Romania to join two European long-distance touristic routings

Tourists who are crossing Europe at a foot’s pace will be able to include also Romania on their routing after a Swiss association pledged to build the paths in the Carpathians.

The Transylvanian Carpatina Association of Tourist (SKV) has recently launched a project connecting Romania to the European network of long-distance touristic paths, which is financed by a Switzerland grant.

According to the SKV executive manager Marcel Sofariu, the total value of the project mounts to CHF 268,451, out of which 90 percent is covered by the Swiss part, and the rest of 10 pc by SKV. However, out of 10 pc, 5 pc means volunteering and the other 5 pc, meaning about EUR 14,000 is financed by Brasov County Council. The deadline for the project’s completion is 36 months.

What the project actually consists of? SKV will define E8 European routing and will continue works for E3 in Romania, so that the two of the 12 long-distance European touristic routings defined by the European Ramblers Association should also cross our country. The Romanian sections of the two routings are 1,800 kilometers long. Some paths will be pointed for the first time, while the trail for the other paths totaling 250 km long will be remade. Maps will be designed and various workshops, working meetings will be held.

E3 measuring 6,950 km starts from Santiago in Spain and heads to Nesebar, Bulgaria by crossing France, Luxembourg, Germany, Poland and Hungary.
E8 starts from Dublin and arrives in Svilengrad in Bulgaria, crossing 4,390 km through UK, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Slovakia.

The paths will avoid ski areas, must be passable also in winter, must offer attractive views, cross wooded regions and intersect bicycle routings as less as possible.

SKV also intends to set up a long-distance path typical to the Carpathian Mountains which will cross Serbia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland and The Czech Republic. The routing will be named Via Carpatica and practically aims at coming up to a similar routing, Via Alpina, made during 2001-2008 and rejoining Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, France and Monaco.

“90 pc of the tourists travelling on the mountain paths in the Romanian mountains are foreigners. They are very impressed particularly by our mountains’ wildness but also by the scenic views that they come across,” SKV executive manager told Agerpres.

source: romaniajournal.ro