More About Romania

Bucharest has excellent bus, train and metro services. This is a cosmopolitan city with an abundance of luxury apartments, banks and two huge shopping malls – Plaza Romania and Bucuresti Mall. The city has 37 museums, 22 theatres and opera houses, and 18 art galleries. Its hospitals are now gaining a reputation for good specialist services.

Romania has a continental climate, with hot, dry summers averaging 23C and cold winters with lows of -3C. Home to more than a third of Europe’s mineral and thermal springs, the country boasts a mixture of natural unspoiled countryside and historical towns and cities, in which street festivals and craft fairs are hosted throughout the year.

Investors Fact File

• One of the top European countries most likely to make you the most money in the next ten years, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Capital appreciation is 20 to 25%
• Demand for housing is high and the supply of new units is low. About 5,000 additional homes are needed each year
• House prices in Bucharest are unrivalled for the quality of property on offer when compared with Paris or London
• Residents of Bucharest are demanding modern homes with a close proximity to work, easy access to transport facilities and the best of modern living
• High rental yields – 10% is possible
• Limited long-term hotel accommodation is available, and with prices among the highest in Eastern Europe, many foreign companies are seeking to lease high-quality apartments and houses for staff relocating to Bucharest
• New high-quality residential property costs the same to buy and rent as old property, so developers are busy building large developments of residential apartments and houses
• A new road costing more than €2bn is expected to be completed by 2012. This will connect Romania with Europe and Asia
• Coca-Cola, Unilever and Pirelli are among the growing number of companies using Romania as a Central European base
• In excess of €4.9bn was invested in 2005, and €3.5bn in 2006

 Key Facts - Romania

	Climate - Romania’s climate is hot in summer and cold in winter. In Bucharest, the capital, average temperatures are -3C (27F) in January and 23C (73F) in July (averages are higher on the coast).
	Cost of Living - Loaf of bread: RON 1 (20p) Bottle of wine: from RON 3 (60p)
	Currency - new lei (RON). £1 = RON 4.88
	Getting There - Romania is about three hours’ flying time from most UK airports. No-frills airline Wizz Air has recently begun flying to the country, making getting there cheaper year-round. Flying time is three hours. Airports are Otopeni for Bucharest and the Black Sea coast and Tg Mures for Transylvania.
	Time - GMT + 2
	Population - 22 million