Things to do in Costinești: an activity guide

Costinești has a long-standing reputation as a resort for young people, but it is really a small place that accommodates more kinds of holiday than you'd expect. There's a long beach, a shipwreck that has become the local emblem, a working airfield on the edge of the village and, less than an hour away, nearly everything Dobrogea has to offer. Here's what you can actually do once you're there.

The beach and the water: how it's really divided up

The beach at Costinești is sandy and fairly wide, with a busy central stretch in July and August and quieter ends to the north and south. If you want peace, walk ten to fifteen minutes along the shore: the crowds thin out noticeably. There are sections with sunloungers and beach bars, and free stretches where you can simply lay down a towel.

The sea at Costinești is shallow close to shore, which makes it well suited to families with small children. In the morning the water is clearer and the wind lighter; by the afternoon the breeze usually picks up, which is excellent for sailing sports and less pleasant if you were hoping to read on the beach. Bear in mind the phenomenon known as upwelling: on the Romanian coast the water can drop several degrees from one day to the next, when the wind pushes the warm surface water out to sea. Nothing is wrong — it's just the Black Sea doing what it normally does.

The Evangelia shipwreck — the resort's landmark

Aground at the southern end of the beach lies the Evangelia, a cargo ship that ran aground close to shore in the late 1960s and has been the postcard image of Costinești ever since. It isn't a sight to "visit" in the usual sense — nobody climbs aboard, the structure is rusted and dangerous — but it's where everyone heads at sunrise and sunset, for photographs.

A tip: go at sunrise. The sun comes up directly behind the wreck, the beach is empty, and the difference from the same photograph taken at 1pm is enormous. It's the sort of thing worth setting an alarm for.

Water sports and getting moving

In season, Costinești and the surrounding area offer a decent range of activities on the water. Without recommending any particular operator — they change from year to year — the categories you'll generally find on the southern coast are:

• Windsurfing and kitesurfing — the afternoon breeze is why the area draws surfers year after year. There are schools that hire out kit and run beginner lessons.
• SUP (stand-up paddleboarding) — the most approachable water sport for beginners; best in the morning, when the sea is flat.
• Kayaking and rowing — a calm way to see the coast from the water, the wreck included, from a safe distance.
• Banana boats, jet skis, parasailing — the beach classics, available in the central area at peak season.
• Beach volleyball and sports courts — there are proper courts, and in the evening games run almost non-stop.

Nearby you'll also find Lake Costinești, a good spot for a walk or a cycle, especially towards evening. And if you're a runner, the promenade and the roads between the resort and the airfield make for flat routes with little heavy traffic.

Evenings in Costinești

The resort has a genuine nightlife, concentrated in the centre: clubs, terraces with live music, beach bars that stay open late. Concerts and events are frequent in summer, and line-ups are usually announced at short notice — it's worth checking the social media pages of the local venues during the week you're there, rather than relying on old information.

If loud music isn't what you're after, the alternative is simple: dinner on a terrace at the northern end of the resort, or a trip down to 2 Mai or Vama Veche, to the south, where the mood is more relaxed. We've written about that separately in our guide to Vama Veche.

Short trips nearby

Costinești is well placed: you can get back the same day from almost any direction. A few ideas for full or half-day outings:

Aerobatic flights from Costinești Airfield

On the edge of the village there is a working Costinești Airfield, and this is probably the thing most visitors don't realise: from Costinești you can actually fly in an aerobatic aircraft over the coast, not just watch the planes take off.

Vulturașul operates from Costinești Airfield and is the first registered acrobatic training organisation (DTO) in Romania. Flights are made with a certified professional pilot, in an aircraft approved for aerobatics and fitted with a five-point harness. No previous experience is needed: the pilot talks you through everything before take-off.

What to know beforehand

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  The minimum age is 10. Children can fly from the age of 10, with both parents present at the airfield.
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  The maximum weight is 100 kg. That is a technical limit of the aircraft, not a preference.
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  Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 08:00–20:00. In summer, the morning slots usually have the calmest air.
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  The weather is reconfirmed. The team contacts you at least 3 days ahead to confirm flying conditions. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the flight is rescheduled.
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  Not only at Costinești. The team travels to other cities around the country from time to time; dates are announced on Instagram and TikTok.

Prices change from season to season, so we don't put them in articles: see the current packages and prices on the products page or the detailed breakdown on how much an aerobatic flight costs. Bookings are made through the booking page, and the practical details are gathered under good to know.

Practical tips

• Accommodation varies widely, from villas and guesthouses in the residential area to hotels and rooms to let near the beach. In July and August, book well ahead.
• A car is useful for day trips, but parking in the resort is awkward at peak season. If you're staying centrally, you may not touch it for days.
• The season is longer than it looks. Early June and the first half of September bring good weather and far fewer people.
• Food: on the coast, fresh fish and Dobrogean cooking — plăcintă dobrogeană (a local layered pie), shad, mussels. Ask what came in fresh that day.
• The weather changes fast. Always have a plan B for a cloudy day; we've put together a separate list in our article on what to do on the coast when it's not beach weather.

Costinești works best if you don't treat it as somewhere you merely sleep. The beach is the starting point, not the whole itinerary. Between trips into Dobrogea, water sports and an hour spent at the airfield, a week can go by without a single day repeating itself.