A guide to the county
Constanța
in five.
A short guide to Constanța County: in every town, five places to explore, five to eat and five to stay. Chosen by people, not algorithms.
Towns
We started with the towns where we found good places in all three categories. More will follow as we check them.
ConstanțaThe county seat on the site of ancient Tomis, with the Art Nouveau Casino reopened in 2025, Ovid Square and its Roman mosaic, the Carol I Mosque, and a city that stays busy all year, not just in summer.
MamaiaThe resort on the 8 km sand bar between the Black Sea and Lake Siutghiol, opened in 1906, with its wide beach, the promenade by the 1935 Cazino and the gondola lift.
EforieThe twin resort by Lake Techirghiol: Eforie Nord, with its mud baths and treatment hotels open all year, and Eforie Sud, the first resort on the Romanian coast, founded by Ioan Movilă in 1899.
CostineștiThe young people's resort, 32 km south of Constanța, with the Evangelia wreck to the north, a lake between village and beach and the Obelisk on the sand.
MangaliaThe old town of ancient Callatis, with its 16th-century mosque and marina, plus the resorts to the north: Saturn, Venus, Cap Aurora, Jupiter, Neptun and Olimp.
Vama VecheVama Veche, the bohemian village by the Bulgarian border, and 2 Mai, its quieter neighbour in Limanu commune, separated by the wild shore of the marine reserve.Photo: Constanța: Andymxm / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · Mamaia: Razvan Socol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eforie: Anturaju Daniel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 · Costinești: Razvan Socol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mangalia: Biruitorul / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 · Vama Veche: ZARAKA Z / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where to start
Places to see, picked by us. The rest are waiting on each town's page.
Art Nouveau landmark and cultural centreCazinoul ConstanțaThe seafront Casino, built between 1904 and 1910 in Art Nouveau style to plans by Daniel Renard, restored and reopened in 2025 as a cultural centre.Constanța
Sandy beachPlaja MamaiaThe sandy beach on the 8 km sand bar between the Black Sea and Lake Siutghiol, from the southern entrance of the resort to Mamaia Nord.Mamaia
Open-air mud bathsBăile Reci nr. 1 – Lacul TechirghiolThe open-air mud baths of the Efosan rehabilitation hospital on the shore of Lake Techirghiol, where you coat yourself in mud, let it dry in the sun and then go into the lake.Eforie
ShipwreckEpava EvangeliaThe wreck of the refrigerated cargo ship Evangelia, which ran aground close to shore in the north of the resort in October 1968 and became the symbol of Costinești.CostineștiPhoto: Cazinoul Constanța: Dennis Sylvester Hurd / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 · Plaja Mamaia: Alexandru Panoiu / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 · Băile Reci nr. 1 – Lacul Techirghiol: Maiorov victor / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Epava Evangelia: Razvan Socol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pocket guide
A weekend ahead?
The guide comes along.
Every town in one PDF: all the places in the guide, with opening hours, phone numbers and a town map. It opens without internet too.
Why only five?
- Five helps you choose.A list of 40 restaurants leaves the searching to you. Five means we already chose.
- Every place has a reason.Each entry says in one line why it made the list.
- Different places, not clones.We pick places that are not alike, so everyone finds what suits them.
- The list changes, it doesn't grow.When a place comes in, another goes out. We review the selection regularly.