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Road Trip: Romania

The Charming Balkan Country Emerges As The Next Big European Destination

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The mere mention of Transylvania typically conjures spooky images of Count Dracula and bats hovering over a shadowy castle on a hill.

Author Bram Stoker’s vampire may be fictional, but Transylvania is real – a region in Romania filled with craggy mountains, bucolic countryside, medieval villages, colorful characters and, yes, castles on hills.

Old World-style artisans and farmers still practice their trades – a contrast to the vibrant capital city, Bucharest, often referred to as the Paris of the Balkans. Millennials drive its chaotic, thriving nightlife. Visitors can get a full dose of both the city and the countryside on a week-long road trip as the republic is about the size of Michigan and very affordable.

Recent travel trends show promise for Romanian tourism. Today, Prague in the Czech Republic and Budapest in Hungary are nearly as popular with visitors as London and Rome. Tourists – who have been steadily increasing in the region since communism fell in 1989 and Eastern European countries opened their doors – wait in lines to explore their treasures. Although Romanian tourism has lagged somewhat, Bucharest and Transylvania are poised to become the next must-see European destinations. 

“Romania is still in transition from dictatorship to democracy, a process started 28 years ago,” says Andrei Nicolau, co-owner, Tours of Romania. “Travelers find it interesting to see the old ways versus the new.”

The Romanian National Statistics Institute confirms the upswing. For example, November 2018 saw a 7.9 percent increase in foreign visitors from November 2017. Of the roughly 11 million people who visit the country annually, most come from other European countries, but Americans are warmly welcomed.

Capital Idea

It’s best to begin and end your trip in somewhat gritty Bucharest, which lies near the northern border of Bulgaria and the Danube River. But leave time to explore the villages and culture of Transylvania, the traditional northern towns and the wetlands of the Danube Delta. 

Romania boasts a hodgepodge of architectural styles, but the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest stands out – in a big way. The outrageous construction was the dream of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who ruled from 1965 until he was overthrown and killed during a 1989 revolution. He wanted to impress dignitaries with his house of parliament, producing the second largest administrative building in the world, topped only by the Pentagon. 

The gargantuan structure covers nearly 4 million square feet and includes 3,000 rooms and 2,800 chandeliers. An entire mountain of marble was excavated to adorn its halls, meeting and reception rooms, balconies, floors, columns and the whole exterior. Interior tours show only a small portion of the site but provide a glimpse of the ostentation that the country could little afford at the time. My guide, Robert Mircea, claimed that most Romanians were aghast at the behemoth construction.

The regime also razed the surrounding district, moving churches and communities while redeveloping it to resemble Paris. The move cost thousands their homes. Unirii Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in the city center, reminded me of the Champs-Elysées, with a tree-lined median, luxury shopping and elaborate fountains.

To learn more about Ceausescu and his family, scurry to the other side of the city, past lush parks and an arch resembling the Arc de Triomphe. The extravagant Ceausescu Palace, now a museum, feels like a time capsule of garish ’70s and ’80s style thanks to its mosaic-lined indoor pool; 14-karat gold décor; and trendy outfits worn by the former first lady, Elena, who was executed alongside her husband during the revolution.

The open-air National Village Museum in Bucharest offers an opposing view and a peek at humbler abodes. Regional houses and churches were disassembled and rebuilt to display the authentic rural, homespun feel of peasant life. 

Beyond Bucharest

I took a circuitous route around Romania with a private driver and guide – an economical, safe and informative way to experience the beauty and intriguing history of the land. Once my guide left the small length of the interstate, we remained on winding, two-lane roads for the rest of the trip. 

Saxon settlers founded the city of Sibiu in the 12th century, formerly one of the most powerful and prosperous strongholds in Europe. A stroll along its cobblestone streets, past the remains of the walled city and its towers, hints at its earlier importance. Numerous renovated historic structures intermingle in this highly livable city, featuring concerts and arts festivals in the old plaza.

If you feel like someone is spying on you in Sibiu, look up. The distinctive roofs with dormers resemble eyelids. An orthodox cathedral, circa 1726, rests on a side street. It’s a smaller version of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul; its massive gold chandelier produces an unexpected jaw drop. 

Head west to Hunedoara, or Corvin Castle, a well-preserved medieval fortress that could grace a guidebook cover. From within the interior courtyard, its 6-foot-thick walls exude strength. The surrounding moat, dungeons and elevated fairytale-like bridge recall the vulnerability of life in those days. 

Proceeding north, we reached Romania’s most traditional region, Maramure. Here, the landscape is a reminder of bygone centuries. Hay-filled, horse-driven carts share the road. We even passed a pair of highly decorated horses pulling a wedding party in traditional dress. 

The region’s distinctive architecture centers on wooden churches and unpretentious farmhouses fronted by massive, carved wooden gates. Barn doors double as proud pieces of art. Women in babushkas wait as water-powered mills grind grain. Others wash rugs in a stream – which isn’t meant to be a tourist photo op. It’s simply how they still do things. Be sure to visit soon: Who knows how long younger generations will continue these practices? 

Needle-nosed steeples on the famed wooden churches of Maramureș spike toward the heavens like rockets lifting off. Most of these eight houses of worship date back to the 17th and 18th centuries; the oldest, the Church on the Hill, is from 1364.

The Merry Cemetery shows the dark humor of Romania. Brightly painted, wooden tomb markers inscribed with witty epitaphs capture both the good and the slightly odd sides of the villagers who rest below. Even without the benefit of translation, visitors understand the handiwork of artist Stan Ioan Pa˘tras‚ who began the carvings in 1935. Today, one of Pa˘tras‚’ apprentices continues his stylized creations.

A new cathedral going up at the Merry Cemetery adds to the many produced in Romania’s post-Communist church-building boom. Churches stand everywhere you look – ranging from big to small, medieval to brand new, tin-roofed to wooden. 

Moving toward Moldavia and the Ukraine border, the painted monasteries of Bucovina are showstoppers with UNESCO World Heritage status. I spent an entire day exploring five of these small, 15th- and 16th-century churches. Elaborately adorned inside like an orthodox church, nearly every inch of the exteriors are ornately painted. Each scene tells a biblical story that resembles primitive or folk art. Almost every monastery has a version of a ladder to heaven. The most famous, the Ladder of Virtues at Sucevita Monastery, depicts pathetic-looking sinners falling off into hell. The churches remain in use. Serendipitously stopping in during a mass was a tranquil experience.

You can’t go to Romania without seeing Roma, gypsies recognized by their colorful dress. Along the drive, my guide pointed out their heavily adorned houses with tin accents. Part of my tour included a stop to visit a few Roma renowned as copper artisans. They invited us into their flamboyantly festooned home to meet their family. 

We entered Transylvania again through forested mountains toward the Bicaz Gorge on a road cut between 1,000-foot-high limestone cliffs. Hiking and foraging for mushrooms are favorite outdoor activities throughout Romania. I dined on buttery mushrooms and freshly caught trout from the nearby lakes. However, the stuffed cabbage I sampled a few times remains my favorite.

Sighisoara sounds like a dinosaur but is instead one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The intact 16th-century gem sprouts nine towers, pastel-colored burgher houses, narrow cobbled streets, ornate churches and an eerie graveyard. The 14th century clock tower and its two-sided clock dominate. The carved figurines move as they have since the Middle Ages. 

Here, Romania takes on the character that engrosses so many novel readers and moviegoers. This village is the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, ruler of the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462. He was called Vlad the Impaler because he skewered captured enemies on sharpened posts. Vlad inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Sighisoara won my heart, even in a downpour. I missed climbing the bell tower, but I delighted in watching school children trek from homes in the lower town to classrooms at the top of the 175-step Scholar’s Staircase, built in 1642. 

King Carol I, Romania’s first king, commissioned the royal Peles Castle in Sinaia in the 1880s. The exquisite lodge served as the royal family’s summer residence until 1947. Touring it offers some of the finest examples of European art, Murano chandeliers, German stained-glass windows, heavily carved woodwork and Cordoba-leather- covered walls. You won’t see all 160 rooms, but the grounds are equally enticing. Many rank Peles as Romania’s finest eye candy and one of the most stunning European castles. 

You don’t need bat wings to fly in Transylvania. Its Alps draw car enthusiasts gunning to throttle their way through hairpin bends on the white-knuckle Transfãgãrasan. British TV show “Top Gear” named the 56-mile “road to the clouds” the best road trip ever. The drive’s an unforgettably thrilling experience, climaxing at the mirror-like glacial Bâlea Lake. However, read between these lines if you have any sense of caution: The stretch closes from October to May and always at night. Another of Ceausescu’s overzealous projects, the pass took more than four years to build during the 1970s with a loss of 38 workers. 

Romania has profited from promoting Transylvania tourism – and rightfully so. Everyone loves the famous bloodsucker who hails from the area. Bran Castle, often called Dracula’s, draws large tourist crowds. Neither he nor Vlad ever lived there, but the place doesn’t disappoint. The castle rests high above the town on the edge of a rocky precipice, with fanciful turrets and towers jabbing at the sky. Queen Mary’s 1920s renovations saved it from decay. She lived there for many years. A throng of souvenir hawkers below the entrance push Drac the way Disney does Mickey: with fanged beer steins, gory T-shirts and bottles of “blood” wine. 

Anyone considering Romania should plan to visit soon before the Old World ways disappear and more tourists discover the gem. Right now, prices are a steal, and you won’t be disappointed – even if you don’t meet Dracula. O

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