Wild camping in Romania

Wild animals
Besides forest dwellers harmless to humans such as hares, deer, squirrels, and badgers, you can also meet bears and wolves in Romanian forests. If you decide on a place in or near forests, you should pay attention to animal tracks in your surroundings. And always have some garlic with you to protect you from vampires. ;-)

Traffic rules
On your journey through Romania, you should consider some points in traffic because a violation of these rules often results in fines or the worst case even a driving ban. In Romania:

• an absolute ban on driving under the influence of alcohol
• Obligation to use winter tires in winter road conditions
• the obligation to carry a fire extinguisher and two warning triangles with you

Toll
Motor vehicles in Romania have to pay a road toll, the Rovignette. This electronic vignette can be purchased at border crossings, petrol stations or online. If you do not have a valid Rovignette, you may be subject to substantial fines. On the following page, you will find all the information you need and you can buy your Rovignette directly: https://www.roviniete.ro/

Streets
Roads in Romania are not as bad as their reputation, but they are sometimes marked by potholes or undercuts on the roadside. These damages are often not sufficiently signposted and are thus only badly or too late to recognize. For this reason, you should pay special attention to the road conditions and avoid driving at night if possible.

Fact #1 - Palatul Parliamentului
The Parliament Palace in the Romanian capital Bucharest is one of the largest buildings in the world in terms of area and the second-largest administration building in the world with a floor area of 365,000 m².

Fact #2 - Wooden churches
The church of the Peri monastery near Săpânța is with 75 m the highest stave church of Europe and the second-largest wooden structure of Europe. It was built between 1997 and 2003.

Fact #3 - Fountain Pen
The Romanian engineer Petrache Poenaru developed a fountain pen, which he patented in France in 1827.

Fact #4 - Peleș Castle
The castle Peleș was the first castle in Europe to be completely supplied with electricity. This was made possible by its power station right next to the building.

Fact #5 - Statue of Decebalus
The statue of Decebalus is with 55 m the highest stone sculpture in Europe. It represents King Decebalus, the last king of Dacia who defended the country against the Romans.

Fact #6 - Danube Delta
The Danube delta is the second largest delta in Europe after the Volga delta. It covers an area of approximately 5,800 km², of which almost three quarters are protected.

Fact #7 - Athletes
Romania has produced some special athletes, including the first gymnast to receive a perfect 10 point rating at the Olympic Games.

Fact #8 - Smallest banknote in the world
The smallest banknote in the world was the Romanian 10 Bani note. It was put into circulation in 1917 and was just 27.5 mm x 38 mm in size.

Fact #9 - Espresso machine
The first predecessor of today's espresso machines was developed by Francesco Illy, an entrepreneur born in Romania. He is also the founder of the coffee brand Illy.

Fact #10 - Electric Street Lighting
The city of Timisoara in the west of the country was the first city in Europe to receive electric street lighting. The gas conversion took place in 1884.