Constanța is Romania's main port and the gateway to the Black Sea coast. Founded in the 6th century BC by Greek merchants as Tomis, it was later developed by the Romans and renamed after Emperor Constantine. The poet Ovid was exiled here by Augustus in AD 8 and spent his last years writing elegies about the cold and the barbarians — his statue still stands in the main square.
The city has a faded grandeur that rewards exploration. The Art Nouveau Casino on the waterfront, overlooking the sea, is Constanța's most iconic building, recently restored after decades of dereliction. The old town has Roman mosaics, an archaeological museum, the Grand Mosque with its panoramic minaret, and the Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The Mamaia resort strip stretches north of the city along a narrow sand bar between the sea and a lagoon — it is Romania's most popular seaside destination, busy in summer with Romanian and international tourists.