Romania is a sovereign state, located in the southeast of Europe. It is in the intersection of the Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The country is surrounded by several countries with Ukraine located on the north and Bulgaria at the south with Moldova and Hungary situated on the east and west of Romania. The coast of Romania, at the southeast of the country, faces the Black Sea.

The oldest human remains that were found in the Pestera cu Oase, the Cave of the Bones, located in the Caras-Severin county in southwestern Romania. The remains were carbon dated to be from 40 thousand years ago. It is also the oldest known Homo sapiens in Europe. The earliest European civilization is also located in Romania and it started during the Neolithic Age. The civilization was located in Cucuteni, in the northeastern of Romania, and was known as the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture.

Like most civilizations in the world, it all started at the deltas and the rivers. In Romania, it started at the Danube and Dniester rivers. These two places were inhabited by the Thracian peoples, including the Dacians and the Getae. The Thracians were a group of the Indo-European tribes that were inhabiting in the large area of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The Thracians at the Danube and Dniester rivers spoke the same language but they had a religious difference.

The Dacian kingdom under Emperor Trajan was attacked by the Roman in 101-106 AD. Half of the Dacian kingdom became a province of the Roman Empire known as the ‘Dacia Felix.’ The Roman rule lasted for 165 years and during these time, the Dacia Felix became fully integrated into the empire. The Roman troops pulled out of Dacia around 271 AD and the area was later invaded by various other people.

During the Middle Ages, the Romanians lived in three principalities or princedoms. These were in Wallachia, Moldavia and the Transylvania. The independent Romanian area in Transylvania existed since the 9th century but in the 11th century, the area of Transylvania had become an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Hungary. In both Wallachia and Moldavia, many small states with varying degrees of independence were developing. In the 14th century, these states emerged to fight the threat of the Ottoman Empire. When Ottoman Empire conquered and integrated the Balkan peninsula and most of Hungary in 1541, Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania still maintained partial or full internal autonomy. These lasted until the mid-19th century except for Transylvania which had ended in 1711.

In 1600, all of these three principalities were ruled by the Wallachian prince Michael the Brave. He was considered as the precursor of modern Romania. He also became the catalyst to achieve a single Romanian state. The nationalistic themes became the principal during the Wallachian uprising in 1821 and the revolutions in both Wallachia and Moldavia in 1848. The revolutions failed and not all of the Great Powers of the world supported the Romanians to be united and officially have a single state. This had led to the Crimean War in which the aftermath had made Wallachia and Moldavia voted for Alexandru Ioan Cuza as their leader in 1859. In 1877-1878, Romania had helped Russia during the Russo-Turkish War. The aftermath of the war, Romania was finally recognized as an independent state by both the Ottoman Empire and the Great Powers by the Treaty of San Stefano and the Treaty of Berlin. The new Kingdom of Romania was born.

Romania had adopted the tri-colour flag that was used in Wallachia and Paris during the revolutions of 1848. The flag had blue-yellow-red horizontal colours but the officially adopted, the national flag had the colours vertically. Romania has its capital in Bucharest, in the southeast of the country.

The Romanian official language is the Romanian language. It is spoken by 24-26 million people as of today, with it being the native language to the state of Romania and Moldova. The Romanian language is also one of the official languages of the European Union.  

Romania is a secular state and thus it has no official religion of the state. The people of Romania is one of the most religious countries in the European Union and the majority, about 80% of the citizens are Orthodox Christians. There are about 11% of the people in Romania identified as other Christians such as Protestant and Catholics. The rest of the people are divided into a small percentage of atheist and other religions including Islam and Jew.

How to Get There?

By Plane

The easiest way to travel to Romania is by taking a flight. A return ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Bucharest, Romania starts from RM 3,100. There is no direct flight to Bucharest and depending on the flight operator; the layover may be in Doha, Dubai, and any other nearby countries. The flight, excluding the layover time, will take about 14 hours.

A Malaysian passport holder needs to obtain a tourist visa before travelling to Romania. The maximum number of days to stay in Romania is 15 days as stated in the visa. Application of the visa may be made at the Embassy of Romania located in Kuala Lumpur. The application will take 3 – 7 days to be completed.

By Bus

Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport has express bus service to two railway stations in Bucharest; the Gara de Nord and Gara Basarab. The express bus service also serves 783 routes to the city centre.

By Taxi

Travellers may order taxis at the Bucharest Henri Coanda International Aiport by simply using the touchscreen system available at the arrival terminals. This system was built to prevent illegal taxis from entering the airport and ripping the passenger offs.

What to Do There?

Bran Castle

Bran Castle is a national monument and a landmark in Romania. It is a fortress that is located between the border of Transylvania and Wallachia, near Bran. The Bran Castle is commonly known as the ‘Dracula’s Castle,’ with the legend of Dracula was linked to this castle. There is no evidence of the that the author of Dracula knew anything about this castle. It was linked mainly due to the association with the Vlad the Impaler, voivode (governor) of Wallachia. Today, the Bran Castle is a museum that is dedicated to displaying arts and furniture collections of Queen Marie, the last Queen of Romania. The interior of the castle is open for tourists to explore on their own or with tour guides. At the bottom of the hill where the castle is located, there is a small open-air museum park. This place held an exhibition on traditional Romanian peasant structures such as cottages and barns from all over the country. The Bran Castle opens every day from 9 am to 4 pm, except for Monday where it opens later at 12 pm. The castle is located on the north of Bucharest, about three hours away.

Balea Lake

This is a glacier lake carved into the rugged stones of the Fagaras Mountains, some 2000 meters above sea level, in central Romania. The Balea Lake is perfect for not only sightseeing but also for hiking, cycling and even skiing. There are several hiking routes starting from the Balea Lake that leads up to the mountains’ peaks and the valleys. The highest peak, at 2544 meters high is the Moldoveanu and the hike will take about nine hours to complete. For those who are looking for a shorter hike, the second highest peak, the Negoiu is at 2535 meters high will just take about five hours. Balea Lake is four hours away from the capital of Romania.

Where to Stay?

JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel

JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel is a luxury hotel that is located in the heart of Bucharest. It is a great place to stay while travelling to Bucharest. The hotel offers four types of room, starting from as low as RM 508 for its Deluxe room to RM 750 for its Executive room on the Executive level. Its Junior Suite starts at RM 1400+ a night and the most exclusive room, the Suite, is RM 1590 a night. The rooms are spacious, with the most comfortable stay is promised to the guests. The staffs of the hotel give excellent services to the guests, thus promising the best hotel experience one could get. The JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel is just ten minutes away from the city centre of Bucharest.

Ibis Bucharest Gara de Nord

This is a perfect hotel for those who are on a budget but still do not want to compromise comfort while travelling. Ibis Bucharest hotel is located just fifteen minutes away from the city centre of Bucharest and it is near to the Gara de Nord train station. The hotel offers its room from as low as RM 225 for its most basic room, the Standard room, up to RM 445 a night for its Comfort Suite. The Ibis Bucharest is the best bang for the buck hotel in Bucharest, with a comfortable stay and its strategic location, near to the public transportation service.