Romania is a beautiful country located at the intersection between central and southeastern Europe, and it is actually the eighth largest country of the European Union by area, measuring a total of 92,043 square miles. As far as tourism is concerned, Romania boasts a wide array of attractions, including historical landmarks such as castles or very old forts, beautiful mountains, beaches and fantastic roads. There are many tours in Romania to choose from but to get you started with planning your trip we compiled a top 5 of the best places to visit in Romania.
1. The Peles Castle
The Peles Castle is one of Romania’s most important and impressive landmarks, originally representing a place for relaxation and leisure for the country’s monarchs. The castle was sketched out by architects Karel Liman and Johannes Schultz, and it was built in 1914 in Sinaia, Prahova, just 27 miles away from the beautiful city of Brasov.
During their visit, tourists are able to admire the sheer luxury and majestic beauty of this architectural masterpiece. Highlights include a series if lavish rooms such as the theatre room, council room, arms room and living room. However, the Imperial Bedroom is by far the most impressive room in the building, flaunting exquisite decorations such a wonderful chandelier made using Bohemian crystal.
2. The Turda Salt Mine
The salt mine of Turda can be found in the Dugau-Valea Sarata area of Turda, and it is over 13 million years old, weighing a total of 38 million tons. Tourists can enter the mines and admire their exquisite natural beauty through the Salina-Durgau tourist center.
Highlights include the Altar Room, the Rudolf Mine, the Terezia Mine (367 feet tall) and the Ghizela Room.
3. The Sphinx of Bucegi
The Bucegi Sphinx can be found in the Bucegi Mountains, at an altitude of 7,270 feet. The Sphinx of Bucegi was named this way because it resembles a human head and because it bears a close resemblance to the Egyptian Sphinx.
The Sphinx is easily accessible to tourists via the Busteni – Babele cable car, while the nearby Babele Caban stands ready to offeroffer fantastic accommodation options.
4. The People’s Palace in Bucharest
The People’s Palace, also known as the Palace of the Parliament is the second largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon. To give you a better idea regarding the building’s size, imagine that its volume is actually 2% larger compared to the Pyramid of Keops. The People’s Palace comprises approximately 1000 rooms, including 4 restaurants, 30 saloons, 440 offices, 2 underground parking lots and 3 libraries.
Tourists are able to visit the Palace daily between 10am and 4pm, while the entrance fee is about $4,4.
5. The Transfagarasan
As one of the most spectacular roads in the world, the Transfagarasan is definitely a must-see for any tourists crossing the Romanian border. This exquisite mountain road measures 93 miles, and it required 4 years to build between 1970 and 1974 during the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu. Over 20 tons of dynamite was used to dislocate 3 million tons of rock during the construction process. As with almost any major architectural undertaking, it is said that many workers actually lost their lives while building the road.
The best way to visit this amazing landmark is to drive on it yourself, but you will only be able to do this between July 1 and October 31 each year. Moreover, we advise you to take into consideration that the speed limit is only 24 mph, since the road includes a series of perilous bends.
