Horse-drawn carts jostle for space against fast cars whose drivers are talking money on mobile phones; farm workers watch The Apprentice on satellite in their medieval farmhouses. No longer the weird kid of Europe it was under Ceausescu's despotic tutelage, Romania is now making new friends and passed the entrance exams for NATO and the European Union with flying colours.
BUCHAREST
● When To Go
May and June are the best months to visit, followed by September and early
October. At these times, you can visit the medieval painted monasteries in
southern Bucovina, and enjoy them minus the tourist hordes. Spring and
autumn are also the best times for birdwatching in the Danube Delta. Romania
has harsh winters, when tourism is centred on the ski resorts like Poiana
Brasov and Sinaia. Snow lingers as late as mid-May and the hiking season
doesn't begin in earnest till June. The resorts along the Black Sea coast
start filling up in late June and stay packed until mid-August.