3 Best Sights in Romania

Dracula buffs can check out the ruins of the palace built by Vlad Ţepeş, the 15th-century prince on whom the fictional count was based. There is a small museum.

At first glance, this fortress appears to be little more than a pile of stones, but it was once an important defense structure, and, if its walls could talk, oh, the stories they'd tell. It dates to the late 14th century and was seized and then regained from the invading Ottoman several times over. Giurgiu lso suffered terribly during the Crimean War, when it was occupied by the Russian and Turkish armies, and again during the War of Independence, when it was bombed by the Turkish army. In 1916, the city was almost completely destroyed when the Allies fought back against Central Powers. Given the turmoil, it's remarkable that ruins of the once grand fortress managed to survive at all for so many centuries.

Not far from the archaeological museum, you can see the remains of 4th-century Roman warehouses and shops in situ, plus a mosaic floor covering more than 21,000 square feet.