Duration: approx. 4.5 hours

Your half-day exploration of Romania’s fascinating history begins with a short coach drive from your ship to the Navy Museum, your first destination. Organised chronologically in four sections, the museum hosts a superb collection of maritime charts, mouldings, ancient and modern boat models, navigation instruments, documents, photographs and – as star exhibits – a dug-out canoe made from a single tree trunk, a 16^th-century navigation case, a mid-17^th-century celestial globe made in Venice and models of Greek triremes, a type of ship. Moving on by coach again, a 1-hour drive will then see you reach the seaside resort of Neptun – and discover the “communist connection”. As you enter what was once Ceausescu’s summer residence and is now the Ambassador Restaurant, you will feel as though you have been transported back in time to the communist era. After enjoying a guided tour of this historic building and a delicious “presidential” snack, you will head back to the port and your ship.

With a history that dates all the way back to the 7^th century B.C., the city of Constanţa – or Tomis as it was known in the past – certainly has much to offer visitors, especially in its old quarter. This half-day exploration of Constanţa’s rich architectural heritage also includes a trip to Mamaia, Romania’s most popular summer seaside resort. As the coach takes you past the harbour and then around Constanţa’s stylish old town, you can first look forward to views of the many lovely Art Deco houses and the amazing Casino building on the waterfront, where a photo stop will be made. Moving on to Mamaia, your guide will then provide information on noteworthy sights en route to the Archaeological Museum. Some free time will then be yours to explore the museum’s collection of artefacts salvaged from the Black Sea coast, among them the remains of a large Roman floor mosaic and several marble statues of mythological creatures, including a chimera with a serpent’s body, the head of an antelope, ears of a human and tail of a lion. A tasty snack and folklore show will then round off the tour before you head back to the ship.