Vama Veche

Vama Veche is a small village on the Romanian border with Bulgaria on the shore of the Black Sea. The coastline of Vama Veche is quite peaceful as it is not a hot spot for tourists.

By car
E87 South from Constanta (Romania) or North from Varna (Bulgaria). Particular reference points at the South-Bound entrance to Vama Veche are the Golden Sea Motel (yellow and green color) on the left (East) of E-87, an indicator to Marina Park (a leading restaurant, bar and camp-ground) and the Punk Rock Hotel on the right (West) side of E-87.

By plane
Fly to Henry Coanda International Airport in Bucharest, serviced by over a dozen airlines among which, KLM, TAROM, WizzAir or to Kogalniceanu Airport  near Constanta, and take a train or bus to Mangalia, and then take a Minibus south to Vama Veche. Minibuses are reliable, with assigned seating; assume at least one bus per hour down the Constanta-Vama Veche road (E-87), although changing buses once in Mangalia might be necessary. Assume total trip time from Constanta to Vama Veche of 1½ hours, including transfers. Cost should not exceed €5.

An alternative is to fly into Varna, Bulgaria, and head North on E-87. If already in Bulgaria, a weekend trip to Vama Veche is a must-do party adventure!

By train
The closest train station is in Mangalia, which is fairly well served by trains that are packed (truly packed!) in the high season. Going to Constanta will not make your train ride up to Bucharest any more comfortable, but slightly quicker.

By bus
From Constanta, go to the South Autogare next to the Train station and take a minibus going to Mangalia (10 lei). Tell the driver that you want to go to Vama Veche and he will stop you in front of the Nordiana hotel (facing LIDL supermarket). Every hour there is a bus from that hotel going to Vama Veche (4.5 lei), you can also take that bus from other parts of the main road in Mangalia.

Get around
Walking is the means of transport. Preferably in shabby flip-flops, or barefoot.

Eat
There are a variety of restaurants ranging from Romanian food, to a creperie, to pizza joints. The best pizza during weekends is at Marina Park.

Down at the beach area, there are stalls offering "Hamsii" (little fried fish as a whole, offered with lemon or a ridiculous amount of garlic sauce). It's not a wine and dine place, though.

Drink
Beer selection is also ample, as are cocktails, cognacs and whisky. There are dozens of beach-front locations open 24/7.

Sleep
Homestay is one option for tourists. The small buses usually drop you off along the main road in Vama Veche. After getting off the bus, you may be approached by local residents with whom you can negotiate to rent a spare bedroom in their home or a cheap place for a tent in their garden. The preferred option, however, is camping on the beach. Roughly two-thirds of the younger people do this, leaving only limited space for lingering about the beach. There are toilets and showers available, although grungy. Theft did not seem a problem.



Go next

 * Constanţa - Romania's largest seaport
 * Mangalia - a port city and resort that hosts one of Romania's largest summer festivals
 * Varna, Bulgaria - a seaside resort city and one of the oldest cities in Europe
 * Head North on E-87, parallel to the Black Sea coast. Be sure to stop by the exiting road sign from Vama Veche, right next to the Golden Sea Motel and take the usual "photo op" stop with the road sign. A usual custom of many visitors. You can also take advantage of this stop and stock-up on roadtrip goodies from the Double M Mini Food Mart, just south of the Golden Sea Motel on the same (east) side of the road. If you want to freshen up prior to your drive, Golden Sea Motel often will allow you access to their clean restrooms.