Experience the best of Constanța

Constanța stands on a peninsula on the Black Sea coast, on the site of the ancient Greek and Roman port of Tomis, where the Roman poet Ovid was exiled in AD 8. A statue of Ovid stands in the old square, and the remains of a large Roman mosaic floor are preserved near the old port. The seafront has an Art Nouveau casino from the early twentieth century, the Genoese Lighthouse, and the Carol I Mosque, whose minaret gives a view over the peninsula.

Mamaia, a long beach resort on a sand spit just to the north, is where the city goes to swim. To the south lie Techirghiol, a salt lake whose mud is used in treatments, and Vama Veche, a laid-back seaside village. In the countryside of Dobruja, the Greek ruins of Histria stand on the coast to the north, the Roman monument at Adamclisi lies inland to the south-west, and the Danube Delta begins farther north still.

Fish soup, fried sprat, grilled mackerel and Turkish-influenced sweets such as baklava and halva reflect Dobruja's mix of peoples, among them Romanians, Turks and Tatars. The sea breeze cools the summer evenings along the harbour. The beach season runs from June to September, and the city is quiet and windswept in winter.