Cheap flights to Romania

Romania is very old and, at the same time, startlingly new. Bordered by Hungary, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria and Serbia, it also has a stretch of the Black Sea coast. EU membership in 2007 has opened up the country and increasing numbers of UK and Irish flyers are searching for cheap flights to Romania.

The popular notion of Romania is as Vladislav Dracula’s homeland, the nobleman who inspired the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker’s famous novel, but there is so much more to this country than Bran Castle (where Vlad is said to have lived).

Its capital is Bucharest, known not only for its historic city centre – in the 19th century, it was known as “Little Paris” and it even has l’Arc de Triomphe – but also for the Palace of Parliament, the world’s second-largest building (after the Pentagon), built by Nicolae Ceausescu.

Brasov is the second-largest city. Close to the city centre, Poiana Brasov is the country’s largest ski resort, with ten miles of runs. One of Romania’s most famous tourist attractions are the painted monasteries of Southern Bucovina (near the Ukrainian border), many of them Unesco-listed.

Romania climate

The climate in Romania is temperate, with four seasons. The spring is pleasant with cool mornings but warm days. Summer is warm especially in the lowlands of eastern and southern Romania. Temperatures often hit 30 degrees in July and August. The mountains are always cooler. The autumn months are cool and dry (the foliage rivals New England for vibrancy). Winters can be cold, particularly in the mountains. Snow may fall between December and mid-March.

Getting around Romania

CarpatAir and Tarom offer domestic Romania flights.

Most of the major car-rental companies are represented in Romania.

Public transport is decent. Several bus companies offer reasonably priced services between the cities and there is a well-developed railway network as well. Tickets are inexpensive. Finally, taxis are plentiful. It’s a good idea to settle on the fare in advance.

What is good to know if travelling to Romania?

• Bran Castle, towering over the countryside, is near the medieval town of Brasov, and is synonymous with Dracula. Although the castle never belonged to Prince Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s famous vampire, he is believed to have visited there several times. The castle, with the nearby village museum, is one of Romania’s most popular tourist attractions where you can buy vampire wine, statues and paintings of Vlad and sweaters. Vlad’s “real” castle is in Poenari, Central Romania. The fortress sits high on a cliff, an imposing set of ruins, above the Arges River. According to legend, it was into this river that Vlad’s first wife threw herself rather than be captured by the advancing Turks.
• Brasov is a beautiful old town, home to the Piata Sfatului (House of the Council) which hosts The Gold Stag, an international music festival.
• Poiana Brasov is a ski resort about 14km (9 miles) away. Other ski resorts in the country include Sinaia, known as the Pearl of the Carpathians.
• Bucharest is one of those beautiful European cities that is described as “the Paris of …” The city boasts the second-biggest building in the world – Palace of the Parliament or the People’s House – built by Ceauşescu. It houses the Romanian Parliament and National Museum of Contemporary Art. The Arcul de Triumf (Triumphal Arch) is also worth a look. It was built in 1935, modelled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The Memorial of Rebirth is newer, unveiled in 2005 to commemorate the victims of the Romanian Revolution of 1989. It is often called “the toothpick and the olive”.
• The famous painted monasteries of Moldovita, Sucevita, Humor and Voronet are in the north.
• Romania has more than one third of Europe’s mineral and thermal springs. Spas include: Mangalia, Neptun, Eforie Nord and Covasna.