All about hosteling in Romania

Watersports
Beaches and luxury resorts line the Black Sea coast, which extends for some 245km (153 miles) from the Danube Delta towards the border with Bulgaria in the south. The sea is clean and the absence of tides makes it ideal for swimming, windsurfing and many other types of waterports. Some of the best-known resorts include the seaport of Constanta; Mamaia, which has a 7km- (4.5 mile-) long beach; and a string of luxury resorts named after women and mythological gods, such as Neptune, Jupiter or Venus.
Sailing is widely practiced on the coast, while Romania’s many rivers are well-suited for kayaking. Tourists wishing to explore the waterways of the protected and UNESCO-listed Danube Delta must comply with strict conservation regulations. Visitors arriving with their own boat must pay a fee at Tulcea Harbour Station and produce their passports, a sailing license and valid registration papers for their craft.

Fishing
Romania has many easily accessible places for fishing such as the Danube Delta (where there are over 160 fish species including sturgeon, wel, pike and carp) and on lake shores around big cities. For details of legal requirements, contact the Romanian National Tourist Office.

Winter sports
There are numerous facilities for skiing with pistes of varying degrees of difficulty found in almost all mountain resorts, the majority of which are equipped with cable cars. The main ski resorts are at Poiana Brasov (13km/8 miles from Brasov) and Sinaia. Facilities are fairly limited in comparison to more established skiing destinations. Locals are very friendly and most ski instructors speak English. National and international skiing and bob-sleighing competitions are held annually. Sledging tracks, skating and ice hockey are available at most mountain resorts.

Health spas
Romania has been a renowned spa country since Roman times and there is a choice of 70 health centers as well as 3000 mineral-rich thermal springs. The most renowned health resorts include Baile Herculane in the Cerna Valley (southern Carpathians); Baile Felix (near the city of Ordena in the northwest); and Sovata (in Transylvania near Ursu lake, popular with women). Romanian spas are particularly known for mudbaths (using the sapropelic black mud from Lake Techirghiol) and the Gerovital cure pioneered by Professor Ana Aslan. For further details contact the National Organization of Spas, 2-4 Luterana Street, Sector 1, Bucharest 1 (tel: (1) 312 2993; fax: (1) 314 8097; e-mail: optbr@fx.ro; website: www.spas.ro).

Folklore and culture
Traditional folk music and dancing is still very much alive and shows can be seen in many hotels and restaurants. The renowned Romanian composer Georg Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody is world famous. Regional crafts and costumes also play an important part of everyday life: woodcarving, pottery and ceramics, wooden architecture and glass paintings can be found throughout the country. The Dracula myth originated in Romania, where a medieval king known as ‘Vlad the Impaler’ became the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. One of Vlad’s homes, Bran Castle, can be visited in Transylvania.