Nine things you should know when you visit Romania

Romania is a beautiful, small country situated in the Southeastern Europe. It joined the European Union in 2007 and is a fast-developing country that is attracting millions of tourists every year. It is cheaper than the countries in Western Europe and it has plenty of natural riches that are waiting to be discovered. Here’s a list with nine things that you should know when you visit Romania.

1. Bucharest is Romania’s capital. Often confused with Budapest, Hungary’s capital, the city is located in the southern region of the country. It is the biggest city in Romania and it has many touristic attractions.
2. The official language is Romanian and the national currency is the Romanian Leu (RON). You can exchange 1 Euro for approximately 4.5 Romanian RON. In Bucharest you can pay using the credit card, but in the traditional villages you should go with cash. Most of the stores are small and do not accept credit card payments.
3. Romanians are religious people. There are many beautiful churches and monasteries that you can visit in each region. The painted monasteries of Bucovina are truly amazing. The Voronet monastery, Eastern Europe’s Sistine Chapel, is painted with a unique blue paint, called “albastru de Voronet” (Voronet blue).
4. Romanians are welcoming, warm people that treat their guests really well. In the heart of Transylvania, most of the villages have authentic peasants that welcome their guests in the traditional way, with specific Romanian pie and a shot of “palinca”, a strong alcoholic beverage.
5. Romanians love to party. In Bucharest the old town is coming alive every night. There are plenty of clubs, bars and pubs where you can have a great time. In the small villages, the peasants gather at the cultural center and organize weekly the Hora, a traditional dance very energetic. The tourists are invited to join in, and a true Romanian party begins.
6. The scariest forest in the world is the forest Hoia-Baciu from Cluj Napoca. There are many scary stories surrounding this forest and every year thousands for curious tourists and famous paranormal researchers. The scientist still can’t explain the strange and scary events that happen in this forest.
7. Romania has some of the best preserved medieval citadels in Europe. There are many beautiful cities, especially in Transylvania that have been built around these beautiful and majestic citadels. One of them is Alba Iulia citadel. It was renovated only a few years ago, and it is a real jewel of Transylvania. Every year, on the 1^st of December, Romania’s national day people gather in Alba Iulia to celebrate the Great Union of Transylvania with Romania.
8. The Transfagarasan road is one of the most beautiful and dangerous roads in the world. With many hairpin turns, the road crosses the Fagaras mountains and unties the two historical provinces Muntenia and Transylvania.
9. Each historical province has fought a different enemy, so you can see strong byzantine influence in Dobrogea’s architecture, strong gothic influences from the Austro-Hungarian imperium in Transylvania, Slavic architecture is present in Bucovina and a mix of these three in Tara Romaneasca.