Top Tourist Attractions In Romania
The country was once a home for royals until the communists banned
them and threw them out. With that said, most of the tourist attractions
in Romania are castles, churches and monasteries. But, that’s not all
there is in Romania. A Romania travel guide like this article will help
you understand the life and the ways of Transylvanian people. And no,
they are not vampires – but, who knows? If you are brave enough, you can
go back to the days of gothic structures, medieval arts and culture,
and neo-classical designs.
1. Peleș Castle – Sinaia
There is nothing more beautiful than the Peleș Castle in all of
Romania, maybe even the whole of Europe. It rests at the foot of the
Bucegi Mountains and if you are out there admiring the view, you will be
mesmerized. It looks like a painting from a far – something imagined
and special. But it is real and it is open for tours if you want to
witness its grand beauty from the inside.
It is a view like no other – a Renaissance masterpiece, as the
experts in architecture call it. It is one of the most unforgettable
tourist attractions in Romania.
2. Bran Castle – Bran
Thanks to Bram Stoker, the Irish novelist who created the eternal but fictional story of Count Dracula in Transylvania, the
Bran Castle
will always be full of mystery. But the truth is that the Bran Castle
is the official residence of Romania’s royal family. It once became a
temporary hospital, through the initiative of Princess Ileana, during
the World War II. In 2005, the ownership of the castle was awarded to
Dominic von Habsburg, son of Princess Ileana. Princess Ileana is the
daughter of Queen Marie and King Ferdinand.
3. Corvin Castle – Hunedoara
The castle has 50 rooms designed in the medieval theme. It has a
Knight’s hall, a drawbridge, a small sanctuary for prayers, and court
yards. It was once a fortress in the 14th century which was later
transformed into a beautiful royal palace.
4. Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum – Bucharest
This is the
Village Museum
being referred to above that is within the premises of Herăstrău Park.
The Museum is not a traditional one. It is an open air museum which
showcases 272 homes of peasant Romanians. As the name explicitly says –
it is a village – wherein lives of farmers and how they go about their
daily ways has been preserved.
The church of the Timişeni village is also in the Village Museum and
so is the Dragomirești church. You can also stop by the inn inside the
village called La Bariera. The valley of Maramureș can also be witnessed
in the village.
5. Timișoara Orthodox Cathedral – Timișoara
The residents also call this place of worship as The Romanian
Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral. They believed that a miracle happened
in the cathedral back in 1944. It was during World War II and the
Germans bombed Romania wherein six missiles “fell” on the Cathedral. The
five missiles didn’t go off. The sixth one exploded but didn’t damage
the Cathedral that much. They said that it was divine intervention from
God. This is the reason why the Timișoara Orthodox Cathedral is an
important attraction in Romania.
6. Herăstrău Park – Bucharest
The Herăstrău Park is 1.1 sq. km. full of sights to see. You can
enjoy the park and everything in it in one full day. Just explore the
public zone because the natural zone is preserved.
It has the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum in Bucharest which
will be discussed later on as it is one of the most important
attractions in all of Romania. You will also find a hotel within the
park, a sports center, a golf course in the Diplomatic club, an arena
and a yacht club. There’s a yacht club because by the park is Lake
Herăstrău, another one of the tourist attractions in Romania.
7. Stavropoleos Monastery – Bucharest
Biserica Stavropoleos or Stavropoleos Church
is but a remnant of what it was back in the day – a monastery. There
used to be an inn beside the church which was the money-making activity
of the monastery. Natural calamities have destroyed the structure and
the dome of the monastery. What was left is a portion of the church,
some 18th century ecclesiastical relics and wall paintings.
The structure was restored to what it is today and has been the home
of more than 8000 books about Theology and Byzantine arts and music.
8. Salina Turda – Turda
Salina Turda
was a salt mine back in 17th century. According to Business Insider, it
is one of the coolest underground places in the world. It was also
picked as one of the 25 hidden gems around the world, as mentioned by
Megan Willett of Business Insider, as well.
It is a theme park now and is located underground. People have to go
down just to enjoy the place. It has a Ferris wheel, a bowling center,
an auditorium and an underground lake where you can rent paddle boats
and row.
9. Merry Cemetery – Săpânţa
This is a cemetery, yes, but not an ordinary one. On regular memorial
parks, one can see tombstones with names and good things about the
deceased are inscribed. But here in Merry Cemetery, it is not always
good – they say the truth, though.
Stan Ioan Pătraş is the artist responsible for this immortal
attraction. He carved images of the deceased and painted it with bright
colors. Underneath the painted image are inscriptions of how the dead
person used to be. So for example, if the person was alcoholic and a
womanizer, he would really put that on the memoir.
The cemetery has 600 wooden crosses, all in all.
10. Tampa Mountain – Brasov
The most famous tourist attraction in Brasov, Romania is the Tampa
Mountain. When people talk about Brasov, the mountain is always its
identifier. On the base of Tampa, this city stood and remained.
If you want to go up the mountain and see the aerial view of Brasov,
you can ride a cable car which they call a Telecabina. If you are up for
it, you can also walk the trail of the mountain and go up on foot. It
would be best to explore Tampa when the snow season is over.
11. Pelișor Castle – Sinaia
The Castle was the residence of King Ferdinand, Queen Marie and their
family in the early 1900’s. The Queen had an important role in
designing the interior of this castle and she specifically wanted it to
be in the Art Nouveau style. But something terrible happened in this
royal home – Queen Marie was fatally injured inside her beloved castle
when her two sons were fighting. It is rather sad to think about it but
it is one of the tourist attractions in Romania despite its sad history.
So, after the communist reign, the castle was open for viewing. It was also called Pelisor Palace or Little Peles.
12. ASTRA National Museum Complex – Sibiu
Here is another open air museum located in Sibiu and its purpose is
and quoted, “shelter for keeping the past”. It was inaugurated in 1897
and today, it features the civilization of Romania in four cultures. In
the area you will also be able to visit the Museum of Traditional Folk
Civilization, the Museum of Universal Ethnography, the Museum of
Transylvanian Civilisation, and the Museum of Saxon Ethnography.
There are 4 more departments within the complex – a conservation
facility, a film studio, a documentation center and a memorial cabinet
of the Museum of Folk Technology’s founder – all of these represents the
culture and history of Romania.
13. Biserica Neagră – Brasov
Biserica Neagră is a gothic-inspired building constructed in the 14th
century. They also call it the Black Church or the Church of Saint
Mary. It is the biggest church in the country and one of the most
significant churches for the Lutheran worshippers. (The Lutheran people
are the Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania.)
The entrance of the church is referred to as the Golden Gate. There
is a Mary and Jesus sculpture outside the building. And anywhere you are
in Brasov, when you look up, you will find a portion of the church –
that’s how big it is.
14. Romanian Athenaeum – Bucharest
From afar, you will probably think that White House is in Romania. That’s because the face of the
Romanian Athenaeum is quite similar with the White House. It is in the list of the Label of European Heritage sites.
Anyway, the neoclassical structure is in Bucharest which is the
capital city of Romania. Today, they use the Romanian Athenaeum for
concerts and musical live shows. To add to the artistic vibe of the
place, the mini-park by the entrance has a monument of Mihai Eminescu,
Romania’s celebrity poet.
15. Palace of Culture – Iasi
If you want to see 4 tourist sites in one visit, then, the place to go is the
Palace of Culture.
It is the residence of not one, not two, not three but four museums in
Iasi – the Museum of History of Moldova, Ethnographic Museum of Moldova,
Museum of Art and the Museum of Science and Technique.
It is called a palace because the structure was designed and built
with the Palace of Justice in mind. Palace of Justice is in Paris,
France.
