Austrian Airlines,
Preferred Airline for Travel from
North America to Romania

Transportation

Traveling to Romania is as easy as traveling to any other European destination.

» Getting to Romania ( By Plane, By Train, By Car, By Boat )
» Domestic Transportation ( Train, Bus, Car Rental, Taxi, Domestic flights )

» Getting to Romania by Plane

Austrian Airlines - the preferred airline to Romania from North America — offers daily connections to Bucharest, Timisoara, Cluj, Sibiu, Iasi and Baia Mare from several cities in the USA and Canada.

Bucharest is no more than 2 hours by plane from most cities in Western Europe.

Other cities in Romania including Timisoara, Cluj, Sibiu, Oradea, Arad, and Bacau, are connected with destinations in Austria, Germany, Italy and Hungary by flights with Austrian Airlines, CarpatAir and Tarom.

If you’re traveling to Romania from the UK it’s worth using a flights comparison website to find the best deals. Flights to Bucharest take 3½ hours from London and 4 hours from Manchester. To help find the best deals on car hire , travelsupermarket.com quickly compares over 25 car hire companies. It’s worth booking in advance to get the lowest price – arranging your car hire at airport car rental desks often ends up being more expensive.

» Getting to Romania by Train

Traveling by train from other European countries to Romania takes from 6 hours (Budapest to Timisoara) to about 46 hours (London to Bucharest). Most train tickets allow several stopovers en route so 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.

Schedule of trains from European countries to Romania

Schedule of trains from Romania to European countries

The Romanian Railway Company (SNCFR) operates service between all of Romania's main cities and tourist areas.

For information on domestic train schedules and fares please visit www.infofer.ro

For advance ticket reservations please visit
RailEurope SelectPass
Romanian RailPass
Wasteelstravel.ro

Romania is a country filled with adventures and is becoming increasingly popular with young people backpacking around Europe. If you are planning to explore the country as part of your travels around Europe, please ensure you have a great backpacker travel insurance policy to cover yourself in case of emergency.

» Getting to Romania by Car

Documents required by Border Police are the vehicle's registration, proof of insurance and a 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 about 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 at any border-crossing point, postal office and most gas stations at a cost of (the equivalent in Romanian Lei) $5.00 to $8.00 (valid for up to 7 days) or $9.00 to $15.00 (valid for 30 days), depending on car type.

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

There are many bus routes that connect Bucharest and Romania's main cities with Athens, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, and Vienna.

Getting to Romania by Boat

Several river cruise companies based in Germany or Austria offer cruises on the Danube River through to the Danube Delta and the Black Sea Coast.

Domestic Transportation

Getting around Romania is easy and inexpensive.

» Domestic Transportation - Train

Romania has a well-developed railway network that covers virtually the whole country. Trains are the most popular means of getting around Romania. They are amazingly inexpensive and generally on time. Three different services are offered. The cheapest and slowest are Local Trains (Personal). The next fastest and more expensive are Express Trains (Accelerat and Rapid) that require a seat reservation along with the ticket. The fastest and the most expensive are Inter-City Trains (Inter City). The last two types of trains have dining cars and sleepers (overnight or long distance trains only).

Map of Romania's Railways Network

For information on domestic train schedules and fares please visit www.infofer.ro.

For train enthusiasts there are nine steam trains, dating from the 1920s and '30s, some of which have been restored to provide a luxury travel experience. Organizations as well as Individuals can rent steam trains.

» Domestic Transportation - Bus

Most cities offer efficient and very inexpensive bus, trolleybus or tram transportation. There are several bus companies that offer fast and inexpensive connections between Romania's main cities. Inter-City bus stations are usually next to the train station and most buses have a stop in the centre of the city. Bus or taxi might be the only choice when choosing to explore some remote areas. www.autogari.ro

» Domestic Transportation - Car rental

Car is the best way to visit Romania as this allows visitors to admire the unique scenery and take advantage of the innumerable photo opportunities that they will encounter even during short drives. A hired car will save you a lot of time when visiting some remote attractions as the Painted Monasteries in Bucovina and the traditional villages in Maramures. Most major international auto rental companies and several local companies offer cars in the major cities and airports. Renters must be over 21 and have a valid driver's licence and an internationally valid credit card. Romania's major roads are safe and well maintained. As they pass through main cities and towns gas stations, food stores and hotels are easy to find. Road congestion is not an issue in Romania except in Bucharest. The Romanian Automobile Association (ACR or "Automobil Clubul Roman") offers 24 hour roadside assistance. Call: (01) 222 22 22 or (01) 222 15 52.

» 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 metres. Calling a taxi company is always a good idea. Drivers approaching you at the airport or at the train station in Bucharest are likely to inflate their rates; please avoid them. For longer trips outside the city limits it is possible to agree on the fee before getting in. In most cases using a taxi for such trips is affordable and very convenient.

Taxi tariffs vary from city to city:
upon entry	$ 0.5 - $ 1.2 / mile
trips within city limits	$ 0.8 - $ 2 / mile
trips outside city limits	$ 1.2 - $ 2 / mile
slow traffic or waiting time	$ 0.1 - $ 0.3 / minute

» Domestic Transportation - Domestic flights

There are scheduled domestic flights connecting cities within Romania which are operated by CarpatAir and Tarom.
CarpatAir (CarpatAir.com) has hubs in Timisoara and Cluj.
Tarom (Tarom.com) operates domestic flights between Bucharest and several cities in Romania.