Visas & entry
Romania is in the Schengen Area. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens travel under free-movement rules; passport holders from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many other visa-exempt countries can generally visit for up to 90 days in any 180-day Schengen period. Check the current Romanian Foreign Ministry/Schengen rules for your nationality before booking, especially if entering overland from a non-Schengen neighbour.
Getting in
- Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport: The default international gateway, with by far the broadest route map. Use it for Bucharest, the south, Brașov/Sinaia and the Black Sea; it is also the most practical place to start or finish a first trip.
- Cluj-Napoca International Airport: The useful open-jaw airport for central and northwestern Transylvania. Fly here or out from here to avoid backtracking through Bucharest after Sibiu, Cluj or Apuseni travel.
- Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport: Best for Banat and western Romania, especially if combining Romania with Hungary or Serbia. Do not use it as a casual add-on to a Bucharest–Brașov itinerary.
- Iași International Airport: The logical arrival for Moldavia, Iași and Bucovina. It is a regional gateway rather than a substitute for Bucharest's flight network, so schedules may be thin.
- Sibiu International Airport: Convenient for southern Transylvania when the flight schedule works, particularly as an open-jaw exit after Brașov and Sibiu. It has fewer routes and frequencies than Bucharest or Cluj.
Getting around
Rail works well enough on the Bucharest–Sinaia–Brașov corridor and for Bucharest–Constanța, but treat long cross-country train journeys as slow and occasionally unreliable rather than scenic efficiency. Rent a car for Saxon villages, Maramureș, Bucovina, Apuseni and any rural itinerary; mountain roads, villages, trucks and roadworks make driving slower than map times suggest. Domestic flights between Bucharest and Cluj, Iași or Timișoara can save a punishing repositioning day, but limited schedules make them a tactical shortcut, not the backbone of the trip.
Money
The currency is the Romanian leu (RON/lei), not the euro. Cards are routine in cities, chain hotels and better restaurants, but carry cash for village guesthouses, markets, small cafés, rural taxis and occasional parking; use bank ATMs and decline dynamic-currency-conversion offers. Restaurant service is not automatically included: round up or leave roughly 5–10% for good table service.
Daily budget · Romanian leu (RON, also written lei). Romania does not use the euro.
- Value
- RON 300–500
- Mid-range
- RON 700–1,100
- High-end
- RON 1,600–3,000+
- Bands are per person per day, excluding international flights, and assume two people sharing a room; solo travelers should budget noticeably more for accommodation.
- Value: hostel bed or simple guesthouse, bakeries/markets plus one inexpensive restaurant meal, local transport and a few paid sights.
- Comfortable mid-range: a good central 3–4-star hotel or character guesthouse, restaurant meals, occasional Bolt/taxi, rail or a share of rental-car costs, and paid attractions.
- High-end: boutique or luxury hotels, strong dining and wine, private driver or premium rental car, guides, special rooms and Danube Delta boat logistics.
- Bucharest is the useful price baseline: hostel beds run roughly RON 70–120, budget hotels RON 200–350, decent mid-range hotels RON 400–650, boutique/luxury rooms from about RON 700, and inexpensive set lunches around RON 30–50.
- Brașov, Sibiu and Cluj can approach Bucharest prices in peak periods. Rural guesthouses are often cheaper, but Bran, Poiana Brașov, the Black Sea in July–August, and the Danube Delta in high season raise costs sharply; the Delta is expensive relative to inland Romania because lodging and boat capacity are limited.
Eating well
- Do not eat every meal in Bucharest’s Lipscani/Old Town: it is convenient but touristy and uneven. Explore beyond it for better food.
- For rural regions such as Maramureș and Bucovina, book a family guesthouse and treat meals there as part of the experience; restaurant choice can be thin.
- The Danube Delta is the place to prioritize fish, but high-summer accommodation and boat logistics are scarce and expensive—book lodging early if food and nature are the point.
- Cluj, Brașov and Sibiu can be close to Bucharest prices in peak periods; village guesthouses are often better value.
- A simple inexpensive set lunch in Bucharest is typically around RON 30–50, useful as a rough price benchmark elsewhere.
Book before you land
Peleș Castle, Sinaia — timed online entry; daily capacity is limited and popular summer/weekend slots go first. · Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) performances and Sibiu accommodation during the festival — book when the programme is released. · Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) prime screenings and central Cluj accommodation — book once the programme is published. · Danube Delta lodge stays and private/small-group boat trips in July–August — scarce rooms and boats, rather than museum tickets, are the real constraint.
- Do not plan Romania by straight-line distance. Bucharest–Brașov is easy; Cluj–Maramureș, Bucovina–the Delta and Timișoara–Bucharest are real transfer days.
- Use Bolt or reputable taxi apps in larger cities; avoid negotiating with taxis waiting at airports, stations and tourist-heavy areas unless the meter is clearly running.
- For rural Romania, download offline maps, keep some lei, and do not assume fluent English outside tourist accommodation. A car is often the difference between seeing villages properly and seeing nothing but bus stations.
- Drive defensively and avoid ambitious night drives on rural or mountain roads: passing traffic, poor markings, livestock, pedestrians and roadworks are common.
- In the Danube Delta, stay overnight and use licensed boat operators. Weather, mosquitoes and boat schedules dictate the experience; a rushed day trip from Bucharest is mostly transport.
- Romania is generally safe for ordinary travel, but use normal city precautions around stations, crowded Old Town nightlife areas and cash machines.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
January–February
Expect short, cold days, snow and ice in Transylvania and the mountains, and often gray, windy weather in Bucharest; ski resorts are in peak season.
Skiing around Poiana Brașov, Sinaia and PredealThermal spasLow-season city breaks
Rural guesthouses and restaurants may operate minimally, roads can be slow, and slush, early darkness and reduced hours make sightseeing less rewarding.
March–May
Spring brings greener landscapes, manageable crowds and good value; March is unstable, while April–May suit cities and lower-elevation walks despite regular rain.
First visits combining Bucharest and TransylvaniaCastles and historic townsDanube Delta birdingFood markets and lower-elevation hiking
Mountain weather can still be wintry in March, May trails can be muddy, and high-mountain hiking should not be assumed early in the season.
June–August
June has long daylight and improving hiking access; July–August can bring 30–35°C heatwaves in Bucharest and peak crowds on the Black Sea and around Brașov, Bran and Sinaia.
Mountain hikingBlack Sea swimming and nightlifeFestivalsLong summer days
Coastal rooms, festival cities and mountain-road accommodation need early booking; July and August mean heat, traffic and high-season pricing, while many coast businesses close sharply outside the core summer period.
September–October
September stays warm after the school-holiday rush, while October brings crisp air, autumn color and excellent conditions for towns, wine areas and most road trips.
Road tripsTransylvania and Saxon villagesWine regionsCity travel and moderate hiking
Days shorten, rain becomes less predictable, and higher mountain routes can receive early snow; it is not the best period if swimming is the priority.
November–December
November is often foggy, wet and dark; December becomes much more appealing once Christmas markets open in Bucharest, Sibiu, Brașov, Cluj and Timișoara.
Christmas-market city breaksFestive food and urban travelLower-cost November stays
November is Romania’s bleakest travel month, while December weekends bring busier hotels and higher prices; neither month suits a broad rural itinerary.
Events worth planning around
Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) · Usually June · Cluj-Napoca
Central Cluj accommodation rises in price and fills, while sought-after screenings sell out; book rooms and festival tickets when the programme is released.
Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) · Usually June; dates vary annually · Sibiu
The old town becomes a major performance venue and hotels, restaurants and central rooms fill quickly; reserve lodging and key performances as soon as the programme appears.
What to eat
Eat beyond the Dracula-menu clichés: Romania is strongest in sour soups, pork cookery, sheep’s cheese, maize dishes, seasonal vegetables and straightforward regional wines. Use city restaurants for contemporary takes, but seek guesthouses and small regional restaurants for the food that actually reflects place.
Ciorbă: sharply soured soups, often with meat, vegetables or beansPork dishes and charcuterieMămăligă (maize porridge), often paired with cheese, sour cream or stewsSheep’s cheese and other mountain dairy productsSeasonal market produceRegional Romanian wineDanube Delta fish cookery
Bucharest: The broadest choice of serious contemporary Romanian cooking · Good-value restaurants for trying traditional dishes alongside modern versions · Romanian wine bars and restaurant wine lists
Transylvania: Pork and hearty mountain cooking · Sheep’s cheese and maize-based dishes · Saxon-influenced town dining and regional wines
Maramureș: Family-guesthouse cooking · Rural pork, dairy and seasonal produce · Traditional village meals rather than polished restaurant dining
Moldavia and Iași: Moldavian food · Sour soups, Orthodox-influenced regional cooking and local wine-country produce
Bucovina: Guesthouse meals built around pork, dairy, maize and seasonal ingredients · A strong fit for slow, home-style regional eating
Danube Delta and Dobrogea: Fresh fish cookery · Fish dishes shaped by fishing-village traditions · Romanian, Turkish, Tatar and Lipovan culinary influences
Banat and Timișoara: Multicultural regional cooking shaped by Romanian, Serbian, Hungarian and German traditions · Café culture and city dining in Timișoara