Travel to Romania

Flying to Romania

Romania's main airline is TAROM (www.tarom.ro). Other airlines operating direct flights from the UK include Blue Air (www.blueairweb.com), British Airways (www.ba.com), Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) and Wizz (www.wizzair.com). There are no direct flights from the USA. The cheapest time to fly is between January and March – the summer months and Christmas are more expensive. 

Major airports are: Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport, Cluj Avram Iancu International Airport, Sibiu International Airport and Timisoara Traian Vuia International Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Bucharest: from London - 3 hours 10 minutes; New York - 11 hours 30 minutes (including stopover).

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Romania by Rail

CFR (tel: +40 21 9521; www.cfrcalatori.ro) operates services from many European cities to Bucharest. First- and second-class sleepers are available.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; www.voyages-sncf.com).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Balkan Flexipass: allows five, 10 or 15 days of travel in a one month across Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. Tickets are available from Rail Europe (www.raileurope-world.com) to anyone living outside these countries.

Driving to Romania

Driving to Romania from the UK takes around 24 hours and involves several border crossings. Routes 7, 79 and 78 are the most commonly used by international travellers entering the country from Hungary – drivers need to present their vehicle’s registration, proof of address and a valid driving licence. Buses run from several major European cities, including London and Brussels. The main international operator is Eurolines (www.eurolines.com).

Driving note

Independent travellers need to purchase a low-cost road toll badge (Rovinieta) at the border crossing (www.roviniete.ro).

Getting to Romania by boat

Constanța (www.portofconstantza.com) on the Black Sea is the country’s major port.

Cruise ships

Cruise ships occasionally stop at Constanța.

River Routes

Sailings and themed cruises from Passau to Constanța on the Black Sea along the Danube are available; these stop at various places of interest, including Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Bazias, Giurgiu, Calafat and Bucharest. Some companies offer travel via the Main-Danube Canal as far west as Rotterdam along the Rhine.