Shopping
Presents from Transylvania made from straw include marquetry, basketwork, tied figures, plaited hats, corn dollies, plates, objects created from wheat, oats, rye, barley and even rice haulm. You can also find information on how these objects are made and on the age old tradition of haulm spinning in Transylvania.
Standard places to buy Romanian goods are the shops found in the Peasant Museum and the Village Museum. Most products are of good quality and inexpensive.
You will find a wide range of shops in Romania from tourist shops, to modern supermarkets, to small corner shops. You will find food markets and some street sellers can also be seen - the only places where you can bargain. Any product found in the US or Western Europe is available here as well. In some smaller stores, branded fake clothing is also on sale.
Romanian lace, carved wood, ceramics and jewellery are exceptionally beautiful and make great gifts. Traditional Romanian costumes as well as exquisite woven rugs are also good mementos to buy. Well known museums that maintain links with local artists are good places to buy local folk art. Used books and antiques are also popular shopping choices. Religious art and iconography reproductions are also available here.
Our Romania Shopping Guide below will give you some hints on what to look out for whilst shopping in Romania.
Traditional handicrafts and locally made merchandise are what you must buy while shopping in Romania. Craft shops are found near popular tourist sites in most large cities. Travellers can also purchase handicrafts made by local artisans at gift shops outside most museums. Most large cities in Romania also have shopping malls.
Interesting keepsakes you might like to take back with you from Romania include embroidered clothing and linen (folk arts), painted or beaded eggs, carpets, pottery, woodcarvings and icons.
