Romania Route: Wallachia, Transylvania, Black Sea
- en roUTE
- Oct 2, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 21, 2024
Journey through a varied country steeped in history
If you look at Romania from above, you might also recognise the shape of a fish.
Transylvania lies in the centre, the tail fin forms the entrance to the Black Sea and Wallachia lies in the lower torso area.
Romania back then:
Formerly, until the fall of communism in 1989, Romania was not a country that people travelled to. Quite the contrary! In the GDR, it was considered the poorhouse of the East and people tended to steer clear of the country. The main reason for this was its reputation as a dangerous country where tourists were not safe and would get robbed.
When I travelled to Bulgaria with my sister and a friend in 1988, our train route ran through Romania. Our plan was not actually to get off the train in the country, but simply to pass through. On our journey back home, however, we were forced to leave the train after losing a passport, as we assumed that we would otherwise not be able to cross the border into Hungary. We got off the train in Brasov and went to the police station, where we met other Germans whose car had been robbed. The people were very friendly and helpful. Bucharest, where we finally returned to get a new passport at the GDR embassy, proved the general opinion. The city appeared dirty and neglected, dogs were roaming around, children were begging and ‘a hard wind’ characterised everyday life. We wanted to leave as soon as possible after our errands. That's how I remember Romania all those years (1988-2024). (detailed travelogue in another article)
Romania now:
The desire to travel back to Eastern Europe and old paths after many years of post-reunification brought Romania onto our programme. Not least because the tango festival in Brasov from 1 August to 5 August 2024 beckoned.
Today, the country presents itself in a different "dress" than it did in the 1980s. It conveys an up-and-coming impression and seems to be redefining itself, at the crossroads between history and modernity. The people are friendly, open-minded and cosmopolitan. Accession to the EU has led to many innovations, in the cityscape and especially in the infrastructure, which you can feel as a traveller. Well-developed roads lead right into the hinterland and the smallest villages. Apart from at tourist hotspots or main traffic arteries, you will encounter fewer visitors and cars. Travelling is pleasant.
Country road and pass road in the Carpathians
It is safe to stay in the country. We never felt scared at any time. This time too: quite the opposite!
Romania offers everything an explorer's heart desires: beautiful nature, landscape, water, mountains - castles, fortresses, churches - extensive history, ruins of Greek and Roman sites - architecture from different eras - large cities - coolness and tradition.
The route:
For almost three weeks, we chose a route that would take us through the diversity of the country: Wallachia, Transylvania and the Black Sea.
I would like to briefly present the route below. More detailed descriptions will be included in the individual posts.
A) Bukarest
We started in Bucharest and spent the first three days in the bustling capital of Romania and Wallachia.
It has many faces (architecturally) and you can sense the different eras in which Bucharest has flourished and failed. Depending on the district, the colourful mix of styles that has evolved over the centuries brings together monumental buildings, city villas, Roman architecture, Parisian chic, "Cuban" beauty, Orthodox church splendour, buildings from the Ceausescu era as well as prefabricated and modern new buildings. Some of these are very run-down and dilapidated, others have been spruced up or are glamorous. They tell of times of occupation by wars and foreign troops, Ottoman rule, princely residence, industrialisation, economic upswing and downswing, socialist urban development and the post-communist era. The museum on Bucharest's urban development, which is well worth a visit, presents everything wonderfully. With eyes open to history, you can discover many exciting things in the urban proliferation and, in particular, trace the revolution of 1989. From the old town, which comes alive at night, to palaces, imposing avenues and lots of culture, there will be never a dull moment during your visit.
Old town and city centre
Folklore at Caru' Cu Bere, concert at the Athenaeum
The metropolis also offers oases of peace and relaxation from the hustle and bustle of the city with its large parks, small park corners and park-like areas.
Vibrant and lively with many cafés, young English-speaking people and street traders, the city of millions paints a colourful, cosmopolitan picture of itself.
Parks, waterways, residential estates, avenues
B) Wallachia
Do you know the saying ‘Send someone to Wallachia’? ...to the end of the world, so to speak... into seclusion?
The region is not quite so remote. Between the Southern Carpathians and the Danube there is a very good connection from the mountains to the sea and impresses with mountains, wide hilly landscapes, forests, vineyards and rivers in picturesque splendour.
On day 4, our journey first took us to Tärgoviste, 1.30 hours north-west of Bucharest, where not only Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife met their sad end in December 1989, but also where Vlad Tepes - known as Vlad the Impaler or Dracula - had his castle residence. In the high season (July) the place was emptied, the families were on holiday (mainly in the Carpathians or at the Black Sea), as a local told us. As a result, we only found a few visitors.
Anyone interested in the history of the fall of communism in 1989 should visit the execution site of dictator Ceausescu and his wife Elena. The rooms to be visited are located in the military barracks opposite the railway station. A sign at the entrance indicates this. At the time of our visit, the entire complex was being renovated, so we were allowed to take a look at the site from the outside.
The villages of Horezu and Curtea de Arges, which we travelled to after Tärgoviste and are around three hours' drive north-west of Bucharest, bear witness to a long tradition on the southern edge of the Carpathian Mountains. As a World Heritage Site, Horezu boasts colourful and richly decorated ceramics, which are produced in the local studios and families. Horezu ceramics are known and visible throughout the country.
Curtea de Arges, a detour on day 5 on the way to the Transfogaras Alpine Road, hosted the Hohenzollern monarchs - in the tombs of the cathedral. The town enchants visitors with its centuries-old church and monastery, Byzantine architecture and lovely park. Romanian Orthodox religion is celebrated here.
Cathedral / Princely church in the park
The special attraction: the slanted windows appear to spiral around two towers.
The Transfogarasche Alpine Road connects Wallachia with Transylvania and leads directly through the Carpathian Mountains. It is heavily travelled and much used by bikers and tourists. Nevertheless, the route to the top of the pass with Lake Balea is well worth the effort. Spectacular views along the hairpin bends reveal the impressive nature reserve with its river course and waterfall. A post provides a more detailed insight.
C) Transylvania - The heart of Romania
Most people associate Transylvania with Dracula. He plays an extraordinary role in the region (in terms of tourism), in particular Bran Castle, half an hour south of Brasov, advertises its mysticism and mysterious history. Dracula is said to have lived here. However, the region has much more to offer. As I learnt from the locals, Transylvania means "beyond the forest".
Transylvania is an idyllic, romantic, colourful and picturesque region. Villages and cities in a poetic, medieval ambience with magnificent buildings and mighty churches, well-developed roads through a beautiful landscape ... and castles and fortresses en masse, some of which could belong to Dracula. It feels like every village, no matter how small, has not just a church, but a castle or a palace or a monastery or a fortress.... It is worth visiting, if not all, then some of the charming locations. The reconstruction of the historic old towns after 1989 has also been a true marvel.
Our route included Sibiu, the capital of the region at the northern foot of the Carpathians (day 5), Hunedoara and Alba Iulia (day 6), Medias, Mosna, Biertan, Danes, Sighisoara on days 7 and 8, Brasov with a trip to Bran Castle and the Tango Festival from day 9 to 12, as well as Sinaia and Peles Castle on day 13 on the way to the Gramofon winery (Wallachia). Some places are frequented by tourists, others are almost unnoticed. I provide more in-depth insights in the individual posts.
Ottomans, Hungarians and Germans have left their footprints. The German language is widely spoken in Transylvania.
German lettering can be recognised not only in the city names (Sibiu = Hermannstadt, Mosna = Mäschen or Brasov = Kronstadt), but also in museums, on signposts and houses (for example the guesthouse named Old Postoffice "Gasthaus Alte Post" in Sighisoara).
The Transylvanian Saxons were settled centuries ago from western German regions. Most of them left their homeland at the beginning of the 1990s and returned to Germany - to the land of their ancestors.
D) Black Sea
Sun, water, beach - what more could you want? After an active holiday, the Black Sea is the perfect place to chill out and unwind. The Romanian Black Sea coast offers a little bit of everything - natural paradise, tranquillity, solitude, city and hustle and bustle. The distances are not huge, so you can choose one or the other depending on your mood on a half-day or day trip. Influences from past centuries can also be recognised here, as in Histria (No. 3 on the following map).
We were in the mood for some peace and quiet, so we opted for a beach holiday in Corbu (1) (days 14 and 15), which, in addition to Vadu, offers more secluded beaches, some wilderness, nature and charming restaurants. Things get particularly rustic in the approach to Gura Portitei and Lake Sinoe (2 and 3). Hardly anyone strays there. You will meet a few (mainly local) campers and nudist enthusiastics. We skipped the Danube Delta as the area seemed too crowded for tourists and the price of tours seemed unreasonably high.
Corbu
Further south in Constanta (4) (day 16), with its beautiful old town and the largest harbour in Romania, as well as Agigea (5), where the Romanian Danube Canal kisses the Black Sea (Danube-Black Sea Canal), traffic and the flow of visitors increase again.
Constanta
On the way back to Bucharest (day 17), this canal has another highlight in store: the confluence with the Danube at Cernavoda. Leaving the A2 motorway a little earlier (for example at Medgidia), you can drive through villages along the canal to the delta. Two impressive bridges unfold their splendour here, guiding cars and trains inland.
The route offered many memories and positive impressions. Romania is a country worth travelling to.
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