Ancient Tomis has been associated with the legend of Jason and the Argonauts who embarked on a long voyage from Greece to the Asian country of Colchis on the Black Sea Coast in search of the Golden Fleece. On their return voyage, they laid anchor on the site on which the town of Tomis was to be later on built. Under the Roman rule, Tomis became a prosperous city, graced with statues, temples and a monumental architecture.

With Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, Tomis was rebuilt by Constantine the Great who changed its name to Constantiana (from which the present name of the city has been derived), in honour of his sister. The important events connected to Constantza as a seaport were the building of a lighthouse by the Genovese in the 13th century and the development of the harbour; the Turkish occupation that lasted till 1877 brought about no notable change or improvement.

It was only after 1877 that Constantza came close to its past glamour, as it started to be a flourishing trade port with a railway which ensured also land transportation.

Constantza's spiritual patron is the Roman poet Ovid, who was exiled there by Emperor Augustus in 8 A.D.. In Tomis he wrote some of his important works, i.e., the poems "Tristia" and "Epistulae ex Ponto", which express sadness of being far away from home. Despite his appeals for mercy, Ovid remained in Tomis until his death. His tomb in now marked by a statue-monument in the town square that bears his name.

If you stroll down the streets of the old quarter, you'll be amazed by the French-like and Art Deco architecture of many of the houses. The "Lions house", now an elegant restaurant, is just an example of the wealth and imagination of the people living here. Your walk on the bluff through the old town will pass the "Genovese Lighthouse" and continue toward a promenade alley built on top of big rocks high above the water. "Faleza" is the perfect place for a stroll at sunset. Its stylish design culminates with the century-old Casino (built in 1909 and inaugurated in August 1910; the designs were made by the French architect Daniel Renard), built right on the waterfront. It is a real treat to see the magnificent building withstand the force and fury of waves in a storm.

The promenade alley continues, following the shore, revealing statues, mosaic tiles and a big Aquarium, home to more than 4500 species of marine life from the Black Sea. If you follow the path you'll end up in the small leisure harbor called Tomis. Among the boats sheltered there it is not unusual to see some from the other end of the world - New Zealand or Australia. But one of the most amazing boats in the port is the 80 years old Queen Maria's yacht. Although as of now nobody offers cruises along the coast, there is a small enterprise that can teach you basic sailing skills. As you walk through old Constantza, something else catches your eye: the big Mahmudie Mosque (designed by the great inventor engineer Gogu Constantinescu and the built by architect Victor Stefanescu), a landmark of the Turkish influence over the region. The mosque is the residence of the Mufti, the spiritual leader of Romanian Muslims. Thousands of sea-washed pebbles encased in the roof make it look like a jewel box. The tower is 47 metres high and the sizes of preaching room are 14 metres per 14 metres. The balcony is reserved for Moslem women, and is 14 metres long and 3 metres wide. The altar is made in Moorish style, characteristic to worshipping Moslem buildings. The mosque can be visited and its tall tower offers a great view of the old town and the harbor. If you are lucky you might catch the daily call for prayer. You can also get a taste of the Turkish influence by trying the meat or cheese-filled pies called Suberek and the traditional Baklava.

Constantza is also a center of art and culture, with several museums and theatres. The archaeological museum has an important collection of ancient treasures discovered along the Black Sea coast, among which the remains of a large Roman mosaic tile floor. The museum's richness is no surprise, since you can uncover Greek and Roman remains almost anywhere you dig in this region. The most prized exponates are marble mythological statues, one of a serpent with an antelope's head, human ears and a lion's tail. Outside the museum, some ancient tombstone epitaphs almost bring their possessors back to life with their clever rimes. Apart from the museum, evidence of the city's Greek, Roman, and Byzantine past is scattered around the city park, huge amphorae and ancient wall remains.

The Roman Mosaic located in Ovid Square, was discovered in 1959; it is a vast complex built on three levels, which was the connection between the old town and the port in that time. The great monument (over 2000 s. metres) was built during IVth century and repaired many times to the end of VIth century, when it became a ruin, as long as the commercial activities had been stopped. Only 700 square meters are now preserved. On the up-terrace there is an impressive hall (100 metres long and 20 metres wide) but only a part of the long wall, one of the lateral walls and the mosaic floor are preserved. This huge wall was used for various reunions of the fortress authorities, merchants who were doing commercial transactions in here. To the South side of the monument there are Therms built in the same time; a large room 300 square metres was provided with marble floor; under it there was the heating-system - the hypocaustum - which was pushing the hot air up to some narrow ditches. The underground corridors (big clay pipes) were used as tanks for current water brought from Ovid and Palazu Mare; as the water-corridor from Ovid was the biggest in Roman Dobrogea - 3-4 metres under sea surface and the water had to reach the fortress, the Half-Island had to be penetrated. Two corridors have been discovered, one of 285 metres, and of 265 metres. The Painted Tomb is one of the most recent archeological discoveries in town (25th february 1988). It is located on the Seacoast, at the end of Stefan cel Mare Street (next to \"Zorile\" Restaurant) and consists of a rectangular vault (2,80 metres long, 2,30 metres wide and 2 metres high), built in brick. The walls painted in fresco technique have antropomorphical, zoomorphical and fitomorphical representations.

Butchers Tower (the butchers in town offered money for this wall part building). Two gates have been cleared up - they can be seen today in Ferdinand Boulevard - and square towers guard them.

The Genovese Lighthouse is located on Casino Cliff and was built between 1858-1860 by the same English company that upgraded the Port; its name reminds the merchants who were coming from Genoa and used to have a commercial scaffolding, protected by a pear that was leading to the gulf. The lighthouse worked until 1913 and it was restored in 1948; it is 8 metres high, the light can be seen 9.5 miles out to sea.

The Art Museum, hosted in a modern building on the main boulevard, has a rich collection of 20th Century Romanian paintings by Aman, Petrescu and Iser.

The Museum of the Romanian Navy is also worth a visit: it shows everything from Greek ships to Romanian battleships of the Second World War. The museum and the harbor come alive every year for the celebration of the Navy Day during which you can enjoy fireworks, airshows and a visit to 19th Century schooner - Mircea.

Sf. Ap. Petru si Pavel Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1883-1885 by the designs of the architect Ion Mincu, was blessed only on 22nd May 1895, because of the painting nonconformism (the faces in the icons looked like authorities). The church has got an imposing tower 35 metres high. The architect respected the characteristics of traditional Romanian architecture; the painting was remade in 1959-1961 by Gh. Popescu and Niculina Dona-Delavrancea, the frescoes were remade in neo-Byzantine technique. The sculpture is very well represented in iconostasis and pews, chandeliers and candlesticks (bronze and brass alloy) that were designed by I. Mincu and made in Paris.

Close to the University is the Dolphinarium where one can see trained dolphins performing funny tricks. Near by, the Planetarium teaches about the Universe and the constellations of the night sky. Most of the entertainment and night life destinations are located North of the city, in the Mamaia resort. The largest of the Romanian beach resorts, Mamaia offers a great summer getaway and receives thousands of visitors every year.