The fact that it is not featured in the majority of travel agency windows does not mean that Romania is a country that is not worth visiting. Quite the opposite. There are beautiful cities, such as the well-known Bucharest.
I’m going to talk about the most important ones in this article, so I recommend paying attention to develop a route that allows you to visit them all. Shall we start?
Bucharest
It is the capital and the largest city of Romania, a place that has the privilege of being considered " little Paris ". It is full of shopping centers, its architecture is surprising, there are parks and gardens everywhere, prestigious museums, shops of the main luxury brands … In fact, there are even a lot of nightlife plans so you don’t get bored at any time. Its more than 2 million inhabitants are proud to be part of a city that surprises tourists, since they usually visit it with few expectations and leave with a very good taste in their mouths.
Cluj-Napoca
With just over 350,000 inhabitants, Cluj-Napoca is arguably the second largest city in Romania. It is very old, but you can see that its soul is young. It is in the heart of Transylvania (it is its former capital) and it has a history that you will want to know, as well as 11 universities that explain why in 2015 it was chosen as the European Capital of Youth . I recommend you stroll through its streets and stop in its squares to contemplate buildings influenced by Hungarian architecture, such as the Bánffy Palace, which is baroque in style and dates from the 18th century.
Timisoara
Timisoara is an important city for something more than its location (it is on the border that separates Romania from Hungary and Serbia). More than 300,000 inhabitants live in it, boasting heritage, especially when it comes to visiting its old historic center. It is known as " little Vienna " because it is full of museums and art galleries, as well as having many green areas as in the Austrian capital.
Iasi
It is very close to neighboring Moldova. It also has more than 300,000 inhabitants and it must be said that between 1916 and 1918, during the First World War, it was the capital of Romania after the Austro-Hungarian occupation. The first university in the country was built there, although apart from being known for it it is also considered an industrial power. I recommend you visit the Ticau neighborhood , which is on a hill called Iasi and is characterized by its narrow streets, the good atmosphere and the old buildings that make it up.
Constance
It has around 300,000 inhabitants and it is another city that is worth visiting. Constance has a port and a lot of history behind it, which is why no one is surprised that some of the buildings that the Greeks created when they passed through are still visible. It is an important cultural and economic center that has the privilege of having the fourth port in Europe after those of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Marseille.
Craiova
Less than 300,000 inhabitants live in Craiova, a city that also boasts a university and is home to important companies in sectors such as food, chemicals or construction, which is why it is not difficult to find work there. Of course, the proliferation of factories that the Jiu River , which accompanies it throughout its geography, is no longer what it used to be.
Brasov
Despite not having as many inhabitants as the previous ones, Brasov is a city very visited by tourists due to its proximity to Bran Castle, also known as Dracula’s Castle . It is only 25 kilometers away and that makes the most curious decide to spend a night or two there. In addition, in Brasov there is one of the best ski resorts in Romania, the Poiana ski resort.
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Galati
With about 250,000 inhabitants, Galati is fortunate to rest on the banks of the Danube River , which is why it has become an important river port located very close to the border with Moldova. There is the largest iron and steel production plant in the country, as well as a huge shipyard with good access to the Black Sea. There is also a university, which is public and first opened in 1974.
Ploiesti
We finished the review of the most important cities in Romania with another town with around 250,000 inhabitants. Ploiesti is relatively close to Bucharest (56 kilometers north) and is known as ‘ the capital of black gold ‘. This nickname is due to its four refineries and other industries that are closely related to the extraction and treatment of oil. In 1940 it suffered a serious earthquake, and years later it did not seem to recover because of the attacks it suffered when it became a source of oil for Nazi Germany. Anglo-American forces bombed it and it fell into Soviet hands in 1944.
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