Has this happened to you?
You see a photo of a beautiful and fascinating European destination dripping with charm and warmth. Your wanderlust spikes so you search for more photos.
One after another, the images stir up romantic notions of cobblestones, colorful villages, ornate architecture, and casual bike rides with a basket holding, of course, a bouquet of flowers. (Or is this last part just me?)
You snap into action and begin planning. Finally, you arrive and your travel plans become reality.
There’s just one problem.
The destination is beautiful but instead of capturing that romantic essence for yourself, you’re sharing the last gasps with crowds of other visitors who’ve come in search of the same experiences.
It’s a sign you need to visit Romania.
And before you think I’m just another over-the-top travel blogger, let’s get real with some numbers.
Romania has 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites that include historic medieval villages, ancient beech forests covering the Carpathian Mountains, fortified churches, painted monasteries, the Danube Delta (a.k.a the largest wetlands in Europe), and hundreds of sites dating back to the Roman Empire.
And this is all before any mention of Bucharest and its history, architecture, and food, royal monuments like Peles Castle, and all the picturesque villages across Transylvania and into the mountains.
Yet, it’s still largely off the radar of international travelers planning a trip to Europe, despite tourism numbers increasing over the past 10 years (largely from Romanians themselves).
The irony is international travel has surged in places like Budapest, Prague, and Dubrovnik, all not so far from Romania and outside of always popular western European locales like France, Spain, and Italy.
So before I return to my lyrical, travel writer voice with the reasons why you need to visit Romania, start planning your trip.
Visit Romania immediately…before this idyllic, IN-PLAIN-SIGHT secret is completely discovered.
1. You’re a traveler who longs to go back in time.
Imagine arriving at that spectacular castle you’ve always wanted to see.
As you step through the castle doors, you’re instantly swept away to another time, mesmerized with visions of grandeur, ornate banquet halls, and red velvet robes.
You grab your phone or camera wanting to capture the perfect moment.
Gazing at the scene in front of you, the unreal fantasy of it all nearly clouds your vision and you blink twice as you prepare to take the photo.
Then suddenly, someone innocently bumps your arm. You’re jolted back to reality as you realize groups of people are filling in around you, rudely reminding you of your peasant status.
You end up with a crooked photo of heads and a chandelier.
Would you like to visit castles without the tour buses unloading?
Do you wish for more than a moment to enjoy the views from a fortress’ battlements and ramparts?
Have you tried and failed(!) to transport yourself back in time as you walked across a drawbridge or slid your hand along an ancient monument because a photo-taking queue had assembled?
You’re not alone! And, that is precisely the problem.
It’s a sign you need to visit Romania.
Many of its centuries-old castles and fortresses are perched on hilltops surrounded by dense evergreen forests just waiting to be explored. (The same can be said for museums, monuments, and other “places of interest.)
What will you do (!) with the time to breathe deeply and enjoy the experience? Will you have enough storage for the photos and videos you’ll take?!
2. You’ve silently wished you had visited a place 30 years ago.
Picture that colorful, quaint European town that’s been living in your mind for years with its uneven cobblestones and postcard-perfect cafes.
You know the one.
When you close your eyes, you can see its wide open squares with locals and visitors alike strolling with ice cream cones in hand. The pastel-colored buildings fade around the edges but brighten again from windows with vibrant-colored shutters and cascading flower displays.
A scrappy brown dog struts past wagging his tail. A man strums his guitar letting fly vaguely familiar musical notes that linger in the air and mix with the smell of cinnamon already filling the narrow streets.
Of course, the day is sunny with just enough breeze to warrant carrying a “just in case” extra layer. You round the corner and a towering cathedral bears down upon you. The bells chime announcing the new hour.
The slow pace of life seeps under your skin and you can’t help it when a smile bubbles to the surface.
But when you finally arrive in your chosen charming town, does it match what you imagined above?
Are squares filled with cafes and bakeries or H&M’s and poorly disguised McDonalds?
Are the streets packed with travelers shuffling from one souvenir shop to the next?
Do you enjoy yourself but silently wish you had visited 30 years ago?
It’s a sign you need to visit Romania.
The villages of Sinaia, Brasov, Sibiu, and Sighisoara are still largely under-the-radar compared to other places in Europe. They’re the epitome of that charming medieval old town experience you’re envisioning.
In Romania, you can still see the slower pace of life in these towns while enjoying local Romanian food like polenta with cow’s milk cheese at a quiet café.
These historic towns are all yours to enjoy…that is until everyone else discovers them.
3. You’re a traveler who has tried to chat with locals only to feel your presence was an annoyance.
You know those travel stories where the author tells of an incredible experience of stumbling into an untouched village or finding a secluded beach where locals just happened to be having the perfect bonfire cookout? (true story!)
Of course, the author is invited to join and ends up with an unforgettable experience and lifelong friends.
Have you wondered why this never happens to you?
Why is it the only interactions you’ve had with locals are when they’re selling you on coming into their restaurant, pushing past as you attempt to navigate a city’s metro system, or better yet cutting you off in English as you try to speak a few words in their language?
It’s a sign you need to visit Romania.
Instead, how would you feel if a local said this to you?
“Please come back and visit. Tell your family and friends to visit Romania. Tell them it’s beautiful. Let them know we are nice and it’s not the jungle.”
Wouldn’t you always remember an experience like this? (I know I haven’t forgotten.)
Or how about this?
(Translated from Romanian) “The wheel painted on the side of the church (above) shows all the stages of life. Be sure to go inside. A man is coming soon to unlock the front door.”
The woman is in her house but chatting with us from her window. She speaks no English but talks to me as if I understand Romanian.
I ask and the guide translates, “Can I take your photo?”
She smiles and says (in Romanian) another person has asked before to take her photo, too, then quickly says, “My picture will be in America,” as she nervously adjusts her head covering.
Can you imagine not only being greeted politely, but welcomed with a mixture of warmth and curiosity?
“Are you from Spain?” “No, I’m from New York, the United States.”
“The U.S! Almost no one visits us from there! How do you like Romania!?”
4. You want to see an authentic, traditional way of life, and not just in the one village used to show visitors.
Are you searching for green rolling hills around you and tall mountain peaks in the distance? Would you like to cycle or hike through forests still home to wildlife and fields of yellow and purple wildflowers?
Maybe you’re the kind of person who smiles when you pass endless fields of sunflowers, traditional handmade haystacks, people traveling by horse and carriage, and herds of sheep munching on green meadows.
It’s a sign you need to visit Romania.
Give up the country roads with their speeding rental cars all stopping at the same spots.
Forget the time you got knocked off your bike by a gust of wind as a tour bus whooshed by you.
Instead, cycle undisturbed along dirt roads, past apple orchards, and into quiet villages.
Plan a trip to Transylvania in Romania and come across a painted monastery where a priest in traditional garb is sweeping the steps while a man nearby uses a scythe to chop down tall grasses.
5. You want to experience a place where the country’s past is still palpable.
In Bucharest, the signs of a city scarred, but resilient, are visible from the city center to its edges.
Graffiti sprayed storefronts sit opposite outdoor green spaces filled with street art and people enjoying a drink. The Old Town pulses anew with bars and a food scene reminiscent of a classic European city, but still with enough grit to keep you on your toes.
Stroll along the city streets and you’ll pass wild, overgrown gardens. Stop to push some branches aside and reveal exquisitely detailed 19th-century mansions persisting despite the obvious decay and bruising of Bucharest’s turbulent past.
Intrigued?
It’s a sign you need to visit Romania.
See a mix of older and younger generations who’ve either lived through decades of communism and a brutal dictator or who’ve only ever known the post-communist years of freedom.
Visit Romania to feel the tension between new and old, past and present.
Most of all, visit Romania because it’s genuine, full of character, and not yet whitewashed with the stamp of westernization.
Romania is waiting.
My solo trip to Romania is still one of the most unforgettable trips I’ve taken, and for all the right reasons.
I went on a hunch, a flicker of inspiration, and ended up with one of the best travel surprises.
When you think about and start planning your next European trip, don’t hesitate. Romania is waiting for you.
So, are you ready to visit Romania?
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