Mamaia is the resort strip north of Constanța — a narrow 8 km sandbar between the Black Sea on one side and Lake Siutghiol on the other. Developed under the communist regime from the 1950s as Romania's flagship Black Sea resort, it has since accumulated a long stripe of hotels, beach clubs, water-sports centres and nightclubs, and is now busy from June to early September.
The beach itself is wide and sandy and the sea is mostly shallow and warm — better for families than for surfers. The northern end is quieter; the central stretch (around the Aqua Magic waterpark and the Casino Mamaia) is where the nightlife concentrates. The water on the lagoon side is good for kitesurfing and small-craft sailing. Mamaia is reached from central Constanța by city bus 40 or 41 in about thirty minutes.