Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
train station. You can wave them down conveniently on B-dul Ferdinand, across the street
from both the Hotel Class (
Click here
)
and the Hotel Ferdinand (
Click here
)
.
Once in Mamaia, stroll the boardwalk or take the
telegondola
(cable car; one way 10
lei; 9am-10pm Jun-Oct)
that runs from the southern end of the resort to approximately
the midway point.
BATHING IN THE MUD AT EFORIE NORD
Eforie Nord, 14km south of Constanţa, is a honky-tonk seaside resort, free of pretension, where families come to
soak up the sun by day and gorge on junk food by night. That said, there's another reason for making a detour here:
the amazing mud.
Lake Techirghiol
, within walking distance of the centre of town, is famous for its dark
sapropel
mud. This black
sediment is dense with organic matter and when slathered over your body is said to be restorative for skin and
bones, and for treating ailments like rheumatism and other diseases.
Most of the big hotels in town offer some kind of mud-bath package, but the easiest - and cheapest - way to take
the mud is to head to the public
mud baths
(Bai Reci; admission 10 lei; 8am-6pm)
on the southern end of town,
not far from the train station. At the baths, single-sex changing rooms lead to separate beaches, where convales-
cence seekers stand around nude, apply the glop and bask in the sun until the mud cracks.
After you've taken the mud, you can relax along the town's Black Sea beaches, just off Str Tudor Vladimirescu,
which runs parallel to the main drag, B-dul Republicii.
Eforie Nord gets incredibly crowded in July and August, so advance hotel bookings are essential. There are
tonnes of accommodation options in town. For budget travellers, we like
Hotel Clas
( 0341-489 076;
www.hotel-clas.ro
; Str Armand Calinescu; r 120 lei; )
. A decent midrange choice, close to the beach, is
the
Hotel Regal
( 0241-741 069;
www.hotelregaleforie.ro
; B-dul Ovidiu 20; d 230 lei; )
. For top
end, go for the
Hotel Europa
( 0241-702 801;
www.anahotels.ro
;
B-dul Republicii 13; s/d 240/450 lei;
)
, which offers a full range of mud treatments and has a nice pool.
Vama Veche
If you've got time for just one Romanian resort, make it Vama Veche. While it lacks the
polish of Mamaia and has fewer services, it's smaller, more relaxed and more rustic.
Under the old communist regime, 'Vama' enjoyed a reputation as a haven for artists, he-
donists and free thinkers. While it's slowly moving toward the mainstream - these days
