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GETTING TO ROMANIA
This section is courtesy of
Romanian
National Tourism Office for North America.
By plane:
Austrian
Airlines — the preferred airline
to Romania from North America — offers daily
connections to Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj from
several cities in the USA and Canada.
Tarom — the national airline of Romania —
offers direct service from New York to Bucharest (one
stop in either Luxemburg or Timisoara) three times
a week. Most major European and American airlines
offer convenient connections from North America to
Romania via major cities in Europe.
Bucharest is no more than 2 hours by plane from most
cities in Western Europe.
Other cities in Romania including Timisoara, Cluj,
Sibiu, Oradea, Arad, and Bacau, are connected with
destinations in Austria, Germany, Italy and Hungary
by flights with Austrian Airlines, CarpatAir and Tarom.
By train:
Traveling by train from Europe to Romania takes from
6 hours (Budapest to Timisoara) to about 46 hours
(London to Bucharest). Most train tickets allow several
stopovers en route so train travel can be an affordable
and relaxing way to include Romania in a European
trip.
Romanian National Railways (SNCFR) operate service
from Bucharest to many European cities. First and
second-class sleepers are available for journeys longer
than 10 hours and for overnight trains. For information
on train schedules and fares please visit www.cfr.ro
www.raileurope.com
wasteelstravel.ro
By car:
Border crossing between Romania and its western neighbors
is just a formality. When renting a car in Europe
please check with the car rental company about its
policy regarding taking the car across national borders.
Insurance can be purchased at any Romanian border
crossing point. Documents required by Romanian Customs
are the vehicle's registration, proof of insurance
and a valid driver's license from the driver's home
country.
There are many bus routes that connect Bucharest and
Romania's main cities with Athens, Berlin, Budapest,
Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Milan, Munich,
Paris, Rome, and Vienna.
By boat:
Several river cruise companies based in Germany or
Austria offer cruises on the Danube River through
to the Danube Delta and the Black Sea Coast. An overnight
ferry crosses the Black Sea connecting Constanta (Romania)
with Istanbul (Turkey) and with Odessa (Ukraine).
Service is offered once a week, from April through
October.
Approximate Travel Time to
the Romanian Border
Customs
Romanian Customs regulations are in line with those
of most European countries. A traveler can enter and
leave Romania with up to $10,000 in cash or traveler's
checks. Amounts over $10,000 have to be declared at
Customs.
Import allowances:
Tobacco: 200 cigarettes (one
carton) or 40 cigars
Liquor: 4 litres of wine or
2 litres of liquor
20 rolls of camera film
A reasonable quantity of gifts
Medicines for own use
Customs officers do not usually
check the luggage of individual travelers or tour
groups. However, you must know that, as in any other
country, custom officers have the authority to check
passports and to conduct enforcement examinations
without a warrant, ranging from a single luggage
examination to a personal search. More information
on customs regulations at www.customs.ro
VAT/ tax refund:
A 19% sales tax is included in the prices posted
in stores, hotels and restaurants. Like in many
countries hotels charge an additional tax (0.5%
to 5% depending on the class of hotel).
Tax refund:
Please keep your original receipts and ask for a
store identified VAT Refund form. VAT refund offices
can be found at any Romanian border crossing point.
Domestic Transportation
Getting around Romania is easy and inexpensive.
Bus
Most cities offer efficient and very inexpensive
bus, trolleybus or tram transportation. There are
several bus companies that offer fast and inexpensive
connections between Romania's main cities. Inter-City
bus stations are usually next to the train station
and most buses have a stop in the center of the
city. Bus or taxi might be the only choice when
choosing to explore some remote areas.
Car rental
Car is the best way to visit Romania as this allows
visitors to admire the unique scenery and take advantage
of the innumerable photo opportunities that they
will encounter even during short drives. A hired
car will save you a lot of time when visiting some
remote attractions as the Painted Monasteries in
Bucovina and the traditional villages in Maramures.
Most major international auto rental companies and
several local companies offer cars in the major
cities and airports. Renters must be over 21 and
have a valid driver's license and an internationally
valid credit card. Romania's major roads are safe
and well maintained. As they pass through main cities
and towns gas stations, food stores and hotels are
easy to find. Road congestion is not an issue in
Romania except in Bucharest. The Romanian Automobile
Association (ACR or "Automobil Clubul Roman") offers
24 hour roadside assistance. Call: (021) 222 22
22 or (021) 222 15 52.
Domestic flights
There are several scheduled domestic flights connecting
cities within Romania which are operated by CarpatAir
and Tarom. CarpatAir has hubs in Timisoara and Cluj.
Tarom operates domestic flights between Bucharest
and several cities in Romania. All Tarom domestic
flights have a connection in Bucharest. For more
information on airlines and flight schedules, please
visit:
CarpatAir
Tarom
Train
Romania has a well-developed railway network that
covers virtually the whole country. Trains are the
most popular means of getting around Romania. They
are amazingly inexpensive and generally on time.
Three different services are offered. The cheapest
and slowest are Local Trains (Personal). The next
fastest and more expensive are Express Trains (Accelerat
and Rapid) that require a seat reservation along
with the ticket. The fastest and the most expensive
are Inter-City Trains (Inter City). The last two
types of trains have dining cars and sleepers (overnight
or long distance trains only). For train enthusiasts
there are nine steam trains, dating from the 1920s
and '30s, some of which have been restored to provide
a luxury travel experience. Organizations as well
as Individuals can rent steam trains. For information
on train schedules and fares please visit www.cfr.ro.
Map of
Romania's Railways Network
Taxi
Taxis are available in every city and larger towns
in Romania. They can be summoned by telephone or
hailed on the street. Authorized taxis can be recognized
by the TAXI sign on the roof. All Taxis should be
equipped with meters. Calling a taxi company is
always a good idea. Drivers approaching you at the
airport or at the train station in Bucharest are
likely to inflate their rates; please avoid them.
For longer trips outside the city limits it is possible
to agree on the fee before getting in. In most cases
using a taxi for such trips is affordable and very
convenient.
Taxi tariffs vary from city to city:
$ 0.14 - $ 0.19 upon entry
$ 0.24 - $ 0.47 / mile (for trips within city limits)
$ 0.41 - $ 0.58 / mile (for trips outside city limits)
$ 0.02 - $ 0.03 / minute (slow traffic or waiting
time
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