a walk through the city’s Big Square, on the Liars’ Bridge, you can climb in the Tower of the Council for an amazing view. You can visit Brukenthal Museum or ASTRA Museum – a museum situated in an open space, that will give you an interesting image of Romanian past.

Transfagarasan

We say it and also our friends from Top Gear say it. This is one spectacular road! Transfagarasan is a 152km driveway that passes through Fagaras Mountains. Get ready for close and challenging turns and also for great views. Buckle up! Make sure that the road is open when you want to go there, as authorities don’t allow access all year long.

 

Viscri

This is it. Our royal spot. Viscri has that je ne sais pas quoi that attracted the above-mentioned Prince. And it will also make you fall for it, as it is pitoresque, it has hundred of years old churches and efforts are being made in order to maintain the traditional air of the village.

Bucharest

Our capital city is intense. It might strike you with contrasts, but if you come here, I recommend you not to miss a walk in Herastrau Park, visiting the House of the Parliament, The National Museum of Art, The Romanian Athenaeum, and for a full view over the city, take a trip with the double decker. At night, you shouldn’t miss a taste of our partying renown skills – Old City center is the perfect spot.

The Merry Cemetery

Remember how I told you, at the begging of the article, that we have them all? Well, in Sapanta, we have a Merry Cemetery. What makes it so merry is that there are colorful tombstones with comic lyrics on them regarding the person that is buried there. The idea is that death is not something to be cried on, but a celebration as it leads the way to something better.

 

Romania is truly a treasure. Of course there are things that aren’t in place yet, sure, we have a lot to work on and we have so much to learn. But it is worth visiting for everything I wrote and not only that. Our traditions and our people, our food, our way of enjoying life, of working hard and achieve excellence in so many domains, all of these give an intense vibe to the country and make it unique. Lovely trip ahead!

 

Oana Cristiana Groza, Romania

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