British travelers may call their Romanian Embassy in London for visa information: (020)7937 9666. Canadians can call consulates in Ottawa, Toronto, or Montreal. Australians should call the Sydney office for information. Entry visas can also be obtained at Bucharest Otopeni airport or at any Border Office upon arrival. No vaccines are necessary.
Customs Regulations
It is forbidden to import ammunition, explosives, narcotics, radioactive substances and pornographic material. Highly valuable goods (i.e. jewelry, foreign currency over $1,000 per person) must be declared when entering the country. The maximum allowed is $50,000. You may bring into the country without paying duties: 2 cameras and 1 video-camera plus film, 1�pair binoculars, 1�portable radio-cassette player, 1�portable cassette recorder, 1�portable TV and 1�portable typewriter, 1 tent and other camp setup, 1 bicycle and 1�collapsible pram. Alcohol (max. 2 liters liquor, 4 liters wine or beer) and cigarettes (max. 200 pieces) are also tax exempted. Car drivers must have their personal driver's license and international (green card). Visitors leaving the country may take souvenirs, art bought from galleries, and foreign currency declared upon arrival or money obtained through bank transfers at Romanian banks. It is forbidden to leave the country with Romanian lei in excess of 500,000 lei.
Electricity
Language
Money
220V AC, 50Hz, with a 2-pronged plug (bring a transformer and adapter for any western appliances).
Romanian is the official language of the country and is similar to Latin. French is the second language spoken by the older generation. The young people are learning English quickly and are happy to help you communicate with locals. In Transylvania, the second language is German; fewer people speak English there and in the other outlying areas.
Local currency is called lei (lay). Romania is still primarily a cash economy, so make sure you always carry sufficient lei to cover your needs. Some places will accept credit cards, but none accept travelers' checks. Certain banks change travelers' checks and give cash advances on credit cards. ATMs (called Bancomats) are now at the airport and outside some banks. Romania has bank notes in 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 lei; coins for 50 and 100 lei. Exchange rates are posted all over the city at changing houses called Casa de Schimb where you can exchange hard currency for lei. You'll need your passport, and save your receipt to prove you changed it legally. Never change money with someone who approaches you on the street. It's always a scam and it's illegal!
Public Holidays
Religion
Standard of Measurement
Telephones
Time
January 1 & 2 (New Year's); Easter Monday; December 1 (National Day); December 25 & 26 (Christmas).
Romanian Orthodox: 86.8%, Roman Catholic: 5.1%, Protestant: 3.5%, as well as Greek Orthodox, Unitarians, Armenian-Georgian, and Muslim.
Romania uses the Metric system.
There are three kinds of public telephones: the old blue ones take 20, 50 or 100 lei coins; the orange phones take only phone cards, called cartela, which cost 60,000 lei and are purchased at the Telephone Center or the Post Office. The orange phones allow international calls. If direct international dialing via 001 is not available, dial 971 for the international operator.
Romania is 7-10 hours ahead of USA time, 2 hours ahead of GMT, and 1 hour ahead of CET. Daylight saving time runs from the end of March until the end of September.
Transportation
Trains SNCFR (Societatea Nationala Cailor Ferate Romane) is the national railway covering over 6,800 miles (11,000 kilometers) throughout Romania. Its trains are old and shabby, but inexpensive and efficient. One third are electrified. CFR timetables are posted on large overhead boards the stations (gara). If planning a lot of train travel, find and buy the current timetable book called Mersul Trenurilor at the station or at CFR offices; it lists all routes, foreign and domestic, their schedules & trains (updated each May). There are three speeds of train: Rapid, Accelerat and Personal (the slowest).
Buying a 1st class ticket assures you an assigned seat in a cabin for six; it costs only a few thousand lei more. If traveling at night, reserve a vagon de dormit, a sleeping cabin with two bunks and a sink. (If riding alone, to avoid sharing with a stranger, buy tickets for both places; it's still cheap and worth it for the privacy.) It's a good idea to take along some food and water, too. Smoking is not permitted inside the cabins, but you may smoke in the corridor. Beware: train toilets are all very dirty; carry your own toilet paper.
In Bucharest, the first class ticket windows at Gara de Nord are in a separate hall just left of the terminal entrance off Calea Grivitei. If you have trouble communicating with the window attendants, ask a young person for help; they probably speak some English and are eager to assist foreigners. You may be charged a few lei to enter the station by a red-jacketed security person. This is part of a new effort to keep out the unsavory characters that once lurked inside the station.
A nicer place to buy tickets is at Agentie CFR at Strada Domnita Anastasia 10-14, off Strada Brezoianu, just south of the Bulevard Regina Elisabeta McDonald's. Domestic tickets are usually small cardboard stubs�often 2�or 3 per trip; your wagon number and seat number will be written on the backside. You can buy them a day in advance at CFR agencies, but only two hours before departure at the train station. International tickets must be purchased in advance at a CFR office. CFR agencies are closed on weekends.
Some train language: ticket = bilet, 1st class = clasa intii, to = la or spre, from = din or de la, seat = loc, car = vagon, sleeping car = vagon de dormit, arrival = sosire, departure = plecare, track = linia, station = gara, connection = legatura, trip = calatorie.
Bucharest Metrou There are three metrou lines crossing the city from north-south (M2-blue), east-west (M3-yellow), and a circular route (M1-red). The stations are clean and well marked, and each has a unique design. You must buy a metrou card for either 2�rides or 10 rides; they are very cheap, the equivalent of about 30 cents a ride. Metrous operate from 5am until 11pm. Check the metrou map in this guide for routes and stops.
Buses and trams in Bucharest run from dawn to 11pm and travel everywhere but are difficult to figure out, as there are no route maps. Tickets are sold at yellow kiosks near some stops until early evening. They're cheap, so buy 2 or 3 to be safe. When you get on the bus, validate the ticket by punching it in the little box on board. Be especially aware of pick-pockets on crowded buses. A�special bus, #783, runs to Otopeni airport from Piatas Romana and Unirii in the center. Buses #79, 86 and 133 run from the train station to Piata Romana.
Taxis are usually picked up on a street corner where the cabbies hang out, rather than hailed on the street. Try to use only licensed metered taxis that have a lighted sign on top, and their name, number & rate on the car door. They will likely try to overcharge you, so watch the meter or agree on a price before you drive off. Most city trips should cost between 25,000 and 50,000 lei ($3.00-6.00); pay in small bills and don't expect any change back. In Bucharest you can also phone for a taxi at various 3-digit numbers: 941, 946, 953, 954 and 956. Concierges will call for you if asked. Just so you know, the official airport taxis at Otopeni charge about triple the regular rate.
Weather
Airports Romania has international airports in Bucharest, Timisoara and Constanta, and fifteen domestic airports in cities throughout the country. In Bucharest they are: Otopeni International, which has a currency exchange desk, an ATM, luggage check, and an information desk, tel: (40-1) 212.01.22; and Baneasa domestic airport, tel: (40-1) 633.00.30. Airport bus #783 runs to Piata Romana and Piata Unirii in the city center.
Romania has a temperate climate, much like the USA, with four distinct seasons. In Bucharest the average summer temperature is 75° Fahrenheit (24° Centigrade) but July and August often reach 100 ° F. In winter it can hit freezing, 32° F (0° C). It's always cooler in the mountains, especially at night, so take a warm sweater even in summer.