The Romanian Black Sea Shore stretches for some 244 km in the southeast of the country with modern resorts, ideal for summer holidays, strung along 72 km of the southern shore. Hotels, ranging from 1 to 4 stars, offer a high standard of comfort and service, while restaurants are always eager to welcome guests with their wide selection of Romanian specialties and international cuisine. The climate of the sea coast is mild and dry. In summertime, the days are long and hot, and the sun shines up to 10-12 hours. The broad, gently sloping beaches of soft, fine sand are ideal for sunbathing and ideal for children; the sea water is limpid, with a relatively low salt concentration (17-18 g/l), and the gentle wave action is excellent for "thalasso-therapy" - particularly effective in the treatment of rheumatism.

Silver Sand, Golden Sun

Constanta, Romania's second biggest city and the largest port on the Black Sea, was documented as early as the 6th century B.C. as the ancient Greek city of Tomis, indeed ruins may still be visited today. Other attractions include the waterfront Casino, the Aquarium, Dolphinarium, Planetarium, the Archaeological and Natural History Museum, which includes the unique Glykon and Roman Mosaic, the Romanian Navy Museum and the Mahnudiye Mosque with its 50-m high minaret.

Mamaia (5 km north of Constanta), the oldest resort of the Romanian Black Sea coast, is particularly suitable for families on account of it's safe, 8 km long, 100-200 m wide beach, fringed by wild pear trees, and renowned for its fine, soft sand. The resort boasts over 60 hotels, as well as a large number of villas and bungalows. A nice place to stay is the Holiday Village, conceived as a mixture of Romanian traditions, representative of Romania's 40 counties. On the nearby Siutghiol Lake, facilities are provided for water skiing, sailing and wind surfing.

South of Constanta: health, youth and elegance

Costinesti is the resort of the young. Every year there is an extensive program of cultural events and entertainment including "Serbarile Marii" (The Sea Festival), the "Young Actors' Gala", the "Young People's Film Festival" and a "Jazz Festival". Sports facilities include tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts. In the evening, the Vox Maris disco and Disco Ring rock with young people dancing to the latest summer hits.

Eforie Nord (14 km south of Constanta) is well-known as a health spa, in particularly for treatment of disorders of the locomotors system. Hotels "Steaua de Mare", "Meduza" and "Delfinul" incorporate their own treatment center. The waterfront is spectacular with cliffs rising 25 to 35 m. Eforie Sud has earned a name for the treatment of rheumatism, dermatology afflictions and bone diseases. Nearby, Lake Techirghiol provides the black, sapropelic mud that has won worldwide recognition for its special curative properties.

Neptun and Olimp, the most elegant of the coastal resorts, are situated 38 km south of Constanta, on the edge of the Comorova forest, which provides an attractive lush setting with artificial lakes and ozone-rich air. All of the rooms in the hotels Amfiteatru, Belvedere and Panoramic at Olimp benefit from a sea view. Hotels in Neptun include the "Neptun" and "Miorita", as well as the hotel "Doina" which boasts facilities for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, and for geriatric cures based on Gerovital. There are also a wide range of entertainment and sporting facilities including an outdoor cinema and summer theater, the Neptun Bazaar, multipurpose sports grounds, mini-golf, an entertainment park and watersports facilities. Restaurants offer a varied assortment of cuisine in addition to folklore shows - for example the "Calul Balan" which serves traditional fare, the "Neptun" wine cellar and a specialty fish restaurant, the "Insula".

Jupiter, located between the Comorova woods and the Black Sea shore, was built around the artificial Tismana lake. It attracts young visitors with nightlife focused on the "Paradis" disco-bar. Cap-Aurora, situated on a rocky promontory, is the newest resort on the Romanian beach, with hotels taking their names from precious stones. The hotels of Venus all have girls' names. Popular attractions include the "Catunul" restaurant, constructed in the traditional Dobrujia style, which imitates an authentic local homesteadand sports facilities such as badminton, tennis and rowing. Saturn, which lies on a sheltered bay near Mangalia, offers a 1500 place camp site and two holiday villages, "Dunarea" and "Delta". There are facilities for bowling, mini-golf, tennis, volleyball and riding.

Mangalia, 45 km south of Constanta, is the southernmost resort on the Romanian Black Sea coast. The beach of fine sand is excellent for thalasso-therapy and aerohelio-theraphy. The President hotel, which incorporates the Business Center "Marea Neagra", was built above part of the ruins of the ancient Greek city Calatis which was founded in the 6th century B.C. These have been conserved and can be visited in a special hall within the building. The "Mangalia" hotel has its own watering treatment facility and is open all year round.