Constanţa
Most visitors first encounter the Black Sea coast at CONSTANŢA, a busy riviera town and Romania’s principal port. Its ancient precursor, Tomis, was supposedly founded by survivors of a battle with the Argonauts, following the capture of the Golden Fleece; centuries later, the great Roman poet Ovid was exiled here for nine years until his death in 17 AD. These days, the town is an attractive mix of Greco-Roman remains, Turkish mosques and crisp modern boulevards, home to several interesting museums and a lively restaurant scene.
The oldest area of Constanţa, centred on Piaţa Ovidiu, stands on a headland between what is now the tourist port and the huge area of the modern docks to the south and west. Walking up the shore from the tourist port, you’ll find Constanţa’s passable beach, and inland, beyond the remains of the walls of ancient Tomis, the modern commercial area, along boulevards Ferdinand and Tomis. Further north, nearing the resort of Mamaia, are various sights designed to appeal to children, including a dolphinarium. Pilot cutters mounted by the road at the town’s northern and southern entries attest to its status as a port, as does its biggest festival, Navy Day on August 15, when up to ten thousand people watch the parade.
Doi Mai
Ten kilometres south of Mangalia is the laidback village of Doi Mai (2 May), so named after Alexandru Ioan Cuza’s coup d’état on this day in 1864. Despite lying in the shadow of the massive yellow cranes of Mangalia’s shipyard, it’s a peaceful and relaxed little resort, and extremely popular with families, thanks to its small but neatly formed and well-kept beach, part of which is for nudists; there’s the odd low-key beach bar here too. The Doi Mai-Vama Veche Marine Reserve begins just south of the Mangalia port and extends to the border. Loggerhead turtles can be seen here, as well as sea horses, dolphins and corals.
Jupiter and Venus
The resorts to the south of Neptun are more uniform, less lively and likely to have fewer hotels open outside July and August. The first, immediately abutting Neptun, is JUPITER, between the forest and the artificial Lake Tismana, beyond which is a gently sloping beach with fine sand. Southeast of here is Aurora, set on the cape of the same name and dominated by several pyramidal hotel complexes. There’s a minimal gap before you hit VENUS – broadly similar to Jupiter, but quieter and more family-oriented; Venus also has the most appealing accommodation along this stretch of coast. To the south of Venus is a sulphurous spa and, just inland, the Herghelia Mangalia stables, where you can hire horses to explore the forest, inhabited by roe deer, grouse and pheasants.
Mamaia
MAMAIA, 6km north of Constanţa, is Romania’s best-known coastal resort, and the place where the majority of package tourists end up. Legend has it that the gods created the beach to reunite a kidnapped princess with her daughter, who was abandoned on the seashore wailing “Mamaia, Mamaia!”; its fine, almost white sand, fringed with wild pear trees, is the resort’s greatest asset, especially since its gentle gradient and the absence of currents and strong tides make it particularly safe for children.
As late as the 1930s, Mamaia was, in the words of Gregor von Rezzori, “an empty expanse, excepting two or three bathing huts and a wooden pier, of miles of golden sand and tiny pink shells”; a far cry from what you’ll find here today. Ranged along a narrow spit of land between the Black Sea and Lake Siutghiol, the resort’s main street curves away around the shore of the lake. The southern stretch of the beachfront promenade is dominated by fast-food stands, mini-markets, pharmacies and shops selling all manner of beach paraphernalia and other accessories, but, beyond the casino (which is more or less the heart of Mamaia), the resort is more restrained. The telegondola will whisk you the 2km from near the Aqua Magic park at the southern end of Mamaia to just north of the casino. There’s a big plaza on the inland side of the casino, with a small stage and rows of family restaurants (mostly pizza places, all with big terasas). Mamaia’s main summer festival is the (biannual) Sunwaves Festival, which is held alternately in May and mid-August and features a world class line-up of electronic acts performing across several stages on Kazeboo beach in the north of the resort.