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 Mangalia  From Mangalia Nord to Vama Veche

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 Mighty Mangalia!

Mangalia has all of the features you want to find in a seaside city -- and a few more too!  A naval yard and some great beaches make this the mini San Diego of Romania!

South of Constanţa, Mangalia is on the same latitude as the French resort of Nice. Mangalia also is the southernmost city on the Romanian Riviera, and from it's beginnings as the early Greek port city of Callatis, Mangalia is also the oldest continuously inhabited city in Romania!

The Pearls of the Romanian Riviera

Gracefully marching south from the trendy and first-class resort of Neptun in the north, down to value-based Saturn on the northern suburbs of Mangalia, the long scenic strip of resorts here make up the "Mangalia Nord" section of the Romanian Riviera.

Mangalia and Resorts North from Mangalia and Saturn to Olimp, Jupiter and Neptun just below the horizon

The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest Romania SRL, All rights reserved. Photo: © REST ROMÂNIA

Mangalia Region Coastal Towns: Mangalia -  Jupiter -  Vâlcelele -  Darabani -  Albeşti -  Vârtop -  Hagieni -  Arsa -  Vama Veche -  Limanu -  Doi Mai -  Saturn -  Venus -  Aurora -  Neptun -  Olimp -  Vânători -  Pecineaga -  Dulceşti -  Moşneni -  Comana -  General Scărişoreanu -  Amzacea -  Pelinu -

For other towns in OTHERREGION, please see our OTHERPAGENAME section!

Foreign tourists flock to the spas and resorts just north of Mangalia year-round, and the resort areas feature large, fine-sand beaches.   The microclimates which form at the ends of these beaches are full of adherents who breath in the sea breezes, laden with aerosolised sea water charged by the sun, said to be beneficial for a range of conditions. 

Good for What Ails You!

Mangalia is a natural choice for those looking for the curative powers of good hot mineral springs, good hot mud and a great ocean too!

As the third- largest and second-deepest European sea, the Black Sea offers the near perfect combiation of low salinity, a gentle slope of 17-18 degrees along the coastline, and a summer water temperature of 20-25C. There are no dangerous currents, plants or fish in the Black Sea!

The main reason for so much repeat business from European tourists are the great quality of the mineral waters which bubble up from deep below the Black Sea shelf. 

The sulphurous sparkling water, rich in calcium and chlorides are plentiful from northern Mangalia through the beaches of Saturn and Venus.   This treatment is available at the Mangalia Spa, Hotel Mangalia, the hotels Hora and Balada in Saturn, and the Hotel Doina in Neptun.

The total number of available hotel rooms during the summer season is around 100.000, spread evenly between the resort towns.  The mineral waters are also used in a therapeutic setting at the Hydrotherapy Treatment centre near the Mangalia Municipal Hospital.

Also very popular is the sulphurous peat mud, rich in minerals, which is extracted from the peat bog north of the city (expected to last another 250 years). 

If you have some information for us about Mangalia or County Contanţa,
please Let us know about it now!   We appreciate all of your efforts!

Sunny Mangalia The Warmest temperatures and the warmest people in Romania too!

Photo:  Adrian M

The "Cocktail Callatis" Stage On the water, a shimming clamshell of undeniable glitz and glamour during the annual Callatis Festival

Hailing from Italy A recent contestant from Italy in Mangalia's annual Miss Diaspora contest, part of the Callatis Festival on the Romania Riviera.

Photo:  The Callatis Festival

The Citadel Walls Next to the icon President Hotel

Photo:  Hotel President

Understanding Mangalia

Getting to know the ancient city of Mangalia is like opening a shiny new book and finding a rare old manuscript inside.   All modern and new on the top layers, under Mangalia lie two and a half millennia of history which is like a keystone for the western Black Sea shores.

There is none of the pace of the hectic capital cities here, just a slow, gloriously sunbaked rhythm steeped in the spirit of 25 centuries of history.  Marvel at the old Turkish mosque (Mangalia was in the Ottoman Empire for 500 years until 1878 after all), take a dive in the stupendous marine park offshore, and check under the Hotel President for the amazing ruins from the early Callatis days.  

If you have any amount of time at all in Mangalia, we strongly recommend that you simply walk around.

 Most Romanians arrive in Mangalia by the frequent train services which ply the Romanian Riviera.   Stop in at one of the information points at the train stations where available.

The Esmahan Sultan Mosque

In the centre of town, the Mangalia Mosque ("Esmahan Sultan") is the oldest mosque in Romania, being built in 1524 by Esmahan, the daughter of Ottoman sultan Selim II.

The mosque today serves a community of 800 Muslim families, most of them of Turkish and Tatar ethnicity.  If you want to understand how rich and varied the history of Mangalia truly is, take a walk through the cemetery, where tombstones from height of the Ottoman Empire in the late 1600s stand as artful tributes to a powerful and exotic culture.   Inside the Mauro style mosque you will find some excellent oriental rugs, the ritual well, a Lapidarium, and fully renovated fixtures from a 1990 refurbishment.

The mosque was built in a style unique to the Turkish Dobrogeans, with the entrance area to the church being preceded by a covered verandah. 

The mosque was constructed from rocks hewn into shapes by local Turkish stonemasons, and are up to 85cm large.  Most remarkable about the construction of the mosque is that the craftsmen used no concrete, but in fact used linking strips of iron cast on the spot, as was the custom for Ottoman bricklayers of the day.  This same technology was used to build the minaret, with the rock cut to give the ideal proportions for this slender spire.

The Citadel's City of the Dead

The Scythian incineration tombs were discovered in 1959, while archaeologists were unearthing fragments of a papyrus scroll in Greek, the first such documents ever discovered in today's Romania.

The incineration tombs were arranged in the City of the Dead (the necropolis) of the main fortress at the Greek port city of Callatis.  Dating back to the 4th-2nd centuries BC, the tombs were a macabre place where the remains of loved ones were set alight to smoulder, a tribute to their Gods. 

The foundational culture of the region, the Thracian-Getian people at Acervatis (the first name for Mangalia) commonly sacrificed men, women and horses in their burial mounds, much as the Scythians did across the Danube. 

A Killer Spot

A special place called Killer is found near a meteorological checkpoint. This is a place popular among more Bohemian couples, a romantic and spectacular place in winter and summer.

The Moon rises with a red colour from the Black Sea at nights in the summer, and in winter at Killer the biggest waves can be found. Actually this is the reason why this place is called Killer: the giant waves that sweep the whole seawall during the winter.

Greet the Greeks, MAM!

No need to turn on the Discovery Channel to take in 25 centuries of civilisation!  And no need to travel to Athens or Rome to see authentic and significant examples of Greek and Roman citadels, artwork, and examples from daily life either.

The Mangalia Archaeology Museum (MAM) shelters a rich collection of amphorae and sculptures from the Hellenistic epoch, fragments of stone sarcophagi, and some rather striking artwork.   The unique collection of locally found artifacts make this museum a great way to spend an hour before you go out to dinner.  

An extensive collection of rare and well-preserved coins that circulated in Callatis during its Greek period are on display, along with suitably impressive ancient columns, and some sarcophagi uncovered in the immediate regions.  In addition to the sculptures and carvings, you'll also gain a great insight into the daily life of the locals through displays of ceramics, household and agricultural tools, and their artistic tastes from a series of statues.

All of the museum's displays reflect the layers of influences which pervade the Callatis artefacts, from the original Thracian culture of the town, through to Greek and Roman times.  The museum also has an important historical and archaeological library which contains 1,305 volumes.

 The Citadel of Mangalia

 When Mangalia was called Callatis, it had two Greek forts with walls made of large blocks of stone, carefully cut in rectangular forms up to a metre and a half long and a half metre high. Only the outside of the walls were constructed with large blocks, while the inside of the walls were filled with small stones and earth.

Unlike in the other Dobrogean colonies, Callatis fort has a later Roman wall that has been built directly on top of the Greek one. We can therefore establish that the Greek fort walls on the northern side (which go along the southern side of the current soccer stadium to the seaside and stop near the main street) had a length of around 370 meters. In the west, the wall crosses the centre of the current city, parallel the main street, 50 meters to the east up to the market across from the Casa de Cultură, going under a series of apartment buildings and continuing on the southern side to the current Hotel President.

These later ruins from the Roman-Byzantine era, which were discovered over a surface of 1000 square meters, showsa  main street oriented from east to west and 6 meters wide, paved in stone.

The street has ditches for waste made of large flat stones and which are around one meter deep and wide. Other smaller ditches branch off the large ones, and would have come from buildings or courtyards north or south of the main street. The street was in function from the 6tth to the 7th centuries A.D., as shown by the discovery of coins in the canals showing Justin I (518-527) and Justin II of Sofia (565-578). Part of the walls built in the 4th century were redone or doubled in height, but most of the constructions from the 4th century would keep their original forms.

The Callatis Festival Main Stage One of the best shows in Romania, all the current groups and tunes!

For other towns in OTHERREGION, please see our OTHERPAGENAME section!

Annual Events

The Callatis Festival

The city has been known in recent years as the place where the largest festival in Romania takes place: The Callatis Festival

Resort communities all up and down the Mangalia Nord section of the Romania Riviera take part in this festival of mainstream music, beauty shows, symposiums, concerts, special exhibits, live television specials broadcast nationwide on TVR2, and a general happy carnival atmosphere that keeps visitors young and old entertained and interested.

The Miss Diaspora contest brings winsome young Romanian lasses and even some guys from all over the planet in a beauty contest with a twist.  

Many of these contestants were born and raised in the USA, Australia, and Canada, but flock back to the warm sunny beaches of Mangalia for their obligatory photos shoots, pampering, and plenty of press attention.

Local arts academies offer free portraits, the Romanian Backgammon Federation holds it's annual championship, and night after night of music for all ages blasts from the main stage, looking for all the world like some fabulous UFO which just landed.

 Cocktail Callatis offers the best of Romanian House and Club music for young adults, and Radio Romania offers the top of the top in pop music, as does the trendy Starfish Alley with the Starfish Trophy being awarded to Romania's best loved personality. 

The Festival Market runs in early August and a nod to senior citizens with special activities and facilities set up for the elder set.  The whole festival is a great place for families, so take the kids and roam around and you can catch the "Dobrogean Pie" festival, organised by the local woman's club; the Callatis Festival Book Market (and the Summer Book Fair) Cultural Centre exhibits featuring local and national artists; and National Theatre company presentations of well-known and original plays at the Mangalia Cultural Centre, along with the super Young Actor's Festival.     Check out the Callatis Festival website for more information (in Romanian, but the listings are pretty readable). 

 Navy Days

Towards the end of the Callatis Festival in mid-August comes the parade of Romania's Naval forces.  Equal in size to both the navies of Portugal and New Zealand, Romania's Navy has refurbishment work and repairs done at Mangalia's port facilities provided by Daewoo.

Alot of this Romania's time on the water is spent patrolling and performing drugs interdiction along their western Black Sea range of patrol.  Romania's Riviera, on top of having "fun in the sun", also features alot of "dash for hash" during the night, the area being a major transhipment point for heroin into Europe from the golden crescent growing region in Afghanistan. 

The country has registered  in the merchant marine a bulk carrier, 15 cargo ships, a passenger cruise ship, a couple of combined passenger and cargo vessels, three petroleum tankers, and a roll on/roll off ship.   There are also over 50 similar vessels registered in other countries mostly due to better licensing and ease of registration, mostly in Georgia on the other side of the Black Sea, as well as a dozen in North Korea,  nine each in Malta and Panama and a handful of other flags-of-convenience registrations.  

See also about the New Tourist Port of Mangalia Below!

For more great things to do, see also County Contanţa and the Dobrogea region

Listed below are some local agents who can help you with bookings and organize local tours in the Mangalia area.

Gamma Touristic (Mangalia), Sos. Constantei, nr.50, aprter in Mangalia

+40 (241) 754550  FAX: +40 (241) 754550 

Pasa International, Str. Mihai Viteazu, nr.56, bl.V3, apt.7 in Mangalia

 +40 (241) 750184  FAX: +40 (241) 750184 

Agentia de Voiaj Mangalia, Str. Stefan cel Mare nr. 16 in Mangalia

Informations,tickets

  Mangalia Nord Resorts

The New Tourist Port of Mangalia

Mangalia is one of only three tourist ports on the Romanian Riviera catering to the tourist cruise industry, cruising yachts, boating competitions, and public berths alike.

The new home to another Europa Yacht Club (as in Eforie Nord) is currently under rapid development, and is particularly well-placed, with Mangalia Nord's beaches just minutes away, making Mangalia a great stopping-in point for your yachting holiday or just to take a cruise out to the Marine Park offshore.

Work started rather un-superstitiously on Friday the 13th of July, 2007 on the rehabilitation and new construction of the Tourist port using 4 million Euros of funding from the European Commission, the first major project on this scale in Romania. The whole project is scheduled to finish in mid-2008.

Have another activity in Mangalia or the resort strips?  Let Us Know about some things to do!  Thanks!

 
    See a Road Map of the Mangalia Area

See an Area Map of County Contanţa

See a Street Map of Mangalia

See a Street Map of Neptun

See a Street Map of Jupiter

See Other Towns in County Contanţa Here

Geography

Mangalia is positioned at 43°49’ latitude and 28°35’ longitude, with an approximate elevation of 10 meters, 44 km S of the municipality of Constanţa, south of the parallel of 44 N, about even with Nice in France and San Remo in Italy.

As part of the great basin area of the Black Sea, other than a few headlands to the north and south, the area is featureless on the surface, the system of dunes, headlands and beaches quite typical of the western shores of the Black Sea. 

 Super Summers, Mild Winters

With a northern Mediterranean temperature range and four distinct seasons, Mangalia is characterized by a moderate maritime climate (annual average temperature 11.2°C - one of the highest in Romania) with hot summers (July average over 22°C) and mild winters (January average 0.2°C).

Mangalia is the country's second place, after Băile Herculane, with positive average temperatures in wintertime. Spring comes early but is cool and autumn is long and warm.   In summer, cloudiness is reduced (about 25 sunny days in a month) and the duration of sunshine is of 10-12 hours a day. Annual precipitation is low (about 400 mm), and the sea breeze is stronger in summer.

The summer is warm, dry and sunny with a July average of 23 °C. In the rich farming lands inland from Mangalia to the interior, temperatures can soar in the summer months because of the lack of the moderating influence of the Black Sea. 

The autumn in Mangalia is delightful, long and relatively warm.  If you have the chance to make it here in September, you'll find fewer crowds and the town breathing a sigh of relief after their busy summer season.

Nights are still tropical in the autumn (temperatures over 20 °C) on an average of 10 days in September. September is many times warmer than June, because of the heat accumulated by the Black Sea. However, the first frost occurs on average in late November.

But don't think that Mangalia is a paradise during the winter months, because despite the lower snow levels, the winds howling off the Black Sea can be almost as unpleasant as those off the North Sea in England in winter.  That said, Mangalia in December can see daytime highs in the tolerable 12 °C range.   Oddly enough, Mangalia is cooler later in the year than other Romanian climes, due to the winds from the north and west coming over the Black Sea. 

  Transportation

Getting to Mangalia and Resorts

Flying into Constanţa is the easiest way to get to Mangalia outside of owning your own super yacht on the Black Sea.   You can drive a rental car from the airport at Constanţa all the way down to Olimp, Neptun or the resort of your choice in just under an hour. 

For those on a more realistic budget, simply travel like the Romanians do, but in first class on one of the Rapid or Accelerat trains plying the coastline down from Constanţa, many with direct services from Bucharest.   You also have the option of making it to Mangalia via a maxi-taxi or bus from the Constanţa train station, or arrange for a pick-up with your accommodation if they offer that from the airport or train station.

Driving

If you do have a car, the new A2 "Freeway of the Sun", linking Bucharest with the sea coast is a great driver, and you can easily drive to Mangalia  in a half day, and a just an extra 20 minutes going down to Vama Veche. 

With fully controlled access, overpasses and well graded exit ramps, the freeway is almost 100% completed through to Constanţa.  Going south, it's mostly 2-lane traffic down to the Mangalia Nord resorts, with some reasonable 4-lane stretches.

Listed below are car rental locations in the Mangalia area.

Hotel Belvedere, Neptun in Neptun

to or Weekly

to or Weekly

to or Weekly

        
  +1(800) 527 0700   +44 (8445) 81 22 01    +40 722 504394  

See our driving section for tips on Driving in Romania! 

Trains

Although most trains from Bucharest stop at the Constanţa station, three or four services daily run down the coast to Mangalia.

A first class ticket on the excellent Blue Arrow service from Bucharest is about 33RON, and well worth the extra 14RON or so over second class. 

You'll have plenty of time to enjoy the changing scenery from Bucharest's Obor train station, across three counties and three hours of beautiful countryside, where the rich alluvial plains yield to the Danube River and the hilly sun-filled Dobroean landscape.

This great service runs three times daily; you can get slower trains during other times of the day if needed, or if you want to stop along the way (little need however). 

The Rapid and Accelerat services take just over 4˝ hours and make 10 stops on the way to Mangalia, starting at Obor station in Bucharest. 

Once you pass Constanţa, your train stops at Eforie Nord, Eforie Sud Hm, Costinesti, and then Costineşti Tabăra hc, offering first-class service through to the southern Black Sea city of Mangalia.

Unless you need to stop on the way, there is not reason to take a personal train, although they do have second class carriages, which have the benefit of having a bit more room for larger suitcases.   The personal stops at about twice the number of stations that the Rapid and Accelerat services do.

The last station is Mangalia, and if you're travelling further south towards the Bulgarian border to Doi Mai or Vama Veche, you'll need to transfer to a maxi-taxi for the remaining leg of your journey.

 Information Points

Behind the Mangalia train station and also near the Neptun stop the are tourist information points where you can get information on local transportation, including where to get your maxi-taxi, where the busses go, and how to get to your accommodation if you haven't made previous arrangements for a pick-up.   

Also available is information and brochures on nearby accommodation at the resorts, recreational activities, points of historic and cultural interest, and tips on getting transport.  You can also purchase videos and audio cassettes from the info points about the Romanian Riviera, although these days, one wonders if a USB dongle with some mp3s on it might be more current. 

Maxi-Taxis, Taxis and Busses

Coming in from Bucharest by train or bus, if you're switching to a maxi-taxi at either the main southern bus station or adjacent train station, the maxi-taxis to Mangalia and resorts on the way are easy to find in the lot just south of the main train station.

Both busses and maxi-taxis have services locally and to all major beach resort destinations including Olimp, Neptun, Jupiter and all stops down to Mangalia.   If you take either, try to get one which is NOT stopping before your destination, as this really can cut down your travel time and hassles.

Air Service

Mangalia is served by the airport to the north outside to Constanţa, offering transfers to your accommodation on the Mangalia resort strip of just over an hour usually, or faster if you hire a car.

Even though the main airports at Bucharest are only 90 minutes away by maxi taxi, the Constanţa airport, about a half hour to the northwest of the town centre, offers flights to Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iaşi, Timişoara, and even Budapest. 

The Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport is served by the Romanian airline Carpatair, the national carrier TAROM, as well as the Hungarian carrier Malév. 

The national carrier Tarom offers 50-seater fast turboprop service to Constanţa from Bucharest on ATR42 aircraft (see below), and Carpatair flies their Saab 2000 turboprops to Craiova, en route to their Timişoara hub. 

Jet traffic is seen mostly from the charter services in the summer season, when some European cut-rate carriers fly tourists in from northern Europe (often Hamburg, Dortmund, Cologne, and the like) to enjoy the Black Sea warmth and the low prices!  Check out AirBerlin, the national airline of fiesty Luxembourg, Luxair, Lauda, Danish discount carrier Sterling and Hamburg International for seasonal flights and times.

 Rental Cars at Constanţa Airport

Constanţa Airport, Str Tudor Vladimireascu 4 in Mihăil Kogălniceanu

to or Weekly

to or Weekly

to or Weekly

        
  +1(877) 940 6900   +44 (845) 758 5375    +40 (722) 211 518  FAX: +40 (241) 513933 

Mihail Kogălniceanu Airport, Str. Tudor Vladimirescu, nr.4 in Mihăil Kogălniceanu

to or Weekly

to or Weekly

to or Weekly

        
  +1(800) 654 3131   +44 (8708) 44 88 44    +40 (241) 661100  FAX: +40 (241) 661100 

See our driving section for tips on Driving in Romania! 

If you're renting in Bucharest, See Here

Listed below are some local hotels, guesthouses (B&Bs) and other accommodation in the Mangalia area.

Hotel Club Tismana, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel offers accommodation in 247 doubles and 12 apartments.

241 702000  FAX: 241 731100 

Hotel Meteor, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel has the restaurant on the beach and a disco.

241 731306  FAX: 241 731373 

Hotel Delta, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is placed right on the beach, 50 metres away of the sea.

241 731304  FAX: 241 731351 

Hotel Capitol, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is the pearl of the resort, being prefered by the majority of the tourists.

241 731305  FAX: 241 731708 

Hotel Majestic, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel offers a private beach.

241 701121  FAX: 241 701211 

Vila Neptun, Hipodrom 24 in Jupiter

The villa is designed and frequented by a younger crowd.

722 494625  

Vila Elodie, Jupiter in Jupiter

The villa is placed on the beach, in a rather special area.

241 731408  

Hotel Violeta, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel offers a great view towards the sunrise.

241 731150  

Hotel Trandafirul, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel offers 202 accommodation seats in the centre of the resort.

241 731007  

Hotel Scoica, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is placed close to the beach, in a dreamlike scenery.

241 731401  

Hotel Rio, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is placed very close to the sea.

241 731326  

Hotel Olimpic, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is placed 20 metres away of the beach.

241 731890  

Hotel Nalba, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel's rooms have been completely renovated to look like new.

241 731402  

Hotel Mimoza, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is placed in a quiet area, surrounded by greenery.

241 731402  

Hotel Iris, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel offers 113 accommodation seats in the centre of the resort.

241 731402  

Hotel Cozia, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is especially prefered by young tourists.

241 731309  

Hotel Cometa, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel offers a dreamlike panorama towards the sunrise.

241 731106  

Hotel Camelia, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel is renovated and offers quality services.

241 451474  

Hotel Atlas, Jupiter in Jupiter

The hotel offers 446 accommodation seats in doubles, triples and apartments.

241 731307  

Hotel President, Teilor 6 in Mangalia

The hotel is a luxury one, the services are irreproachable.

241 755861  FAX: 241 755695 

Hotel Corsa, Teilor 11 in Mangalia

The services are very good and the beach is only a few metres away! Great for the kids!

241 757422  

Vila Fonzi, Oituz 20 in Mangalia

The villa is placed in a beautiful area, intimate and relaxing.

241 759768  

Pensiunea Oituz, Oituz 11 in Mangalia

The guesthouse sleeps 17, with the pension located in a quiet area.

241 753980  

Minihotel Casa Blue, Libertăţii 30 in Mangalia

The hotel is placed on a quiet little street, close to the sea.

241 755537  

Hotel Zenit, Teilor 7 in Mangalia

The hotel is placed in a quiet, beautiful area.

241 751673  

Hotel Paradiso, Matei Basarab 3 in Mangalia

The hotel offers accommodation in 205 doubles and 55 singles.

241 752052  

Hotel Orion, Teilor 7 in Mangalia

The hotel faces the beach so you can catch the sunrise over the Black Sea!

241 751156  

Hotel Callatis, Mircea 1 in Mangalia

The hotel is a truly iconic symbol of the Mangalia resort area towards Saturn.

241 751215  

Hotel Atlas, DN 39 Km41 in Mangalia

The hotel is placed in a quiet, private area.

241 753605  

Hotel Astra, Teilor 9 in Mangalia

The Astra offers some great options for fun on the water.

241 751673  

Vila 8, Neptun in Neptun

The villa offers accommodation in 8 gorgeous apartments.

21 3143917  FAX: 21 3143983 

Hotel Sulina, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is located near Neptune Lake.

241 701246  FAX: 241 731127 

Hotel Cocor, Neptun - Olimp in Neptun

The hotel is placed in the centre of the resort, offering irreproachable services.

241 701042  FAX: 241 701142 

Hostel Atlantic, Neptun in Neptun

The hostel offers quality services for acceptable prices.

241701131  FAX: 241 701131 

Hotel Doina, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed near a forest and 2 natural lakes.

241 701012  

Pensiunea La Jura, Neptun in Neptun

Here is the ideal destination for those who love the sea.

722 563050  

Hotel Dacia, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed very close to the beach, a great option for families with kids.

241 701813  

Hotel Tomis, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is luckly sited very close to the beach.

241 701513  FAX: 241 701503 

Hotel Albert, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers a great view towards the sea.

241 731514  

Vila Mesteacănul, Neptun in Neptun

The hosts will do everything to make you feel as good as possible.

241 701304  

Vila Ghiocelul, Neptun in Neptun

The villa is placed in a quiet area, surrounded by greenery.

241 731947  

Hotel Traian, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed right in the centre of the Neptune resort complex.

241 701449  

Hotel Tineret, Plopilor C9 in Neptun

The hotel offers good services for reasonable prices.

241 557819  

Hotel Terra, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel's rooms offer a great view.

241 701017  

Hotel Sibiu, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers you the rest and relaxation you need.

241 701045  

Hotel Romanţa, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers accommodation across 322 doubles.

241 701015  

Hotel Proton, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers typical resort accommodation in 164 double rooms, triples and apartments.

241 732270  

Hotel Prahova, Plopilor 1 in Neptun

The hotel is placed very close to the beach.

241 701326  

Hotel Ovidiu, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel has a capacity to sleep 220, nicely located in the centre of the resort.

241 731018  

Hotel Neptun, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed in the middle of a protected green area, well away from the crowded thoroughfares.

241 701011  

Hotel Mioriţa, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers accommodation with 360 doubles and in a great area.

241 701217  

Hotel Midia, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed in the centre of the resort complex at Neptun

241 731089  

Hotel Istria, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed near the Neptune lake, a great spot in the resort area.

241 701264  

Hotel Dobrogea, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed very close to the beach, a great option if you plan a daily excursion to the sands.

241 701245  

Hotel Delta, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel also has a private beach, a great feature, not that common!

241 701247  

Hotel Decebal, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel also has a day bar and a conference hall.

241 701242  

Hotel Craiova, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel sleeps 326 in the centre of the resort.

241 701048  

Hotel Covasna, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers good services for reasonable prices.

241 731418  

Hotel Clăbucet, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel sleeps 484 in double rooms and apartments.

241 701716  

Hotel Caraiman, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed in the centre of the resort.

241 701506  

Hotel Callatis, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers good services for acceptable prices.

241 731736  

Hotel Bâlea, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is close to the beach, in a quiet area.

241 701014  

Hotel Arad, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel is placed in an oasis of quietness.

241 731725  

Hotel Apollo, Neptun in Neptun

The hotel offers a great view towards the sunrise.

241 701016  

Hotel Slatina, Olimp in Olimp

The hotel sleeps 326 very close to the beach.

241 701046  

Hotel Panoramic, Olimp in Olimp

The hotel sleeps 416 in the centre of the resort.

241 701032  

Hotel Oltenia, Olimp in Olimp

The hotel offers the serenity and relaxation you need.

241 731261  

Hotel Muntenia, Olimp in Olimp

The majority of the rooms have view towards the sea.

241 701050  

Hotel Majestic, Olimp in Olimp

The hotel has a private beach.

241 701030  

Hotel Craiova, Olimp in Olimp

The hotel is placed in the middle of an oasis of greenery.

241 701048  

Hotel Belvedere, Olimp in Olimp

The complex sports the usual eatery, pool and bar options and even a disco!

241 701034  

Hotel Banat, Olimp in Olimp

All the hotel rooms are oriented towards the sea.

241 701070  

Hotel Amfiteatru, Olimp in Olimp

The hotel is placed in the centre of the resort, on the promenade along the sea.

241 701032  

Hotel Sirena, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel was completely renovated only last year (2006).

241 751691  FAX: 241 755559 

Hotel Cerna, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel is placed in the vicinity of two Aqua Parks.

241 752005  FAX: 241 755559 

Hotel Balada, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel is completely renovated and offers quality services.

241 751367  FAX: 241 755559 

Hotel Aida, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel offers quality services for acceptable prices.

241 752966  FAX: 241 755559 

Hotel Hora, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel sleeps 566 in the centre of the resort.

241 706800  FAX: 241 751464 

Hotel Prahova, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel offers a great view towards the sunrise.

241 751054  

Hotel Mureş, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel is placed in the centre of the resort, only 50 metres away of the beach.

241 751721  

Hotel Cupidon, Saturn in Saturn

The hotel is placed only 50 metres away from the sea.

241 751168  

Hotel Atena, Saturn in Saturn

The tourists can rent equipment for water sports.

241 751313  

Vila Dini, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The villa is newly built and has 10 doubles.

740 027457  

Vila Casa Nicoleta, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The hospitality and the beauty of the area will amaze you.

723 680260  

Pensiunea Club D'Or, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The pension offers 4 villas for rent.

743 335112  

Vila Mady, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The villa also has a nice turret, placed very close to the sea.

723 944895  

Vila Casa Diana, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The villa is recently built and placed in the centre of the resort.

720 908885  

Pensiunea Star, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The pension is placed in the middle of the nature.

241 759473  

Pensiunea Nea Nelu, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The pension offers a great view towards the sunrise.

726 748218  

Pensiunea Mini Anda, Vama Veche in Vama Veche

The pension is the last building before the Bulgarian border, making it Romania's southern-most seaside guesthouse!

722 953227  

Pensiunea Golden Sea, Mihail Kogălniceanu 3 in Vama Veche

The pension is placed on the Black Sea's shore.

722 215827  

Pensiunea Costiana, Mihail Kogălniceanu 457 in Vama Veche

The pension is placed in a peaceful area.

722 855089  

Pensiunea Casa Madera, Tudor Vladimirescu 19 in Vama Veche

The pension is placed only 50 metres away from the beach.

722 731379  

Hotel Ca Bianca, Falezei 16 in Vama Veche

All the hotel's rooms are oriented towards the sea.

721 820122  

See also County Contanţa for accommodation in other nearby towns

  Communications

 Dialling Sunny Mangalia

All of the phone numbers in the city of Mangalia, as well as the resorts to the north, start with (0241) or (0341), depending on whether the service is through the old state-run operator RomTelecom, or from one of the newer entrants into the market in Romania.

Dialling from outside Romania into anywhere to County Constanţa, you must remove any leading zero from the county code portion of the phone number, so that (0241) becomes (241).   Dialling a mobile number, you do the same, dropping the zero from the (07XX) part of the number, to make it (7XX).   Both landlines and mobiles have 6 digits following the initial county code. 

 For full dialling information and a chart of county codes, see our Dialling Romania section here 

We don't know of any wireless hotspots in Mangalia as yet, so check out our Constanţa page for information on wireless hotspots.   Know of any wireless hotspots in Mangalia?  Let us know here!  Thank you, we appreciate all your efforts.

Pangala and Calatia Shown as part of the Ottoman Empire in a French map from c1820

Callatis or Cerastia In a 1859 representation of the classical world

The Fortress of Callatis Today

The Archaeology Museum Worth an afternoon.  It does rain in Mangalia, and this place is a great "Plan B"!

 Early Mangalia History

Overview

A Greek colony named Callatis was founded in the 4th century BC during the rule of the Macedonian king Amyntas III.  This makes Mangalia today the oldest continuously inhabited town in present-day Romania.

 Since the 9th century it was known by the Turks as Pangalia, by the Romanians as Tomisovara and by the Greeks as Panglicara and it was one of the most important ports on the west coast of the Black Sea.

Located in the south-eastern part of the Dobrogea region of Romania, Mangalia has been built on the ruins of the ancient fort of Callatis. Today the city is blooming into an important centre of economics and culture. Archaeological digs show through monolithic structures that the area was inhabited in prehistoric times. The major Greek colonisations of the 8th-6th centuries B.C. left their mark own mark on the site.

The Thracian Black Sea Culture

Through to the 6th Century BC, the thriving Thracian-Getian people at  Acervatis (Mangalia's first known name) and other communities on the Black Sea's west coast had their own culture. 

Living in their signature huts and half-huts, the people of Acervatis established their social structure with specific occupations and skills in each each community, enabling them to become real partners with Greek navigators and merchants which increasingly ventured up the Black Sea coast. 

After realising that the residents of the Mangalia region had some attractive goods to trade, Greek merchants to the south decided to establish a formal trading outpost ("apoikiai") at Mangalia around 660BC, as well as others in today's Constanţa and Histria.

The Fortress of Callatis

A fortress named Callatis was constructed here, with archaeological evidence dating it to the 4th century B.C. during the rule of Macedonian king Amyntos III.

From the 11th century the fortress became known as "Pangalia" and alongside those in Constanţa and Varna (the latter is today in Bulgaria) was an important regional port. Mangalia's 2,500 years of history show the origins of the harmonious relationship between the diverse religious and ethnic groups that have their home here.

The Greek colonial period was one of the most important events in ancient history. After a few initial expeditions north, the Greeks founded three colonies on the today's Dobrogean coast: Histria, Callatis, and Tomis.

There are only several mentions of Callatis in ancient literature and they are rather brief. One example is Demetrius of Callatis, originally from Odessos, in the second half of the 3rd century B.C. He lived in Callatis and undertook a study of geography and wrote 20 books, which have unfortunately been lost today. Pliny the Elder tells us that originally Callatis was called Cerbatis or Acerbis. The city of Callatis was also known by this name in later literature: Ptolemy, Strabo, Memnon, and Ovid confirm this.

The Model City of Callatis

Both ancient literature and archaeological discoveries tell us that in the 4th century B.C. the fortress town saw great economic and socio-political development. The city had a rural agricultural area, workshops, and a democratic system based on the city-state model of the Southern Aegean.

Strong walls, gates, temples and public buildings were constructed. The first silver coins found in the area date from 300 B.C. They have the head of Hercules and on the back an arc and wheat. The city issued coins from the 3rd century to the 1st century B.C. in bronze, with the heads of Dionysus, Apollo, Athena, Hermes, Demeter, etc. On the back there were items representing characteristic traits of the gods and the name of the town written in the short form KALA or KALLA.

Concerning foreign relations beyond those with the other Greek fortress towns, Callatis had relations with Odrysil. After a period of independent development, Callatis and the other fortress towns were forced to accept the authority of the Macedonian state, which had become interested in the entire Balkan Peninsula through the Danube Delta.

Hoping to consolidate economic power won in two wars with Lysimachus, Callatis allied itself with Histria around 260 B.C. to free the port of Tomis (today Constanta) from Byzantine control. The war, trade barriers imposed by the Byzantines, and the paying of tribute to King Tylis (280-218 B.C.) drew a shadow over the formerly radiant town.

The Romans Pave Mangalia

By the beginning of the 1st century B.C., the freedom of the Greek towns was in great danger. The Roman Empire was extending towards the banks of the Danube!

To stop its advance, the region organized a great union under the command of Mithridates the 6th Eupator. From 72-71 B.C., during the second war between the Romans and the union, the Greek colonies were conquered. An inscription has been found in Mangalia with the text of the treaty concluded between Rome and Callatis. The fortress was recognized as a Roman ally, and in return Callatis agreed to defend the new borders of the Empire.

Abuses by the Macedonia governor, C. Antonius Hybridia, had led the three Dobrogean colonies to give up the fight against the Romans, and in 61 B.C., together with garrisons from the left side of the Danube, they took up relations with their new rulers New fortifications were built for Roman legions stationed between the Danube and the sea, and the Callatis fort was surrounded by a wall up to three meters thick and with a height of 8-9 meters.

Behind these walls large stone buildings went up of both civil and private nature. The structures featured marble columns decorated with flora and fauna, statues and streets paved with stone or bricks.

500 Years of Roman Rule

As populations began to migrate, the Dobrogean colonies suffered under multiple invasions. Under emperors Diocletian (284-305 A.D.) and Constantine the Great (306-337 A.D.), then under Anastasius (491-518 A.D.) and Justinian (527-565 A.D.) Dobrogea went through short periods of peace, which allowed the city to redevelop its own economy and become a meaningful centre of commerce.

New buildings again went up, as well as the first diocese. From the first century A.D. Callatis had taken up producing its own coins again. However, even though the colony benefited from full incorporation into the empire it was also dependent upon it. In the first two centuries of Roman rule (the first and second centuries A.D.) there is evidence that there was a kind of cultural and religious community between the Dobrogean cities and towns, based around Tomis (Constanta), at first called the "pentapolis" and then the "hexapolis."

Callatis Becomes Pangalia

There is a gap in our knowledge about Callatis beginning in the 7th century and continuing through the 10th century. There are no archaeological or literary traces of city life during this period.

The name Callatis seems to have been lost during the last breaths of the fortress. The first mention of a new name appears in the 13th century in a book from Pisa (currently at the National Library in Paris), where the old name Callatis is replaced with Pangalia. Two centuries later the French traveller Walerand de Wawrin told of a port at Panguala in the place where the old fortress of Callatis had stood. Mankalia is mentioned for the first time in 1593 by Paolo Giorgi.

Read more about  early Mangalia and it's history at the official Mangalia website from the mayor's office here

Byzantine and Bulgarian Dobrogea

Mangalia and Dobrogea were formally split away from other Wallachians when the new Bulgarian czardom drew the line at the Danube River. In the late 600s, Dobrogea had the Bulgarian capital at it's southern borders at Pliska.

Magyar mercenaries from today's Hungary actually managed to invade most of Dobrogea in 895, and the ethnic make-up of the agrarian and port community of Mangalia changed further when the Pechenegs led by Kegenes settled in the region in an arrangement with the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX in 1045.  They were given land and three forts to defend the border against other Pecheneg tribes led by Tyrach.

Autonomous political states were formed around the main towns in Dobrogea and parts of north eastern Bulgaria between 1086 to 1091; these states were headed by Tatos in Silistra, Sartzas in Vicina, and another led by Sestlav.

The second Bulgarian Empire dates from 1186 until Ottoman rule in 1396.  During this period, Mangalia (then Pangalia) was almost exactly in the middle of the long coastline which extended from Enisala on the southern edge of the Danube Delta, down well past Varna to Mesembria in the south.

The first record of an independent political region of Dobrogea is dated 1320. In 1346 the Dobrogean leader was Balica. Dobrotici took over after Balica's disappearance during a military campaign in 1348. Dobrotici's fleet supported the Byzantine emperor against the Genoese at Constantinople in 1379. He was replaced by his son Ivanco from 1386 who ruled until 1388.
 

The State of Dobrogea

Beginning with the 10th century, the Byzantine, Slav and Hungarian sources, overseer princes were assigned to Dobrogea on behalf of the ruling empire of the day, the boundaries of the territory becoming increasingly formalised  in the 12-13th centuries.  

The Dobrogea region was originally only between about Babadag and the low hills around there, down to the Silistrian area of what is now Bulgaria; more recently, the Dobrogea area has also included the Danube Delta region north of Babadag as well. 

The principality form of government used in Dobrogea was hardly unique in Europe, but was at the height of it's form in places like Dobrogea, where the nominally independent principality was used more as a stable buffer state against powers to the north and west.   Dobrogea as an entity remained surprisingly intact through it's hand-offs over the centuries from Byzantine to Bulgarian to Ottoman and most recently, Romanian rule.

 Pangalia becomes Mankalia

The Turkish traveller Evila Celebi visited Dobrogea in the 12th century and spoke of Mankalia as one of the largest ports in the region.

According to the scholar Teofil Sauciuc Saveanu, it seems as if ancient Callatis once had a neighbourhood named Magalia. This part of Callatis remained inhabited over the years and eventually the name became extended to cover the whole town and over the years was transformed into Mangalia. During the years of Turkish presence in the area, the letter "n" was added before the "g", since this was easier for the Turks to pronounce.

500 Years of Ottoman Dobrogea

The Wallachian leader Mircea the Elder called on his friends the Hungarians to once again take Dobrogea from the Ottomans beginning in 1380.  Forty years of skirmishes between the Wallachians and the Ottoman empire resulted in the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed I finally losing patience and decisively taking Dobrogea in 1420 from Mihail I, the son of Mircea.

In fact, whole Balkan Peninsula including Dobrogea became a Turkish-ruled territory by 1455, with Constantinople was captured by Mohammed II (1453), Suleiman the Magnificent captured the city of Belgrade (1521), and the Hungarian kingdom disappeared following the battle of Mohacs (1526).

Whilst Wallachia and Moldavia did maintain a workable level of semi-autonomy under the Ottomans, Dobrogea was not preserved on the same level, becoming far more integrated into the Ottoman administrative and military sphere, a province like any other in the region.  Byzantine cultural traditions were largely replaced in Dobrogea with Islamic principles of the Ottoman rulers. 

The Sultan and the Cossacks Sultan Mehmed the IV wrote a letter to the Cossacks telling them to surrender after yet another annoying invasion into Dobrogea.  The Cossacks thought the demand preposterous, and thus composed a rather rude reply letter for the Turkish ruler.   Read more here

Photo:  Russian Museum

Dobrogea Ethnicities, 1903 Even after relocations and 25 years of Romanian rule, 25% of Dobrogea was still ethnic Tatars and Bulgarians

Source:  Wikipedia

Initially a border province, Dobrogea was transformed into a functioning principality under the Ottomans.  A few incursion attempts were made by Cossacks in 1603 and 1612, and the Russians later invaded Dobrogea during the seemingly endless Russo-Turkish Wars beginning in 1771 and continuing through to 1853.  Although on paper the Russians had the province for nearly 30 years, the 1856 disaster of the Crimean War saw Russia handing back Dobrogea to the Turks. 

During Ottoman rule, groups of Turks, Arabs and Tatars settled in the region, the latter especially between 1512 and 1514. During the reign of Peter I of Russia and Catherine the Great, Lipovans immigrated in the region of the Danube Delta.

Cossacks from the north across the Danube were settled Dobrogea in the area north of Lake Razim by the Turkish authorities, although later forced to leave Dobrogea in 1828. In the second part of the nineteenth century, Ukrainians, then part of the Austrian Empire also settled in the Danube Delta.

After the Crimean War, a large number of Tatars were forcibly driven away from Crimea, immigrating to then-Ottoman Dobrogea and settling mainly in the Carasu Valley in the centre of the region and around Babadag. In 1864, Cherkess fleeing from the Russian invasion of the Caucasus were settled in the wooded region near Babadag. Germans from Bessarabia also founded colonies in Dobrogea between 1840 and 1892.

Russia and Romania Invade

After the 1878 war, Russia received Dobrogea, but pressured Romania to exchange Dobrogea for Southern Bessarabia with it, as Russia wanted a direct access to the Danube there. The newly established autonomous Bulgaria received but a smaller Southern Dobrogea (about a third of the historic Dobrogea area). 

Romanians made up less than a third of the population prior to the war, with the Bulgarians (around Babadag), and the Muslim Turks and Tatars making up more than half of the Dobrogean population.  Despite this, at the advice of the French envoy, the Treaty of Berlin awarded a strip of land around the port of the predominately Turk and Tatar area in the south of today's Dobrogea (from Mangalia inland) to Romania as well, since it contained a compact area of ethnic Romanians in its south-eastern corner.

Subsequently, Romania attempted at taking over the town of Silistra. A new international commission in 1879 allowed Romania to occupy the fort looking over the city, Arab Tabia, however not the city itself.

At the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, most of Dobrogea's population was composed of Turks and Tatars, but during the war a large part of the Muslim population was evacuated to Bulgaria and Turkey.

After 1878, the Romanian government encouraged Romanians from other regions to settle in Northern Dobrogea and even accepted the return of some Muslim population displaced by the war. The Bulgarian authorities also encouraged the settling of ethnic Bulgarians on the territory of Southern Dobrogea.  After 1880, Italians from Friuli and Veneto settled in Greci, Cataloi and Măcin in Northern Dobrogea. Most of them worked in the granite quarries in the Măcin Mountains, while some became farmers.

The Pilot Station, 1925 Markers atop one of the towers guided boats into the channel from Mangalia's breakwater.

Photo:  Govt of Romania

Modern Mangalia

Education

Mangalia's three high schools, Theoretic, Economic, and Industrial, have a total of 2,800 students and offer both day and evening courses, many focusing on the tourist industry which gives Mangalia it's business.

The Theoretic High School's new sports center is at the level of European standards and offers a covered playing field and courts for basketball, volleyball, and handball. The three schools prepare students with skills that the market economy demands: economics and business skills, foreign language instruction, and tourism skills. There are also five  elementary schools and seven kindergartens.

Industry

Major ship building is the meat and potatoes of the Mangalia industrial scene.  Both Daewoo Mangalia Heavy Industries (headquartered in Korea) and SN Mangalia RA (a mix of public and private capital) build, maintain and refurbish seagoing vessels year-round.  

Similarly, there are also two major textile factories run by the Germans, who in a few spots up and down the coast were actually early settlers in the area after the Ottoman withdrawal.  Both the SC "Lumotex" and  "Coral Mod" SA factories provide steady employment for Mangalia workers. 

A chicken processing plant and fresh produce processing plants operate in Mangalia with both public sector and private sector capital.   The Romanian Black Sea Business Centre provides a good location for international business meetings, attached to a modern hotel with meeting rooms and other world-class facilities.

Read More about Mangalia at:

The Mangalia Town Hall

The Callatis Festival

The Free Thinker Newspaper (Local)

The Journal of Constanţa (County Paper)

The excellent local government website Mangalia.ro has good English language pages and links and tourist activities.

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