Romania
EuropeLevel of surfing
Beginner
Quality of surf
Average
Call code
40
Net code
ro
Area
238392
Coastline
225 km
Climate
Temperate; cold cloudy winters snow and fog. sunny summers with showers and thunderstorms
Hazards
None
Best Months
November - January
Population
22276056
Currency
Leu (RON)
Time Zone
EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3)
Special Requirements
Limited Surfing Supplies Available
introduction
Wrh2: Location map for Romania, 16 July 2006
Romania is located in the Balkans on the Black Sea. With a Black Sea coast to the east, it is surrounded by Bulgaria to the south, Serbia to the southwest, Hungary to the northwest, Moldova to the northeast and Ukraine in both the north and the east.
While its southern regions are usually seen as part of Southeastern Europe, Romania's largest region, Transylvania, is in Central Europe.
Over the last hundred years, Romania has undergone significant development and it is shocking to some of its visitors that Romania, being a large country can be truly Western-Europe-like in some cities, whilst in some villiages, locals live as they did centures ago.
surfing
Sergei Gorski: Black Sea Sunset; c1915
With a total area of 436,400 square kilometres and depth of over 2000 metres in some places, there is easily enough space for persistant wind patterns to create rideable swell on this body of water. Naval battles have been fought here, empires born and lost on the shores. This area once maked the end of the civilised world as far as the Greeks were concerned. It marks the end of the popular definition of what surfing is all about as well. As surfers turn their eye towards places such as Romania, real suprises are only now beginning to apear around coastal spa towns such as Constanta - a new frontier awaits discovery.
what to pack
Fir0002: Canon-Deluxe Backpack-200-EG; 26 June 2005
Make sure you pack according to the season. Going in winter will require warm clothes, but rapid temperature drops are common so warm clothing is necessary even on hot summer days. Windproof and waterproof clothes will be good. There's lots of walking on uneven pavement and cobblestone streets in Romania, so comfortable sneakers or shoes will be great.
As usual, bring all medical things u need with you, as in some remote parts of the country it can be difficult to get them. Bring your own toilet paper and anti-septic hand-showerstuff, because the toilets are not always very clean.
Sunglasses and protective sun lotion, as well as a good repellent. All the gear if you plan to camp: a good sleeping bag and tent that are good for very low temp; special gas container u can use for heating food and water; a sturdy backpack or a cargo pack with a good daypack. Invest in a portable water filter or at least take some puri-tabs or boil the water.
Bring plenty of memory for digital cameras and bring plenty of batteries.
Pretty much everything can be bought in Romania nowadays. But again, travelling to the remote areas, better to bring everything with you.
If you want to help out an orphanage, collect warm clothes and bedlinen and bring them along as handluggage (if you tell the airline when checking in, they might allow you the excess baggage for free).
where to stay
Quantum junkie: Brasov City, 30 May 2007
Finding an accommodation in Romania is very easy, whether you are on a budget or splurge.
In all the touristic places, as soon as you get to the train station, several sales persons will come to you asking whether you need an accommodation. Those people welcoming you at the station often speak English, French and Italian. Because there are so many visitors in Romania, you will find that these people know to target tourists easily.
Unless you want to stay at the bigger cities (Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov and Iasi), it is not necessary to make a booking anywhere else.