The seacoast of the Black Sea

The Romanian seacoast of the Black Sea spread on a distance of 244 km, from the fascinating Danube Delta, to the border with Bulgaria. The southern are of the seaside, covering a surface of over 70 km in length has been transformed in a chain of resorts that satisfy even the most demanding people.

The huge areas of golden sand and beautiful weather from spring to fall make this Romanian seacoast resorts the perfect destination for a vacation at the sea.

Constanta is the second largest city in Romania (after Bucharest). The city has a 2600 year old history, and it is the largest port in the country.

On the northern part of the peninsula Istria, more than two thousand six hundred years ago, the great city, Histria, was built by the Greek navigators and merchants who settled there, for the purpose of trading with the Geto-Dacian natives. The olive oil, the wine, the Greek jewelry were traded for grains, honey, bee wax, cow skins, salted fish, given by the local tribes. Histria thrives and develops for eight centuries, surrounded by a strong defense wall. The settlement was fueled with water through pipes, over 20 km long, and the streets were paved with rock. In the Roman period, they built temples for the Roman gods, public bathrooms, neighbourhoods with beautiful houses of the rich citizens.

Histria is the oldest urbane settlement in the country, it has been digged out since 1914.

From the city sights we recommend:

The Constanta Mosque was built in the year 1920 over an old mosque. The minaret (50 m tall) and cupola were made from reinforced steel. Limestone was used for building the columns and stairs, and for the big front gate- black marble brought from Italy. The building has a beautiful interior painting, that is dominated by green, cobalt blue, pale ochre and red.

The Roman-Catholic Saint Anton Church, built in a Romanic style, in 1937, in the place of another catholic church dated in 1885. It was made of red bricks and it has a square tower.

Schimbarea la Fata, the Greek church was built between 1863 and 1865 with the contribution of the city’s Greek colony, who received the approval of sultan AbdulAzis for its building. It has a small tower on the right side of the roof. The stairs and pavement were carved in marble brought from Greece.

Contanta Aquarium, built on the seaside of the casino, houses a great variety of fresh and salt water fish, from Romania and also from other places. It holds 2000 fish from 60 species.

Constanta Casino is mostly famous for the nearby seaside, a place for promenades, for tourists and the people of Constanta.

The Dolphinarium houses many beautiful mammals, gifted with a special intelligence, that amazes and entertains at the same time. The dolphin’s water show is completed by seals and penguins.

The Romanian Navy Museum, opened in the building of the former Naval School, has a unique patrimony; it present the history of the Romanian commercial and military navy, from the simple boat carved in a tree, to today’s modern ships.

The Art Museum holds valuable paintings, sculptures and graphics from the end of the last century until today.

The Archeology Museum presents the most important values of material and spiritual culture from the old Tomis, but also many other discoveries from Dobrudja’s territory. Sarcophagus dated in the I-III century can be found in the museum’s yard. In the halls you can see many agricultural objects from the slave period, Greek-roman amphora, coins, objects that were used in commerce. The museum also houses the snake Glycon, a marble representation of a fantastic animal, with a body of a snake and a mouth of a mammal.

From Constanta it is easy to get to any other resort from the coast of the Black Sea.

Mamaia is the oldest resort of the Romanian seacoast and it’s currently the largest. In 1906 a wooden bridge that continues into the sea was built with cabins on each side. The building of the Casino, the villas and the summer residence of King Ferdinand after 1916 led to quick development of the resort. Any tourist that arrives in Mamaia wishes to see at least three attractions: The Holiday Village, Aqua Magic and Telegondola. One of the most famous restaurants in Mamaia is The Pirate Inn, built in the shape of a ship on lake Siutghiol.

The Holiday Village is a picturesque place, original for the fact that it reunites Romanian traditions from all over the 40 counties.

Aqua Magic, located at the entrance in Mamaia, on a surface of 2 hectares, is the first aquatic park in Romania.

Telegondola, the most modern funicular with the gondola in Europe, climbs up 50 meters in the air, it moves over the promenade on a distance of 2,2 km, with a speed of 5 m per second. From the telegondola tourists can admire the beach, the sea, but also the beautiful view of Lake Sutghiol.

Lake Siutghiol has just one island, Ovidiu, formed from calcareous stone, with a surface of 2 hectares and a maximum altitude of 5 m. On Lake Siutghiol (7,5 km in length, 2,5 km wide, a surface of 1900 hectares, 17 m maximum depth) you can practice water ski, yachting, scuba diving, surfing etc.

From Mamaia, you can easily visit villages specific to this area, the ruins of the ancient Greek fortress of Histria and the Danube Delta.

North Eforie is a resort located 14 km south of Constanta, between the sea and Lake Techirghiol. North Eforie combines entertaining tourism with bathing tourism. It is renowned for its treatments with the natural factors existing here. The first mud bath establishment was built in 1901. The resort has 2 treatment bases that function all around the year.

Neptun-Olimp are the most luxurious resorts on the Romanian coast, initially built as vacation centers for the communist nomenclature. Here, you can enjoy the comfort of luxurious villas or excellent quality hotels, some of them located right on the beach, and others in quiet Comorova forest, which spreads between the coast and the lake. The Neptun-Olimp resort is the starting point for a visit to different sights; from here trips can be organized on the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea, to Balcic, Albena, The Golden Sands, Varna.

Mangalia is a settlement as old as Tomis and it used to be an ancient Greek colony, named Callatis. Today’s name of the resort, Mangalia, comes from Pangalia, which in the Byzantine Greek meant “the most beautiful”. A special sight is the Callatis fortress, from which some vestiges were kept.

The most southern resort from the coast of the Black Sea, Mangalia enjoys an unchallenged interest from tourist all over the world, harmoniously combining traditional elements with modern elements. Mangalia is the only sea resort that has mineral springs, discovered and used since the Romans. These, along with the mud from Lake Techirghiol and the sea water, make Mangalia o resort well-known for its bathing treatments, unique in Europe.

The fortified Greek colony, Callatis, built in the VI-th century B.C. had become the watering resort Mangalia. Here, you can enjoy a great variety of treatments, including rich in minerals mud baths, thalassotherapy and the famous Romanian diet with Gerovital.

3 km from Mangalia and 500 m from the shore of the Black Sea you can find the Mangalia Stud. In your spare time, Mangalia Stud offers a ride with the carriage along the shore or horsemanship lessons.