TRAVEL PLANNING
Climate – when to go
The average annual temperature is 11 ° C in the eastern part and on the coast, but only 2 ° C in the mountains. Winters can be extremely frosty and foggy, with significant snowfall from mid-December to mid-April. Hot, sunny summers are typical of the Black Sea coast. The amount of rainfall varies and ranges from 600 do 700 mm, most of which are in the spring season, most in the mountains, least in the Danube Delta.
The most favorable months for traveling in Romania are certainly May and June, then September and early October. The arrival of spring heralds the appearance of wild flowers, melting snow and the melodious singing of birds. In the higher areas, snow remains until mid-May; the mountain hiking season begins after mid-June at the earliest. The holiday resorts on the Black Sea coast begin to pick up at the end of June and remain full until August. Romania, known for its snowy winters, is a great attraction for skiers, the most frequent visitors to the town of Poiana Brasov, located near Brasov, and the spa town of Sinaia.
Maps and guides
It is hard to recommend anything, since there is actually nothing. The only available tourist and car map in Poland is published in Hungary by Carthographia (scale 1:1 000 000). The most important attractions are marked on it, roads and lanes were distinguished quite well, but it is impossible to deduce from it, whether it is a good idea to travel uphill or downhill, whether it was left to the selected shelter 6 if 11 km etc.. Map, however extremely accurate and reliable, does not include hiking trails, simply because their web is too dense. In Romania, the maps are said to be - at least the inhabitants themselves say so – that's just that, that usually these maps cannot be bought anywhere. The expenditures have been exhausted, and no reprints came out. Sometimes, after strenuous search, it may be found somewhere under the counter in a forgotten bookshop,or the SurMont Sports store in Sibiu or Sinai) a dusty map of some part of the mountains (tourist map). However, diligence and accuracy of military maps known from Poland should not be expected. The travelers, who searched out this type of "white crows."”, at first glance, they had an impression, that it is a duplicated amateur hand-drawn sketch. It's worth asking, maybe the copy of Invitafie in Carpati was lost somewhere, set 24 tourist maps of the most important mountain areas, with marked trails, peaks, huts, etc.. and descriptions of the most frequented routes. As a last resort, the hikers you meet in the mountains will definitely let you have a look at their map and share their own experiences., of course, as discussed in Language.
Things are no better with guides. It can be considered with a high degree of probability, that Pascal's book is the only current item on the Polish publishing market. Guides, which appeared in the years 70. if 80., long lost their relevance. They will probably serve as a source of general information about the country, but their purely tourist information has shifted to the "History”. Comprehensive English-language Rough Guide (1995) he also began to nudge his mouse faintly, a revised version appears in 1998 r. The excerpt about Romania in the guide by the Australian publisher Lonely Planet Eastein Europa should be considered the most recent; which doesn't mean, that the best. It served as the basis for this item, supplemented with details and corrected on the basis of information collected personally by Polish travelers in Romania in 1997 r. and enriched with numerous polonica. W 1998 Lonely Planet is planning to publish the first comprehensive Romanian travel guide of the year this year – ask at the branches of the Traveler's Store.
Computer services
The Internet is also slowly entering Romania. One of the most valuable sources of information is the free electronic monthly Romanian Press Review (RPR), which is available for subscription, by sending an e-mail (rompr@halcyon.com). Soros Foundation (http://www.soroscj.ro), promoting the slogan of "open society”, gives access to web servers in all offices throughout the country (some of them allow visiting students and professors to view their own e-mails). Bucharest home page (http://www.bucharest. com / bucuresti.html) presents local news and interesting photos from the revolution from 1989 r. and hundreds of websites on Romania. Virtual Romania (http://www.info.po-lymlt.ca./romania) contains current news and dozens of other calls. Academy of Economic Studies (http://www.infocib.ase.ro.) has connectivity to gopher servers, offering information on Romania. There are two websites dedicated to Timisoara (http://www.webcom.com/timis). A good source of news is the soc.culture.romanian group. Dracula fans will find something for themselves on the Dracula home page (http://www. usc.mun.ca./emiller/).
What to take on a trip
You may find anti-mosquito agents useful, toilet paper (as in Poland, it is different in public toilets) and a small flashlight. People who intend to stay overnight in tents or hike in the mountains should bring their own equipment. The times are gone, when jeans and T-shirts with English inscriptions were perfect as interchangeable goods or bribes. On the other hand, Romanian stores are becoming more and more "normal"” and in larger cities you can stock up on some missing detail of the basic equipment. Everywhere, even in small towns, personal care products are available – soap, Powder, toilet paper, sanitary napkins.
There is no need to take a fur coat with you for the entire trip, especially since food in Romania is cheaper than in Poland or Hungary. You can buy anything in the cities, even bread on saturday night. On store shelves, they are waiting for the buyer of cold meats, dairy, bread, preserves, vegetables, fruit, candy, all kinds of drinks. Western products, however, have Western prices, so better trust the local food industry.
Most importantly, the best means of payment is cash. Banks, Travel agencies and larger hotels accept traveller's checks, but at low rates. American dollars and euros are the most preferred (less often British pounds), but no one is offended, if the tourist pays the amount due in funnels.
SUGGESTED COUNTRY ROUTES
The suggested routes depend on the length of your stay.
Two days – Brasov and Sinaia.
Week – Brasov, rail, Bran/Risnov, Sighisoara, possibly Cluj-Napoca. If Bulgaria is the next leg of your journey, worth it
spend a day or two exploring Bucharest.
Two weeks – Brasov, rail,
Bran/Ri§nov, Sighi§oara, Sybin, Kluż-Napoka i Oradea, at least a week's hike in the mountains. Instead of Cluj and Oradea, you can see Bukovina monasteries. Bucharest should not be missed.
Month – the most recommended regions are Transylvania, Moldova, Bukovina and the Danube Delta.