Minimal parking out front (reserve in advance).
5Eating & Drinking
The centre is filled with cheap fast-food options, such as pizza and shoarma (shawarma) joints.
Sofia BistroINTERNATIONAL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0730-519 250; ww.sofiabistro.ro; Str Eugeniu Carada 17; mains 25-40 lei; h9am-midnight; W)
This beloved bistro has two personalities: the interior dining room is quiet and refined, while the terrace outside pulsates with loud music. The same kitchen serves a mix of very well done Romanian specialities and international favourites like pasta and risotto. On warm summer nights the terrace gets crowded and service slows to a crawl.
PerinițaROMANIAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-412 412; www.restaurantperinita.ro; Calea Unirii 24; mains 20-30 lei; h11am-11pm; W)
Very popular open-air restaurant, located in the centre, specialising in traditional Romanian cooking as well as various chicken and pork grills. The grilled meatballs – mititei – are a house speciality and are cooked out front over an open fire. It also has pizzas and salads.
oEpocaSTEAK$$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0372-999 000; www.epocarestaurant.ro; Str Alexandru Macedonski 51; mains 40-115 lei; h9am-midnight Mon-Fri; W)
This luxury steakhouse is a must for lovers of high-quality imported beef. The menu is almost exclusively grilled steaks and chops, with the speciality being cuts from Argentina and the US, served on hot plates that allow you to cook it perfectly to your liking. There's a handsome garden in the back.
ChicagoBAR
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0753-060 093; Str Eugeniu Carada 12; h9am-midnight Sun-Wed, to 2am Thu-Sat; W)
The shady garden out front and the rooftop terrace are both big draws at this popular cafe and cocktail bar. Fresh lemonades, good coffees and a long list of mixed drinks lure university students in droves. There's also a small bar-food menu of mostly salads and burgers.
3Entertainment
A complete list of what's on can be found at www.craiova.ro/evenimente.
Oltenia PhilharmonicCLASSICAL MUSIC
(Filarmonica Oltenia; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0351-414 697; www.filarmonica-oltenia.ro; Calea Unirii 16; hbox office 10am-2pm Mon, Tue & Thu, 1-5pm Wed, 10am-2pm & 6-9pm Fri)
Classical concerts are performed here by the Oltenia Philharmonic. Buy tickets at the box office.
Marin Sorescu National TheatreTHEATRE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %box office 0251-413 677; www.tncms.ro; Str Alexandru Ioan Cuza 11; hbox office 9am-4pm Mon, 9am-4pm & 4.30-6.30pm Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm & 4.30-6.30pm Sat & Sun)
For years, Craiova's main drama venue has enjoyed a national and international reputation for theatre excellence. Peformances are normally in Romanian, though the venue occasionally hosts visiting troupes from other countries. Buy tickets at the theatre box office.
8Information
There’s no tourist information office and local travel agencies are more intent on helping Romanians than with visitors finding their way around town.
BRDBANK
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-412 282; Str Mihai Viteazul 2; hMon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-3pm)
Centrally located bank and ATM.
Central Post OfficePOST
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.posta-romana.ro; Calea Unirii 54; h7am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat)
8Getting There & Away
Bus
The main bus station (Autogara; GOOGLE MAP ; %0251-411 187; www.autogari.ro; B-dul Carol I 1), about 50m to the left as you exit the train station, appears at first glance like utter anarchy but is actually well organised. Regular buses and maxitaxis leave from here to Bucharest (around 50 lei, five hours, hourly). There are also regular bus services to Timişoara (50 lei, seven hours, four daily) and Drobeta-Turnu Severin (20 lei, two hours, several daily), among other cities.
Train
All fast trains between Bucharest and Timişoara stop at Craiova’s train station (Gara Craiova; GOOGLE MAP ; www.cfr.ro; B-dul Carol I, Piața Constantin Brâncuși; g1). Services include trains to Bucharest (60 lei, three hours, 12 daily), Timişoara (70 lei, six hours, seven daily), Drobeta-Turnu Severin (35 lei, two hours) and Târgu Jiu (35 lei, two hours).
WORTH A TRIP
TASTING LOCAL GRAPES IN DRăGășANI
Few visitors would give the town of Drăgășani, halfway between Craiova and Piteşti, a second thought if it weren't for the fact that it's home to some of the country's most innovative new wineries. Several offer tasting packages, usually paired with food.
The wine-producing merits of the region's sunny climate and low-lying hills, worn down through the years by the Olt River, have been appreciated going back centuries. The communist period, though, was not kind to Drăgășani. Many families lost their holdings and quality suffered accordingly.
Now the area is making a comeback, with a half-dozen or so young wineries that mix modern winemaking methods with local, indigenous grapes. The best of these include Avincis ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0350-522 003; www.avincis.ro; Str Valea Caselor 1a; tastings per person without food from 45 lei; hby arrangement), Crama Bauer (%0757-098 940; www.cramabauer.com; Str Dealul Olt; tastings per person with/without food from 210/65 lei; hby arrangement) and Prince Știrbey (%0751-252 272; www.stirbey.com; Str Dealul Olt; tastings per person with/without food from 185/65 lei).
There are only a handful of hotels in town, though Avincis has its own rooms, and other wineries can help find accommodation. Hotel KMZ (%0250-814 093; www.kmz.ro; Str Regele Carol 16; s/d 130/170 lei; paW) is a funky, young-at-heart boutique hotel.
Buses leave hourly for Craiova (14 lei, one hour); at least a couple of buses run to and from Piteşti (20 lei, two hours). There are two direct trains per day between Drăgășani and Bucharest (40 lei, 2½ hours).
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Pop 20,500
Drobeta-Turnu Severin – usually shortened to 'Severin' in conversation – is on the bank of the Danube River bordering Serbia. Though the modern city was laid out in the 19th century, the town has a rich history stretching back nearly 2000 years, when it was an important Roman colony with a population of some 40,000. It’s best known as the base of Roman emperor Trajan’s colossal bridge across the Danube. You can still see ruins of the bridge as well as part of the Roman town surrounding it.
1Sights
The centre of town is defined by the central park, at the corner of B-dul Carol I and Str Bibicescu. There's a giant, colourful water fountain here that has nightly shows in summer starting around 9pm.
Technology geeks will want to head out of town a short way to take a tour of the Porţile de Fier Hydroelectric Power Plant. This controversial project was a Romanian–Yugoslav joint venture, conceived in 1960 and completed 12 years later. There’s a small museum (Muzeul Porţile de Fier I; Hwy E70; adult/child 5/2 lei; h8am-4pm Tue-Sun) that takes you inside and provides a good idea of the scale of the plant. Guided tours (in Romanian only) go down five levels to the turbines. The museum is located on Hwy E70, 10km west of Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
Iron Gates MuseumMUSEUM
(Muzeul Porţilor de Fier; %0252-312 177; Str Independenţiei 2; adult/student 5/2 lei; h8am-4pm Tue-Sun)
While the museum houses an ethnographic and natural-sciences section, as well as an aquarium displaying Danubian species, the highlight is a scale model of the Roman bridge constructed across the Danube in AD 103 by Greek architect Apollodorus of Damascus on orders of Emperor Trajan (r AD 98–117). The bridge stood just below the site of the present museum, and the ruins (ruinele podului lui Traian) of two of its pillars can still be seen towering beside the Danube.
In its day the bridge was a tremendous feat of engineering and was more than 1100m in length and 15m wide. Nearby, you'll see scattered pieces of rock and debris that were once part of a Roman bath and colony along the banks of the river. The museum is located on the far eastern end of B-dul Carol I.
Water TowerHISTORIC BUILDING
(Castelul de Apă; cnr Str Crisan & Str Dr Saidac; h9am-9pm)F
Medieval Fortress of SeverinRUINS
(Str Portului; hdawn-dusk)F
Just above the port and below the Hotel Continental, these restored ruins mark the spot where the mighty Fortress of Severin once stood. The fort dates from the 11th century and marked the border between the Hungarian Kingdom and the Bulgarian Empire. It was demolished in the 16th century on the orders of the then-ruling Ottoman Turks. There's not much to see now except a very tall tower and the thick walls of this legendary redoubt.
4Sleeping
There are a number of roadside pensiunes, motels and restaurants on the main E70 highway, signposted as Str Tudor Vladimirescu, about 2km north of the town centre.
oHotel CoronaHOTEL$$
(%0743-128 658; www.hotelcorona.ro; Str Tudor Vladimirescu 106a; s/d 150/180 lei; pnaiW)
This clean, smart and well-run hotel occupies a nondescript strip of shops along Hwy E70, but it's set back from the highway so noise is not an issue. The rooms are bright and furnished in contemporary style. The reception is friendly and the restaurant, while lacking atmosphere, serves very good food. It's about 1km northeast of the centre of town.
Hotel ContinentalHOTEL$$
(%0372-528 828, reservations 0372-121 721; www.continentalhotels.ro; B-dul Carol I 2; s/d from 180/200 lei; pnaiW)
This battered-looking high-rise from the 1970s is much nicer on the inside and the location is as good as it gets: on a ridge above the river and within walking distance of the sights. Rooms come in two categories, standard and deluxe, with the latter offering river views and updated furnishings. The reception desk has a local map.
5Eating & Drinking
Along with restaurants on the E70, there's a lively market (Piaţa Mircea; cnr Str Horia & Str Dr Saidac; h6am-9pm Mon-Fri, 7am-2pm Sat & Sun) just east of the town centre where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables, breads and cheeses.
oTrattoria Il CalcioITALIAN$$
(%0753-118 070; www.trattoriailcalcio.ro; B-dul Tudor Vladimirescu 143; mains 20-30 lei; h11am-midnight; W)
This is the local branch of a Romanian chain of Italian restaurants, but don’t let that deter you. The food and service are excellent. It’s in the new part of town, along the E70 highway in the direction of Craiova, about 1km north of B-dul Carol I, following Str Eminescu.
Taverna SârbuluiBALKAN$$$
(%0727-353 353; www.tavernasarbului.ro; Hwy E70; mains 30-50 lei; h9am-midnight; W)
Located 5km west of Drobeta-Turnu Severin along the main highway in the direction of Orşova, this Serbian-themed restaurant boasts beautiful views of the Danube and a long list of Balkan and Romanian specialities, grilled meats, stews and salads. It's 10 minutes by car from the centre of town; a taxi will run about 15 lei each way.
16,50BAR
(%0774-431 991; www.1650.ro; Str Traian 50; h11am-2am)
About as cool as it gets in sleepy Severin. There’s decent pizza and other nosh on hand, as well as a garden terrace furnished with wrought-iron sofas and chairs covered in big white pillows. Around sunset this place morphs into a fully fledged club-lounge. It's located three blocks north of B-dul Carol I, just west of the Hotel Continental.
WORTH A TRIP
ORşOVA & THE IRON GATES NATIONAL PARK
South and west of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, just below the town of Orşova, the Danube River begins a series of twists and turns between towering rocks that have bedevilled sailors from time immemorial.
The area is protected by the 1150-sq-km Iron Gates National Park (www.portiledefier.ro). A similar protected area, the Djerdap National Park, sits across the river in Serbia. Highlights of the park include miles of rugged, unspoiled riverbanks and a massive stone carving of the former Dacian leader, Decebal (r AD 87–106).
There are several ways to access the park. The most popular is by private boat (Plimbări cu barca; %0722-502 216, 0766-522 815; Orşova Port; per passenger 50 lei; h9am-5pm May-early Oct) along the Danube River. Several boat-rental outfits line the port in Orşova from late May to early October, depending on the weather.
Nearby Drobeta-Turnu Severin has the best selection of sleeping options, though there are a few scattered hotels in Orşova. Pensiunea Oliver (%0726-382 246; www.pensiuneaoliver.ro; B-dul 1 Decembrie 1918 16a, Orșova; d/tr 150/180 lei; paiW) is a small pension with an excellent location right on the port.
There are a couple of passable restaurants in Orşova. Pescăruș Orșova (%0726-434 478; Str Insula Pescăruș 1, Orșova; mains 25-35 lei; h9am-midnight Tue-Sun) is the best choice along the port. It’s a seafood restaurant that offers photo-op views from its riverside terrace.
There’s a regular minibus service to Orşova from Drobeta-Turnu Severin (3 lei, 30 minutes, hourly) as well as at least one train per day (5 lei, 30 minutes), though the Orşova train station is a good 2km hike to/from the centre of town.
8Information
There is no central tourist information office, though there are large city maps posted at intervals around town, particulary along B-dul Carol I. The reception desk at the Hotel Continental has city maps for guests.
BRDBANK
(%0252-316 074; B-dul Carol I 55, cnr Str Rahovei; h9am-7pm Mon-Fri)
One of several banks and ATMs scattered around town; located about two blocks east of the Hotel Continental near B-dul Carol I.
Post OfficePOST
(Str Decebal 41; h7am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat)
The post office is situated one block north of B-dul Carol I, about 50m from the Hotel Continental.
WORTH A TRIP
CONSTANTIN BRâNCUşI ‘IN SITU’ IN TâRGU JIU
The coal-mining town of Târgu Jiu, along the Jiu River in the foothills of the Carpathians, is an unlikely setting for the breathtakingly minimalist, modern sculpture of internationally acclaimed Romanian master Constantin Brâncuşi (1876–1957). Brâncuşi was born near Târgu Jiu and spent his early years here and in nearby Craiova.
In 1935, Brâncuşi was commissioned to create a series of public works to commemorate Romanian soldiers who fought against the Germans in WWI. The works have survived to this day and constitute a unique opportunity to see the master's work in the open air.
The four main works are spread out along Calea Eroilor (Avenue of Heroes) that bisects the centre of town. Three of the works, the Gate of the Kiss, Table of Silence and Alley of Chairs, are clustered in the central park, while a fourth work, the Endless Column (Calea Eroilor; hdawn-dusk), stands at the end of Calea Eroilor, about 1km to the east.
Taken together, the four sculptures constitute arguably the high point of Brâncuşi’s career in the the late 1930s, showing off the artist's mastery of proportion, simplicity and symbolism. Today, works by Brâncuşi fetch as much as €30 million at auction, and the statues are under 24-hour armed guard.
For an overnight, Hotel Europa (%0253-211 810; www.hotelrestauranteuropa.ro; Calea Eroilor 22; s/d 160/200 lei; pnai) is a handsome historic hotel in the centre of the city and within easy walking distance of the Brâncuşi sculptures. Hanul Domnesc (%0755-097 717; Str Victoriei 116; mains 20-30 lei; h11am-11pm) is a good traditional Romanian restaurant.
Buses and maxitaxis connect the city to Timişoara (40 lei, three daily) and Drobeta-Turnu Severin (two daily). There's a regular train service to and from Bucharest (70 lei, five hours, three daily) via Craiova.
8Getting There & Away
Bus
Drobeta-Turnu Severin, as with many Romanian towns and cities, has more than one bus and minibus station. Many long-haul buses and minibuses merely service designated stops along the E70. Check details by enquiring at your hotel or consulting the website www.autogari.ro. Buses and minibuses service the entire region, with frequent depart
ures for Orşova (3 lei, 30 minutes) and Timişoara (40 lei, four hours), among other cities.
Train
The train station (Gara; www.cfr.ro; B-dul Dunărea) is located along the Danube River on the extreme western edge of the port, about 2km from the centre of town. On arrival at the station, hike up the steps and turn right (east) on B-dul Carol I to reach the centre or take a taxi (around 8 lei). The city has good train connections to both Bucharest (about 70 lei, five hours, five daily) and Timişoara (60 lei, four hours, four daily). Bucharest-bound trains stop in Craiova (35 lei, two to three hours). There are one or two daily trains to Orşova (5 lei, 25 minutes).
Transylvania
Transylvania Highlights
Prahova Valley
Sinaia
Bucegi Mountains
Predeal
Brasov
Around Brasov
Bran
Poiana Brasov
Zarnesti
Harman & Prejmer
Saxon Land
Sighisoara
Fortified Saxon Villages
Fagaras Mountains
Sibiu
Around Sibiu
Szekely Land
Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria Page 11
