{"id":11093,"date":"2026-07-15T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=11093"},"modified":"2026-07-15T09:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:00:26","slug":"romanias-southern-city-of-craiova-included-in-european-best-fairytale-destinations-2026-ranking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=11093","title":{"rendered":"Romania\u2019s southern city of Craiova included in European Best Fairytale Destinations 2026 ranking"},"content":{"rendered":"

European Best Destinations, a Brussels-based organization meant to promote travel in Europe, has revealed its 2026 ranking for the best fairytale destinations<\/a>\u00a0on the continent, including the southern Romanian city of Craiova.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 17 locations on the list give travelers the same sense of wonder as magical places from children\u2019s stories, with castles and misty mountains rising atop hills and dark, gloomy forests embracing well-beaten paths.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, some of these places seem almost unreal. There is a castle above a German forest, an abbey isolated by the tide, and a village of crooked timber houses glowing with Christmas lights. But these are not movie sets; people still live and work here, among buildings, streets, and landscapes shaped over centuries,\u201d said Forbes author Jim Dobson in an article dedicated to the ranking<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To compile the list, European Best Destinations experts and their media partners started with over 4,200 places across Europe and narrowed it down to 68, looking at things like atmosphere, beauty, history, originality, visitor experience, and culture. Then they handed the choice to travelers, who gave points to each destination.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese places remind us that travel is not only about seeing new landscapes; it is also about awakening our imagination, finding inspiration, and reconnecting with the stories, legends, and heritage that shaped our common identity,\u201d European Best Destinations CEO Maximilien Lejeune told Forbes.<\/p>\n

The 2026 shortlist features 12 new destinations, Romania\u2019s Craiova among them. The city \u201creinvents itself through a series of extraordinary events that attract visitors from across Europe,\u201d according to European Best Destinations.<\/p>\n

Famous for its Eastern and Christmas fairs, the Romanian city also received an endorsement from Elon Musk\u2019s mother, Maye. The post she shared on X praised an atmosphere that many visitors find increasingly rare in Europe: “No concrete barriers. No armed guards. No tension in the air.”<\/p>\n

The Forbes article also highlights Craiova\u2019s \u201cgrand 19th-century buildings, wide squares, and the Jean Mihail Palace, which houses the Craiova Art Museum and works by Constantin Br\u00e2ncu\u0219i.\u201d Romanescu Park is another point of attraction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

radu@romania-insider.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

(Photo source: Emi Cristea|Dreamstime.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

European Best Destinations, a Brussels-based organization meant to promote travel in Europe, has revealed its 2026 ranking for the best fairytale destinations\u00a0on the continent, including the southern Romanian city of Craiova.\u00a0 The 17 locations on the list give travelers the same sense of wonder as magical places from children\u2019s stories, with castles and misty mountains […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11093\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}