Sports and leisure activities Romania

Budget & Tips

Bucharest's many parks lend themselves well to running (especially Regele Mihai 1, ex Herăstrău, in the north). But beware, many of them are crowded at weekends. Their paved paths are also popular for rollerblading. In winter, they're popular for tobogganing. The same applies to the larger cities such as Timișoara, Iași, Cluj and Oradea, reputed to be Romania's greenest city.

There are many opportunities for hiking in the country, especially in the Carpathian Mountains and their foothills. Trails are generally well-marked in the natural parks, but more uncertain outside them. Another hiking option is the Via Transilvanica, a 1,000 km route linking Drobeta-Turnu Severin to Putna. The number of signposted bike and mountain bike trails is also growing. The Transylvanian hills around Saschiz and Sighișoara, as well as Maramureș, are among the best places for cycling.

The lakes of the Carpathians offer great swimming opportunities.

What's very local

Romania is rich in thermal waters, with a large number of resorts, some of which date back to the Roman Empire! They are very popular with locals, who come to enjoy the benefits of sulphurous waters, salt lakes, therapeutic mud unctions... The country also abounds in salt flats, where people come to breathe air with curative virtues. Many of these salt caves have been equipped with leisure facilities, as in Turda.

Winter sports are becoming increasingly popular, and the infrastructure is expanding. Romanian ski slopes are among the cheapest in Europe. Local originality: in the countryside, you can take a sledge ride... pulled by a horse!