Constanta

Constanta General Information

Location: Eastern Romania, on the Black Sea Coast
Size: 125 sq km
Population: 263.000 (fourth largest city after Bucharest,Cluj, Iasi)
Distance from Bucharest: 227 km

Romania is lucky enough to have a long sea coast that can accomodate tourists during summer days for a relaxing sea holiday!

Constanta is the biggest city of our sea coast, but there are also more smaller sea resorts north and south of it.

Constanta lies on the western coast of the Black Sea, 185 miles north of Istanbul and Bosphorus Strait (Turkey) and 99 miles north of Varna (Bulgaria).
An ancient metropolis, Romania's oldest continuously inhabited city and the country's largest sea port, Constanta traces its history some 2,500 years. Originally called Tomis, legend has it that Constanta was visited by Jason and the Argonauts after finding the Golden Fleece.

Founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the 6th century BC, Tomis was conquered by the Romans in 71 BC and renamed Constantiana by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in honor of his sister.
Constanta flourished during the 13th century, when Genoese merchants dominated the Black Sea but, the city began to decline two centuries later, when it fell under Turkish rule. During the Ottoman era its name was shortened to Constanta .

Fine mansions and hotels were built in the 19th century when King Carol I decided to revive Constanta as a port and seaside resort.

The fourth largest city in Romania, Constanta is now an important cultural and economic centre, worth exploring for its archaeological treasures and the Old Town's architecture. Its historical monuments, ancient ruins, grand Casino, museums and shops, and proximity to beach resorts make it the focal point of Black Sea coast tourism. Open-air restaurants, nightclubs and cabarets offer a wide variety of entertainment.

Some spots worth seeing, if you also feel like discovering some cultural gems and not only basking in the sun:

• Grand Mosque - an evidence of the centuries of islamic culture in the area
• Museum of National History and Archeology - located in the downtown center, very rich in ancient remnants
• Constanta Casino, located on the beautiful coastal promenade
• Romanian Navy Museum
• The Art Museum of Constanta
• The Doplhinarium and Aquarium

Constanta is, also, the fourth largest port in Europe, after Rotterdam, Antwerp and Marseille. But for tourtistic purposes, we suggest you only stroll around "Tomis Touristic Port", where you can find a lot of small chic boats and tasteful restaurants.

You can come here either to relax, explore around town, or even have your starting point here for exploring the whole Dobrogea region, who has the oldest mountain range in the country (Macin Mountains) and also Danube Delta a little bit up north. This whole region is full of wild nature but also very old historical objectives, like dacian and roman ruins!