The Romanian Black Sea Coast is generally referred to as Dobrudja.
 

Beaches and resorts: 
Constanta Port and beach, Mamaia, Costinesti, Venus, Saturn, Mangalia, Jupiter, Neptun (Tekirghiol Lake), Cape Aurora, 2 Mai (Romanian nudist resort), Olymp, Eforie Nord, Vama Veche (nudist resort), Navodari.

The Romanian Riviera enjoys the special charm of the Black Sea (3rd largest & 2nd deepest in Europe), with reduced salinity (17%-18% at shore) and water temperature varying between 20oC-25oC during summer.
The climate is extremely mild, summer begins in May and ends in September, and the sun shines for an average of 10-12 hours per day. The air temperature varies between 24oC and 45oC during summer and averages 11oC per year.  In the heights of summer, the gentle marine breeze caresses the seaside to alleviate the torrid heat.

There are no dangerous currents or poisonous plants or fish in the Black Sea and only dolphins play at large. The submerged marine platform is gently inclined towards the depths over a surface of 100-200m, so the water is no deeper than 1-2m at the shore.

The coastline is paved with remarkably fine golden sands and all beaches face the East, enticing the romantics to wake up at dawn to admire the sunrise on the horizon.

Techirghiol Lake (11.7 Km2) – former sea gulf, is now the largest therapeutic mud lake in Europe, rich in organic components and minerals, extremely effective in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism and sterility.  Boat tours are also available.

Attractions:
Scuba diving in the Black Sea is both relaxing and adventurous. At 2-3m depth one can immerse in a colourful universe of fish, algae, sea shells, sea horses, octopae and plants.  Instructors & equipment are available to hire.
Water ski, scooters and zeppelin tours are also available.  Constanta Casino is another entertainment option.

Restaurants, catering for all tastes, from the budget consumer to the refined gourmet, are open till midnight and offer a large range of Romanian traditional and continental food. You must try the chicken & sour cream soup, sarmale wrapped in vine leaves with mamaliga (Romanian polenta), game specialities, fish soup with pickles, sardines marinated in garlic brine and many other mouth watering dishes. There are also Indian, Chinese and Japanese Restaurants.

Around Constanta:
Limanu Cave & Liliecilor Bats’ Cave excursions, the sand dunes of Agigea (8 km south of Constanta), Harsova nature reserve, where a species of giant python lives, the Hagieni Forest reserve – rare species of turtles, spiders, rare flora, Murfatlar, Basarabi and Niculitel – famous vineyards & wine tasting.

About the place

Constanta boasts the vestiges of a remarkable Roman architectural complex: the remains of the Roman wall which enclosed the city of Tomis, the Roman edifice with mosaic, the Roman thermal baths, the remains of Zeus’s Temple.

In the Neolithic (6000 - 5000 years BC), the population living on the Black Sea Coast created a remarkable culture called Cucuteni, represented by polychrome pottery comparable in skill and craftsmanship to the pottery of the Middle East, followed by the intriguing Hamangia culture, famous today all over the world for its statuettes: the Thinker of Hamangia and His Woman, The Feathered Snake, etc, which can be seen on display at the National History Museum of Constanta.

The ancient Greeks set up several colonies on the Black Sea shore (Pontus Euxinus in Latin): Istros (Histria – 62km from Constanta), founded in the 7th century BC, Callatis (today: Mangalia) and Tomis (today: Constanta) in the 8th century, influencing the art, trade and lifestyle of the natives.  Dobrudja came under Roman rule soon after the Greek colonies were created during the reign of Emperor Augustus.  Julius Caesar valued dearly the city of Tomis (present-day Constanta), and to lessen the pain, ordered the exile of his beloved poet Publius Ovidius Naso to Tomis. From 8 - 17 AD, Ovidius wrote a series of poems in prose about his life among the Greeks and Getae (Romanians’ ancestors), and his writings are considered today as a major source of information.

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