Welcome to Mamaia in County Constanţa,
part of the Dobrogea region of Romania! Discover historic Constanţa and
surrounding villages, see things to do and understand the rich Dobrogea
culture unfolding in historic county Constanţa. Rest Romania will help
you find the perfect hotel or B&B in our section on Mamaia lodging, B&B
(bed and breakfast), or great activities further out in County Constanţa.
Check
out your transportation options in Mamaia in County Constanţa, part of
the region of Dobrogea in Romania. Find your accommodation options in
either Mamaia or Constanţa, with fun things to do from eoc-tourism, to
nearby hiking and even skiing.
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has photos from our contributors showing the best of Romania!
You can confidently compare Mamaia to the beaches of Cannes or Saint Tropez.
Fringed by wild pear trees, and renowned for its fine, soft sand,
Mamaia is Romania's oldest resort.
Mamaia was thoughtfully designed from the ground up
since 1906 when the first wooden pier went
in, to cater to all whims and
desires with the long strip of sand dotted with
luxury hotels, fun parks, shops, restaurants, and a promenade
running the entire length of the resort with annual summer events
for all ages.
Mamaia concentrates it's fun because of the 300 metre width of
the amazing sand bar which separates the large inland Lake
Siutghiol
from the sea, going north from Constanţa 8km
until it meets the mainland again at Năvodari.
The Complete Range
Through major developments throughout the past couple of years,
Mamaia has transformed itself into one of the great summer
destinations of Europe, with world-class five-star hotels resting
comfortably with a dozen 3-star hotels, over 25 two-star properties,
and even some great camping on the north end. There's a
reason Romania's royal family chose Mamaia for their seaside summer
palace!
Family Friendly Surf
In addition to beautifully low salinity and no strong currents,
the Black Sea is free of dangerous species of plants or fish, with a
gently sloping shallow coastal shelf, with waters only 1 metre deep
at points up to 100 metres out. This makes Mamaia particularly
suitable and safe for families, with beach patrols and fully staffed
aqua parks too.
A grand Royal estate was established in 1922, with
the Royal Palace of Mamaia
built by Romania's Queen Marie (on left), formerly English Princess
Marie of Edinburgh. Mamaia became a thriving seaside resort
with it's own rail line, amusements, a new casino in 1925, and
rising popularity internationally.
"About Mamaia beach, and the
departure from Constanţa. Full of
vigour, everyone rushes along every conceivable route to
gather in clumps under their wide beach umbrellas.
"The train whistle signals yet again to
hurry up the late arrivals to the next step in their
journey, to Mamaia. Caught in a crush for several
minutes, people hold hands, and call out the names of
the comfortable train carriages, with big Holland blinds
snapping open, revealing a procession of the masses set
free." --
by Essayist Ioan Adam, 1906
Mamaia survived through the Communist
years as well, as development continued to serve the burgeoning
Eastern European tourism market. After the 1989 revolution,
Mamaia began it's return as Europe's eastern-most premium resort.
By far the most popular and well-known of Romania's beach
hot-spots, Mamaia is the Black Sea Coast's "Little Miami",
dotted with multi-story resorts, big-name hotels, and a very
long strip of seemingly endless white sand.
A very long boardwalk runs 2 km up and down the coast right
along the beach, with the sands on one side and the hotels on
the other. The walk is dotted with little kiosks or
restaurants, and in some sections, almost open-air malls with
shops, bakeries and more restaurants.
General beach cleanliness increases towards the northern end
of the Mamaia strip where you can find fewer hotels and a
camping area; as infrequent as they may be, the southern end in
does indeed suffer from slightly whiffy algal blooms due to less
than optimal discharges into the water. Mamaia does
benefit from having a regularised lifeguard service on duty.
The Fun Park and South End
Wild little carnival style rides, a bowling alley, little
cafes and restaurants and stalls make the fun park at the
southern end of the Mamaia strip Romania's answer to Coney
Island or Brighton. The sky gondolas going north
take off from here, not far from the southern entrance to the
Mamaia strip, soaring over the water park (a colourful and large
waterslide and pool complex) and ending about three-quarters of
the way up the strip.
The Classic Mamaia Beach
One massively long strip of sand, here towards
the southern end of the resort complex, with the wide road running
the length, separating the beach from the hotels.
The Aqua Magic Park at Mamaia
The admission is a bit pricey for some
Romanians, but Americans and Australians will find it cheap.
With specials for half-price admission after 4pm (open until 8pm), a
family of four can have fun for under $14USD.
About half-way up the 2km of fun on the
boardwalk, the casino area is surrounded by restaurants, shopping, bakeries, fruit
stands, cafes, fountains, rides and more!
Honestly, it matters little if you are younger, more mature single, couple or family, because Mamaia has a slice of what you like
waiting for you!
Even for those seeking a quiet corner with a world-class espresso,
liveried and experienced waiters, and a calm haven away from the screams
of fun outside, Mamaia will cater to your every need.
You are here to spend your free time doing what you like best, such
as lying in the sun, swimming in the ocean, going to the spa for some
pampering, or playing a game of beach soccer on the perfect golden
sands.
For such a funny little carnival type park (at the "Satul de Vacanţă",
or Holiday Village), the rides on the south
end of Mamaia really do have something for everyone.
For a bit of air-conditioned inside fun, you can try out the bowling
alley, recently refurbished and popular amongst the Americans based
nearby at one of the NATO air bases.
An over-the-top (literally) swinging hammer type ride offers alot of
screams, and a few carousel type rides are clearly adored by the kids.
A series of quick-bite type eateries cluster near the northern
opening of the rides area, so a mici or beer are easy to access. Keep your suitcase size in mind as you shop here for odd and silly
trinkets, some of which can indeed be alluring. Our last
Australian writer there went home with a big crazy plastic water flower
which waters your garden as it whips about like a demented sunflower in
a hurricane!
The fountains about half way up at the entrance to the Casino
complex are great fun for kids, spurting up and down from the wide
concrete base sporadically, resulting in squeals of delight.
Several fun rides are aimed at the wee ones too in the Fun Park on
the southern end. Most days however, the kids will enjoy the sand
and the surf. Due to the Black Sea's gently sloping base, and on
most days, lack of any serious wave action, the undertow risk is minimum
for kids. The main beaches are Mamaia are patrolled by a
lifeguard service, but look for the stations if you're particularly
wanting to be near one.
Some of the larger hotels do feature kids zones, either limited
playgrounds, or fully fledged staffed play rooms. Ask before
booking if you'd like these features. Otherwise, the hotel pool
always offers a nice area for the wee ones, supervised, of course.
The Aqua Magic water park offers good value, and specials after 4pm
for families. Let the kids splash and slide whilst you take
some time to relax by the pool at Mamaia's top attraction.
The mayor's
office in Constanţa with the national
tourism ministry pushed for the Romanian Riviera's premier water
park in 2003. About half-way between the Casino zone and
the southern entrance to the Mamaia fun strip, it can serve over
2000 guests with 9 rides and features, with a few designed for
the younger kiddies. Whilst in the park, Mum and Dad can
catch a bite at the restaurant, or get something cheap at one of
the food kiosks.
The Mamaia Cable Cars run two kilometres from the southern entrance
end up to just north of the Casino Complex, about half-way up the most
built-up areas of the strip.
Called a "telegondola" by the Romanians, this
gondola lift type of cable car (by Austrian manufacturers Doppelmayr)
has multiple cars on a loop cable, similar to those at Disney resorts,
Taronga Zoo in Sydney, or Alton Towers in England.
You can get on at either end, and the seven minute ride offers a
great overview of the resort, the lake, and the long golden sands as you
float 50 metres over the beach.
The eight-person cars have tinted blue glass which cast a
curious aqua glow on the resort, making photography a little weird.
It's a fun ride and helps to orient you to the places (and parts of the
beach) which you'd like to be!
The Holiday Village Fun Park
Great carnival style fun on the south end of
Mamaia
Most of the water sports and rental companies are clustered around
eight "points of service", or kiosk stations on the long sand strip,
each named after a nearby attraction or feature.
On the ocean side, you can get rentals and check out the fun at the
service points at the Parc Zone (at the Parc Hotel), the Flora Zone, the
Iaki-Riviera Zone opposite the Iaki hotel, and the Lido Zone, near the
Lido hotel. On the lake side, check out the Tic-Tac point
for hires on the lake, as well as the points at Capitanie, Pinguin, and
Caraiman.
While specific vendors and available water fun does vary slightly
from year to year, generally you'll at least find hydrobikes (little
boats with those big wheels which paddle through the water), para-sailing,
scuba diving, and windsurfing
For a bit more varied fun, check out the yacht school, scream through
the waves on a towed inflatable banana boat (a wild ride), or have fun
hanging onto a towed giant inner tube. You can also hire
ski-dos (water scooters), as well as sailboats, catamarans, and
caravelle boats, with boat rides fully crewed.
The large-ish inland lake which
defines the western shore of the Mamaia strip offers
slightly more sedate water activities, including a good row
boat hire from little Ovidiu Island towards the north end,
accessible by ferry boat.
You can also yacht on Lake
Mamaia (Lake Siutghiol), with hires available from near the ferry point, and
kayak hire starts from $5 per hour very worthwhile and
enjoyable pastime!
In Background: Looking northwest
across Lake Siutghiol
Long a favourite of ethnic
Romanian shepherds for centuries, moving their sheep
from the Carpathian mountains, down to the rich
pastures along the Black Sea, the Lake
Siutghiol area was home to
many Romanian shepherds in the autumn and winter
months.
If you want some fast fun on the lake, head over to the Tic-Tac
wharf, about $65 hourly for hire, good fun however if you've had
any experience with jet-skis (or ski-dos as the Australians call
them).
Mamaia offers hires for windsurfing boards on Lake Mamaia, which does
get some good summer winds, and a relatively smoother surface most days
too.
The main Tomis tourist port in Constanţa
offers the Condor yacht which goes out daily from there, for some
great views up and down the coast, and a real authentic feel for the
Black Sea coast too!
Being Romanian after all, it's almost inevitable that your fellow beach-goers
will have a few football (soccer) games going on in various spots on the
beach. Otherwise, organised sports involve a bit of beach volleyball and in
Constanţa you can also catch a football match
during the spring months.
Lifeguards and Beach Patrol
Every summer since 2001 Mamaia beach has
been patrolled by police and private security.
Five Yamaha ATVs help to assist in securing the
beach including the prevention of illegal commerce and theft
and to provide security at the numerous festivals that are
hosted each summer.
The Mamaia Beach Patrol includes 10 beach
stations, 10 row boats, and 2 speed boats which patrol the
coast. Additionally, 52 Lifeguards are on duty daily from 8am
- 8pm.
One of the more amusing phrases across the Romanian foodscape is the
curious need to reinforce that the restaurant serves "Romanian" food. Whilst we in the west would never dream of saying that we have
"specifically Australian food" or "Canadian Restaurant", in Romania, it
is not considered strange.
The Specifically Romanian Restaurant
Yeah, it almost goes without mentioning, with
fewer "ethnic" restaurants in Romania then you'd find in Vancouver
or Vaucluse.
The Specific Romanesc (really meaning more "rustic" or traditional
styule) offering of restaurants are frankly, just
great at Mamaia. Usually arranged in delightful open-air terraces
so you can watch the world go by (although some are in more sheltered
grotto-esque type places), the fun-strip dining experience nonetheless
has authentic cuisine to match all price points.
Almost all of the major hotels also have reasonable restaurants attached, and
can offer some rather good deals on 3-course dinners.
The Terasa
Walk around
and read the boards for specials before choosing. Pick a place with good
views for people-watching and a few flowers.
Mamaia does offer some of the best "terasa" style
restaurants with open-air eating and great barbecued foods, something
that Romanians do almost as well as the Australians or Californians
(sorry New Zealand!).
The Vacation Village on the south end of the resort has over 30 of
these terasa/rustic style eateries, all competing to offer great value
and traditional fare. There are even restaurants offering
regional specialties, although frankly, most of the stew type dishes
seem rather familiar.
Kiosks
In a rather pleasing Romanian custom, you can simply pick up some
fruit from one of many vendors alongside the main promenade.
Whilst a surprisingly simple solution for families on a budget, it's
a pure joy to just pick up some nectarines, peaches, watermelon,
bananas, or citrus fruit at one of the little kiosks. Yes, indeed,
you will be paying almost double the market square price, but it's still
so much cheaper than the other deep fried and processed snacks in the
busier areas.
Top Picks
One fun
choice is a trip out to restaurant of the same name on Ovidius' Island
in the middle of the big lake which forms the western border of the
Mamaia strip.
Every year in early June, the Annual Mamaia Pop Festival
debuts at the Summer theatre and runs through early September.
Well, no, it's not quite like an MTV or VH1 day on the
beaches of Miami, Orange County or Honolulu, but the annual
events at Mamaia are a bit of fun for the younger crowd and the
young at heart.
The Festival runs daily and is broadcast on Prime TV each
evening, with the Festival ending with the Laureate's Gala in
the first week of September.
Organised by the County Constanţa
council, the Festival coincides with the Romanian Folk Festival
in early September (also broadcast in the afternoons).
There are also a spate of contests for youths and music
recitals, including an open "Creative Contest", where
participants are judged by how well they act and move and play a
song, rather than raw singing talent. Prizes of new cars
and cash prizes are awarded to the best, including the the
Mamaia Trophy.
Famous Romanian acts like Simplu, Cream & Marius Moga,
Compact, Semnal M and Directia 5 and more show up and play their
latest albums (or at least compilation of their work over the
last 5 years or so).
Live transmissions from the hot beaches of Mamaia flood the
airwaves, as well as football matches, more live concerts and
events. Mamaia truly is where it all happens during
Romania's summer season!
The "Last Beach" at Mamaia
On the far northern end the young
crowd gathers for the "Ultima Playa" event each
summer, part of the Mamaia Festival and broadcast on
TV and radio
Clubs in Constanţa have the fabulously
Romanian habit of decamping for the beaches at Mamaia during the summer
months.
Like a gypsy caravan, the barmen, staff and management move their club's
operations to their summer locations in Mamaia starting between the 1st
of May and around mid-June usually, moving back into town around
late-August or later.
If you just want some casual dancing with the tourists, any of the
little discos attached to the hotels will do or you can get some cabaret
at the Melody near the casino.
Top local clubs
in Contanţa year-round are the Bourbon
House, Oscar, Phoenix, Motor Club, Morgana, Megalos, Club 21, Amnesia, Oxford,
Exit Caffe - Club, No Problem, Two, Crush and
Domino, some of which have their Mamaia operations during summer months
(often called the "open air" location).
Megalos, is one of the clubs which moves its operations to Mamaia
during the summer months from early June through August.
Open since 1999, Club Megalos was an instant hit on the Constanţa club scene, striving to offer elegance and quality
in a spacious club attracting top showbiz names and acts.
Popular
in Romania tends to veer towards snob appeal more than low-down cool,
and Megalos and Kristal Club are two local leaders in these popularity
stakes.
Even more upscale (and snobbier perhaps) Cristal Club operates at
Castel in the summer months in Mamaia.
Fun interiors and comfortable seating at
La
Rocca make this upscale club a delight
(All club photos from respective
clubs)
Mamaia Clubs and Pubs
In addition to the major hotel discos and clubs, these are some of
the top ones along the sizzling sand strip of
Mamaia. Some
are extentions of the ones in town.
Club XXIin Mamaia Formerly Club Melody.
+40 (727) MEL ODY
La Mania
At the Club Hotel Lido and Ambasador in Mamaia+40
(241)611716
Heaven Club Capt. Dobrila Eugeniu
Street in Mamaia In the Tic-Tac zone in
Mamaia, open Thursday - Saturdays from 10pm until late
+40 (722) 151 475
Kristal Summer Club
in Mamaia The former Castel
Club, with pool, lounge area and adjoining restaurant
Kudos Beachin Mamaia, on the beach side of the boardwalk near Enigma.
The Kudos store is near the Casino
+40 (723) 585 069 Fax +40 (21) 316 8195
Terasa "Casa Ialomita"
In the Vacation Village
in Mamaia
Open Friday
from 9pm until the last dancer dances the last dance +40 (724) 561
118
Scandinavia Night Clubin Mamaia
This club in a resort complex is on the Lake Siutghiol
side, opposite the Rex hotel. Open 09:00 - 05:00
+40 (241) 607 000
Fax +40 (241) 607 001
Ultima Playa
on the north end of the beach in Mamaia Big area near the exit for
Năvodari
to the north, about 250 metres from the Hotel Lido
Constanţa Pubs and Clubs
Worth
the taxi ride into Constanţa for some of the towns more permanent clubs
and pubs.
Club Two
11 Marc Aureliu Street at Ovidiu Square in Constanţa
Club & restaurant
+40 (720) 122 122
Insomnia Clubin Constanţa
+40 (744) 434 502 or Reservations on +40 (720) 223 673
Megalos
155 Mamaia Blvd in Constanţa Open 24
hours with nonstop music and dance. Upscale 42 room hotel and good restaurant attached.
+40
(241) 516 362, +40 (721) 471 094 or +40 (788) 470
790
Oscar clubSarmisegetuza, nr 5
in Constanţa
Pleasant club with cafe attached.
Club:
+40 (721) 249 249
Cafe: +40 (729) 800 351 Open from noon to the last client.
No Limit
In the cellar at 194 Lapuşneanu Blvd in Constanţa
Open daily except
Mondays and Tuesdays from 10pm until late (or early if the sun is up).
+40
(241) 546 200; +40 (726) 265 900
Phoenix Club
1 Capt. Dobrila Eugeniu Street in Constanţa +40 (241) 667 408