About Us

Real Romania is our attempt to show the incredible richness of experiences waiting for anyone who chooses to visit our country—while putting to rest the tired clichés about Dracula and Communism. Romania is far more than a vampire myth and a dusty chapter in Cold War history. There’s an entire world here for any curious traveler to explore. And while we may joke around from time to time, we never mock our own, nor the people who spend their hard-earned money to come here.

We’re just a group of friends who’ve traveled widely, and we know how much a clear, honest message matters. Sadly, our official institutions don’t always deliver that message well. So it’s time for everyday Romanians—normal, decent people—to step up and tell our own story.

We’ve split this site into what you can do, see, eat, drink, and experience while you’re here. But we’ve also divided our story into three big categories:

• The Good – Vast stretches of unspoiled nature, from the surreal Danube Delta to mountain vistas that look like they were painted by giants. Castles in every style and mood. Architecture that once turned many of our big cities into little Parisian oases. Traditions that are still alive. Food and drink that can stand up to any cuisine in the world.
• The Bad – The parts we’d rather hide, but shouldn’t. The darker chapters we must acknowledge and learn from: our complicity in atrocities during WWII, the cruelty of early Communist Romania, and the slow, painful climb toward democracy—where elders, orphans, and dissidents suffered unthinkable abuse.
• The Ugly – The decades of Communist rule at its worst: grim brutalist blocks, Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu’s vanity projects, forced urbanization, the so-called “circular economy,” and a desperate push to pay off foreign debt that left the population starving. Entire neighborhoods bulldozed, churches moved like pieces in a deranged game of Tetris.

It’s all here—the good, the bad, and the ugly—laid out without sugarcoating. You can decide what amazes you most.

Cut the Dracula. This is the Real Romania!