Constanța.
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Overview

Constanța (pronounced Con-stan-tza) is a coastal Black Sea city in southern part of Northern Dobruja, Romania, the second most important city in the country and, during summer, a somewhat tourist city. It is the capital of the Constanța county and the Black Sea's largest seaport, a great city to begin to explore the wonders of the sea.

Understand

Constanța, being founded as a city almost 2,600 years ago, is the oldest attested city in Romania, the biggest port on the Black Sea and also the fourth-largest city in Romania, with 400,000 inhabitants. It was founded by the Greeks as a port on the Black Sea Coast for trading with inland people and called Tomis (6th c. BC). The city was renamed later after Constantina, niece of Constantine the Great (274–337). It was still a flourishing port city in the 10th and 11th centuries, trading with the Byzantine Empire and the city of Genoa.

Get in

Most of the train connections to Constanța are from Bucharest, which acts as the main railway hub for the region. There are five daily trains to/from Bucharest during off-season and more trains in summer and the trip takes between 2–2½ hr, depending on the type of train. Second class ticket starts at 62 lei, while first class is available from just over 90 lei.

Regional services ply to route along the coast, from as far south as Mangalia, with a journey time of around 1 hr 20 min. Information on trains and schedules: CFR website

Thessaloniki, Greece and Chișinău, Moldova

By car From: Bucharest – The most popular route is the A2 highway. There is a tax of 11 lei to cross the bridge system over the Danube. Timișoara – Via the A1 and E81, around 9½ hr (781 km). Cluj-Napoca – Via the A3 and E81, around 8¾ hr (683 km). Iași – Via the DN24D, around 6½ hr (452 km).

By boat Constanța has two yacht harbours, both outside the main commercial harbour basin. The main harbour for tourists is right north of the commercial harbour, by the old town.

Although Constanța is the largest commercial port in the Black Sea, there is no passenger ship that links Constanța to any other port on the Black Sea coast.

Get around

You can use buses and maxi-taxis. To get to Mamaia you can take the 310 mini van called maxi-taxi for 2 lei one way but it is very crowded during summer. The stop is in front of the main exit of the Railway Station, after the traffic light, on the side with the park. Alternatively you can use line 100 to Tomis III and change to line "City tour 00", which goes along Mamaia strip. You can also take the special bus which takes you to Mamaia and has regular stops around the city and resort, it is a double-decker bus and you can find it as you exit the train station in the bus station. Line 100C covers the route from the train station to the old casino.

Buy tickets at the kiosk e.g. at the entrance of the train station, and don't forget to validate them on the bus!

You can also get to Mamaia by taking the 40 or 100 buses (3.50 lei, 2 trips), but those two buses will turn at Hotel Delta and from there you must walk. Mini vans continue further north.

A route planner is available online for Constanța.

Also, frequent minibuses leave from the bus station at the railway station to resorts south of Constanța.

By taxi A legal taxi must be painted yellow and have the fee written with green or black characters on the driver's door. Always insist on starting the meter and try to avoid the cabs with red tariffs right next to the train station who, as in every major city, try to take advantage of tourists. Walk 100 m from the station and only then wave to a cab. The typical fee is 1.79 lei/km during the day; 2.15 lei/km during the night, and 2.75 lei/km outside the city limits (October 2011). Taxis do not accept credit card payments.

By bicycle In Constanța there some bicycle lanes on bulevardul Tomis and Mamaia, but it is also safe to ride on secondary roads. There is a free rental service sponsored by Raiffeisen Bank, located in Tăbăcărie Park, available Jun–Oct. You can rent a bike with your ID or passport for 2 hr with the option to extend for another 2 hr.

On foot Walking in Constanța is one of the great pleasures of visiting the city. It is possible to cross the entire city in only a few hours.

See

Constanța has been continuously inhabited for 2,500 years so there is a lot to see.

Old Casino Constanța. Built in Art Nouveau style and conceived by two architects, Petre Antonescu and Daniel Renard (of Swiss extraction but born in Romania). This stunning former casino and the surrounding promenade was opened in 1911. It has, however, been abandoned for long.

Statue of Ovid. The statue by Ettore Ferrari was erected in 1887 after a public subscription (the same statue can be seen in Sulmona). In AD 09 Ovid, born 43 BC in Sulmona, died in AD 17 in Tomis/Constanța, was sent in exile by Augustus for obscure reasons. He wrote his Tristia in Tomis.

Grand Mosque of Constanța. The first public building made of concrete in Romania (1910), a gift from King Carol I to the local Muslim community. The Mosque is built in Moorish style in honor of Sultan Mohamed II. It hosts a carpet brought ​​in 1965 from the island of Ada Kaleh, a Sultan Abdul Hamid (1876-1909) donation, work of the famous Herek handicraft center in Turkey.

Roman Mosaic Edifice. Utility work undertaken in 1959 in Ovidiu Square led to the discovery of one of the most important monuments of ancient Tomis - the Roman mosaic edifice. Located on the western shore, the complex was built in three terraces and connects the city and the ancient port. The monumental building (with over 2,000 m² of mosaic) was erected in the 4th century AD, probably under Emperor Constantine the Great, being repaired at various stages by the end of the 6th century, when their existence ends, falling in decay ruin with the commercial activities of the city. From the original 2,000 m² area still maintains about 700 m², but enough to infer that we are in front of a large port construction. Upper terrace was occupied by an impressive hall (100 m long and 20 m wide), probably covered in antiquity, with a huge dome supported by pillars. From this room there are still today part of the long wall and one of the side walls. The first presents an arcade ordinance open to the sea, is covered entirely with white marble and polychrome plywood. Pillars decorated with beautiful arches Areu capitals decorated with acanthus leaves zoomorphic or anthropomorphic figures and center.

National Museum of History and Archeology. Displays an impressive collection of pieces from the Greek and Roman antiquity (for example, the Glykon Snake, Fortuna and Pontos, Two-faced Nemesis and countless amphoras). Also outside the museum there are some marble tombs and artifacts.

Marine Museum. The museum has: casts after epigraphic documents, coins, art works, original articles with significant historical value: anchors, amphorae, dozens of models reproducing all types of existing vessels in the military and commercial Romanian Navy, navigation instruments, documents and photographs, fire arms, propellers, lighthouses lenses, flags, paintings, exhibits of great scientific value and documentary.

The Sea's Museum with the Genovese Lighthouse, behind the statue of Eminescu, on the sea front. Although built between 1858-1860, on the rock of the southeast corner of the Tomitane Peninsula, by an English company, the Lighthouse is called "Genovese Lighthouse" in memory of another time Lighthouse merchants having a white light, last time running being in 1913, and a few years later, in 1948, was restored for the last time and gave to the tourist circuit. The Ion Jalea Sculpture Museum, Arhiepiscopiei Street, 26. Ion Jalea Museum is arranged in a building built in the interwar period by architect C. Pariano in Brancoveanu style. Museum shows more than 120 donated works in bronze and plaster by artist Ion Jalea to his hometown.

The Natural Sciences Museum Complex. Considered to be an important reference for the cultural and scientific image of the municipality, with a high emblematic value in the summer offer of the Romanian seacoast. It consists of:

The Dolphinarium – Began its activity on June 1, 1972, being the first museum form of this kind in Romania and the first one in the S-E of Europe at that time. The exhibition presents the world of the shell fish living in diverse seas. The shows are organized in the amphitheatre with a pool, with dolphins from the Phocaena relicta species and Delphinus delphis ponticus species, with seals from the South Atlantic. Shows hours: 11:00, 15:00, 19:00. Entrance fee: 50 lei for adults; 25 lei for students. Children under 5 free. The Planetarium – A world beyond us, made up of stars, planets, galaxies and other things are disclosed to you, but you are assisted to learn how to travel among them using the constellations, the “Sky” that needed no renovation in the last 2000 years contributing to the realization of this picture. Shows hours: 10:00, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, 17:00, 18:00 and 19:30. The Exotic Birds Exhibition – On a 100 m² covered surface, in large bird houses, with adequate compartments for food, nesting, flying and rest, one can admire the representatives of different bird species from Asia, Africa, Australia, New Guinea and South America. The Micro Delta – The patrimony of this objective has the aquatic avifauna (pelicans, swans, ducks and wild geese), the terrestrial avifauna (peacocks, pheasants) and mammals (mouflons, fallow deer, harts), that can be found in the Danube Delta’s Biosphere Reservation and the Negureni Reservation. Most part of these exemplars are natural monuments and rare species with a scarce representation in the natural biotopes. Some exemplars were obtained by exchange with the other Zoo Gardens and others were purchased or donated. The Aquarium – The exhibition space is marked out for the presentation of the permanent aquatic flora and fauna exhibition in 57 tanks, and also for the temporary exhibitions with aquatic biological and ecological themes. An inedited museum institution for natural sciences in our country due to its exhibition patrimony made up entirely of living organisms, the aquarium in Constanța also has naturalized collections of marine and fresh water fish and invertebrates belonging to different geographical areas of the Earth. To facilitate the presentation of aquatic life and the visitors’ access to information, the exhibition patrimony consists of over 100 species (1300 exemplars) aquatic creatures and is structured into several sections. The distribution of aquatic organisms into sections is based on ecological and bio-geographical criteria, and within the sections the taxonomic criteria was taken into account for placing the different species into the tanks. Open hours: 09:00-20:00. Entrance fee: 20 lei for adults; 10 lei for students. Children under 5 free.

Parks Tabacarie Park The Archaeological Park – Right in the center of the city is a nice place for a walk if you're in the area.

Do

Walk – You can stroll the city's streets, the historical peninsular area which has a special charm, the sea coast, the Tomis marina or one of the many parks, on the lake-side or through the ruins of the ancient Greek colony Tomis.

Beach – You can sunbathe or swim in the Black Sea. There is a large beach called Modern right in the middle of the city, which is favored by locals and is near the marina. Very very shallow waters (you can walk for 20–30 meters and the water won't pass your knees) so it's suited if you want to take your kids there and let them play safely in the water. The best beaches are in the Mamaia resort which is in the north part of Constanța. It consists of about 6-7 km of sandy beaches with absolutely no rocks; the width of the beaches vary from 20 to 150 m. It's also full of hotels, clubs and bars and extremely popular and fashionable in the summer. Moreover, in the off season (September–April) they are a great place for taking pictures walks, or rides with the ATV or enduro motorcycle and there are some centers for renting ATVs near the Cleopatra bar at the beginning of the resort. If you arrive by car not registered in the county of Constanța from May/June to September expect to pay an entrance fee of 3 lei at the entrance ticket booth for your car. The ratio of free parking/paid parking is around 25%/75% and the parking lots with the fee are guarded and not that expensive (3 lei per hour) and a good alternative especially if you are on a motorcycle because people will climb your bike to take pictures on it. The paid parking places are marked with a white P on a blue background. The unpaid parking lots are on the sides of the main boulevard.

Football – Farul (meaning "lighthouse") play soccer in Liga 1, Romania's top tier. Their home ground is Stadionul Viitorul (capacity 4550) in Ovidiu 10 km north of city centre.

Resorts – To the south are a string of summer resorts: Eforie Nord/sud, Costinesti, Neptun, Olimp. Neptun is recommended because it has a more relaxed atmosphere and for its lush forests that end near the sea.

Teatrul de Opera si Balet Oleg Danovski.

Sea tours – Sail from the Tomis marina.

Buy

Shopping You can shop downtown, on the Ştefan cel Mare street where most big shopping centers are situated, including Tomis Mall, but also in the new, modern and bigger City Park Mall, in Tabacarie Park. Other shopping centres are TOM and VIVO! Constanța.

You can also do your shopping at other shopping centres:' Selgros 391, Bulevardul Tomis – Warehouse club Kaufland Bulevardul Aurel Vlaicu 218 – Another supermarket Mega Image Bulevardul Tomis 310A – Another supermarket Doraly Mall Șoseaua Mangaliei 84

Eat

Waiters usually know some English and menus are usually written in English. International cuisine is present. You should try the wines which are very good and not that expensive.

You will find a lot of fast food places selling kebab and shawarma (a nice mixture of grilled chicken, salads, French fries and sauces wrapped in a lipia (a sort of thin pancake used as a substitute for bread by Turks), very good and not that expensive (around 7 lei for a small one and 10 lei for a big one).

Extrablatt. Fast food-type eatery feature pizza, pastas, and shawarma.

Albatros. Mici (sausages) and other Romanian food.

Beta Restaurant. Posh albeit possibly smoky interior with a lot of continental cuisine and fusion choices.

Hotel Restaurant Bulevard Mamaia. Some continental choices.

La Ana și Ion. Pork soup, stew, pancakes, authentic Romanian dishes.

THE VIEW Constanta. So nice because you have the sea on one side and the casino on the other. Unfortunately, the food may be a bit disappointing and overpriced (because of that view!), but you can have a drink at least.

Drink

Haute Cup. Coffee connoisseur/vendor.

Bars and clubs There are many bars and clubs open in Constanța. However, some of them are closed during the summer, as Mamaia resort opens. You can go to: Phoenix (a rock club), Domino, or Doors.

Arabica Pizza&Bar.. Here you can likely find that particular drink you are looking for, or absorb all that beer with some pizza.

Restaurant Turcesc Nor. Drinks and Turkish food here.

Sleep

Eol777. Featuring shared bathrooms and commons, with private rooms or dorm beds, like reliving the best of campus housing or summer camp yore.

Dobrogea, B-dul Alexandru Lăpuşneanu, Nr. Has a bar though! Florentina, Bulevardul I. C.

Hotel Metropol. Really about its only saving grace is its location, if you are a beach lover. Restaurant can be satisfactory though.

Le Premier. Mostly characterizes itself as a restaurant these days, but somewhere there is a room supposedly. Nice beachside ambience.

Hotel Turist, B-dul Mamaia, Nr. Lots of gaudy red neon lights and furniture. Clean though and has a nice restaurant.

Elmo Pension. Homestay option with a friendly dog host. Simple accommodations.

Kind of a low-key place with a restaurant on-site.

Some hotels in Mamaia are open in the winter and you can get very good deals on accommodation in the off season.

Mid-range Cora, B-dul Mamaia, Nr. Basic hotel with breakfast; could be some issues with a/c and hot water though. Guci, Str. Răscoalei din 1907, Nr. Free breakfast and wifi; restaurant on top floor with view of the sea. Intim, Str. N. Titulescu, Nr. It occupies a historical landmark and serves as a sort of social club, may be undergoing restoration. Maria, B-dul 1 Decembrie 1918, Nr. This one comes with wifi and a/c and a breakfast buffet so that's a pretty good deal. Millennium, B-dul Mamaia, Nr. Hotel has a glassy exterior and your room may come with a view of the sea. There's a limited breakfast and the maintenance can be a little off at times. It's very homestyle: has a restaurant and a down home feel. Almost has a resort feel with restaurant and bar and atrium and proximity to beach. Breakfast included.