• Capital City: 2,500,000 inhabitants, the 6th largest city in European Union
• The city’s Palace of the Parliament is the second-largest building in the world.
• Romania Member of EU: Yes (starting with 1st of January 2007)
• Romania was a member of the communist block before 1990.(1947-1989)
• Religion: Christian Orthodox
• Time Zone: GMT +2 hours
• Currency: RON/LEI
• Country Code: 40
• Emergency call: 112
• Internet: Bucharest has one of the best Internet speed connection in the world.
Wi-Fi is available for free in every hotel, restaurant, pub, or any other venue.
•Mobile Phone Providers: Orange, Vodafone, Telekom
• Language barrier
Romanian- a member of the Latin language group and seasoned with some Slavic influences.
Romanian is very close to French, Italian and Spanish languages. As a result you’ll understand pretty good Romanians if you speak or understand this family of languages.
Most of Bucharest young people speak English.
•Crime and safety
Bucharest’s crime rate is low in comparison to other European capital cities, so no particular
problems should arise from this point of view.
Beggars are common on main streets and near the churches, but they are not dangerous.
Sometimes Pickpockets are a real problem in Bucharest, so take extra precautions. They may operate
in crowded public transportation or near the main tourist attractions.
•Tipping is the norm
The standard tip is 10%, though you can choose to tip more or less depending on your experience.
Tipping in restaurants/bars/clubs is appropriate in Bucharest. Romanian waiters receive a very small hourly wage because their employers expect that customers will tip them. There are many waiters who expect to be tipped just because this is the norm and don’t understand that tip should be given only in exchange for very good service. Tip only when the people seem to deserve.
A tip is not added onto a restaurant/club bill
Try to tip the taxi drivers, the waiters, the valets at the hotel. Not much but any tip will make your stay far more pleasant… 10%-20% will do.
•Transport
Because of poor infrastructure of public transportation, traffic, specifically, can be an absolute nightmare and many tourists may be surprised to learn that Romania has the worst safety statistics in Europe.
Airport Henri Coanda Quick facts:
Location: Otopeni Town, Ilfov County, 16,5 km North from Bucharest center
Terminals: 2
Direct connection to the city: BUSES & TRAIN
Bus – There are 2 express lines available:
Bus 780 – direct connection to Bucharest North Station (Gara de Nord)
Bus 783 – direct connection to the city center. This line runs day and night. At night, the bus leaves every 40 minutes.
Airport stops: In front of the Arrivals Terminal and Departures Terminal
Ticket purchase: A special magnetic card is required for the trip. It is available at the card desk in front of Arrivals Terminal.
Price: for one trip – 3,5 lei. The magnetic card valid for two travels costs 7 lei.
Licensed taxis with fares between 2.69 lei / km and 3.5 lei / km, available in front of Arrivals Terminal.
Touch screen terminals with taxi companies available in Arrivals, for customers to order a certain company.
Estimated taxi prices for airport – city center transfer:
All taxis must use the meter. If the taxi driver tries to negotiate the price, you should search another one.
Average price -airport – city center (Unirii Square) Old City – depending on traffic – min 10-15 eur ( 50– 70 lei )
Average distance-18 km.
Payment: mostly cash
Bucharest’s public transport includes a wide range of buses, trams and tubes. It is very cheap but may be crowded and confusing at times.
•Taxi
As ever, taxis should not be hailed from the rank, but called from a reputable company. Prices are obliged to be posted on the door and shouldn’t be more than 3.00 lei/km. Make sure the meter is on before setting off and generally be wary of any other funny business. You can pay by card, but mostly cash.
•Uber
Is a very good alternative to taxis and they are practicing the same prices. If you have an Uber account it can be used in Bucharest. You can pay both by card and cash.
•Money Exchange
Romanian currency is LEI/RON. Money should preferably be exchanged at the banks. Currency exchange at the airport: We advise you to exchange only small amounts of money in the airport. The exchange rates are not very convenient compared to exchange offices in the city center.
•Cash machines
Cash machines are available for withdrawals at all the banks, at the airport, streets, or shopping centers.
The major credit and debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, are accepted widely in Romania, in bars, restaurants, hotels, etc. They might prove useless in smaller towns and villages, therefore if you plan to take a trip outside Bucharest, you might want to go prepared with some cash Lei.
•Smoking
Although smoking is forbidden by law indoor public places, everyone in Bucharest is a smoker.
• Prostitution
Prostitution is not legal in Romania, so act accordingly.
•Drugs
This is a ‘zero tolerance’ country. Just do not do it! Penalties are draconian.
💶 BASIC BUDGET ANALISYS
When you go travelling, how much money will you need? This question is a bit difficult because there are so many factors that contribute to the answer. Considerations such as your destination country, travel style and planned activities are the most important of them.
Calculating a travel budget is an important part of your travel planning.
🛌 Accommodation:
Hotel Standard Room:
3 star hotel: 60€
4 star hotel: 70-90€
5 star hotel: 100-150€
Apartments for rent- popular platforms such as AirBnB or Booking.com provide many options.
Best areas are the central and semi central areas with easy access to all points of interest and tourist sites. The majority of hotels and apartments with proper tourist service are located in city center, in historical districts, usually walking distance from busy day & night attractions. We recommend such areas as Grand Victoria Avenue, Elisabeta Avenue, Roman Square, Unirii Area and University Area.
🍽Food & Drink
Urban food: Kebab-5€
Average restaurant meal: OLD CITY-30€/pers
Fine Dinning: NORTH UPSCALE AREA-50€/pers
🍺Beer: 4€
🍹Long Drink: 6€
🍷Soft Drinks: 3€
🍾Bottle: from 60€
🚕Transportation
Uber: starting from 0.30€/km the rates are raised due to surge pricing during the weekend
Taxi: starting from 0.50€/km not recommended due to the bad service
Chauffeur Service: starting from 20€/h
Now that you have various components, you can put it all together to create your travel budget.
