Why should visit Sibiu?

Romania is the land where all relief forms are tied harmoniously: from imposing mountains to the seaside of the Black Sea, from hills and abundantly plains to the Danube delta…not for nothing the country is called “The Land of Choice” in the new touristic slogan.

Although, for the moment, we don’t excel at the infrastucture chapter, any touristic activity will be taken again, because the Romanian tourism is focused pre-eminently above all, on the natural landscapes and amply history.

As a location where to spend your vacation, I would strongly recommend you Sibiu, maybe the well-known city of the country on international plan, thanks to the title of “international cultural capital”, achieved in 2007, beside Louxembourg. This is the indisputable proof  that our country can be proud, both on culture and tourism’s plan.

How to reach  the destination

In terms of transport to Sibiu, there are a lot of options. If you come from Romania or abroad, and you don’t want to waste your time on the road, you have the airplane option: Sibiu’s International Airport is located 5km West from the town, with direct access on the E81 highway.

Through it, direct links are ensured with intern airports ( Bucuresti, Targu Mures, Timisoara) and also international: Germany, Austria, Spain, Greece, Ukraine, Moldavia and Italy.

If you fall into the bohemian type and you are eager for a closer view of the landscape that our country has to offer you have train’s option, which will allow you to save some money and use them for other activities.

For those who cannot separate from the automobile, going by your own car (or a rented one, Rent a Car in Sibiu with EuroCars is very well developed, renting can be made abroad also) is a safe option. European roads passing through Sibiu are E 68 (Arad - Sibiu - Brasov) and E 81 (Cluj - Sibiu - Pitesti - Bucharest). Not even parking lots will be able to overshadow your stay thanks to the 80 locations equipped with a total of 5051 parking spaces.

Regarding housing, the supply is extremely varied, considering the fact that the tradition of hospitality in Sibiu is the oldest in Romania, the first hotel being certified since 1555. It remains up to you to choose the category (comfort level), framing (apartment, cottage, camping, pensions in Sibiu, hotels in Sibiu, motel or guesthouse) and location, and bids will not disappoint you.

In the “must see” category:

- the museums (Sibiu was the cultural capital with a reason): Brukenthal National Museum, Astra National Museum Complex, Evangelical Church Museum, Steam Locomotives Museum.

- Churches: The Orthodox Cathedral, The Evangelical Church, The Catholic Church, The Ursuline Church, The Franciscan Church, The Church of the pit, The Church Of the trees, The Reformed Church, Church of St. Johannis, St. Elizabeth, St. Luke's Church, Church Asylum Cross Chapel, Synagogue;

-  the historic center: historical three markets: Large Square, Small Square, Huet Square, Defensive Towers, The walls of the Citadel;

- recreational areas: Sub Arini Park, Astra Park, Grove Nature Park, Sibiu Zoo (the first zoo in Romania), and for audiophiles is necessarily recommended concert of the  Philharmonic State of Sibiu.

Restaurant:

In terms of cuisine, traditional cuisine from this part of the country was influenced by German and Hungarian population. Therefore, in Sibiu are preferred poultry and beef soups with semolina or flour dumplings, homemade noodles, soups meal, cumin or tomatoes soups.

In Sibiu is located the oldest restaurant on the actual territory of Romania, "The Gold Barrel" which is located in the same building in the Stairs Passage since XVI century.

Sibiu offers many options for dining: from selected restaurants to fast food and pizza, it depends  only on the mood you are in.

You have only two things to set: the date and the way in which you want to travel, because Sibiu is eager of tourists to whom showing off his wealth.

Whether you are a fan of hiking or cultural trips or you are simply passing through, Sibiu will make you want to come back anytime!

Brasov, Romania

Imagine, if you can , that you are going to visit a place or a town in Romania but you are ot sure about what it is like. Related to this problem , I will give you a helping hand to find all the information you need.

Let’s say that you decide to visit Brasov for a week !

Now, let’s see what your options are concerning transport, food, accommodation in Brasov, sights places and entertainment .

The way to travel

First you must choose to travel. You can travel by own car but you should know that usually up in Brasov, you will take many hours of walking, or you can rent a car in Brasov with EuroCars Romania.

Or if you come with friends, rent a minibus with driver, who will escape the worries of driving. You can also come by plane, landing in Bucharest Otopeni Airport, Bucharest Baneasa Airport and Sibiu Airport, and the best choice is to go to the airport by train in 3 hours and you're in Brasov.

At the same time you can travel by train, but this seems a very tedious way.

Accommodation

Secondly, in Brasov you can easy find a place to stay over night.There are a lot of hotels in Brasov, flats, studios to rent or to host with a family.The old center of Brasov hostels are also a good option because at least gives you a breakfast.

As a suggestion we recommend you pre book a hotel room, so you will get rid of care and will enjoy visiting the city without wasting time.

So the food and the place where to stay is your last worry because in Brasov accommodation is not expensive and the conditions are good. I suggest you to host in a guest house or family hotel because you can establish a program without talk into account the meal hours. And you will never be hungry in town because the food specialities are very delicious and the prices are acceptable.

Point of interest

Thirdly, in our town I assure you that you will never feel bored because there are a lot of places to visit and a lot of entertainment everywere you look. You can spend your time visitng some touristical places, you can practice some sports in Poiana Brasov , you can visit Bran  and see Dracula Castel, The Black Church or you can simply have a walk in the old town and admire the buildings. You can take in a concert or go drink something in a pub.

And if the pictures have not convinced you, maybe you'll be able to convince movie.

In conclusion, I hope I have helped you and you will come to visit Brasov because you have nothing to lose and it’s a perfect holiday place to go, and a week here is not expensive. In my opinion is the perfect place to spend fine because you have what to learn from such a trip.

Hope to see some pictures with you in Brasov!

Discover Bucharest with a car rental from EuroCars

» Bucharest is the city of many parks and gardens, surrounded by lakes and forests. During the 1930's its tree-lined boulevards and architecture gave it the nickname 'Little Paris'. Also is famous for its very intensive night life. Romanian people is a latin one and the romanians love to live.

» Usually the arrival location is Bucharest Otopeni International Airport or Bucharest Baneasa Airport.  To see much of Bucharest, the best solution is to rent a car with EuroCars, you can do that by internet the most common and cheap solution, in case you don't know our address:  http://www.eurocars.ro or you can pick up your car from airport. The transfer from airport to your hotel/pension/rental apartment in Bucharest with EastComfort center is taking approx. 30-45 min. After settling in your private hotel room, Bucharest is yours , and we are sure that you will see a new face totally different, showing the rapidly developing of Eastern Europe.

• Bucharest's museums are for visitors a great attraction, especially the open air Village Museum (1936) in the Herastrau Park. Located in the heart of Bucharest, the museum represents for all Romanians and their foreign guests a sample of the Romanian spirit, a live image of the traditional village, a major expression of our natural art. It is an impressive ethnographic document and of social history. Also, you should not miss the National History Museum, the National Arts Museum and the "Grigore Antipa" Natural History Museum.

• The Museum of The Romanian Peasant is part of the large family of European Museums for Folk Arts and Traditions. Owner of an impressive collection of objects, even if otherwise poor - as far as the financia point of viewl, the Museum of The Romanian Peasant in spite of all these, has managed to put in practice a special type of museology. The original poetics developped in relation to the object was certain one of the reason why the Museum was awarded the EMYA - European Museum of the Year Award.

• Nicolae Ceausescu create his "Civic Centre", the center piece of which was a building of monumental proportions - the "House of the People", now the Palace of Parliament.With a total surface aria of 265,000 sq. m., it is the biggest in Europe and the second biggest in the world, after the Pentagon.

• Bucharest is a true "green capital" of Europe, Bucharest has many verdant oases, such as Cismigiu Park (arranged by Viennese architect F. Meyer), Herastrau Park (on the banks of the lake with the same name, a pleasant spot for recreation and water sports), Carol Park and The Botanical Garden.

Eating & Drinking

• Food in Romania is very good and cheap if you compare to western prices. It seems expansive for local standard of living. Although international cuisine is available in better quality restaurants, make sure that you savour the local Romanian dishes. Typical Romanian specialities include a range of soup - "ciorba", bacon, potatoes and beef or chiken."

• "Sarmale" is a spicy dish of bitter cabbage leaves stuffed with meat, and "Mititei" are small grill sausages perfumed with aromatic herbs. A range of excellent white and red Romanian wines of the famous vineyards of Cotnari, Murfatlar, Valea Calugareasca, Odobesti accompany local and international dishes to perfection.

Bucharest Surroundings

• A short trip offers you the possibility to combine a short sightseeing tour of Bucharest with the surrounding beautiful landscape offered by Snagov Lake and forest embroidered with monasteries and palaces.You can cross Snagov Lake by boat up to an island where you can visit the Snagov Monastery.

Having fun

• Bucharest offers many possibilities for a night full of fun. There are a lot of bars, night-clubs, casinos, cinemas and cabarets waiting for your choice. And that's not all, there is also a great variety of art exhibitions, concert halls, operas and theatres that would satisfy all tastes. Prices are reasonable and the atmosphere in bars, restaurants and night clubs is welcoming, romanians are warm-hearted people who like to enjoy themselves. Why not join them and have fun?

• - gambling in bucharest is big business, and it shows with the large amount of casinos some of them are in very beautiful historical buildings, and they often have genuinely good restaurants, open well into the early hours. The most attractive are the Casino Palace, incorporating the Casa Vernescu restaurant, in the Lens-Vernescu palace at Calea Victoriei 133, and the Victoria Casino - One of the older and better known casinos, which also has a dinner show. Gambling is available in both dollars and lei. Drinks are free, and there is no admission charge and Casino Bucharest near Hotel Intercontinental.

• Clubs&Disco - Of all the wonderful things that Bucharest has to offer, nightlife is not the least of them. There is something for everyone in this town.Like most other things in Bucharest, you often have to travel to find what you really want. Twicehas an overall space of 1.500 sq.m, divided between two floors, each with its distinctive personality, nice music for dancing and drinking. Salsa You and Me - Head to Salsa You and Me for come-one-come-all Latin grooves. Club Maxx is a huge disco popular with the local students. Don't get seperated from your friends you will struggle to find them again. Be prepared for the raunchy shows on the podiums, male and female!

EuroCars Rent A Car Romania

• October - cold

• November - colder

• December - the coldest:)

Experts claimed that this winter,  Europe is going to meet the worst winter in the last millennium, so please make sure to ask for equipped cars and all safety measures possible.

Remember...with EuroCars.ro, every season is like summer!

Tourism in Romania...what can the foreigners you say about our beloved country? If we would pay attention to all the negative sides of our country "promoted" in the media, we would quickly realise that the country isn't, not in a 5% of its value, known by the tourists in its true value.

Yes, if you ask any foreigner where is Romania situated on the map, maybe they might indicate Asia or Africa, but this might be caused, also by the lack of knowledge on Geography, and not entirely by the fact that we are not well promoted out Romania's borders.

From my abroad experience, I can easily affirm that we, Romanians, are known due to several personalities that made history such as: Nadia Comaneci (first gymnast ever to have scored a clean 10 on a global competition), Nicolae Ceausescu (our Communist leader), Gica Hagi (football player) but rarely heard that Romania is known abroad due to its immense beauty of nature.

Fortunately, we can realise that tourism in our country is increasing and this can only be a good thing. Tourism in Romania focuses on the country's natural landscapes, the wilderness of the nature being still visible, and the country's rich history. We hear that the number of tourists is growing every year and that can only make us happy.

Because it's in our best interest to promote the country's real values, here are some unique places that you do not want to miss,  while your are driving a car maybe rented from EuroCars Rent A Car on your trip to Romania:

1. Danube Delta (Romanian: Delta Dunarii) is the second largest river delta in, after the Volga Delta, largest reserve of wet lands in Europe, and the best preserved of all from this continent. In 1990, UNESCO has included the Danube Delta, the newest form of relief from Romania, in the list of World Heritage Sites as biosphere reserve, mainly preserved because it is being kept far away from "the progress of industrialization".

2. The Transfagarasan road or road no. DN7C is the highest and most dramatic paved road in Romania.

Built as a strategic military route, the 90 km of twists and turns run North to South across the tallest sections of the Carpathians Mountains, between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu and the second highest, Negoiu.  The road is well known in the region of Transylvania, and connects the cities of Sibiu and Pitesti. In its top, you can eat, there are some good restaurants, we can advice the restaurant situated right next to the lake. Yes, there is also a lake there, it is called Bâlea Lake one of the few glacier lakes in the country, situated at 2,034 m of altitude in the Fagaras Mountains.

So, we have made an introduction on seaside and mountains, let us also present something related to our tradition and religion.

3. The Merry Cemetery is a cemetery in the village of Sapânta, Maramure? county, Romania. Maybe you wonder why it is merry...because it is famous for its colourful tombstones with naive paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, and sometimes real funny, the persons that are buried and also, in the same funny style, representative scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction. It is worth seeing it!

Welcome to Romania! How about finding out some important tips about traveling in this country before actually arriving here? Of course these tips remain valid also for the ones that have already arrived!

Driving in Romania

First of all, basic rules: driver seat is on the left side of the car (UK drivers pay attention! :) ),  no cell phones while driving (hands free is allowed), driving with your lights on might help you to decrease the possibility of being stopped by the police, seat beld always on as for the driver and its passengers (pregnant women are exception to the rule).

Always make sure that you have signalized your intention to make a right or left with 50 m (in the city) and 100 m (outside the city) before actually making the maneuver. This helps your driving mates to see your intention and to avoid crashing into you.

Road tax: When you rent a car in Romania, please check that the rent a car company also provides you Rovigneta which proves that for the rented car, the road tax for driving inside Romania has been already paid. If not, you can buy this insurance from any gas station on your way. Attention! If you do not show this proof to the police, you will for sure have to pay a ticket of around 150 Euros.

Mamaia: If you are heading for the seaside, in Mamaia, you will have to pay upon every entry inside this seaside city a tax of 15 RON (about 3 Euros and 50 cents). This is paid only for the summer season 15 June - 15 September. You can always make a pass if you are forced to return every day here.

Cernavoda bridge: If you have to pass the Cernavoda bridge, on your way to Constanta or the seaside, please be aware that there is a tax of 10 Ron (about 2 Euros and 50 cents) for small vehicles. This is paid only once.

Speed limit: If you are a speed fan, please consider that in Romania these are the speed regulations: 50km/h in small villages, 60km/h in the city, 100km/h on country roads and 120km/h on national roads (marked as DN) and European roads (E), as well as highways (A).

If the police stops you when driving with more than 50 km/h over the legal speed, they can retain your driving license and for sure, you will also receive a ticket of about 50 Euros. And let us not talk about your safety which is the most important aspect of your trip to Romania. Drive safe and slow because the sights are beautiful and Romanian roads are not quite built to serve as tracks. Take a look at the this picture, what more can we say? You would wish to drive the car with 30 km/h in order to capture the immense beauty of this place, but be sure that if you drive like a snail, you will only hear swearing from the bottom to the top!

[caption id="attachment_27" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Transfagarasan Romania"][/caption]

Travel tips: As a foreign tourist you will have to put in your luggage right before leaving home several memory cards for your camera and lots and lots of batteries because you will be surprised to find out that the diversity of this country will offer you at every 5 minutes a different attraction that must be immortalized and well kept in your trip journal. Patience and a big empty stomach are the best travel advices: it takes patience and time to discover every corner of the amazing sights of the country, and an empty stomach with a bigger appetite in order to taste all the Eco products (if you are heading for the villages in Transilvania or Maramures as well as different other regions in the country), or rich meals with good wine, all made inside the household.

We could go on and on but it would be interesting to hear all the questions that might cross you mind!

One thing that usually gives headaches about planning a vacation is: where to go? The answer to that question depends on your leisure and what you like to do during your vacation. There are many places to go, all of them having their own beautiful parts, the only thing that a travel blog can do is give you ideas.

Considering the many advantages offered, we can suggest Brasov as a starting point for your vacation. Brasov is located almost in the center of Romania and has lots to offer either on its own, as well as by the great access it provides to nearby attractions by car rental, by foot or by bike.

So what can I do in Brasov?

There's a lot of places to see in Brasov, and especially in the historical part of the city, while the nature itself has a big impact on the surroundings, giving the city an old yet refreshing feeling. As some people say, "Why bother coming to Romania if you're not going to see Brasov?" Of the greatest attractions, often marked as "not to be missed", is the Old Town featuring medieval buildings in different architectural styles. The center point is the Council Square (Piata Sfatului) and the Black Church in the vicinity, the largest gothic church in Romania.

Another feature of Brasov is that the vacations here benefit from good access to reknown attractions around the city, the most important being the Poiana Brasov resort especially famous during winter, but not only. On the not to be missed list should also be the Rasnov town and fortress 30 km away, or the Bran Castle, also called Dracula's Castle.

How can I get to Brasov?

Unfortunately, Brasov does not have an airport yet, although plans for one do exist. The closest airport is the Bucharest Otopeni Airport, where you can hire a Bucharest - Brasov transfer service. It only takes 3 hours by car. Another way to arrive to Brasov is by train, but that leaves you walking with your luggage on your back, although you could rent a car Brasov from EuroCars for affordable prices, enjoying a really comfortable vacation.

You can find more detailed touristic information on our About Brasov page.

The EuroCars Rent a car Blog will provide you with the latest news and updates from EuroCars, as well as the many car hire special offers that we add every month. Any information about cars, driving tips, promotions, travel tips and tourist information about Romania, you will all find it on the EuroCars Blog.

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About EuroCars Rent A Car

EuroCars Rent A Car is here to get you a better deal for car hire in Romania. EuroCars provides the best rates for car rental Bucharest and anywhere throughout Romania - professional services for business travelers and tourists, including airport transfers, minibus rental and private transport to any destination.

If you are not in the mood or not able to drive, you can rent a car with driver for transportation with a minibus or for airport transfers, or hire an experienced chauffeur with our deluxe limousine service to take you wherever you need to go!