Romania Travel Guide

Best known as the home of Count Dracula, Romania is an imposing landscape of forests, medieval churches, seaside villages and historic gems. Bran Castle, the inspiration for Dracula's castle is the country's top tourist attraction, but there is more to this Balkan state than fictional fame.

The forests covering the Carpathian Mountains shelter Europe's last remaining healthy population of brown bears, wolves and lynxes while a white sandy coastline along the Black Sea provides families with picturesque seaside holidays. Medieval churches, monasteries and other UNESCO World Heritage sites are also found in this overlooked part of the world.

Hikers, walkers and sportsmen will enjoy the untouched natural scenery and those pursuing a spot of historical interest will find Romania's history of Roman, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian rule have left a mosaic of cultural intrigue. The capital of Bucharest has beautiful architecture as do the small villages with their preserved churches and country buildings.