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- Located in Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between
Bulgaria, Serbia divided by Danube river, Hungary, Moldova and
Ukraine.
- Population is about 22,455,000
- Area 92,044 square miles
- Capital: Bucharest (1 mln)
- Distance: London/Bucharest - 1,590 miles.
- Important dates: (2001) January 1 New Years Day, January
2 New Years Holiday April 15&16 Orthodox Easter , May 1 Labour
Day, December 1 National Day, December 25 Christmas Day, December
26 Boxing Day.
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| Resident Representatives
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| Contact details for your representative are shown on
your holiday itinerary. A Balkan Holidays appoiunted representative
will meet you at the airport on your arrival and introduce
you to your resort at Welcome Meeting soon after. A notice
board on the foyer of your hotel will give details of
the representative's visiting hours, information about
the resort and its facilities, sights of special interest
and your homewards journey. All excursion should be
booked through you representative, who can recommend
those of particular interest and value, and must be paid
for in cash or occasionally credit cards. We can accept
no responsibilities for excursions which are not booked
through you rep. |
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| Money,
Currency Exchange, Banks |
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The official currency is Leu (plural Lei- read like
lay), ROL (ROL1=100Bani) Coins: 50, 100, 500, 1000,
Notes: 1000, 5000, 10000, 50000, 100000, 500000
Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks and exchange
offices at most tourist agencies, hotels and camping
grounds. Travellers cheques and credit cards (Eurocard/Mastercard,
Visa) are accepted in major towns; in more remote country
areas it is advisable to take cash. Commission for travellers
cheques: 1% - 1.5%.
Exchange rate is not fixed and fluctuates within
1-2%. Scotish notes are not accepted. Please, note that
old or marked notes and coins are not accepted. Travellers
cheques carry higher commission. Check the current exchange
rate on Yahoo!
Finance Converter.
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| Meals
and Drinks |
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Your holiday invoice will state whether the arrangement
is based on accommodation only (AO), self catering (SC),
bed and breakfast (BB), half board (HB) or all inclusive
(AI).
Although there is some slight variation, meal times
are usually as follows:
- Breakfast - 07.30 to 10.00
- Dinner - 18.00 to 22.00
Cuisine
Ciorba - soup with a characteristic aroma and taste
due to the addition of a souring agent ( sauerkraut
juice, vinegar, bors);
Mititei - little grilled sausages made of spiced,
minced beef, pork and sheep meat, grilled on a hot grill,
greased with fat;
Sarmale - leaves of sour cabbage stuffed with
spiced, minced pork meat.
Cozonac - typical Easter cake;
Local beer: Ursus, Silva.
Wines: Cotnari (awarded at many international
exhibitions); Murfatlar, Odobesti etc.
Spirits: tuica, a plum brandy and palinca-strong
drink, over 65° distilled from plums.
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| Hotel and Resort
Facilities |
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| All hotel and resort facilities which are open to the
general public (swimming pools, discos, nightclubs health
centres, saunas, etc.) are chargeable on the spot - even
for residents of the hotel - unless otherwise specified
in the brochure/web site. There is also a small charge
for the use of all public toilets, even in hotels. |
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| Voltage |
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| Voltage of city power grid 220V, frequency 50HZ |
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| Religious Information |
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| About 70% belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church; 6%
(mostly Hungarians) are Roman Catholic, of which 3% are
Uniate (Greek Catholic). There are also significant populations
of Jews and Muslims in the country. About 15% of the people
claim no religious affiliation. |
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| Getting Around |
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Public transport is extensive and inexpensive. In Bucharest
- buses, trams, underground run a frequent service.
An extensive rail network covers the whole country,
with frequent intercity trains; quite cheap. Tickets
are to be bought before trains leave the station. The
road network is acceptable, with the European roads
in good conditions; signs according to international
regulations. Unleaded petrol and Diesel available. Regular
bus services operate between localities, and tickets
may be paid for on the bus. Main European car-hire companies
are located in Romania. Driving in Romania requires:
international/your own national driving permit (if EU
citizen), registration document or hire certificate,
passport, green card.
In Romania accident insurance is compulsory. ACR offers
any technical assistance. Dial 9271. Maximum speed:
50 km/h - residential areas; 120 km/h - highways; 90km/h
- other areas. Car insurance can be bought at the border.
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| Medical Attention |
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| Romania and UK have a reciprocal health agreement for
urgent medical treatments. In order get treatment some
proofs of UK residence will be required. No any compulsory
vaccination.
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| Car Hire |
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| Taxi service exists in all towns and tourist
places. Car hire exists in all towns, tourists centres
and airports. Drive on the right side of the road. The
spectacular Adriatic highway from Italy to Albania runs
along the steep slopes of Croatia's coastal range, and
is one of the most exciting drives in the world. |
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| Safety
Deposit Boxes |
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| Most hotels have the facilities to hold
small valuable items at the reception or in the room,
for you during your holiday. |
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| Postal
Service |
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Post Offices are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
and on Saturdays until 1 p.m. There are Post Offices in
the larger cities which are open until 10 p.m. in the
summer. Postage stamps are sold in Post Offices and at
newsstands.
Public telephones can be used only with phone cards, which
can be purchased in Post Offices and at newsstands, in
hotels and tourist complexes. |
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| Linen
Change |
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| In the hotels, bed linen is normally changed
weekly and towels every 3-4 days. Please inform your rep
if linen change is less frequent. |
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| Cot
hire & Baby supplies |
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| We strongly recommend that parents take
supply of baby food, powdered milk and nappies with them
as it is sometimes difficult to obtain these locally. |
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| Important
Telephone Numbers |
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- International dialing - 40
- Bucharest - 1
- Ambulance - 961
- Fire brigade - 981
- Police - 955
- Emergency Hospital - 962
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| Formalities |
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| British citizens do not require visas for stay
up to 3 months. (If you hold travel documents or passports
of other nationalities, you should check with the respective
consulates whether a visa is required). For any further travel advise please check with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. |
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| Any problems should be reported to our representatives
in the holiday centres immediately so that they can be dealt
with whenever possible on the spot. There is a number on your
itinerary that can be reached 24 hours a day (answerphone),
or your hotel will have list of times when your representative
will be available in person. |
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| If you are booked on a flight only basis it is essential
that you confirm your return flight with your Balkan Holidays
representative twenty-four hours before your return flight. |
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Country
details |
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