What is Romania Famous for?

Of course we had to start with the famous Count Dracula´s legend. This famous Bram Stoker´s novel is for sure the most famous thing in Romania, we bet you have either hear the story, read the book, watch any of the hundreds of movies or at least dressed as a vampire.

For those who don´t know the whole story, the reason why Dracula is the most famous thing in Romania, is because it takes place in Bran Castle, really close to Brasov, one of the most important cities of Transilvania.

We had the opportunity of visiting Dracula´s castle during halloween and… nothing weird happened 🤣

Another thing Romania is known for, is for being a dangerous country. Some countries believe they are rude, others think they are thieves and almost everyone talks bad about them.

Well, if you are one of those, please visit the country first. Everyone, doesn´t mater if it is in big cities or in small towns is super friendly and charming. They welcome you kindly, they ty their best to communicate with you even when they don´t speak your language and they are always with a smile on their face.

If all that wasn´t enough, according to the Global Peace Index, released in 2019, Romania is the 25th safest county in the world.

Romania is also well known for its incredible nature, furthermore there are many people who call it the cheap Switzerland. The Switzerland part is due to how many mountains and natural sights you will find there, the cheap side we will explain it later.

Of all the natural places there is, the most famous ones are the Carpathians, which are the second largest mountain range in Europe.

If you are planning on traveling to Romania, we recommend you not just visitng Bucharest, but traveling through the whole country. It is the best way to discover its natural beauties.

Speaking of nature, another reason why Romania is famous, are the bears. Romania is home to the largest population of brown bears in Europe and many people have had random encounters with them while hiking.

If you have ever dreamed with spotting one in the wild, Romania is for sure your best option, but remember to always be respectful with them and their habitat.

On the other side if you are scared you will find one when visiting the mountains, don´t worry, they shouldn´t be dangerous if you leave them alone.

And this is the other reason why Romania is called the cheap switzerland. Romania is one of the most afforable countries in Europe, not just for living, but also for traveling.

We always recommend traveling to Romania, but if you don´t have a big budget, we recomment it even more, flying to Bucarest isn´t expensive at all if you do it with Wizz Air and once you are there, the food, hotels or hostels and even renting a car is very cheap.

Mămăligă is for sure one of the most famous things in Romania. Just so you can have an idea of how popular this dish is in Romania, during our almost 20 days trip throughout the country, there was no day where we didn´t eat it.

This romanian meal is pretty similar to Polenta, it is made with corn flour boiled in water with a pinch of salt and a few drops of oil. It is usually served as side dish, but it can also be eaten as starter.

If you have never tried it, you totally should during your trip to Romania, just don´t get as much as we did, or you will get tired quickly.

Although the economy and politics of Romania have improved a lot since the last communist dictatorship, everyone who has been in the country recently, will tell you how the leftovers of those days are still visible, that´s why the past communist is still one of the most famous things in Romania.

These dark days lasted in Romania for 40 years, from 1947 to 1989 and the situation got so bad, that when the revolution finally took place, Nicolae and his wife ended up being sentenced to death and executed on the Christmas Day of 1989.

Luckily, those days are gone now and the future for Romania seems much brighter.

Easter is with Christmas, the most important time of the year in Romania. During those days, they celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, and it is when families from all over the country get together.

During those days, many customs take place, but one of the most important ones is the painted easter eggs, every house or church will have their own eggs. Each egg is painted in different ways with different colours and symbols, all of them have a different meaning.

These tradition has always been related to religion, but now a days, it is more than that and the best painted eggs are considered authentic pieces of art.

If you are looking for the most famous Romanians, the dictator we mentioned before won´t be the only name you will come up with.

Nadia Comăneci isn´t just the most famous gymanstic ever in Romania, but probably in the world, or at least one of the best. With only 14 years old, she managed to score the first ever perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics, but that wasn´t it, she also won 9 Olimpic medals including 5 gold medals.

Other famous romanian people and sport players you may recognize from Romania are Simona Halep, Gheorghe Hagi and Ilie Nastase.

We told you Romania is one of the best places to enjoy and admire nature and we weren´t lying. If the Carpathian Mountains weren´t enough for you, we recommend you going to the Danube Delta.

It is one of the largest and best-preserved deltas in Europe and it is home to more than 300 different species of birds and almost 50 different species of fish. The views are also quite impressive and the best part comes at the end of the day when sunset happens.

Another thing Romania is also very famous for is its monasteries, being more specific, the ones you will find in the Bucovina region.

There 8 different monasteries of this kind and they are so unique and impressive that are even listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

What makes these monasteries so special are the paintings of the exterior walls which show saints and prophets, images of angels and demons…

If you have the chance we recommend you visiting the ones in Humor, Moldovita and Suceava.

Last of all, another popular thing from Romania is the sarmale. After the polenta, sarmales are the second most famous dish in Romania.

 The main ingredients to make this Romanian food are minced meat mixed with spices, rice, and onions, rolled up in sour cabbage leaves, and bethed in a kind of tomato sauce. But the best thing about them, is that they can be done in ver different ways, so if you are vegetarian or vegan don´t worry because you will also be able to try them.