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At this fantastic festival you can combine a few days of watching feature films and documentaries on outdoor and indoor screens with sunbathing on the Black Sea beaches or boat trips on the beautiful delta. Watch out for the pelicans and other bird life. Whether in a chalets or camping, insect repellant essential. Previous festivals have been opened by Ken Loach and Peter Greenaway. The Stufstock Rock festival usually happens immediately after and further along the coast so doing two festivals is possible.
The village of Sfantu Gheorghe(Saint George) in the Danube Delta, accessible only by boat.
www.festival-anonimul.ro/festival_info_en
www.stufstock.com
Near Cluj-Napoca, the village of Negreni ('Fekete to' in Hungarian) transforms into a vast open-air market on the second weekend of October. People arrive from far and wide to eat spicy sausages, drink lethal fruit brandies and catch up with gossip. It's a great place to find ancient musical instruments, crafts, antiques and local colourful characters.
Negreni (Fekete to)
25km west of Huedin on route 1/E60.
Buses and trains from Cluj-Napoca will be packed at fair time. Try hiring a car.
Built in the 18th century by General Buccow and given to the Brukenthal family, it was their summer residence for many years. The Brukenthal Foundation are trying to restore the palace and most easterly Baroque garden in Europe and it's possible to visit the grounds.
Located on the busy E68 Sibiu-Brasov highway.
Open Mon-Sat 8am-9pm, admission free but donations towards restoration welcome
If the Dracula hysteria of the main square in Sighisoara's citadel gets a bit overwhelming (which it can do when the tourists hit the 'Dracula cafe' in summer) nip along a back street towards the Covered Stairway and you'll find the excellent, peaceful terrace of the Casa Cositorarului. Good juices, coffee, cakes and sandwiches. A bit more pricey than some in the lower town but worth it.
Casa Cositorarului
Str. Cositorarilor 9
Sept-May open daily 9am--10pm
June-Aug open daily 9am--midnight
This friendly cyber cafe recently moved location but it is still conveniently situated in the centre of Brasov and continues to provide a great selection of hot and alcoholic drinks. The staff are always on hand to assist customers with xerox, CD burner, card reader, colour printer etc). The internet costs 3RON per hour which is great value.
Cyber Cafe
Str. Republicii 58
Brasov
mobile 0729 589 618
open Mon-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat-Sun 12.30pm-9pm
Danut Marin leads tour groups around the stunning region located by the Piatra Craiului National Park (near Brasov). He is an incredibly knowledgable guide (and won Wanderlust mag's guide of the year 2007) and points out bear tracks, wolf prints and birds soaring high above the mountain forests. Dan's wife prepares delicious home cooked meals with jams and herbal teas and it's possible to stay in elegant, renovated guest rooms.
A real gem.
Danut & Luminita's guesthouse is in Zarnesti, Brasov County, Romania.
www.transylvanianwolf.ro
Brasov is a good base for accomodation, offering more than 200 places for budget level, a good nightlife special on weekends and good restaurants with affordable prices. A beer is 1 pound, a meal is less than 10 pounds, accomodation 10 pounds a night a person, a ski day 20 pounds, including equipment rental and lift passes.
Brasov, Romania
Brasov is a good base for accomodation, offering more than 200 places for budget level, a good nightlife special on weekends and good restaurants with affordable prices. A beer is 1 pound, a meal is less than 10 pounds, accomodation 10 pounds a night a person, a ski day 20 pounds, including equipment rental and lift passes.
GARLICIA TRAVEL AGENCY, Brasov, Romania
E:office.garlicia@yahoo.com
M: 004(0)-0722.542.581
This is the medieval castle, often referred to as Dracula's Castle. But it is not only interesting for horror fans; built in 1377 it’s a true art treasure.
Built to protect from invaders it became a royal residence in 1920.
Take your time and enjoy the view of the castle; it sits high on top of a tall rock, overlooking the picturesque village. Inside you can have a look at a rich collection of Romanian and foreign furniture and art items from the 14th-19th centuries.
Location: the village of Bran, 16 miles southwest of Brasov.
Open: Tuesday through Sunday, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
In the 19th century French architecture was very envogue. The city features a lot of large neoclassical buildings, parks and its own Arch de Triomphe.
It was built in 1922 to honour the bravery of Romanian soldiers who fought in World War I. In 1936 it was finished in granite. It’s 85 feet high and there is an interior staircase allowing you to climb upstairs and enjoy a phenomenal view of the city.
Piata Arcul de Triumf
Be aware that Sighisoara train station does not have a sign so you need to have counted the stops and/or noticed Dumbraveni at the prior stop. Short walk to the citadel. Go out of the station turn right onto the main street and then left down the first junction. Keep on walking down here to the bottom past the Russian War Memorial and through the flats. Then across the footbridge over the river.
You can now turn right and walk up the steps - steep. Or turn left and walk into the old town and enter the citadel through the easier main entrance at the clock tower.
Nice bar, old, that shows the sports channels and serves a very fine burger - real mince and wholemeal roll. And a half-litre bottle of beer at 5 LEI.
Bottom of the old citadel, on past Jo Bar in the direction of the river. On your left just before your turn right for the bank of shops that includes the CFR.
Just a tip about buying a ticket and recognising the train. This site is ace for planning times reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/e.
Worth writing down the journey details and the Romanian for 'first-class ticket' and handing it over - no English spoken at the train station when I was there. But the Lonely Planet guide came to the rescue.
Once you have found the platform watch out. The noticeboard flagged two separate trains - one to Targa Mures and one to Bucharest. The Bucharest train stops at Sighisoara.
But the trains appear to arrive joined as one - late. So it can be confusing.
What seems to happen is that the first-class carriage is always carriage three.
If you are on the same train as me be prepared for 50 year-old rolling stock in first class.
The scenery is fantastic. Ranging from the awesome pollution of Copsa Mica to shepherds and their flocks.
Str. Garii 1-3
Nice looking restaurant on one of the main streets in Cluj - just up from the cathedral.
Lovely meatball soup - through be warned the meat balls are in fact strips of meat. But the best was to come - hare chop. Strongly recommended.
Washed down with a large bottle of Ursus Black. And all-in including tip at 60 LEI. Awesome.
21 Decembrie 1989 nr. 22
Friendly and cheap local restaurant. The chicken soup was brilliant. And the wraps of meat with polenta for a main dish were not too bad as well. And with a bottle of beer the whole thing came to less than 40 lei.
Al. Ciura, nr. 6A
Poeme is one of Bucharest's best restaurants, actually located in the Carol Parc Hotel.
International cuisine, excellent service, but moreover an excellent 'de luxe' atmosphere.
www.carolparchotel.ro
+40-21-3363377
Brîndusa is a fair way out of the centre, although not that far from the Civic Centre and 'House of the People', but it is worth seeking out if you are looking for a wholly authentic Bucharest culinary and drinking experience with no pretentious tourist frills or added kitsch. This is the real Bucharest, in the raw. A little further up the street, tucked away between Str. Vasile Topliceanu and Str. Motoc, you will find La Pietris, a rough and ready though highly picturesque beer garden and summertime hangout. Don't mind Rex the bar dog - he's very friendly.
Str. Elev Popovici Nicolae, on the corner with Str. Novaci, just off Str. Mihail Sebastian, the main road linking Calea Rahovei and Str. 13 Septembrie
Romanian railways make a nominal surcharge for excess baggage. Its hard to define when a bag becomes excessive but the fine is 10% of ticket. They call it 'baggage voluminous'
The Cyber Cafe internet & coffee shop is a tourists' home away from home in Brasov. Different from other internet places in town. It is clean, safe, and has good music.
Facilities include desktops, Skype, headphones, colour printer, CD burner, laptop/notebook area, and a large selection of coffees, juices, wines and beers.
Opening hours: weekdays 11am-10pm; weekends: 12.30pm-9pm.
58, Republicii Street
If it's a clear day, take the cable car up to the top of the mountain behind the Old Town (the one with the very classy 'Brasov' sign).
The view over the town and the mountains beyond is spectacular, especially when the sun comes out and turns the houses below varying shades of gold.
You can also climb up a zigzag path to the top, apparently this takes about 45mins if you're fit.
Closed on Mondays, open till around 5pm otherwise.
From Piata Sfatului, take Str. Hirscher to the end, then turn left for 200m and right onto Str. Julius Romer to reach the base station.
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