Two new tourist spots have been chosen as Romania's Destinations of Excellence under the EU's EDEN tourism project. The winning entries for Romania this year are the Buzau region and Alba Iulia. The Buzau region was chosen for its rural tourism opportunities. The area boasts stunning natural landscapes with its mountainous terrain, forests and rivers, which make it the perfect spot for adventure tourism.

Picturesque city  Alba Iulia has a long history and played an important role Romania's unification in 1918. In the center of the city is the Unification Cathedral.

The two new destinations will be included in the 2012 edition of the EDEN project.

The European Commission launched the EDEN Destinations of Excellence project in 2006 with the aim of promoting sustainable tourism and unknown or underdeveloped areas. The project also aims to set up partnerships between the tourism sectors of different EU member states. Previous choices for Romania included Apuseni Natural Park and the Geoagiu-Bai resort.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Travel Buzau)