You will love the great bird spceies and birdwatching opportunities all across the enormous Danube Delta. Picturesque little towns dot the many canal and waterway systems, allowing great access to some of ornithology's wonders! From Tulcea out to Chillia, Sulina and Sfantu Gheorghe, birds of all kinds abound in this rich natural resource in what is Europe's newest land.
The wonders of Europes largest wetlands offers birdwatching, hunting, fishing and more. Sail down the Danube's many arms as it flows to the Black Sea and see some stunning wildlife on organised tours or going it alone with a guy and a boat!
!
Need be seen by thousands of
English-speaking tourists?
ADVERTISE WITH REST ROMANIA
and be part of the best of Romania!
The new
Rest
Romania Gallery
has photos from our contributors showing the best of Romania!
English speakers are generally not familiar with the kind of beaches
and water unique to Romania's Black Sea coast.
The Black Sea is a gentle and slightly more saline body of water
than are the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, and benefits greatly from this
calm and serene nature.
Whilst not very good for surfing, the smooth sloping base means you
can wade out quite a ways at most of the beaches up and down the coast,
and the lack of high waves means perfect safety and warm waters for
families and kids too.
The European Union's Sunrise Shores
The sun rises first on the mainland European Union here, and with package holidays and new flights being added
monthly, Europeans are flocking to their newest nation to enjoy the sun
and warm waters of Romania.
By far a cheaper option than the more travelled beaches in the
Mediterranean, the clear benefits of the Black Sea resorts are
attracting more and more repeat business from throughout the European
Union, and increasingly, from British holidaymakers as well.
A Sunny Day on Europe's Sunrise Beaches
Fun in the Sun, here at Eforie Nord's southern
beach area, with typically polite beachgoers and beautifully warm
water await. Eforie is a good middle ground beach for young
adults and for families as well.
Whether it's the populist madness of the Mamaia strip, or the almost stately reserve of a grand old
hotel at Eforie Nord, Romania's
beaches all sport their own distinct flavour and diverse
clientele.
You can really find a comfortable match for your needs and
your holiday preferences from the balmy and wild Bohemian
outpost of Doi Mai and
Vama Veche (Old Customs House) near
the Bulgarian border, or all the way up to the other-worldly
beaches reached by boat at the end of one of the long Danube
Delta branches at Sulina or Saint George.
All of the Black Sea beaches of Romania feature a lovely
golden medium-grain sand with salinity ranging from 15% in the
northern delta zones to 17% towards the Bulgarian border where
currents are stronger bringing up heavier saline flows.
It's entirely possible that the grains of sand you rest upon
at Sulina were once lodged on the banks of the Danube in
Germany. The vast expanse of the Danube Delta
annually deposits tons of it's fine river silt to build up this
wonderland of birds, fishing villages, and at the very end, some
delicate strips of fine sands.
Sulina Beach Shack
Refreshments await!
Half of the fun of any Delta beach holiday is the
fascinating river cruise along one of the major arms of the
Delta as it makes it's way out to the Black Sea. The
culture and history of this area is enriched by the Lipovani
peoples with their brightly painted houses and fishing culture,
long entrenched in the lore and fabric of this vibrant UNESCO
World Heritage area.
Indeed the "End of the Line", as well as the end of the main
Sulina arm of the Danube river used for container shipping and
the daily river ferry service,
Sulina is also
the eastern-most town in the entire European Union. This
distinction gives it a few creature comforts, like normal roads,
cars and a typical town infrastructure.
The beach at Sulina is generally uncrowded, as most of the
tourists on the ferry are day-trippers or fishing and bird-life
visitors. Grab an ice cream and make your way to the
closest sand for a great afternoon. The beach extends
south for a couple of kilometres, so you won't have trouble
finding a free area for some recreational fun. You
can even camp next to the beach at one of the campsites, and
cabanas are also available for hire.
In July and August, you can sometimes get down to Saint
Gheorghe using the tractor service, which runs along a dune and
levee track to make it down the shore, taking about 90 minutes
on a good day.
The Endless Delta Beaches at Sulina
The fine sands march south into the distance at
Sulina, eventually meeting Sfântu Gheorghe
and the sand islands
The Pristine Beaches of Saint George (Sfântu
Gheorghe)
This relatively isolated little community on the
south-western limit of the delta really is a little gem.
Gorgeously coloured little fishing houses and an annual film
festival maintain the sunny disposition of this charming little
seaside village.
In addition to beach pursuits, boat
trips around the inland Danube Delta area, and out to the little
islands and nearby lakes is great fun.
Getting to the beach in Saint George is alot of fun, because you are
pulled by a tractor in a trailer from the central square to get there!
In the height of the summer season, it leaves hourly, but ask around for
details on how to get to the beach, or find the info board posted near
the square.
The beach itself is one of the least-accessed and most
unspoilt along the entire eastern Black Sea coast, and if you really
want to commune with the sea, surf and sand where the sun rises over the
water to meet mainland Europe for the first time each day, you've found it!
Obviously, not alot of nightlife in Sfântu Gheorghe,
but you'll be able to find enough food, good beds and friendly locals to
pass some time here. Just remember, this is one of those
places where a little observation and alot of relaxation will bring you
nothing short of happiness and deep contentment!
Fun on the Delta Beaches
In addition to long sweeping beaches, the Delta
beaches are backed by a UNESCO World Heritage area.
These two just south of Sulina found the sands the perfect spot for
some fun decapitation humour
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.
We only include this section because the three main beach
areas in Constanţa are indeed used by the
local residents when they want a quick dip or can't be bothered
to go north or south to one of the better beaches.
It's hard to overstate the quiet charm of Eforie Nord, with the
shady tree-lined streets of the little shopping and residential
areas, to the happy coincidence of some low cliffs overlooking
what are arguably some of the best beaches on the coast.
The level of development at Eforie remains fairly low-key, with
only a handful of the Mamaia style towers and more of the
smaller guesthouse and low-rise 3 and 4 storey holiday
accommodation on the quiet side streets a few blocks from the
beaches. Still within view of the southern docks and
structures of the Danube-Black Sea canal just south of
Constanţa, Eforie offers a small town
feel with the nearby convenience of the big city at
Constanţa.
The Beaches
The hotels in Eforie Nord, like elsewhere along the coast, offer
their guests certain sections of the beach, where they provide
shade umbrellas and towel services, and sometimes drinks
services. Check with your beachside hotel before booking
if you think you'd enjoy any of these.
Sun lovers at Eforie distribute quite evenly from north to south,
with the southern end getting slightly more full during the
height of summer due to the carnival rides, and cheaper eatery
options there. With the pricier hotels and restaurants
along the cliff sections on the north, the beaches can be
quieter and less populated by kids.
The Height of Summer
Families flock to the southern end of Eforie
Nord during the peak July-August season. Romanians tend
to distribute themselves almost pathologically evenly on the beach,
so crowding is rare, despite the numbers.
Eforie is blessed with a very attractive low cliff running along
about two-thirds of the beach from the north, and a large, long
curving beach on the south end.
Along the walk along
the cliff top are several old hotels, and some great restaurants
with world-class beach views, a few of which are fairly
well-known through the coast and Romania.
One of the most endearing areas in Eforie Nord is between the main
street with it's little shops and supermarket down to the beach.
Pedestrian-only slowing laneways march down to the action and
main arcade along the southern end of the beach, with souvenir
shops and all manner of fast-food.
The family-oriented cafeteria at ground level of the Imperial
complex offers competent Romanian fare, and you will never
regret the prices. Their grill section will serve up
almost to-order mici and other grilled delights, and the big
deep trays of stuffed cabbage rolls, various stews, soups and
fish dishes will keep you coming back for more.
Mud Anyone?
Just inland from the main town of Eforie Nord is Lake
Techirghiol, a rather pleasant looking shallow inland lake with a little
town on the inland side, about a 5 minute drive from Eforie.
The lake itself is gorgeously salty and you'll float like an
apple in a barrel of water. Just down from the village main square is a bathing house where
you can slather yourself with the gloppy sulphurous dark mud (sapropel)
from the lakeshore.
Whilst not everyone's cup of tea, frankly, it's quite
entertaining just to take a walk through the area to watch the
people, most of whom are deeply convinced of the restorative and
health benefits of the decidedly smelly mud. Indeed
your Eastern European Moment of Culture for the week.
If you look great in a Speedo, love to party until people are
basically passed out, then you can find what you want at
Costineşti. Whilst never
particularly designed as a youth haven, this previously
unassuming beach strip between the larger canters of Eforie to
the north, and Olimp to the south.
Nightlife is a hallmark of this youth strip, centred around
the Summer Theatre and the pulsating beats of the Vacation Radio
station. Costineşti
hosts the international students' summer camp that made it
famous and as such, offers more diverse lodging alternatives in
the lines of camping, vacation villages as well as the standard
holiday hotels and guesthouses.
Costineşti was long a fishing village
and sported a less resort-y economy for many decades. Because of
this, it was in many ways "left" to the youth to discover!
Costineşti also is one of the only
beaches other than Mamaia which lack the signature headland or
cliff features behind it (the Cape Tuzla headland borders the
northern end of the main beach expanse), which for whatever reason, made it
seem less attractive to earlier development.
The Young Crowds at Costineşti
If your summer mission is to find a partner in
the sun, this is the place!
The Neptun-Olimp Coastline
Not alot different from a Mornington Peninsula
or a Cape Cod type of area, the Neptun-Olimp area is for the
well-to-do with more larger private residences near the water than
at other coastal locations.
You'll notice throughout this website how we often compare prices
for English-speaking travellers to show how cheap things are in Romania.
This trend has to be toned down a bit for the twin resort areas of Olimp
and Neptun, where the room rates,
facilities and restaurant prices are noticeably higher than those at
it's neighbours up and down the coast.
Olimp has some of the larger homes on the headlands, and some of the
better appointed shops and accommodation as well. Long home
to the privileged few in the Communist party, Olimp is home to the
former Ceausescu home. A couple of man-made lakes were introduced
to this artificial garden of Eden community surrounded by an inland
forest. It's a nice enough area, but bring your wallet and your
friend's too!
The trains all stop at Jupiter (see our
Transportation section below for coastal transport tips and tricks),
and you'll find a younger more progressive crowd here, more Skoda than
Mercedes than neighbouring Neptun to the north.
But, you should not look down on lively Jupiter, which wins the
prize for the middle ground and reasonable choices and prices for
accommodation, dining, and quality of beaches too!
Including Cap de Aurora (sometimes just Aurora), the Jupiter area is a
great choice for younger couples. Good campsites with a
younger bent can be found at the northern end of Jupiter, and the
bungalows are generally good here.
Saturn is hardly removed from larger Mangalia to the south, and is
close to the terminus of the rail line going south.
More oriented
to families and a budget crowd than it's more lofty cousins to the
north, Saturn gives okay value and is probably the lowest cost
accommodation due to the high-rise blocs which crowd the northern suburb
of Mangalia.
Looking North
From Mangalia and the Saturn complex
north to Jupiter and Neptun-Olimp
Mangalia is a sunny seaside town, sort of cool in it's own way, yet complete with the Ceausescu era
apartment blocks. But here there seems to be a lazier
laid-back feel amongst the residents which give the town a more Greek
feel, possibly due to the strong Greek backgrounds in many families
here.
The town beaches on the north side are okay, and probably better than
those at Constanţa, the only other major town
with beaches along the Romanian Black Sea coast.
Mangalia is the end of the line for the rail services from
Constanţa and Bucharest (see
Beach Transportation below)
You can still just see Mangalia up to the north from the fine
beaches at Doi Mai, and the little community gets a fair few customers
from Mangalia, who come to visit the good seafood restaurants and drive
back for a nice evening out. Doi Mai has that mid-1900s feel to
it, despite the new resort buildings which have gone up recently.
What a delicious little reserve it was! Away from the
terrifying eyes of the Securitate, this little haven run by Cluj
university offered brief respite from the rigours of Communist life.
About 11km south of Mangalia, and long associated with the academics
which once romped across it's dunes, commercialism has nonetheless
encroached on this outpost coastline, with a fair few luxury cars now
seen amongst the beat up panel vans. You will not see quite so
many nudists, hippies and philosophical nut jobs these days, but the
Bohemian ideals run like a common thread through Vama Veche still.
A marine park runs from just south of Doi Mai down to the Bulgarian
border, preserving all manner of Black Sea life, from seahorses and rare
fish, to various turtles, dolphins and sea snakes. Dives can be
organised easily here, with new companies cropping up each summer.
Because Vama Veche has become the darling of the cognoscenti, there
is a curious campaign to "save" the community in it's wilder more rustic
persona. An admirable aim of course, and the charm of the area is
undeniable, although a jazz festival and major rock show each year in
August sees a tremendous influx of Bucharesteans.
Camping wild is do-able at the southern end of the beach at Vama
Veche, and locals and your fellow campers will be particularly vigilant
here about your campsite habits and rubbish removal skills.
Restaurant highlights include the predictable seafood fare, some
decidedly good Turkish influence cuisine, as well as a Mexican joint,
which lends a Baja California feel suddenly -- rather nice!
Further south is the Bulgarian border in what used to be Romanian
territory until WWII. Romanians are still a little annoyed about
having to give up Southern Dobrogea to them.
The heart of the Romanian Queen Marie was buried at her seaside
castle there, and had to be moved to Bran after the war (Don't mention
the war). Besides, the Bulgarians use a Russian style Cyrillic
alphabet, so you won't be able to read the signs anyways!
A Romantic Little Beach at Vama Veche
A summer day, a picnic lunch, just you and your
loved one. Perfect!
Vama Veche has a little jet ski hire station on the northern end of the
beach, about 30$/hour, a reasonable value. Just try not to hit any
dolphins.
Neptun offers jet skis at the northern end of the beach with
equipment in good condition.
Rides for the Kiddies
The amusement park at Mamaia and the adjacent Aqua Park are the
obvious choices for guaranteed screams, giggles, and some nice tired
children so you can escape in the evening later! Eforie Nord
has a couple of quieter "fun zones" for the kids on the main boardwalk
on the southern end, and sometimes rides set up towards the northern
traditional old communist era resort hotels too. The
resort strip from Jupiter down to Mangalia share this penchant for small
rides interspersed amongst other kiosks and shops.
Parasailing
Scuba Diving
Doi Mai offers diving in the offshore Marine Park for about $35/hour,
a good service and fun to see the unique Black Sea underwater world.
Down at the tourist port in Constanţa you can
also find a dive company giving good off-shore dives.
Windsurfing
The younger crowd at Costineşti keeps the wind
surfing concession at the jetty busy throughout the summer months.
Nearby Neptun also offers boards for windsurfing hire usually at the
northern end of the beach.
Mamaia offers hires for windsurfing boards on Lake Mamaia, which does
get some good summer winds, and a relatively smoother surface most days
too.
Boating
Clearly, boats are synonymous with the Saint George
community in the Danube delta, with only a handful of motor
vehicles actually operating in the village. You can boat in almost
all directions, including out to the islands just off the coast to the
south, and inland along the canals too.
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 the little island (Ovidiu Island) in the middle,
accessible by ferry boat. You can also yacht on Lake Mamaia,
with hires available from near the ferry point.
The main Tomis tourist port in Constanţa
offers the Condor, a 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!
Bikes
Doi Mai has bike hires available, and it's a reasonable area to get
around by bike too.
Mamaia usually has one or two set up along the lake, sometimes along
the main boardwalk on the southern end.
Beach Festivals
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 Vama Veche
and at Mamaia are a bit of fun for the younger crowd and the young at
heart. The mid August "House Parade", "StufStock" and the
"Jazz Festival" all bring their own crowds, from international deejays
to more traditional musicians.
Perhaps a little more popular -- only by the numbers there -- is the
Pop Festival at Mamaia each September. Not quite as "valid" as the
Vama Veche events, it nonetheless makes the evening news each year.
In adjoining Constanţa in August is the Romanian
Folk Festival.
September sees another jazz festival at Costineşti,
as well as a film festival each August, although not quite as
internationally known as the one in Sfântu Gheorghe
up the coast in the delta.
Health Pursuits
If you want to really stay healthy, jog along the beach each
morning! Otherwise, the benefits of the mud baths at Lake
Techirghiol near Eforie Nord are very popular, as are the health resorts
and therapies offered by the Saturn area.
Digimarc and the Digimarc logo are registered trademarks of Digimarc Corporation. The "Digimarc Digital Watermarking" Web Button is a trademark of Digimarc Corporation, used with permission.
All maps are
informational only. No representation is made or warranty given as to map
contents. User assumes all risk of use. Rest Romania and its suppliers
assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use.
Inclusion of links and examples of maps on other sites is for your
convenience only and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the
owner/sponsor of the map site or the content of that site.
The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo: 
Half of the fun of any Delta beach holiday is the
fascinating river cruise along one of the major arms of the
Delta as it makes it's way out to the Black Sea. The
culture and history of this area is enriched by the Lipovani
peoples with their brightly painted houses and fishing culture,
long entrenched in the lore and fabric of this vibrant UNESCO
World Heritage area. 
