The National Museum of Art, once the Royal place, is another must with the History Museum on Calea Victoriei, housing the super silver of the Treasury; and the Curtea Veche with its ornate little 16th century church.
A trip in Romania
Romania's capital, the nation's powerhouse of cultural and
economic life, was founded 500 years ago and is natural starting point for
visits to the country.
During the 1930's its treelined boulevards de fin de siecle
architecture and with the Arc de Triomphe earnet it the nickname "The
Little Paris of the East".
What to see
Bucharest's museums are a destination in
themselv, especially
the open air Village Museum (Muzeul Santului) in the Herăstrău Park near the
arcul de Triumf.
The National Museum of Art, once the Royal place, is another must with the
History Museum on Calea Victoriei, housing the super silver of the Treasury; and
the Curtea Veche with its ornate little 16th century church.
And for eat?
The capital's restaurants are regaining their vigour, with grilled beef, chicken or pork the basis of many dishes, followed by a variety of pastries for dessert.
The city's countryside
Forest and lake encircle Bucharest, with ancient Palaces and
Monasteries set amongst them.
The towered Snagov Monastery, dating from 1408, is
a favourite for locals and you can canoe on the lake.
Transylvania: a legendary land
Transylvania is easily the most romantic and scenarically
inspiring or romania's three provinces.
But where exacrtly in Transyolvania? In the central of the country, surrounded
byh the Carpathians which rise a great arc across Romania.One of the main cities,
Cluj-Napoca, stands on the plateau, while Brasov and Sibiu are in the
footlight of the southern of the Carpathians.
Brasov and Romania's mountain resort
This medieval city, picturesquely situated right up against forested hillsides, is both fascinating in itself and the centre of Transylvania's major mountain resort area.
Dracula's Castle and the royal resort of Sinaia
A favourite excursion from Brasov is to the castle of Bran, supposed to have been home if Prince Vlad Tepes, on whom Dracula was based. Equally, don't miss the castle of Peles, fancifully constructe in 1883 on a mountainside for King Carol I, in Sinaia
.
The Castle of Bran
Medieval Sighisoara
Originally a Roman town, Sighisoara is one of the greatest medieval cities left in the world, with a walled citadel on the hilltop, secret gateway and passages, a 14th century Clock Tower, and the house where prince Vlad was born
The house where prince
Vlad was born
Festival and folklore
Wherever you gon in Transylvania, you will discoverrural traditions that are a real part of everyday life. Shepherd produce large round cheeses which you will see for sale by the roadsides. The doors of houses are intricately and lovigly carved.
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The fierce individuality of the Maramures mountain valleys in the north-west of Transylvania is legendary.
Their inhabitants are of Dacian descent an thei indipendance as a State reached
its peack under Decebalus in the first century AD, before the roman conquest.
Nonetheless the villagers here continued to fight for thei customs and their folklore with such tenacity that they were called the "wolf people" in the Middle Ages.
The lifeblood of existance in the mountain has always been agriculture and local traditions reflect this, with festivals in April, May, August and December.
Woodcarvin skills are the dominant feature of Maramures craft. Particulary characteristic of the villages are woode church, with tall towers and shingled roof, some dating back to the 14t century.
On Sunday aftermoons both women and men often parade and dance as they have for century . The Easter festivals are a particularly good time to seen them.
In Sapanta ther's the "merry cemetery", a where the gravestone are carved in wood depicting the departed role in the life and humourous epitaphs.
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Moldavia and Bucovina, a spectacular heritage of the late medieval art
Moldavia, in the North East of Romania, is renowned for the
wondrously detailed exterior frescoes on the walls of the Bucovina
Monasteries.
These triumphs of Byzantine-influenced art, reflect a great flowering of
Moldavian civilizations in the 15th and 16th centuries, fostered by the revered
King Stephen the Great (1457/1504).
The painted monasteries are the major Moldavian attraction, because of the vivid frescoes on their churches. These depict Biblical and other scenes, designed in sequence almost like strip cartoons to excite the imagination of the local people and so educate them in the Orthodox religion.
For many people a holiday at spa is plesantly restorative
luxury. To other mineral water, mofettes (natural sourches of carbon dioxide),
and mudbath offer a serious treatment for aches and pains.
The country has 70 healt resorts, some founded by the ancient Romans.
The principal spas offer relief for rheumatic and cardio-vascular disease, respiratory ailments, various disorders of the digestive and nervous systems, and skin and gynaecological problems
No account of Romanian cures would be complete wthout mention if the therapy pioneered by Professor Dr. Ana Aslan. hisi utilies the biotrophic properties of two products, Gerovital H3 and Aslavital, to postpone ageing. In particular the therapy counters memory loss, improves blood circulation in the brain and helps revitalise the internal organs.
Blessed with an unpolluted sea, golden sands
and warm weather from spring to 
autumn,
Romania's Black Sea coast would long ago
have rivalled the Mediterranean for popularity, if political conditions had been
different. The beaches are there; the modern hotels and facilities are there; a
wealth of inland attractions, from castle to vineyard are there.
Romania's Black Sea coast eztends for 245 km (153 miles) from the fashinatingly unspoilt nature reserves of the Danube Delta down to the leisure activities of numerous holiday centres.
Constanta
With ai international airport, e thriving seaport, express trains from Buvharest (21/2 hours), and a 2.500 year history - the Roman poet Ovid lived exile here - Constanta is exactly the kind of cosmopolitan focal point a vacation coast needs. Hotel, shops, anciemnt monuments, a magnificent casino by the sea and interestin museums complete the picture.
Local tours
As wella s long-distance tours to the Danube Delta with its birdlife and mysterious waterways, or even to Moldavia and legendary "painted" monasteries of Bucovina, or to Bucharest, there are plenty of sights available in the immediate hinterland to temp you away from sunbathing for days.
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At the end of the great river Danube's 2.860 km (1788 miles) journey from the Black Forest in Germany to Romania's Black Sea coast there spreads out a natural paradise unparalleled in Europe. This amazing wetland shelters over 300 species of birds, countless fish from royal sturgeon to carp and perch, while its 1.150 kinds of plants range from linuous lianas in oak forests to water lines. It is small wonder that UNESCO has designed the Delta a "Reservation of the Biosphere". The starting point for Delta adventure is usually the small city of Tulcea, almost old as Roma, and situated into the three main arms that create the wetland. Tulcea has modern tourist hotels, plus a worthwile museum devoted to the natural histiry of the Delta. If ou want to see the wildlife in solitude and without disturbing it, take a rowing boat into the lesser channels.
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Summer sports
Rock climbing is very popular and known
localas alpinism. The main centre for the sport is Busteni (also a ski resort),
near Brasov.
Cycling in the hills can be fun, following forestry roads and shepherd's tracks. You need to bring your own mountain bikes, although having done so you will be rewarded with an exilarating sense of freedom, not to mention the spectacular scenes.
Hiking is a marvellous way to see the country, with very few tough climbs
Watersport
At the Black Sea resorts you can wind-surf, water-ski and scuba dive. Canoeing or kayaking in possible on rivers and lakes, wile a kayak is the ideal way to expolre the Danude Delta. You will need your own equipment.
Wintersport
Romania's ski resort were mostly purpose-built
in the 1960s and 1970s 
and knownledgeable shiers rate them as one of Europe's
most enjoyable, friendly and least spoilt winter sports destinations.
The nest known of a clutch of resorts is
Poiana Brasov, 13 km (8 mile) from the city of Brasov, with chalet-style hotels
and self-catering villas.
Well-maintained pistes of up to 3.800m lenght range from difficult to easy. Most
of the instructors are English, German or French speacking.
