Surprising Romania
Today we find out about some New Year's Eve offers in Romania
Daniel Onea, 02.01.2025, 13:24
Today we find out about some New Year’s Eve offers in Romania. In addition to these, we will also talk about unique experiences, such as meeting the ostrich Baltazar, who is preparing to become the mascot of Almaju Valley.
Alina Roșoiu is the project manager of a platform that aims to promote surprising, but also unique Romania. We thus learned about a special objective: the Museum of Cloths and Stories, in the village of Mândra, between Brașov and Sibiu. Right at the entrance to the village, you will be greeted by a sign that says “Welcome to Mândra, the village of cloths, onions and stories.” Beyond the fact that the museum highlights the heritage of the place, it also hosts “Mother Ruța’s Spindle Around the World”. So far, the weaving tool has already traveled over a million kilometers around the world, through places and destinations of the most diverse types: South America, Korea, Siberia, Bali, and many other places. The famous spindle brings and carries stories, but also promotes the Romanian village, with its cultural and human values, through an international travel project. At the museum, there is also an exhibition dedicated to the spindle, and a lot of local stories, or stories collected from around the world. And it is just one of the many proposals, says Alina Roșoiu.
“We have a special section dedicated to these types of activities, in which the authenticity of each place is promoted, whether we are talking about local gastronomic points, whether we are talking about activities that can be done in the respective area, or whether we are talking about leisure. The platform is divided into 18 tourist areas. For each tourist area, we find at least one unique point that we can try in the respective area.”
However, given the short period until the end of the year, we start with some New Year’s Eve offers.
“For those who have not yet made plans, there is still availability. For example, a three-star hotel in Vâlcea County, more precisely in the Băile Olanesti area, offers accommodation with all three meals included, with a party for the night between the years, with activities such as nature trails and live music. The rates are for all budgets. The price of the package starts from 1,500 lei (300 euros) for two people, two nights, and increases depending on the number of nights. It can reach up to 1,800 (360 euros) or 2,000 lei (400 euros) for a double room, all included. New Year’s Eve is almost here, but maybe some of us haven’t made any other plans or we want to try something else. In the Clisura Dunării area, a New Year’s Eve is organized in the old rite, with Serbian traditions, in a three-star guesthouse, with a campfire, with meat on the spit, with treks on Ciucaru Mare, with a “treasure hunt”. Rates here start at 3,900 lei (780 euros). Everything is included: accommodation, meals, party, DJ event, dances and fun workshops that the accommodation unit organizes for future guests.”
Not far from Clisura Dunării, you can also find the village of Ravensca. It is a small and quiet village, located on the peak of the Almaj Mountains in Caraş-Severin County, at approximately 760 meters above sea level. Ravensca is the smallest village in the chain of Czech villages in Banat, with approximately 100 inhabitants. Due to its ethnic specificity, the village is characterized by the accuracy with which the traditions and customs specific to the Czech people have been preserved. Being the most isolated of the six Czech villages in Banat, the old Czech language has been best preserved here, not being altered by either the Romanian or the Serbo-Croatian languages. In fact, says Alina Roșoiu, the project manager of a tourism platform, in addition to peace and relaxation, tourists often seek privacy. Some, even on New Year’s Eve.
“Another offer was created due to the interest of tourists in small locations, boutique hotel-type locations. We have a boutique hotel in the Râșnov area. In the years following the COVID period, tourists began to move towards small accommodation units, with a limited number of rooms, as boutiques are. They are attracted by the exclusive design of the rooms and the fact that each room has a different design. However, moving past New Year’s Eve and thinking about what the year 2025 will mean, because Timișoara was the European cultural capital, an interest in visiting the city was awakened among tourists. We all know that Timișoara is a city of premieres, being also the first electrically illuminated city in Europe. We are seeing an increase in the number of requests for Timisoara and the surrounding area.”
Timișoara impresses with its diverse architecture, in Baroque, Neo-Byzantine and Art Nouveau styles. Moreover, here you will find the largest pedestrian area in Romania, with a lot of terraces, restaurants, bars and clubs. Tourists will feel exactly like in a resort, far from the hustle and bustle of the big boulevards. Beyond the numerous shows and cultural events, the city of Timișoara is a spectacle in its own way, with museums, exhibitions and events that happen directly on the street. You will also be able to participate in longer or shorter gastronomy festivals, because Timișoara has set out to promote and develop itself more and more strongly as a gastronomic destination. However, also in western Romania, the Banatul Montan area really needs to be discovered, says Alina Roșoiu.
“In Valea Almajului, two small entrepreneurs set out to revitalize the area. A traditional house that was rediscovered, rethought, has now become a guest house. The Banatul Montan area has so much to offer that two weeks would not be enough. Whether we want to see the Moceriș Waterfall, whether we want to reach the Bigăr Waterfall, whether we want to see the Devil’s Lake or the Eye of the Bei, all of these are in the Almaj Valley or near the Almaj Valley. If you get to the Almaj Valley, you must also go to the ostrich farm and you must definitely meet Baltazar the Ostrich, the ostrich that is preparing to become the mascot of the Almaj Valley. He is an ordinary ostrich, but so cute that after the first photo he came to represent an entire area. Because in each area we look for the unique, and because the unique goes viral, we decided that Baltazar would be the image that will attract tourists to the Almaj Valley. He has a story, but you will have to find out the story when you get to the village of Moceriș. Romania deserves to be discovered both in spring, when you have the only opportunity to see the Tulip of the Cauldrons, in autumn, when the colors of the forest create an extraordinary picture, in summer when we all need a little coolness, the water of the Black Sea or the coolness of the forest, and in winter, when traditions are preserved better than ever.”
The invitation has been launched. Until next time, when we bring you the tourist retrospective of 2024, have a nice New Year’s Eve party and Happy New Year!
