Transportation in Romania

International - Transportation to/ from Romania
Domestic - Transportation within Romania

Traveling to Romania from abroad

Getting to Romania by Plane

The airlines member of the Sky Team partnership (Delta, KLM and Air France)
offer excellent connections from all major airports in North America, Asia, South America
to Romania's capital city - Bucharest.

Romania's national airline Tarom as well as all major European Airlines
are offering non-stop flights from cities in Western and Central Europe to Bucharest.

There are also non-stop flights from other major cities in Romania (Arad, Bacau, Cluj, Constanta, Craiova, Oradea, Sibiu, Targu Mures and Timisoara) to destinations in Europe (operated by Air Connect, Austrian Airlines, LOT, Lufthansa, RyanAir, Tarom, Turkish Airlines and Wizz Air).

Getting to Romania by Train

Traveling by train from other European countries to Romania takes from four hours
(Budapest to Arad or to Oradea) to about 30 hours (Paris to Bucharest).
As most train tickets allow several stopovers en route,
train travel can be an affordable and relaxing way to include Romania in a European trip.

First and second-class sleepers are available for journeys longer than 10 hours and for overnight trains.

Schedules of international trains to and from Romania can be obtained at:
www.CFRCalatori.ro
www.bahn.de
or
www.InterRail.eu

Tickets for international trains

Tickets for international destinations can be purchased at any SNCFR Rail Travel Agency (Agentia de Voiaj CFR), at ticket offices in most major train stations in Romania or on-line:
CFR Calatori / SNCFR
ACP Rail
RailEurope SelectPass
Eurail Romania Pass

The Romanian Railway Company (SNCFR) connects most of Romania's main cities and tourist areas.
For information on domestic train schedules and fares please check RomaniaTourismDomestic Transportation section.

Getting to Romania by Car

Documents required by Border Police are   vehicle's registration,   proof of insurance   and   valid driver's license.

U.S. / Canadian/ Australian/ New Zealand driver licenses are valid for driving in Romania
for 90 days from the date of entry into Romania.

When renting a car in Europe, please check with the car rental company its policy
regarding taking the car across national borders.

Independent travelers entering Romania by car (own or rental) need to obtain a road toll badge, called Rovinieta.

Rovinieta is available on-line www.roviniete.com
as well as at any border-crossing point, postal office and most gas stations.
Cost of Rovinieta for passenger cars is the equivalent in Romanian Lei (RON) of:
$4.00 (valid for 7 days) or $9.00 (valid for 30 days).

There is no any other tax to be paid by visitors/ tourists when entering or leaving Romania.

Getting to Romania by Bus

Bucharest and many other cities and towns in Romania are connected by bus with destinations in Europe, including Athens, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, Vienna.
Companies that are offering bus transportation between Romania and other European counties include:

FlixBus
(Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom)

AtlasSib
(Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom)

Pletl
(Austria, Germany)

Double T
(Austria, Germany, Switzerland)

CDI Transport
(Italy)

Comati
(Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia)

To check bus schedules and fares please visit   Autogari.ro   and/ or   MersulAutobuzelor.ro

Getting to Romania by Boat

Several companies offer river cruises on the Danube River from Regensburg or Passau in Germany,
Vienna (Austria) or Budapest (Hungary) to the Danube Delta and/ or the Black Sea.
To check Danube River cruises itineraries and schedules please visit
our Upcoming Tours section

There is ferry service between towns in Romania and Bulgaria:
Zimnicea to Svishtov
Bechet to Oriahovo
and
Turnu Magurele to Nikopol

Domestic Transportation

Domestic Transportation / Train

Romania has a well-developed railway network that covers virtually the whole country.
Trains are one of the most popular means of getting around Romania.
They are inexpensive and generally on time.

Three different services are offered.
The least expensive and slowest are local the local trains - Regio or Regional ( R ).
Faster than the Regio trains are the Inter-Regio trains ( IR ) that require a seat reservation along with the ticket.
The fastest and the most expensive, still quite resonable, are Inter-City Trains ( IC ).
The (overnight and long distance trains only) Inter_regio and Inter-City trains have dining cars and sleepers .

Map of Romania's Railways Network

To check Romania domestic train schedules / purchase tickets please visit the Website of Romania's national and independent passenger rail companies:

Rail Company Routes / Main Hubs
CFR Călători
(Societatea Națională de Transport Feroviar de Călători)
Romania's National Railway Company
connects all main towns and tourist areas in Romania
ASTRA TransCarpaticArad,   Brasov,   Bucharest,   Craiova,   Timisoara
SoftransBucharest,   Brasov,   Craiova
Trans Feroviar CalatoriBucharest,   Brasov,   Buzau,   Cluj,   Constanta,   Galati,   Oradea,   Targoviste
Regio CalatoriBucharest,   Arad,   Bistrita,   Bucharest,   Iasi,   Suceava,   Timisoara

Romania's National Rail Company can add uniqueness and excitement to your Romania experience.
Old, historic trains - pulled by steam engines - dating from the mid 1800s, 1920s and '30s are available for charter.
Historic trains that can be chartered by any organization or individual include:
The Royal Train (Trenul Regal) – five cars (dining car, royal bedroom, king's entourage sleeping car,
sleeping car 1st class and sleeping car 2nd class)
Moldovita – five cars ( 1st class car, 2nd class car, 3rd class car, lounge car, luggage car)
Calugareni – three cars ( 1st class car, 2nd class car and 3rd class car)
Mures – three cars (two 2nd class cars and one gondola car)
Brasov
Main 'hubs' for historic trains in Romania are the cities: Bucharest, Brasov, Sibiu, Targu Mures, Suceava and towns of Oravita and Viseu.

Most popular historic train routes (standard or narrow gauge) include:

Bucharest - Sinaia (Peles Castle)
Bucharest - Snagov
Bucharest - Giurgiu
Ploiesti - Maneciu

Brasov - Sibiu
Brasov – Rasnov - Zarnesti
Brasov – Predeal

Sibiu - Brasov
Sebes Alba - Sibiu
Sibiu - Copsa Mica
Sibiu - Calimanesti

Targu Mures – Band (narrow gauge)
Targu Mures – Sovata (narrow gauge)

Viseu de Sus – Paltin (narrow gauge)
Dej – Salva – Vatra Dornei
Salva - Viseu
Viseu – Borsa

Vatra Dornei – Vama – Moldovita (narrow gauge)
Suceava – Putna

More Information and Reservations

Domestic Transportation / Bus

There are several bus companies that offer fast and inexpensive connections between Romania's main cities.

Inter-City bus stations (Autogara) are usually located near to the train station.

To check bus schedules (domestic routes) please visit:  Autogari.ro   and/ or   MersulAutobuzelor.ro

Bus, (rental) car or taxi might be the only available option for travelers interested to explore some remote areas.

Domestic Transportation / Car rental

Travel by car is the best way to discover Romania's remote areas,
to admire the unique scenery and take advantage of the innumerable photo opportunities.

A hired car will save travelers a lot of time when visiting the Painted Monasteries in Bucovina and the traditional villages in Maramures.

Most major international and local car rental companies have offices in the major cities and airports.
Rental policies vary from company to company;
renters are over 21 years old and have a valid driver's licence and a valid credit card.

Romania's main roads are well marked and maintained.

A map that indicates the condition of roads in Romania is available for download here.

Many pass through cities and towns and gas stations, food stores and hotels are easy to find.

Road congestion may be an issue - during weekends or holidays - for a few popular routes.
Traffic on road DN 1 (traveling from Bucharest to Brasov) is usually heavy on Friday afternoon and evening and on Saturday morning.
There is usually heavy traffic, also, on Sundays (afternoon and evening) on road DN 1 (traveling from Brasov to Bucharest).
A map of traffic intensity forecast is available for download here.

For emergency roadside assistance and towing services please call 9271.

For ambulance, fire brigade or police, call the general emergency # 112.

The Romanian Automobile Association (ACR or "Automobil Clubul Roman") offers 24 hour roadside assistance.
In case that you need roadside assistance please call:
021 222 22 22 (land line) or 0745 382 715 (mobile) or 0722 382 715 (mobile).

Romania road trips in a Campervan or Motorhome

Romania road trip route planner
The following resources may be of help to plan a driving vacation/ road trip in Romania:
ViaMichelin.com
Google.com/Maps

Domestic Transportation / Taxi

Taxis are available in every city and larger towns in Romania.
They can be summoned by telephone or hailed on the street.
Authorized taxis can be recognized by the TAXI sign on the roof.
All Taxis should be equipped with meters.

Taxis can also be ordered by calling specialized companies
that can confirm the rate / mile and approximate cost of the ride.

Drivers approaching you at the airport or at the train station in Bucharest are likely to inflate their rates;
to avoid being overcharged just ignore them.

Taxi fares vary from city to city:
initial charge $0.5   -   $1.2
trips within city limits$0.75   -   $2/mile ($0.45   -   $1.25/ km)
trips outside city limits$1.2   -   $2/mile ($0.75   -   $1.25/ km)
slow traffic or waiting time$0.1   -   $0.3/minute

Domestic flights

Tarom - Romania's national airline
as well as the low-cost airlines:   Air Connect,   RyanAir   and   Wizz Air
operate scheduled flights between Bucharest and several cities within Romania:
Bacau, Baia Mare, Cluj, Constanta, Iasi, Oradea, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Targu Mures, Timisoara