Things to Do in Oman

The European Paintings and Sculpture galleries include mighty Old Master treasures from the private collection of King Charles I – the likes of Rembrandt, Rubens, El Greco and the Impressionists – while the Romanian Medieval collections feature glittering silver icons, rare manuscripts and stone sculptures in the Lapidarium, found in the restored cellars of the palace. The Romanian Modern galleries are jam-packed with works such as modernist sculptures by Constantin Brancuşi, the best-known of Romania’s 20th-century artists.

An ever-changing selection of temporary exhibitions highlights the best of contemporary Romanian art, from installations to photography, drawings and prints. The museum is currently in the process of handing back artwork stolen from Romanian nationals in the Soviet-era late 1940s, and guided tours of the palace’s sumptuous royal apartments are now available, at a cost of 20 lei.

The Princely Church in Curtea de Arges is one of the most important examples of medieval architecture south of the Carpathians in Romania. Built in the shape of a Greek cross with a dome resting on four pillars, the church is also the oldest Orthodox church in the region. The exterior of the church is notable for its alternating stone and brick layers, while the inside is home to what are possibly the oldest surviving examples of Romanian painting. The several hundred Byzantine style paintings date back to the 14th century and include a depiction of a pregnant Virgin Mary. Another highlight of the church is the tomb of Romanian ruler Radu I Basarab, which features a glass pane through which visitors can see the remains of his garments adorned with gold and precious stones.

Please note: The National Museum of Romanian History is partially closed for renovations. Exhibits may move to a temporary location in the interim. The reopening is scheduled for 2021.

The Macca Villacrosse Passage, also known as the Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse, is a fork-shaped arcaded street in central Bucharest. Covered with yellow glass to allow natural light to shine through, the passage was built at the end of the 19th century to connect the Calea Victoriei and the National Bank. Today, the Macca side of the passage opens on to Calea Victoriei, one of Bucharest’s main avenues, while the Villacrosse side opens to the National Bank and Strada Eugeniu Carada. The passage has a French look to it and is similar to other covered passages built in Milan and Paris during the same period. During Communist times, it was known as the Jewelry Passage due to the presence of the city’s largest jewelry shops, but the original name was restored in 1990. 

Today, the passage is still home to a few jewelry shops, but also features several restaurants, cafes, boutiques and hookah bars.

Romania’s most controversial building sits like a megalith in the middle of Bucharest, a monument to the folly and ego of fallen Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, who conceived his grandiose idea after visiting another dictator, Kim II-sung, in North Korea. Started in 1984 and designed by young Romanian architect Anca Petrescu, the palace was conceived from Ceaușescu’s wish for it to be the biggest office building in the world – and he almost got his way, with only the Pentagon being larger. Churches, synagogues and 30,000 private homes were demolished to make way for this awesome monstrosity, and its mammoth proportions include 12 stories (with four underground), 1,100 rooms and state apartments, a brutal Soviet Realist façade of 270 meters (886 feet) in length and a vast subterranean nuclear bunker. Around 20,000 builders worked for six years to complete the palace, working seven days a week and using only materials available in Romania. The austere exterior belies the fanciful interior, full of gleaming crystal chandeliers, plush auditoriums, gold leaf, hand-woven carpets, marble halls, bronze doors and carved wooden staircases.

Ceaușescu never saw his palace completed, although by the time he met his end by firing squad in 1989, it was virtually finished. After his death, it fell empty but is now the home of the Romanian Parliament, an international conference center and the National Museum of Contemporary Art – and still much of it lies empty and slowly decaying. 

Iasi is the largest city in eastern Romania, located near the border with Moldova. It has long been known as a leader of cultural, academic and artistic life in Romania and even served as the capital of the country from 1916 to 1918. Settlements in the area date back to the prehistoric age and the name of the town was first seen in records in the early 15th century, although many buildings still stand in the city that pre-date that. Iasi is home to the oldest Romanian university, the oldest and largest botanical garden in the country and the Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre, the oldest theater in Romania.

Iasi also has a strong religious heritage, with nearly a dozen monasteries and 100 historical churches in the city and the surrounding area.  Iasi was once home to more than 127 synagogues and its Great Synagogue dates back to the 17th century, making it one of the oldest in Europe.  Iasi’s Armenian Church was built in 1395 and its Metropolitan Cathedral is the largest orthodox cathedral in Romania.

Also of interest to visitors are the Natural History Museum and four museums housed within the Palace of Culture: Moldavia’s History Museum, the Ethnographic Museum of Moldavia, the Science and Technology Museum and an art museum. The Moldova State Philharmonic and the Opera House are sure to be draws for music-lovers.

This vast national park is one of Romania’s most important protected land areas. Home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including the Garofita Pietrei Craiului—a purple flower found only in Piatra Craiului—the open spaces, majestic mountains and towering trees here beckon travelers seeking refuge from city streets and urban centers. 

A diverse network of well-kept trails means outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of places to wander. And landmarks like the Zarnesti Gorges, Dambovicioara Cave and the virgin forests offer spectacular access to some of the country’s most beautiful natural wonders. An easy educational trail details the park’s most unique features, while the brown bear observatory and rock faces perfect for climbing offer opportunities for travelers going it with an expert guide.

Those in the know say the park’s northern and eastern valleys tend to get crowded on weekends. Those looking for a quiet retreat should stick to the areas between Podul Dambovitei and Static, near Lake Pecineagu, were fewer people gather on Saturday and Sunday. 

This picturesque Neo-Renaissance castle is located in the scenic Carpathian Mountains in Romania’s Prahova County. Built in the late 1800s, Peles is home to vast hand-painted murals, 170 rooms, 30 bathrooms and an impressive collection of art and arms. Visitors can tour the grounds and take in the garden statues, old-world paintings, rich tapestries and shining armor collected from Eastern and Central European. The Swiss stained glass vitralios are also worth a peek and rank high among Peles Castle’s prized art works. 

Travelers who elect to take a guided castle tour should be sure to check out the ornate woodwork in the Honor Hall and the 500-year-old leather wall cover in the Imperial Suite. Visitors say these are among some of the most impressive (and well-kept) items in Peles.

Located in the center of Bucharest, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant is one of the leading museums in Europe dedicated to popular arts and traditions. Named the European Museum of the Year in 1996, it boasts a collection of more than 100,000 objects, including textiles, costumes, religious icons, handpainted Easter eggs, terra cotta pottery and other items telling the story of life in the Romanian countryside over four centuries.The museum was originally founded in 1906, but during Communist times, the building houses a museum of the Communist party instead. It reopened as the Museum of the Romanian Peasant after the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu, but the basement still contains remnants of the Communist museum.

The museum’s red brick building dates back to 1912 and features traditional Romanian architecture, including large windows under the arches and a main tower that is reminiscent of old bell towers. Considered one of the most enjoyable museums in Bucharest, it was expanded significantly in 2002. Visitors can buy replicas of many of the items on display from the museum gift shop.

Also known as the Metropolitan Church, Bucharest’s main Orthodox place of worship is dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen and sits atop Mitropoliei, one of the few hills in the city center. It was designed by an unknown architect as a copy of the Curtea de Arges monastery in the university city of Pitesti and consecrated in 1658; it has three dumpy spires, a bulbous apse and Byzantine-style gilded paintings of the saints adorning its exterior. Although the cathedral was largely restored to its original form in the early 1960s, four major upgrades have been made over the centuries, particularly to its gold-encrusted interior, where frescoes have been added as recently as 1935. The first Romanian-language bible was printed here in 1688 and the cathedral holds the most valuable collection of icons in Romania. 

Next to the cathedral is a squat bell tower built in 1698 and opposite is the Patriarchal Palace, which has been the official residence of the head of the Romanian Orthodox church since 1708; it is closed to the public but enjoyed a moment in the spotlight when it became the temporary seat of Parliament following the revolution in 1989. Close by is the Neo-classical Palace of the Chamber of Deputies, built in 1907.

With its striking pointed roofs, gothic façade and 73-meter turreted steeple looming over Piața Huet, the Lutheran Cathedral is not only one of Sibiu’s most distinctive buildings, but the highest cathedral in Romania. Built in the 14th century on the site of an earlier church, the Lutheran Cathedral of Saint Mary once served as a burial site for Sibiu’s mayors, earls and aristocracy. The original tombstones now form an eerie gallery, built into the interior church walls. Most famous is that of Mihnea the Bad, son of the infamous Vlad the Impaler (better known as Dracula), who was allegedly killed on the church steps.

Additional highlights of the Lutheran Cathedral include its grand 6,000-pipe organ, a series of exquisite 15th-century frescos and its elaborate fan-vaulted ceiling. As well as being a tourist attraction in its own right, the Lutheran Cathedral remains a working church, with regular services and choir recitals taking place each week. 

Built between 1211 and 1225, this medieval fortress was originally constructed from wood and erected to protect Transylvanian villages from outside invasions. The impressive structure was later transformed into a stone dwelling where locals sought refuge from outsiders. 

Visitors can tour the grounds, which include two courts, several forts and a gallery, as well as a courtyard, school and chapel. The citadel is also home to the feudal art museum, where weapons, tools, stamps and local crafts are on display.

Sitting on a mountain cliff overlooking the Arges River, the Poenari Castle is best known for its connection to Vlad the Impaler, said to be the inspiration for the fictional Dracula. Now partially in ruins, the castle was first built in the 13th century and came under Vlad the Impaler’s control in the 15th century. Legend has it that Vlad’s first wife committed suicide rather than be taken hostage by the Ottoman Turks. She allegedly threw herself off one of the castle walls into the river below, turning the water red. The river is now referred to as the Lady’s River.

The castle was eventually abandoned and an earthquake in the 19th century destroyed the northern section. It sat in ruins until 1970, when the Romanian government decided to open it to tourists, building more than 1400 steps into the rock of the mountain to allow visitors to climb up to the castle. Walkways and handrails have also been installed to allow for easier movement throughout the ruins.

Set in the Carpathian Mountains in the heart of Transylvania, Poiana Brasov is one of the most popular ski resorts in Romania, as well as the largest and most luxurious – although still quite affordable. Completely modernized in the past five years, it offers snow cover from the middle of November to mid-March and features more than 24 kilometers of ski runs, with an emphasis on easy to intermediate runs. Transport up the mountain includes two aerial tramways, two chairlfits, five ski lifts, one gondola and one magic carpet. Lights on the lower slopes allow for skiing well into the evening.

Poiana Brasov is 14 kilometers from the center of medieval Brasov and tends to feel more like a small town than a ski resort. Several hotels and restaurants feature traditional Romanian cuisine and folk music. Other activities include swimming, horseback riding, cross country skiing and paragliding, as well as day trips to nearby attractions like Dracula’s Castle and Rasnov Fortress are great options.

The district of Lipscani is the lively, beating heart of Bucharest and virtually the only part of the city that remains following the aerial bombardments of World War II and moves to flatten the city and rebuild it to Nicolae Ceaușescu’s grandiose designs under Communism. Fringed by the great thoroughfare of Calea Victoriei, the River Dambovita to the south and the Piata Universitatiei to the north, the district was historically Bucharest’s commercial center, with its origins in medieval times; it has transformed in the last 15 years from a tawdry, run-down backwater into action-central. Today its faded mix of Neo-Classical, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture draws overseas visitors in to explore narrow streets lined with art galleries, vintage shops, scores of restaurants, open-air cafés and late-night clubs. However, the major nightclub fire in October 2015 saw many clubs forced to close as their premises are considered unsafe, so the future of Lipscani’s hard-edged, fabled nightlife is once more unsure.

Located directly next to Peles Castle, this impressive example of Romanian history was built between 1899 and 1902 but a Czech architect. Once the summer residence for the nation’s second king and queen who had an affection for the Byzantine and Celtic aesthetics found in the castle’s chapel, and golden bedroom and chamber. 

The main hall of this popular attraction serves as a museum with walls dressed in paintings, drawings and watercolors of the royal family. The bedrooms and other interiors are home to a vast collection of old-world furniture, handcrafted works and gilded thistle leaves that pay an homage to the queen’s native land of Scotland. 

Sibiu’s huge Orthodox Cathedral, or Holy Trinity Cathedral, demands attention with its neo-Byzantine edifice, unusual striped brickwork and central dome, inspired by Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia. Ranking as one of Romania’s largest and oldest Orthodox churches, it’s still an important place of worship today, as well as a popular attraction for tourists thanks to its dazzling architecture. 

Built between 1902 and 1906 by Hungarian architects, Virgil Nagy and Joseph Kamner, the cathedral is best known for its magnificent interiors, almost completely covered with bold frescos and colorful mosaics. Highlights include the gigantic gilded alter, fronted by a glittering chandelier, paintings by Ioan Köber and Anastase Demian, and the spectacular dome, painted by Octavian Smigelschi.

Bucharest’s Jewish History Museum was founded in 1978 by Moses Rosen, who was the city’s chief rabbi between 1964 and 1994; it is found in the ornate Holy Union Temple synagogue, which was built in 1836 by the wealthy Jewish Tailors Guild and is in Moorish style, with layers of brickwork alternating with white plaster fronted by an extravagant rose window. Among all the gold and silver religious ephemera inside, displays detail Jewish history in Romania and mark the community’s contribution to Bucharest society. The somber memorial room at the back of the synagogue is dedicated to victims of the Holocaust, when thousands of Romanian Jews lost their lives in Transnistria. However, star prize probably goes to the startlingly colorful interior of the three-tiered, galleried synagogue, which is liberally ornamented with Byzantine and Moorish tiling, marble floors and decorative walls and ceilings.

High up in the mountainous Bucegi Natural Park just south of Brasov, the tiny white Orthodox monastery of Ialomicioara sits underneath a sheer cliff face; it was built in the early 16th century by Wallachian ruler Mihnea cel Rau, who was the son of Vlad the Impaler. Made of wood and guarding an enormous cave complex, the monastery repeatedly burnt down over the centuries and its last refurbishment came in 1993 after another fire. Its exterior is gleaming white and adorned with simple biblical figures; the interior is awash with frescoes and icons.

 

The caves themselves extend deep under ground through limestone caverns and galleries and recent investment has seen them transformed with new lighting, staircases and bridges. More than 1,300 ft (396.25 m) of accessible paths lead through grottoes and chambers adorned with stalactites and stalagmites; the most ethereal are the St Mary Grotto, named after limestone formations that resemble the Virgin Mary, and the enormous Bear Hall, which was full of 10,000 year-old bones of cave bears when it was first discovered in 1870. Ialomicioara caves are accessed by guided tour; there’s a lot of walking involved and they quickly get cold, so wear sturdy shoes and warm clothes.

Bucegi Natural Park itself is a popular destination for hikers, climbers and — in winter — skiers. It’s also close to the mysterious castles and fortified towns of Transylvania.

Also called the Brancovan Palace, the Mogosoaia Palace was built at the end of the 17th century by Constantin Brancoveanu. The building combines elements of both Venetian and Ottoman architecture, creating a style often referred to as “Brancovenesc.” Located just 10 kilometers from Bucharest in the village of Mogosoaia, it has been a museum since 1957 and is one of the most important tourist sites in the area. The palace is part of a vast complex that includes a guesthouse, watchtower, kitchen, vault, ice house, green house, church, and beautiful gardens.

Today, visitors can tour parts of the palace or visit a museum featuring Brancoveanu style art. Exhibitions of paintings or textiles are often staged in the palace as well.