Hello,
We are travelling with two children to Romania next August and we have an extra week to spend in a neighbouring country. We love nature, rivers , waterfalls and also traditional villages etc... do you know a beautiful national park in another country close to Romania?
At the begining we thought about Croatia and visiting the area of Zadar and Plitvice but there are no direct flights and we had to spend much money in the air tickets.
Many thanks in advance
You might think about the Ukraine just across the boarder from Sighet and a half an hour bus ride will take you to the small town of Rahiv where there is accommodation and the surrounding mountains are wild. You might want to try and get a map of the area before coming as they are few and far between up here. If you don't find a map there is quite a big book shop in Rahiv and i think they might have maps but they may well be in Serilic.There are marked trails into the hills to some remote villages from the monument at the Center of Europe (it was in the Hapsburg time). There are also trails from the town you should ask at the small guest house near the center. Some of the paths are quite steep but some of the views are spectacular.
And of course Croatia does not border Romania either. Romania is bordered by Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine and Moldova as well as having a long stretches of border along the Danube. It will of course depend on any visa requirements, but I would recommend a few days in either Bulgaria or Ukraine. Please bear in mind that if budget is an issue, as trains and buses are not the fastest on the planet in Romania, maybe just do an extra week in one country and no more. Oh and which country you choose to visit might depend on whereabouts in Romania you are. It's quite a big country and travelling from one side to the other takes awhile with any form of transport, except plane.
If by any chance you'll be departing Romania after visiting some of these locations(Piatra Craiului National Park, Fagaras , Sibiu area , Retezat National Park)..you might consider crossing by train or hired car into Bulgaria by using a newly built bridge over Danube river, between Calafat(Ro) and Vidin(Bul).It should be ready by that time.
Your train/car should have its itinerary through Ramnicu Valcea, Olt Valley, Craiova, Calafat, Vidin, Sofia etc
Once in Bulgaria, I would keep heading south to Rila mountains
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rila_National_Park