Romania

Ringed by the Carpathian Mountains, enigmatic Romania borders the Black Sea and is nestled snugly between Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Still relatively tourist-free, visitors are often surprised to discover plenty of isolated villages that appear to have stepped out of the Middle Ages.

Discover the capital, Bucharest, an energetic and fun city that often gets a bad rap. Spend a couple of days exploring the streets and parks, complete with 17th century churches and villas, before heading to Transylvania for jaw-dropping, precariously balanced cliff-side castles straight out of a vampire movie. Delve into Europe’s second-longest river, the Danube, for unique wetlands that are teeming in wildlife and protected species. Scale the snow-capped mountains of Moldavia for wonderful walking adventures, or head to the Black Sea beach resorts for sun-bathing and all-night, open air dance parties.

If you want to experience all kinds of holidays rolled into one – a city-break, a beach trip, a wildlife adventure, a picturesque retreat – then sink your teeth into beautiful, medieval Romania.