21 Beautiful Places in Romania
GettySighișoara
This small, medieval town in Transylvania has a UNESCO-protected historic center and charming streets lined with colorful houses. But beware: It's also the the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, and is considered one of the world's most haunted cities.
GettyLacul Roșu (Red Lake)
Located in the Eastern Carpathians, Lacul Roșu doesn't exactly look reddish in color, but you'll be too busy admiring the stunning mountain views and evergreen trees reflecting in the waters to care about semantics.
GettyBran Castle
Located in Romania's Carpathian Mountains on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, this national landmark is also known as "Dracula's Castle", due to its similarity to the fortress described in Bram Stoker's novel.
GettyThe Transfăgărășan
With extra-long S-shaped curves weaving through the southern Carpathians, it's no wonder the Transfăgărășan is regarded as one of the most thrilling highways in the world.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettySalina Turda
Not all beauty is found above ground, as proven by Salina Turda, a unique theme park that happens to be found in one of the world's oldest salt mines. Visitors head about 400 feet below earth's surface to find a bowling alley, a lake with paddle boats, a mini golf course, and even a Ferris wheel.
GettySarmizegetusa Regia
This archeological site is Romania's version of Stonehenge, the remains of ancient Dacia's capital during the first centuries B.C. and A.D. The city was built under the rule of King Decebalus, then was conquered by the Romans at the beginning of the second century A.D. (along with the rest of the Dacian kingdom).
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettyStatue of King Decebalus
Speaking of King Decebalus, you can find a 131-foot-tall stone rendering of his face along the Romanian side of the Danube. Although it looks like the stuff of ancient myths, it was actually created between 1994 and 2004.
GettyCulture Palace, Târgu Mureș
Built between 1911 and 1913 at the request of Târgu Mureş's then-mayor György Bernády, the Culture Palace features Art Nouveau architecture, bronze busts of composers, and intricate stained glass. The building has served many purposes over the years, from housing the county library to serving as a school of fine arts.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettyBâlea Lake
This glacial lake situated 6,673 feet high in central Romania's Făgăraș Mountains is known for its two chalets (open year-round) and accessibility via the Transfăgărășan road.
GettyThe Hotel of Ice
One more thing Bâlea Lake is known for: the Hotel of Ice. Built in 2005 and then rebuilt every year using water from the lake, the frozen hotel has an ice restaurant and bar, rooms and igloos with fur blankets, and an adjacent ice church where couples can get married and children can get baptized.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettyCeahlău Massif
The 6,257-foot-high Ceahlău Massif is one of the most renowned mountains of Romania, featuring beautiful views of the Eastern Carpathians and an incredible concentration of wildlife and plant species.
GettyCimitirul Vesel (Merry Cemetery), Săpânţa
You'd probably expect a Romanian cemetery to be pretty scary, but these sky-blue graves with hand-carved, painted crosses are anything but gloomy.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettyDanube Delta
Formed by the meeting of the Danube and the Black Sea, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to wetland marshes, beautiful beaches, and over 300 species of birds.
GettyCorvin Castle
This 15th-century Gothic fortress has enough nightmarish features to rival Bran Castle—think impenetrable walls and a drawbridge on the outside, and a massive dungeon and torture chamber on the inside.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettyTimișoara
Timișoara is the third most populated city in Romania (after Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca), attracting people with its public squares, swanky hotels, and frequent musical and cultural festivals.
GettyCasino Constanta
Opened as a casino overlooking the Black Sea in 1910, this Art Nouveau masterpiece was used briefly as a hospital during WWII before becoming one of Romania's most beautiful abandoned spots.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettyCheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park
Declared a natural protected area in 2000, this 142-square-mile park in southwest Romania is known for its waterfalls and dazzling blue lakes.
GettyVidraru Dam
Built in 1966 on the bank of the Argeş River, this massive, arched dam created Lake Vidraru (a body of water over six miles long) and has a pretty epic statue of Prometheus erected nearby.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
GettyPalace of Parliament, Bucharest
With more than 300 ornately decorated rooms, the Palace of Parliament is the second-largest administrative building in the world (after the Pentagon).
GettyBraşov
Visiting Braşov is like stepping back in time, with medieval clock towers and Gothic churches (like the famous Black Church) defining its skyline.
- Group TravelAn 8-Day Cycling Adventure From Tokyo to Kyoto
- Islands & BeachesThe 14 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast
- DestinationsHow to Do Napa Without Breaking the Bank
boerescul/GettySibiu
Sibiu's history dates back to the 12th century, when Saxon settlers made Transylvania their home. The Germanic architecture in the city's old town serves as a reminder of its origins (shown here illuminated by Christmas lights).