# Real Romania

> Real Romania is an English-language, non-commercial travel guide to Romania published by the NGO Asociația Curaj Înainte. It skips the Dracula and communism clichés and organises the country through three lenses: the Good (nature, castles, monasteries, food and wine), the Bad (Holocaust sites, communist prisons) and the Ugly (Ceaușescu-era brutalism and the post-1989 transition).

Real Romania (realromania.info) is written in English by Romanians for curious travellers. Motto: "Cut the Dracula". Publisher: Asociația Curaj Înainte (NGO, CUI 39175610, https://curajinainte.org/). Built by Uzina din Nori (https://uzinadinnori.ro/).

Every page has a Markdown twin: add `.md` to its URL (the home page is /index.md). The full site as one file: https://realromania.info/llms-full.txt

## Guides

- [What to See in Romania](https://realromania.info/things-to-see-in-romania.md): Sights in Romania sorted as the Good (natural wonders, caves, historic towns, castles, monasteries), the Bad (WWII and Holocaust sites, communist prisons) and the Ugly (Ceaușescu's projects, 1989 Revolution sites, post-communist decay), with four itineraries (2–3, 4–5, 7–10 and 15 days) and a route planner from Bucharest.
- [What to Do in Romania](https://realromania.info/things-to-do-in-romania.md): Things to do in Romania month by month (festivals, folk customs, skiing, Danube Delta, wine harvest), human-scale experiences with local organisers, and a map of the transhumance shepherd routes.
- [What to Eat in Romania](https://realromania.info/things-to-eat-in-romania.md): Romanian food by region and season — sarmale, mici, ciorbă, mămăligă, papanași, Easter and Christmas dishes — EU-protected foods, and restaurant picks in 16 cities and regions.
- [What to Drink in Romania](https://realromania.info/things-to-drink-in-romania.md): Romanian drinks by season (țuică, pălincă, vin fiert, vișinată, socată, beer, wine), recommended beers, wines and spirits, and a map of wineries, breweries and distilleries.
- [Meeting Romanians](https://realromania.info/who-to-meet-in-romania.md): A guide to Romanian people and culture: basic greetings and dialogue, the best months to visit, traditions with pre-Christian roots, an honest look at society, and recommended films, documentaries, plays, classical music, sportspeople and inventors.
- [About Real Romania](https://realromania.info/about-us.md): Who runs Real Romania and why: a group of Romanian friends, hosted by the NGO Asociația Curaj Înainte, telling the country's story without clichés.

## Articles

- [Ciorba is as Ciorba Does](https://realromania.info/2025/12/ciorba-is-as-ciorba-does.md): A recent episode of Milk Street TV takes viewers on a culinary journey through Romania, dismantling the clichés to uncover a cuisine defined by resilience,…
- [Paris of the East or Something Wilder](https://realromania.info/2025/09/paris-of-the-east-or-something-wilder.md): Landing in Bucharest can feel chaotic. Crowds at passport control, the smell of cigarettes in the air, and a city that instantly comes across as…
- [Throwing a Dart, Landing in Romania](https://realromania.info/2025/09/throwing-a-dart-landing-in-romania.md): One random dart on a map brought Brett and his friend Joe to a country they knew almost nothing about: Romania. Within 24 hours of throwing that dart, they…
- [The Last Wild Frontier](https://realromania.info/2025/09/the-last-wild-frontier.md): Some travelers look for polished resorts and prepackaged tours. Patrick, Orla, and their Labrador Louie went looking for mud, mist, and a sense of raw…
- [Keeping Old Skills Alive on YouTube](https://realromania.info/2025/09/keeping-old-skills-alive-on-youtube.md): Not every corner of YouTube is built for clickbait or screaming thumbnails. Hidden in plain sight is Peasant Art Craft, a channel that feels like a time…
- [Eight Days Across Romania](https://realromania.info/2025/08/eight-days-across-romania.md): The duo behind Going to World goes on a eight-day road trip across Romania. What sets their journey apart is not the usual highlights, but their deliberate…
- [Fresh Eyes on Bucharest](https://realromania.info/2025/08/fresh-eyes-on-bucharest.md): The American duo behind The Passport Couple came to Bucharest with open eyes and healthy appetites. Their first stop was, of course, the Palace of Parliament…
- [EDITORIAL: Gambling for the Future?](https://realromania.info/2025/08/editorial-gambling-for-the-future.md): Picture this: in early 2025, Romanians funneled 5.5 billion lei into betting, lotteries, and online casinos — more than what was spent on hotel stays…
- [Could You Live in Romania?](https://realromania.info/2025/08/could-you-live-in-romania.md): After a month-long stay, two senior travelers weigh Romania’s pros and cons not as tourists, but as potential residents. The country, they find, offers more…
- [Romania’s Essential Ten](https://realromania.info/2025/08/romanias-essential-ten.md): This is one of the better YouTube videos about Romania and we salute the producers for it. A cheerful travel guide maps out Romania’s highlights, from the…
- [On the Road to Romania’s Dark Past](https://realromania.info/2025/08/on-the-road-to-romanias-dark-past.md): A traveler’s misadventures crossing from Hungary into Romania quickly turn into a crash course in the remnants of socialism. From wandering through a…
- [Robert Marshall Discovers the Vineyard](https://realromania.info/2025/08/robert-marshall-discovers-the-vineyard.md): Robert Marshall isn’t just passing through Romania—he’s making it a second home. A British wine enthusiast who first came here over a decade ago, he’s now…
- [Hidden Gems with Malina](https://realromania.info/2025/08/hidden-gems-with-malina.md): Malina’s Vibe is part of the neo-Romanian Youtube wave. In her Bucharest-focused episodes, Malina sidesteps the tourist traps and instead highlights the…
- [Chad and Claire Visit Bucharest](https://realromania.info/2025/08/chad-and-claire-visit-bucharest.md): More and more travel YouTubers are turning their cameras toward Bucharest and Romania, curious to capture the country’s mix of tradition and flavor. Chad and…

## Quick answers

- **Is Romania just Dracula and communism?** No. Dracula is a 19th-century Irish novel and communism ended in 1989. Romania is vast wild nature, castles, painted monasteries, Saxon towns, a living folk culture and serious food and wine — alongside honest reminders of war, dictatorship and concrete-era experiments. We call it the good, the bad and the ugly.
- **Is Bran Castle worth visiting?** Bran is often a tourist trap built on the Dracula legend; it is photogenic if you go off-peak. For the real Vlad Țepeș, climb the roughly 1,400 steps to Poenari Fortress, and spend the time you save in the Saxon fortified villages such as Prejmer, Hărman or Viscri.
- **When is the best time to visit Romania?** Late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September–October) are the sweet spot. July and August bring peak heat and crowds; winter is for skiing, Christmas markets and the masked New Year rituals of Moldavia and Maramureș. Orthodox Easter moves every year, so check the date.
- **How many days do I need in Romania?** Two or three days cover Brașov, a Saxon fortified church and Peleș Castle. Four or five days add Bucharest, Sighișoara, Viscri and Sibiu. Seven to ten days reach Cluj-Napoca and Maramureș. Fifteen days add Dobrogea, the Danube Delta, the Republic of Moldova and the painted monasteries of Bucovina.
- **What should I eat in Romania?** Start with sarmale (cabbage rolls), mici (grilled skinless sausages), a sour ciorbă soup, mămăligă (polenta) with cheese and sour cream, and papanași for dessert. Romanian food is seasonal: lamb and wild garlic at Easter, grills on 1 May, pork and cozonac at Christmas.
- **What should I drink in Romania?** Țuică (plum brandy) or the stronger pălincă as an aperitif, wines from native grapes such as Fetească Neagră, Fetească Albă and Tămâioasă from Dealu Mare, Drăgășani or Cotnari, local craft beer in summer and vin fiert (mulled wine) at winter markets.
- **Can I drive a rental car from Romania to the Republic of Moldova?** Most rental companies forbid or restrict it. Plan to return the car in Galați or Tulcea and pick up another in Iași after you are back in Romania, or choose a company with an explicit Moldova option. Allow one to three hours at the border.
- **Is Romania safe for tourists?** Romania is generally safe for tourists and reasonably supportive of equal rights, but differences remain: LGBTQ+ rights lag behind most EU peers and prejudice against the Roma community is still an unresolved issue.

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