1. Souvenir Shopping
Traditional items can be found at Romanian folk art in the city of Cluj. Painted eggs, embodied dresses, tablecloths, colorful masks, hats are part of this market. The quality is incomparable and the prices are lower than most shops. You can grab a souvenir from here for your friends or for your own home décor.
A lot of people prefer to buy traditional silver jewelry from Romania, this can be found at Hala Centrala. This jewelry is made from Romanian amber and coated with Turkish silver. Galeria Helios is another shop where you can buy artwork starting from 15 euros and jewelry starting from 30 euros, handicrafts, and ceramics starting from 12 euros. Its adjacent shop Hermestim sells the same stuff.
Betix in Cluj is an old shop and it has been here since 35 years. It’s popular for its unique hats which are actually made here.
2. Outdoor Shopping
If you plan to do hiking, trekking, or skiing on the mountains in Romania, and you mistakenly forgot to bring supplies, then the Himalaya Market in Brasov is your destination for all outdoor items. Ski, hiking boots, rock climbing gear, maps, and trails are all available at this market. Atta is another option to buy these outdoor supplies.
3. Shopping Malls
• Palas Lasi (Lasi)
Palas Lasi is a quite new plaza opened in 2012 and made on western standards. It is at a great strategic position in the center of the city next to the Palace of Culture. Retail shops, Offices, leisure places are all part of this plaza. It even has a residential area too.
This plaza hosts around 150 international and local brands which include H&M, Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius, Levi’s, LC Waikiki, Massimo Dutti and Tommy Hilfiger. Besides these, there are restaurants, cafes, and cinemas for tourists who just want to hang around. The food court is multi-ethnic from chains such as KFC to Chinese food, Pizza Hut, Subway etc.
There’s also a 50,000 sq. m park where families can hang out and children can play. Other activities include skating rink, art gallery, sports, spa etc.
• Baneasa Shopping City (Bucharest)
Băneasa Shopping City or as the locals popularly call as ‘The fashion mall’ hosts a lot of clothing brands such as Armani, Hugo Boss, Adidas, Esprit, Armani, Calvin Klein, Diesel, Mango, Zara, Pull and Bear, Bershka and Stradivarius. Besides clothing, the well-known items at this mall include cosmetics, household items, perfumes, accessories, footwear, lingerie, computers, and mobile phones. Burger King, McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut are the stars of its food court.
• River Plaza Mall (Ramnicu Valcea)
River Plaza Mall is the first mall in the country to boast of having an Environmental Management System Certification. One of the most interesting things about this mall is that it has a shape of a UFO. This five floor mall has over 100 retail shops which include clothing, electronics, home appliances, and a super market. It also has an ice rink and multiple restaurants in its food court.
Have you visited any markets in Romania? Feel free to share your tips and recommendations.
Photo Credits (Flickr CC): Ramnicu Valcea Mall by cod_gabriel