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Romania 🇷🇴

backpacking Europe Romania 🇷🇴Drive mountain roads past painted monasteries and citadel towns.

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Backpacking Romania in 2027

A complete guide including when and where to go, costs, transport, itineraries, and practical travel advice.
The big picture before you go

Backpacking Romania
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 18, 2026

In Romania, your first real choice is between cheap, slow trains and a rental car. The rail network reaches nearly every town you’d want to see, but it was built for another century: Bucharest to Cluj-Napoca takes roughly 9 to 10 hours by train, against about an hour by plane. Patience buys you the cheapest fares and a window full of haystacks; time pressure pushes you onto the roads.

What you get is a country that still smells of woodsmoke and cut grass. You climb the Făgăraș ridge above 2,000 meters, wake to church bells over a Saxon fortified village, and drift through Danube Delta channels thick with pelicans. Brown bears roam the forests in serious numbers. The hard parts are plain: transport is slow, shepherd dogs guard the high pastures aggressively, and rural signage can be close to nonexistent.

Hungary feels more polished, and Bulgaria trades some mountain wildness for Black Sea beaches. Romania suits hikers and slow travelers who like rough edges and long lunches. If you want everything on a smooth schedule, you’ll fight it.

👉 Get the 📖 Travel Guide of Romania

Transylvania (Brașov, Sibiu, Sighișoara)

Brașov’s Council Square smells of chimney cake and bus diesel, and the Tâmpa trail climbs roughly 350 meters of root-tangled switchbacks straight out of town. Sibiu’s roofs stare back through slit dormer windows the locals call “eyes,” while Sighișoara’s cobbles are steep and polished slick by rain. Trains from Bucharest reach Brașov in about 2.5 to 3 hours, and slower regional trains link the rest. First-timers settle in easily here, and the reward is mulled wine on a terrace after a cold-morning hike.

Maramureș (Sighetu Marmației, Săpânța, Merry Cemetery)

Hay dries on wooden poles, horse carts clop past at walking pace, and oak churches at Bârsana and Ieud push needle spires above the orchards. In Săpânța, the Merry Cemetery’s blue crosses carry painted, cheeky epitaphs about how each villager lived and died. The overnight train from Bucharest to Sighetu Marmației takes around 12 to 13 hours, and buses beyond town are sparse. Slow travelers who like guesthouses get the best of it: a host pouring homemade horincă before breakfast.

Bucovina (Suceava, Gura Humorului, Voroneț Monastery)

The painted monasteries sit in quiet valleys where nuns beat the wooden toaca board to call vespers, a sharp knocking that carries across the hay meadows. Voroneț’s blue Last Judgment covers an entire outer wall, and Sucevița hides deeper in the hills. Trains from Bucharest reach Suceava in about 6 to 7 hours, but the monasteries are scattered, so you need a car, taxi or day tour from Gura Humorului. You get frescoes glowing in low evening light, almost to yourself.

Danube Delta (Tulcea, Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe)

Past Tulcea the roads stop and the channels take over: reed walls, frog noise, and mosquitoes that arrive on schedule at dusk. Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe are reachable only by boat, and the slow ferry to Sulina runs around 4 hours. Buses from Bucharest to Tulcea take about 4.5 to 5 hours. Birders and people happy without a plan thrive here, rewarded with pelicans lifting off at sunrise and fish borș for lunch.

Bucharest (Old Town, Palace of Parliament, Herăstrău Park)

Car horns, crumbling belle époque villas beside concrete blocks, and Lipscani’s beer terraces packed until 2 a.m. The Palace of Parliament’s marble halls feel built to intimidate, which they were. From Henri Coandă Airport, a train reaches Gara de Nord in about 20 minutes. City people and night owls do well here; the prize is a warm covrig from a street kiosk and a late dinner under Caru’ cu Bere’s stained glass.
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Geography and where places are located
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Why go?What draws travelers here

Backpackers

Romania’s backpacker scene is small enough to feel personal. Hostels in Brașov and Cluj-Napoca fill … read more 👉
Romania’s backpacker scene is small enough to feel personal. Hostels in Brașov and Cluj-Napoca fill with hikers swapping trail notes over cheap Ursus beer, and the common room usually smells of someone’s pot of sarmale or instant noodles drying on a radiator. Cluj is the liveliest base, a university city of cellar bars and late terraces. Time a summer visit for the Untold festival in the city or Electric Castle at the Bánffy Castle in nearby Bonțida, and book beds early, because they vanish. Free walking tours in Bucharest and Brașov are a quick way to find travel partners.

Architecture

Romania’s architecture runs from medieval Saxon towns to communist megastructures, often within the … read more 👉
Romania’s architecture runs from medieval Saxon towns to communist megastructures, often within the same afternoon. In southern Transylvania, villages like Biertan wrap their churches in thick defensive walls, with the cool, damp-stone smell of centuries inside. Up in Maramureș, oak churches raise shingled spires toward the sky without a single nail in some joints. Bucharest throws you the opposite: the Palace of the Parliament, one of the heaviest buildings on earth, beside peeling Belle Époque villas. At fortified churches, the door is often locked; look for a phone number on the gate for the key keeper, who usually lives nearby.

Low cost

Backpacking Romania typically runs about 150 to 225 lei (€30 to 45) a day, covering a hostel bed or … read more 👉
Backpacking Romania typically runs about 150 to 225 lei (€30 to 45) a day, covering a hostel bed or simple guesthouse, hearty local meals and a museum or two. Food is where you save most. Look for the “meniul zilei” lunch deal, a soup, main and sometimes dessert at a set price, or grab a warm covrig (a pretzel-like ring) from a street kiosk for breakfast. Village guesthouses often include a farm breakfast of eggs, cheese and homemade jam. Costs climb in Bucharest and Brașov in peak summer, and drop sharply once you head into rural regions.

Mountains

The Carpathians give Romania hundreds of kilometers of high ridges where you can hike for days with … read more 👉
The Carpathians give Romania hundreds of kilometers of high ridges where you can hike for days with few people around. The Făgăraș traverse crosses Moldoveanu, the country’s highest summit at 2,544 meters, while Retezat holds dozens of glacial lakes that glint like scattered mirrors. You smell sheep and wild thyme on the pastures, then hear the bells before you see the flock. Shepherd dogs can be aggressive, so carry trekking poles and wait for a shepherd to call them off. Save the emergency number for Salvamont, the mountain rescue service, before setting out.

Wildlife

Romania holds the largest brown bear population in the European Union, estimated at several thousand … read more 👉
Romania holds the largest brown bear population in the European Union, estimated at several thousand animals, plus wolves and lynx in the Carpathian forests. At dusk in an observation hide, you sit in silence, breathing pine resin, until a bear shoulders out of the trees. Go with a licensed hide operator near Brașov rather than roadside spots where people feed bears, which is dangerous and illegal. In the Danube Delta, May and June bring the loudest bird life, with great white and Dalmatian pelicans, herons and cormorants nesting among the reeds.

Uniqueness

Rural Romania still runs on habits that vanished elsewhere in Europe decades ago. You share roads with … read more 👉
Rural Romania still runs on habits that vanished elsewhere in Europe decades ago. You share roads with horse carts carrying hay, hear scythes swishing through meadows at dawn, and watch shepherds in the villages of Mărginimea Sibiului move flocks between valley and high pasture. Cheese is smoked in wooden huts, and Sunday mornings fill with women in black headscarves walking to church. Stay in a family-run pensiune in the Apuseni Mountains and eat what the host serves, usually polenta, sour cream and fresh sheep’s cheese. A few words of Romanian earn you instant goodwill.

⭐ HighlightsHighlights of Romania

  • Sighișoara Citadel: A walled hilltop town of mustard and pink houses, where a 14th-century clock tower looms over the square and a covered wooden staircase of around 175 steps climbs to a church and an old German cemetery. Go at dusk, after the day-trippers leave, and you hear only your own steps on the cobbles and swallows circling the tower.
  • Merry Cemetery, Săpânța: Rows of bright blue wooden crosses carry carved, painted scenes of each person’s life and a rhyming epitaph, often teasing the deceased about drink or a sharp-tongued mother-in-law. Local carver Stan Ioan Pătraș started the tradition in the 1930s, and the workshop still turns out new crosses. It is funny, a little morbid and very Romanian.
  • Voroneț Monastery: The west wall holds a vast Last Judgment, painted in 1547 in an intense blue that art historians still call “Voroneț blue.” Nuns in black sweep the courtyard, and the scent of beeswax drifts from the church door. Morning light hits the colors hardest.
  • Salina Turda: You descend
… read more 👉
  • Sighișoara Citadel: A walled hilltop town of mustard and pink houses, where a 14th-century clock tower looms over the square and a covered wooden staircase of around 175 steps climbs to a church and an old German cemetery. Go at dusk, after the day-trippers leave, and you hear only your own steps on the cobbles and swallows circling the tower.
  • Merry Cemetery, Săpânța: Rows of bright blue wooden crosses carry carved, painted scenes of each person’s life and a rhyming epitaph, often teasing the deceased about drink or a sharp-tongued mother-in-law. Local carver Stan Ioan Pătraș started the tradition in the 1930s, and the workshop still turns out new crosses. It is funny, a little morbid and very Romanian.
  • Voroneț Monastery: The west wall holds a vast Last Judgment, painted in 1547 in an intense blue that art historians still call “Voroneț blue.” Nuns in black sweep the courtyard, and the scent of beeswax drifts from the church door. Morning light hits the colors hardest.
  • Salina Turda: You descend into a salt mine near Cluj where the air holds a steady chill of around 10 to 12°C and tastes faintly of salt on your lips. At the bottom there is a Ferris wheel, and you can row a small boat on an underground lake under hanging lights. Bring a jacket even in August.
  • Transfăgărășan Road: Built under Ceaușescu in the 1970s, this mountain road switchbacks up the Făgăraș range to Bâlea Lake at about 2,040 meters, usually open only from early July into October. Up top, the wind smells of snowmelt and grilled mici from the food stalls, and clouds pour over the ridge like slow water.
  • Bran Castle: A late 14th-century fortress on a rock above the pass between Transylvania and Wallachia, sold to the world as Dracula’s castle even though Vlad the Impaler’s link to it is thin. Narrow stairs and secret passages lead through rooms furnished for Queen Marie, who made it a royal residence in the 1920s. Take the first bus from Brașov to beat the tour groups.
  • Danube Delta: A UNESCO-listed maze of reed beds, channels and lakes where the Danube meets the Black Sea, home to great white and Dalmatian pelicans. Boats from Tulcea reach villages such as Crișan and Sfântu Gheorghe, and a dawn trip in a small boat shows the most birds.
Off the map, try the Saxon village of Viscri, the stone-and-whitewash village of Rimetea under its limestone cliff, or the far end of the delta at Sfântu Gheorghe.
Spotted a mistake or missing a highlight? Contact us.
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🧭 RoutesHow to structure a trip

The 5-Day Transylvania Castle Run


A tight, easygoing loop through southern Transylvania’s castles and fortified towns, built around one base in a mountain-ringed old town. Expect royal halls, hilltop fortresses and a night inside medieval walls, all reached by short train and bus rides.
  • Brasov’s old town under Tâmpa Hill
  • Peleș Castle and Bran Castle
  • Râșnov’s peasant fortress
  • A night inside Sighișoara Citadel

👉 explore this 5-day route

The 10-Day Transylvania Deep Dive


Ten days crossing Transylvania west to east, mixing a lively student city with Habsburg ramparts and Saxon villages. Underground caverns, a high mountain pass and a limestone gorge hike keep it from being all churches and cobbles.
  • Cluj-Napoca and the Salina Turda salt mine
  • Alba Iulia’s star-shaped citadel
  • Sibiu and a drive over the Transfăgărășan Highway
  • Hiking in Piatra Craiului National Park

👉 explore this 10-day route

The 15-Day Grand Romania Loop


A full sweep from Bucharest through Saxon Transylvania to the wooden north and the … read more 👉

The 5-Day Transylvania Castle Run


A tight, easygoing loop through southern Transylvania’s castles and fortified towns, built around one base in a mountain-ringed old town. Expect royal halls, hilltop fortresses and a night inside medieval walls, all reached by short train and bus rides.
  • Brasov’s old town under Tâmpa Hill
  • Peleș Castle and Bran Castle
  • Râșnov’s peasant fortress
  • A night inside Sighișoara Citadel

👉 explore this 5-day route

The 10-Day Transylvania Deep Dive


Ten days crossing Transylvania west to east, mixing a lively student city with Habsburg ramparts and Saxon villages. Underground caverns, a high mountain pass and a limestone gorge hike keep it from being all churches and cobbles.
  • Cluj-Napoca and the Salina Turda salt mine
  • Alba Iulia’s star-shaped citadel
  • Sibiu and a drive over the Transfăgărășan Highway
  • Hiking in Piatra Craiului National Park

👉 explore this 10-day route

The 15-Day Grand Romania Loop


A full sweep from Bucharest through Saxon Transylvania to the wooden north and the painted monasteries of Bucovina. It’s the route for seeing how much Romania changes from region to region, with village nights between the cities.
  • Bucharest’s Palace of the Parliament
  • A village night in Viscri
  • Corvin Castle and the Merry Cemetery of Săpânța
  • The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina

👉 explore this 15-day route

🌤️ When to go?A month-by-month overview

The best time for backpacking Romania is late May to June and September, when days sit around 20 to 27°C, most trails are open, and rooms cost less than in the August holiday rush. Region matters. The Carpathians hold snow into May and often get it again by late October, while Bucharest and the Danube plain bake in July and August, and the Black Sea coast only makes sense from June to early September.
  • Spring (April to May): The lowlands are mild at 15 to 23°C, rain is frequent, and high passes are still closed. Prices are low and visitors few. Orthodox Easter brings village traditions, and birds return to the Danube Delta.
  • Summer (June to August): The south is hot (30°C and up, with heatwaves toward 38°C), Transylvania is cooler, and the mountains get afternoon thunderstorms. Mountain huts are open, festivals stack up and the coast fills. August is the most crowded and expensive month.
  • Autumn (September to October): September is stable and warm. October turns crisp as the beech forests go orange. Crowds thin fast and prices drop after mid-September.
  • Winter (November to March): Grey and cold, from around 0°C in Bucharest to -15°C in the mountains. Ski resorts like Poiana Brașov run from roughly mid-December to March, while many huts and rural guesthouses close.
The Transfăgărășan high road over the Făgăraș Mountains usually opens only from July to October, so plan that drive or ride inside the window. Pack a warm layer and a rain shell even in July, because nights at Bâlea Lake can drop to around 5°C.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: below average for travelingFEBFebruary: below average for travelingMARMarch: fair for travelingAPRApril: good for travelingMAYMay: good for travelingJUNJune: highly recommended for travelingJULJuly: good for travelingAUGAugust: fair for travelingSEPSeptember: excellent for travelingOCTOctober: good for travelingNOVNovember: fair for travelingDECDecember: below average for traveling
romania - pixabay - pietrele-doamnei-202192

💰 Costs (as of 2026)How expensive it really is

Backpacking Romania on a budget costs about €35 to 50 a day if you sleep in dorms, eat a mix of supermarket food and cheap set lunches, and get around by train and bus.
You pay in Romanian lei, and cards work almost everywhere in cities. Romania costs noticeably less than Hungary, where a Budapest dorm alone can take €18 to 25 of your day. It runs a little above Bulgaria and roughly level with Serbia. Moldova next door is cheaper still. Prices are highest in Bucharest and Brașov, and at their lowest in Maramureș and small Transylvanian towns.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodation€10 to 20 per nightA bed in a central Bucharest hostel in the Old Town or Lipscani area costs about €11 to 18. In Brașov, expect €13 to 20, with July and August at the top of that range. Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu sit around €11 to 17. To pay less, book weekdays outside festival weekends (Untold in Cluj sends prices way up), or take a private room in a guesthouse (pensiune) in a village like Viscri or Breb, often €20 to 30 for two.
Meals€8 to 18 per dayCovrigi (pretzel rings) cost €0.20 to 0.60 each, and a cheese plăcintă is €1 to 2. A plate of mici (grilled minced-meat rolls) with bread and mustard runs
… read more 👉
Backpacking Romania on a budget costs about €35 to 50 a day if you sleep in dorms, eat a mix of supermarket food and cheap set lunches, and get around by train and bus.
You pay in Romanian lei, and cards work almost everywhere in cities. Romania costs noticeably less than Hungary, where a Budapest dorm alone can take €18 to 25 of your day. It runs a little above Bulgaria and roughly level with Serbia. Moldova next door is cheaper still. Prices are highest in Bucharest and Brașov, and at their lowest in Maramureș and small Transylvanian towns.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodation€10 to 20 per nightA bed in a central Bucharest hostel in the Old Town or Lipscani area costs about €11 to 18. In Brașov, expect €13 to 20, with July and August at the top of that range. Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu sit around €11 to 17. To pay less, book weekdays outside festival weekends (Untold in Cluj sends prices way up), or take a private room in a guesthouse (pensiune) in a village like Viscri or Breb, often €20 to 30 for two.
Meals€8 to 18 per dayCovrigi (pretzel rings) cost €0.20 to 0.60 each, and a cheese plăcintă is €1 to 2. A plate of mici (grilled minced-meat rolls) with bread and mustard runs €5 to 7. The weekday meniul zilei (soup, main and sometimes dessert) is €6 to 9. If you self-cater at Lidl, Kaufland or Profi, you can eat for €5 to 8 a day.
Local transport€3 to 12 per dayThe cheapest way to cover long distances is a second-class CFR train. Bucharest to Brașov is about €9 to 12, and Brașov to Sibiu by train or minibus is about €8 to 11. A Bucharest metro ride is around €1, and city buses elsewhere cost €0.60 to 1.
Activities€0 to 15 per dayCastle tickets are what drive this number up. Bran Castle is about €14 and Peleș Castle about €10 to 12. A Palace of the Parliament tour is about €8 to 14, and Salina Turda about €10. Hiking in the Bucegi or Făgăraș mountains is free, and a bunk in a mountain hut (cabana) is €10 to 20.
Miscellaneous€3 to 8 per dayA prepaid Orange or Vodafone SIM with plenty of data costs €5 to 7. A half-liter of beer in a bar is €2.50 to 4, and a flat white in Cluj or Bucharest is €2 to 3.50. A Bolt ride across Bucharest is €3 to 6. Public toilets cost €0.20 to 0.40, and people tip about 10% in restaurants.
Total Daily Budget€35 to 50 per dayExpect about €35 if you mostly stay in Sibiu, Cluj or the villages, mix self-catering with set lunches and use regional trains. Expect closer to €50 in Bucharest or Brașov in summer, with a castle ticket and a couple of beers. Either way, that's roughly €10 to 15 less per day than the same trip in Budapest.
Where the money goes furthest: rural Transylvania and Maramureș. You can often get a guesthouse dinner of homemade ciorbă, sarmale and pălincă for €8 to 12, a price no city restaurant comes close to.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutRomania Travel Guide

An offline-friendly backpacking guide with optimized travel routes, ranked highlights, transport advice, and the best areas to stay.
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The digital guide (360 pages) contains:
✅ 94 highlights, ranked by travel appeal
✅ Optimized 5, 10 & 15-day travel routes
✅ Cities, national parks, landmarks, beaches
✅ How to get around
✅ Offline-friendly for travel without Wi-Fi
👉 Click to see all 30+ guide features

📅 Plan smarter in minutes, not weeks
✅ Month by month travel advice
✅ Festivals & national holidays
✅ Budget expectations

🗺️ Go to the right places, skip the overrated ones
✅ Honest pros & cons of destinations
✅ Top hikes, parks & viewpoints
✅ Lesser-known places most travelers miss
✅ Clear “worth it vs skip it” guidance

🛏️ Travel smoothly without rookie mistakes
✅ Best areas to stay
✅ Transport systems explained simply
✅ Common scams & safety advice
✅ SIM cards, money & practical tips

🌍 Understand the country, not just visit it
✅ Culture & traditions
✅ 52 Essential phrases & customs
✅ Festivals worth planning around
✅ Traveler-friendly historical context
✅ Insights that make places more meaningful

📱 Built for real travel conditions
✅ Fully downloadable PDF
✅ Works completely offline
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🛏️ Where to stay?Choosing the right base for your trip

Romania has plenty of hostels and budget guesthouses, with dorm beds typically running 50 to 90 lei (about US$11 to 20) a night and private doubles in family-run guesthouses from roughly 150 lei (US$33). In Bucharest, the Old Town (Lipscani) puts you right on top of the bars and walking distance from most sights, but weekend noise lasts until dawn. The streets around Piața Romană and Piața Victoriei are calmer and still on the metro. In Brașov, the medieval center and the quieter Șchei district sit at the foot of Tâmpa mountain, while central Cluj-Napoca is the pick for student nightlife and Sibiu’s … read more 👉
Romania has plenty of hostels and budget guesthouses, with dorm beds typically running 50 to 90 lei (about US$11 to 20) a night and private doubles in family-run guesthouses from roughly 150 lei (US$33). In Bucharest, the Old Town (Lipscani) puts you right on top of the bars and walking distance from most sights, but weekend noise lasts until dawn. The streets around Piața Romană and Piața Victoriei are calmer and still on the metro. In Brașov, the medieval center and the quieter Șchei district sit at the foot of Tâmpa mountain, while central Cluj-Napoca is the pick for student nightlife and Sibiu’s Upper Town is compact, safe and quiet after dark.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

Best hostels in Romania


Best quality hotels in Romania

🚌 Getting aroundTransportation options and logistics

A typical travel day in Romania is a CFR train between two Transylvanian towns, say Brașov to Sibiu: 3 to 4 hours, 40 to 55 lei (US$9 to 12) in second class, with hayfields, horse carts and Saxon church towers sliding past a scratched window. The engine groans on the climbs, the conductor clips tickets with a nod, and arrival times drift by 15 to 30 minutes without anyone looking up from their sunflower seeds.
  • Trains (CFR Călători and private operators): Bucharest to Brașov takes 2.5 to 3 hours for
… read more 👉
A typical travel day in Romania is a CFR train between two Transylvanian towns, say Brașov to Sibiu: 3 to 4 hours, 40 to 55 lei (US$9 to 12) in second class, with hayfields, horse carts and Saxon church towers sliding past a scratched window. The engine groans on the climbs, the conductor clips tickets with a nod, and arrival times drift by 15 to 30 minutes without anyone looking up from their sunflower seeds.
  • Trains (CFR Călători and private operators): Bucharest to Brașov takes 2.5 to 3 hours for 50 to 75 lei (US$11 to 16); Bucharest to Cluj-Napoca runs 9 to 11 hours, and a couchette on the night train adds roughly 40 to 90 lei. InterRegio carriages are worn but roomy, while Regio trains stop at every rural halt. Buy on cfrcalatori.ro, the CFR app or at the station window. Private operators sell their own tickets, so check who runs your train. Sit on the left heading north from Bucharest for the Bucegi cliffs looming over the Prahova valley.
  • Maxitaxis and minibuses: 15 to 20 seat vans cover 2 to 4 hour hops for 30 to 60 lei (US$7 to 13), such as Brașov to Sighișoara in about 2 hours. Seats are tight and the radio plays manele at full volume. Check times on autogari.ro and pay the driver in cash; a large backpack sometimes costs 5 lei extra. They reach the fortified-church villages that no train serves.
  • BlaBlaCar: Widely used here, with Bucharest to Brașov at 35 to 60 lei and about 2.5 hours, often faster than the train. Book and pay in the app. Avoid Friday evenings on the DN1 highway, when weekend traffic crawls up into the mountains. You get a local driver who will point out the best roadside cheese stall.
  • Bolt and Uber: Cross-town rides in Bucharest, Cluj, Brașov, Timișoara and Iași cost 15 to 35 lei (US$3 to 8). Street taxis print their per-kilometer rate on the door, usually 3 to 4 lei; skip any car with a higher number. It is the cheap way to reach a late-night train with your pack.
To cross the country efficiently, route your trip as a loop through Transylvania instead of backtracking through Bucharest, and take the night train for the longest leg so the 10 hours of track double as a night’s bed.
Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) in Otopeni sits about 17 km (11 miles) north of the city center, and the cheapest reliable way into town in Romania’s capital is the 100 express bus for around 3 lei (US$0.65).
  • Express bus 100 (40 to 60 minutes, about 3 lei / US$0.65): it leaves from the stop outside the arrivals level and runs 24 hours to Piața Victoriei, Piața Romană, Universitate and Piața Unirii, and you can tap a contactless bank card on the validator on board or buy a ticket at the machine by the stop.
  • Express bus 780 (35 to 50 minutes, about 3 lei / US$0.65): it uses the same stop and payment as the 100 but heads to Gara de Nord, the main train station, and only runs from early morning to late evening.
  • Airport train to Gara de Nord (about 20 to 25 minutes, roughly 5 to 7 lei / US$1 to 1.50): the station is linked to the terminal by a short walkway and shuttle, tickets are sold at the machines and counter there, and departures run roughly every 40 minutes from early morning until late evening.
  • Taxi (30 to 50 minutes, about 60 to 100 lei / US$13 to 22): order one from the touchscreen kiosks in the arrivals hall, which show each company’s per-kilometer rate and print a ticket with your car number, and ignore drivers who approach you inside the terminal.
  • Uber or Bolt (30 to 50 minutes, about 50 to 90 lei / US$11 to 20): book in the app once you have your bags and walk to the signed ride-hailing pickup area, and expect higher surge prices during evening rush hour.
If you land after midnight, the 100 still runs but only every 30 minutes, so if you would rather not wait, use the taxi kiosk or a ride-hailing app and never accept an offer from a tout.
⚠️ Prices and routes can change, so take this as a rough guide and ask for local advice when you arrive.
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🔒 Safety (risk Level: low)What first-time visitors should know

Safety for solo travelers, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals
Romania is a safe country for solo travelers, with low rates of violent crime and the main risks being pickpocketing on crowded Bucharest buses and metros, overcharging taxis and occasional bar scams in the Old Town. Women traveling alone generally report few problems beyond some catcalling, though standard precautions at night and with unlicensed taxis apply. Homosexuality is legal, but same-sex partnerships are not legally recognized and attitudes outside Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca are conservative, so LGBTQ+ travelers tend to be discreet with public affection in smaller towns and villages. In the mountains, the bigger safety issues are brown bears (Romania has Europe’s largest population outside Russia) and sudden weather changes, so never feed bears and check forecasts before hiking.


Full official government travel advisory (live updates)
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✈️ VisaWhat travelers should know about visas

Romania is a member of the European Union and a full member of the Schengen Area since January 2025, so citizens of the EU, US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries can visit visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period across Schengen. Travelers who need a visa apply for a Schengen short-stay visa through the Romanian e-Visa portal and then submit documents at the nearest Romanian embassy or consulate. Visa-exempt travelers should expect the EU’s Entry/Exit System and, once launched, the ETIAS travel authorization to apply.
⚠️ Visa requirements can change over time, so always check the latest visa requirements with the official embassy or government website before you travel.

🎒 What to pack?What to pack for Romania

Packing for Romania depends heavily on the season: Bucharest summers regularly hit 30 to 35°C, while Carpathian winters drop well below freezing, and mountain weather can flip from sun to cold rain within an hour even in July. If you plan to hike in the Bucegi, Piatra Craiului or Făgăraș mountains, bring proper boots with grip, since trails are rocky, steep and muddy after storms. Cobblestones in Sibiu, Brașov and Sighișoara are hard on thin soles, so comfortable walking shoes matter more than you might expect. Orthodox churches and monasteries expect covered shoulders and knees, and women are often asked to wear a skirt and headscarf at monasteries, so a light scarf and a long layer earn their space in your pack. Ticks are common in grassy and forested areas, and mosquitoes are fierce in the Danube Delta, so pack repellent accordingly.

Apart from this country specific advice, I have also crafted a general packing list that should help on any trip. authorOver the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.

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🙋 FAQThings travelers often ask

Trip Planning

Planning a backpacking route through Romania can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Romania itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.



Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.


Travel Essentials

No vaccinations are required to enter Romania, but you should be up to date on routine shots, especially measles (MMR), given recent outbreaks in the country. Hepatitis A and B are commonly recommended for travelers, and tick-borne encephalitis is worth considering if you plan to hike or camp in Carpathian forests from spring to autumn. A rabies pre-exposure vaccine makes sense for long rural trips, as stray and shepherd dogs are common in villages and mountain pastures.


vaccination requirements
When I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.

These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Romania, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.

There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.


HolaFly eSim

Culture & Customs

In Romania, take your shoes off when entering someone’s home, and bring a small gift such as chocolates, wine or flowers in an odd number, since even numbers are reserved for funerals. When toasting, say “noroc” and keep eye contact. Dress modestly in Orthodox churches and monasteries, with shoulders and knees covered; women may be asked to cover their hair, and some monasteries provide wraps at the door. Accept food and drink when offered at a family table, as refusing outright can seem rude, but you can pace yourself with homemade țuică (plum brandy). Avoid lumping Romanians together with the Roma minority or making casual Dracula and vampire jokes, and treat the communist era and Hungarian-Romanian history in Transylvania as sensitive topics. Women are generally treated with old-fashioned courtesy, while same-sex couples will find a relaxed scene in parts of Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca but should keep public affection low-key in rural areas.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Romania.
  1. Sarmale: Cabbage leaves (often pickled) rolled around minced pork and rice, slow-cooked for hours and served with sour cream and polenta. They appear at every Romanian wedding, Christmas table and family feast, which makes them the closest thing to a national dish.
  2. Mici (mititei): Skinless grilled rolls of minced beef, pork and lamb seasoned with garlic and thyme, eaten with mustard, bread and a cold beer. They are the smell of every Romanian barbecue, market and May Day picnic.
  3. Mămăligă: Thick cornmeal polenta, often served with brânză (salty sheep cheese), sour cream or a fried egg on top. It was the staple of peasant kitchens for centuries and still sits beside most traditional mains.
  4. Ciorbă de burtă: A sour tripe soup enriched with egg yolk, garlic and sour cream, finished with vinegar and a hot pepper on the side. Romanians swear by it as the cure after a long night, and the whole family of sour ciorbă soups is central to the country’s cooking.
  5. Zacuscă: A smoky spread of roasted eggplant, red peppers and onions, made in big batches each autumn and stored in jars for winter. Homemade jars are a point of family pride, and it is perfect on bread for a cheap picnic lunch.
  6. Papanași: Fried doughnuts made with fresh cheese, topped with sour cream and sour cherry or blueberry jam. It is the dessert Romanians order most when eating out, and one portion easily feeds two.
  7. Cozonac: A sweet braided bread swirled with walnuts, cocoa or Turkish delight, baked for Easter and Christmas. Bakeries sell it year-round, and a thick slice with coffee makes a solid breakfast.
Tap water in Romania’s cities is treated and considered safe to drink, though some locals avoid it because old pipes in apartment blocks can give it a metallic or chlorine taste. Many Romanians prefer bottled mineral water, which is cheap and excellent, from brands such as Borsec and Dorna. Avoid untreated water from rural village wells, and use a filter bottle for streams in the mountains, where marked springs (izvor) are popular with locals.
The main language in Romania is Romanian. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Romanian skills have become a bit rusty.

Want to understand locals better?
The complete Travel Guide for Romania includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.

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English is widely spoken in Romania among people under 40, and you will rarely struggle in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brașov or Sibiu, where hostel staff, bartenders and students switch to it easily. In rural villages and with older people, expect little English; some older Romanians learned French at school, and in parts of Transylvania German or Hungarian goes further. Romanian is a Latin language, so Italian or Spanish speakers can decode menus and signs surprisingly well. Download Romanian for offline use in Google Translate and learn “mulțumesc” (thank you) and “bună ziua” (good day), which open doors fast in the countryside.

Money & Payments

The local currency of Romania is RON (lei).
Cash and cards both work well in Romania, where the currency is the Romanian leu (RON) and ATMs are easy to find in every city and most small towns. Bank ATMs such as BCR, BRD, Banca Transilvania and ING usually charge no local fee, while Euronet machines often add high fees and push unfavorable conversion, so always decline the conversion and choose to be charged in lei. Cards and contactless payments are accepted almost everywhere in cities, including supermarkets, restaurants, public transport and most hostels, but keep cash for markets, rural guesthouses, minibuses and mountain huts. Euros are the easiest foreign currency to bring and exchange, with US dollars also accepted at exchange offices. Change money at a bank or at an exchange office (casa de schimb) that clearly posts its buy and sell rates and charges no commission, and avoid the airport counters and anyone offering to change money on the street.
Tipping in Romania is expected in sit-down restaurants and cafés, where 10% is standard and up to 15% for excellent service, ideally left in cash even if you pay by card. For taxis, hairdressers and hotel porters, rounding up or a few lei is enough. Be careful saying “mulțumesc” (thank you) as you hand over money, since staff often take it to mean you want them to keep the change.

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We 💚 feedbackIs Romania worth visiting?

Romania’s best argument is its mountains: long, wild Carpathian ridges where you can walk for days, sleep in huts and share the forest with bears. The drawback is slowness, since trains crawl and many rural routes take far longer than the map suggests. That is changing. New motorway sections are steadily linking regions, and the Via Transilvanica, a marked trail of about 1,400 kilometers across the country, is drawing walkers into villages that rarely saw outsiders.

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on in-depth research, insights shared by experienced travelers, and feedback from the local travel community in Romania. While every effort is made to keep the information accurate and current, conditions can change — so if you spot anything incorrect or outdated, please get in touch.



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👋 Meet the founderWho’s Behind Take Your Backpack?

Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.

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