BLACK SEA COAST
Marvelous weather from spring to autumn and miles of golden sand make Romania's Black Sea resorts the ideal destination for beach holidays. One can find everything there: modern hotels and facilities, a busy night-life, a wide range of sports facilities and numerous inland attractions from castles to vineyards.
With an international airport, a busy seaport, express trains linking it to Bucharest (2 1/2 hours) and a 2,500 year history (the Roman poet Ovid lived in exile here), Constanta is the very kind of cosmopolitan place a seaside vacation needs. Hotels, shops, ancient monuments, a magnificent casino by the sea and interesting museums complete the picture. All the Black Sea resorts are easily accesible either by train or bus.
The major resort is Mamaia, sited north of the city, between a magnificent 7 km (4.5 miles) long beach of unbelievably fine sand and a lake. It is especially designed for families with children. Sports like sub-aqua diving and paragliding offer thrills from May to October. Restaurants, bars and nightclubs enliven the evenings. Typical country villages, the ruins of the ancient Greek fortress of Histria, and the Danube Delta are easily accessible.
From Constanta, a 50 km (31 miles) strip of fine golden sand stretches all the way to the border with Bulgaria; and it hosts a series of resorts
DANUBE DELTA - HIGHLIGHTS
The mighty Danube River flows 1,788 miles from its springs in Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea. Just before reaching the sea it forms the second largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas: 2,200 square miles of rivers, canals, marshes, tree-fringed lakes and reed islands. The Danube Delta is a wildlife enthusiast’s (especially a bird watcher’s) paradise.
Access
The Delta can be explored as part of a Danube River Cruise, or on day trips and boat excursions from Tulcea which has good hotels, restaurants specializing in fish dishes and the Museum of the Danube Delta.
Places to explore
Chilia Arm (Bratul Chilia)
Tulcea – Chilia Veche - Periprava
Access: Scheduled boat service between Tulcea and Periprava with stops in: Ceatalchioi, Plaur, Pardina, Tatanir, Chilia Veche
Lake Rosca (Lacul Rosca), a strictly protected reserve located between Chilia Veche and Periprava, is home to Europe’s largest white pelican colony; Letea Village and spend a few days touring the surrounding waterways.
Sulina Arm (Bratul Sulina)
Tulcea – Crisan – Sulina
Access: Scheduled boat service between Tulcea and Sulina with stops in: Partizani, Maliuc, Crisan
Crisan is the main stepping-off point between Tulcea and Sulina.A fishermen’s village with a few houses spreading over the right bank and a fishery on the opposite shore, it makes an excellent base for exploring the surrounding lakes and canals. Private guestrooms and B&Bs are available.
Sulina, the terminus point for cruise liners sailing across the Delta, was mentioned for the first time more than 1,000 years ago under the name of Selina. This port town once bustled with traders from Europe and the Middle East, adventurers and sea pirates. The town served as headquarters for the European Danube Commission during the 19th century when the Danube was turned into a waterway suitable for commercial shipping. This huge project attracted workers from all over Europe, and the Anglican, Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish tombstones in Sulina’s cemetery bear witness to this former international community.
Sfantu Gheoghe Arm (Bratul Sfantu Ghoerghe)
Tulcea – Sfantu Gheorghe
Access: Scheduled boat service between Tulcea and Sulina with stops in: Balteni de Jos, Mahmudia, Murighiol
Murighiol, a traditional fishing village, is home to the ruined Roman city of Halmyris, one of the most important ancient sites in Romania. The city was continuously inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 7th century AD. Although a basilica and a crypt containing the tomb of Epictet and Astion, the earliest Romanian Christian martyrs, have been discovered here, much of the ruins remain unexcavated. A visit offers the chance to see an ancient city still in the process of being uncovered.
At the end of the great river Danube's journey through Europe to the Black Sea there spreads out a natural paradise unparalleled in Europe, where canals, lakes, reed islands, pastures and sand dunes cover over 5,165 sq km (2,000 miles).
Many cruise and day trip possibilities open up the wonders of the Delta.
This amazing wetland shelters over 300 species of birds, countless fish from royal sturgeon down to carp and perch, while its 1,150 kinds of plants range from sinuous lianas suggesting tropical forests to gently blossoming water lilies. It is small wonder that UNESCO has designated the Delta a "Reservation of the Biosphere".
Only 15,000 people make their living from fishing, livestock breeding, and reed harvesting in this vast area. Their villages, lapped by the waterways, seem untouched by time.
Fresh and sea-water fish abound in the Delta.
Exploring the Reservation of the Biosphere: The starting point for a Delta adventure is usually the ancient city of Tulcea, with modern tourist hotels and special small cruise ships, plus a worthwhile museum devoted to the natural history of the Delta.
It is 72 km (45 miles) by boat from the almost equally old settlement of Sulina at the other end of the Sulina channel and cruises between the two give passengers a panoramic view of wildlife. You will see pelicans and cormorants, eagles and vultures.
Local fishermen make their own version of Russian borsch over an open fire. At restaurants you can sample Danube herring, croquettes of zander, or sturgeon steak, tastily washed down with Aligote, Muscat or Merlot wines. In every way a Delta trip is a memorable experience.
Romania is fortunate to be one of the few European countries generously blessed by nature. Here the different forms of relief harmonize to perfection, making up a whole of great beauty. The Danube springs in Germany, washes several countries of the old continent and ends its journey on the Romanian territory where, before flowing into the Black Sea, it forms a picturesque delta covering 70 km in surface area. Along the three branches - Chilia, Sulina and Sfintul Gheorghe - the Danube displays a geographical realm that has always fascinated with its strange beauty and the mysteries of primitive life.
Modern tourists who want to avoid noise and crowded metropolises, try to ferret out refreshing corners of the world where their holidays can be enjoyed in the middle of nature. The delta of the Danube is one of the few places that meet the requirements of these travellers who want to profit from moments of peace and quiet during their vacation. Unique landscape can be admired: long picturesque stretches shaded by luxuriant plants; water lilies and endless areas of reed; willow, poplar and alder groves; flocks of swans, pelicans and wild ducks and geese; creepers and venerable oaks that make these places look like a real jungle.
In this world where water is almost the sole ruler, the only means of transportation is by boat and the main occupation is of course fishing. What other experience could be more stimulating than sailing in a boat and then having a fisherman's dinner which should without a doubt include the well-known fisherman's broth, a recipe that would do credit to any chef. The secret of this delicious dish is a lot of fish (oerch especially), onions, tomatoes and mild pepper seasoned with chili pepper, green vegetables and borsch. This broth goes down well with a little glass of plum brandy.
The Delta of the Danube, an inexhaustible source of natural riches, stirs up our interest given the impressive variety of its flora and fauna. Over 300,000 species of birds live there among which can be found pelicans, egrets, spoon bills, pygmy cormorants, red neck geese; some of which are protected by law. The delta is also famous for the variety of its ichtiology: sheat-fish, pike, carp, herring, sturgeon, sevruga.
The Delta of the Danube is a perfect holiday choice especially when one takes into consideration Romanian hospitality.
If you haven't decided yet what to do during your spring holidays, stop there for a moment and marvel at the colour of the flowers, of the insects or of the birds that live in that fascinating universe. One can hardly describe in words, in a few lines only, what the beauty and the attraction of the Delta mean for all of its visitors. It is said that once visited, this dreamland keeps on drawing the tourist like an irresistible call. Numerous tourit amusements and various iteraries can be found there. Whether you are merely a tourist or whether you go hunting or fishing, you will certainly find some hospitable and comfortable hotels, inns or lodging houses waiting for you in this "thrilling fluid universe".
The Danube Delta, witness of the eventful, century-old history of Romanian people, huge, amazing spread of water, reed and sun, of a unique wealth, biological value, exuberance and variety, is a major target of tourist interest in nowadays Romanian. It lays at Danube mouths to the Black Sea, in the south-east part of Romania, and spreads over 5,165 km square (i. e. about 1995 sq. miles), more than 80% on Romanian territory.
5,000 years ago still a gulf of the Black Sea, this land was born from the alluvia brought by the great river together with the increased work of the sea, of plants and animals, as well as of winds and waves.
At the end of a trip of near 2,860 km (1,777 miles) before meeting the sea, the Danube spreads its waters creating a paradise of water, plants and animals, with landscapes of unbelievable beauty.
In the long run, the deposition of million tons of alluvia linked the three branches of the Danube: Chilia, Sulina and Sf. Gheorghe with a fascinating net of ails, holms, channels, brooks and ponds. Wherever you look, you can see floating islets covered by rush and reed, lianas like in tropical woods, lakes with middy depths but with surfaces like carpets of water lilies hiding a puzzling under-water world. The silent boats of fishermen stir numberless pelicans and flocks of cormorants and moor hens from their nests beyond the reed curtains.
The Danube Delta was included in the UNESCO Project as a Reservation of the Biosphere because its peculiar features and the originality and variety of the ecosystems (more than 25 types of natural ecosystems). There are settled 16 areas strictly protected where no economical activities are allowed, then areas for ecological rehabilitation and buffer and economical areas, where tourist activities are permitted under the circumstances of protection and maintenance of the environment.