Winter fun in Romania

Besides the rich Christmas and New Year’s Eve traditions and the sparkling Christmas Markets in the big cities, there are other activities to enjoy during the winter holidays.

Outdoor activities in the cold, fresh air will surely make your cheeks rosy and awaken your senses. Skiing is a popular sport as there are mountains all over the country; the Carpathian Mountains represent 27.8% of the total area of Romania! The ski slopes located at altitudes between 600 and 1,800 meters offer slopes of varying difficulty, to serve both beginners and experienced skiers. Some of the famous ski resorts in different historical regions are: Borşa in Maramureş; Vatra Dornei in Bucovina; Sinaia, Azuga and Buşteni in the Prahova Valley in Muntenia; Voineasa in Oltenia; Semenic in Banat; and Poiana Braşov, Păltiniş, Predeal, Straja, Arieşeni în Transylvania.

A bath in hot thermal waters is a delight during the long, cold winter nights. Perhaps Romania’s most famous spa resort is Băile Herculane (Hercules Baths), known since Roman times. They were first documented in AD 153, when the Latin name was Ad Aquas Herculi Sacras Ad Mediam, meaning the Holy Waters of Hercules from Ad Mediam.

The largest thermal spa is Felix Baths, which has numerous spa and leisure facilities and 7,000 hotel beds!  The thermal waters used for various treatments have a temperature ranging from 20-49 degrees Celsius. Another local natural attraction are the two species of water lily that grow on the thermal lakes at the center of the resort: the pink-blossoming Indian Lotus (the sacred lotus or Nelumbo Nucifera), and the White Water Lily (Nymphae Lotus Thermalis).

Winter in the countryside will bring back childhood memories and let you discover the ancient rhythms of life. In the 21st century, visitors are welcome in hundreds of archaic villages situated in picturesque locations all over Romania. There are mountain villages with scattered houses situated at altitudes of over 1000 meters, others stretching along river valleys, or on the hills, among orchards and vineyards, in the majestic immensity of the plains, and some are hidden away on the youngest land in Europe, the Danube Delta.

Every place has another story. Every place has its customs, traditional costumes and special gastronomy, yet linked by one common thread: they all seem to come from the very nature which surrounds them. Here, traditions and folk art are carefully kept from generation to generation and the warmth of the people will make you return over and over again.