Romania offers a rich tapestry of tourist attractions unique in Central-Eastern Europe: the medieval towns in Transylvania, the world-famous Painted Monasteries in Bucovina, the traditional villages in Maramures, the magnificent architecture of Bucharest, the romantic Danube Delta, fairy-tale castles, the Black Sea resorts and many more.

NO VISA Needed:

90 days : Japan, Luxemburg, Austria, Macao, Malaysia, Belgium, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, South Korea, Costa Rica, Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Finland, France, Sweden, Germany, Greece, Ukraine, Iceland, Italy

60 days : Turkey

90 days : Liechtenstein, Macedonia, UK, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Poland, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Hungary, Ireland, Yugoslavia

Unlimited : Moldova

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REFER TO www.mae.ro , the official website of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Romania.

Romania - General Information for the Backpacker

Here are some basic things to know:

No vaccinations required

A seat reservation is required for all fast trains

ISIC cards are accepted

EuRail is not accepted, while InterRail is accepted; though, even bearing an InterRail pass, you still need to buy the seat reservations for the fast trains.

Do not pay any "Environmental Tax" or "Tourist Tax" while in Bucuresti Nord Station, that is a dirty trick

The airport lies only 16 km. from Bucharest and a taxi ride should not go over the equivalent of USD 10; a ride from Bucuresti Nord Station to the centre should not go over the equivalent of USD 2.

Romania is covered quite well by 2 main GSM mobile phone networks: CONNEX and ORANGE; even in the mountains there is a good covering, on the ridges, in a clear day.

There are many internet cafes in the country, especially in bigger cities, and the rates vary widely, from USD 0.5 to USD 2 / hour.

Do not expect most official clerks (train conductors, ticket sellers, police officers a.o.) to speak English or any foreign language, despite the fact that exceptions from this rule have been reported

An everlasting topic, the gypsies have probably created more literature than good old Dracula. Living in thick cloth tents or in kitschy palaces, crossing Bucharest in the last Mercedes SLK or in horse-pulled carriages, they have a culture of their own, which, beyond its picturesque aspect, hides their inborn profession; with or without acknowledging it (simply because they are educated like that and perceive it as "normal"), they spend their lives swindling, begging, robbing, twisting the laws and always playing the hurt one; avoid them or take your chances and do not blame anyone afterwards.

Police officers are entitled to ask for your ID and your only accepted ID as a foreigner tourist is a passport.

Never change money in the street, as it is both illegal and useless. There are many exchange offices and also most banks will change your money into Romanian currency.

Avoid changing money in either Bucuresti Nord station or in the airport, as the rates in the exchange offices there are pretty bad.

ATMs are wider and wider spread, you can find them in most cities and towns.

If invited somewhere and you want to bring the host some flowers, be extremely careful, as this is taboo: an odd number of flowers is OK, while an even number of flowers is only taken to funerals; one usually only gives a single flower to the girl he loves, therefore bring your host at least three or so, to avoid being misunderstood.

Gay and lesbian travellers should be a bit discrete in public; despite the fact that the law no longer punishes gay and lesbian people nowadays, it is still against the law to have "homosexual acts" in "public".

A basic Latin people, Romanians like to shout and make a fuss around things, which doesn't always mean that they are necessarily mad or angry, it is sometimes just a way of expressing themselves.

Trains

For any updated information, one can always check the CFR timetable and other bits and pieces at www.cfr.ro , which is quite helpful and it also has an English version. Exact rates for the rides are also provided.

A basic train ticket on a certain A - B route is made up of the following parts:

•  the base ticket (the Personal rate)

•  the selected train supplement (the Accelerat or Rapid or IC / EC / EN / ICE train supplement)

•  the seat reservation (compulsory for all trains except for the Personal)