When to Visit Romania?
The best time to visit Romania is between May to September when the weather is nice and warm, great for doing outdoor activities, with a high chance of beautiful clear sky.
That said, Romania does get a fair bit of tourists during the summer months between June to August, and that can drive up the price of accommodation a bit. If you wish to avoid the tourist crowds as well as the high-season price hike, I highly recommend you stick to either late April or early October.
Although, statistically, the weather might not be as good, there are still chances of nice beautiful clear days with great weather during this period. The crowds are also getting thinner while the prices are starting to come down. Either way, as long as you stick to the recommended period, you should be good to go.
How to Get to Romania?
From the US, you can fly to Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, via KLM, Lufthansa, or Turkish Airlines that often leave from big cities like New York or San Francisco, which should take around 14 - 16 hours including the transiting time in the country of airline's origin.
From Europe, you can find plenty of direct flights flying from major European hubs to Bucharest International Airport (OTP) via low-cost airlines like Ryanair and WizzAir that will take you to Bucharest in no more than 4 hours.
From Asia, you can fly to Bucharest with Middle Eastern airlines like Qatar and Turkish Airlines from any big cities in the region, and it should take you about 15 - 17 hours, including transit time, before you arrive in Romania.
To find a cheap flight to Romania, I would recommend you use Skyscanner or Expedia to look for the cheapest route and schedule so you can compare and pick the best one.
How to Get Around Romania?
By Trains: Trains are an easy and affordable way to get around Romania, with many trains connecting big cities like Bucharest and Brasov several times a day. They may not be as reliable as their Western counterparts, but they work just fine for one-leg trips that don't require transiting.
You can find all the information you need for train travel, like the schedule and online booking service from the official website If the train schedule doesn't work for your itinerary, you can also rely on buses.
By Buses: Depending on where you want to go, buses can be one of the cheapest ways to get around Romania, especially in the more remote parts of the country like Transylvania. To find a bus schedule, I highly recommend you check out Autogari.ro website.
I've relied on the website for most of my bus journey, and they were pretty much spot on. You can also book some of the tickets online as well which is rather convenient. If there is no booking button available, it means that the bus company does not support it and you will have to go the old-school way and go buy the ticket at the bus terminal.
Too bad, Romania doesn't have a more central way to book buses, but this website will do just fine. If you can not find any train available, be sure to check out Autogari.ro website for bus schedules and online tickets.
By Tours: If you want to explore tourist attractions that are not in the city, you can also rely on organized tours which will take you to remote places like Bran Castle (Dracula Castle), Peles Castle, and Rasnov Citadel, all of which are quite far apart, in one day without you having to worry about the logistics. There are plenty of tours available in Romania, and you can check what tours are available here.
By Rental Cars: You can also rent a car straight from Bucharest Airport and drive around Romania, but for this itinerary, you won't need it. If you insist, hit the link below to rent a car in Romania:
How Much Money Do I Need for 2 weeks in Romania?
From this 2 weeks itinerary, we can calculate approximately how much money you will be spending here as follows:
Accommodation: For 15 nights in Romania, you can expect to pay around 330 EUR for accommodation, considering you are staying in budget guesthouses or hostels.
Food: For 14 days, 3 meals a day in Romania, you can expect to pay around 294 EUR for food, considering you eat out every day. It will be significantly cheaper if you buy your own groceries and cook yourself instead.
Transportation: For this itinerary, you can expect to pay around 57 EUR for train and bus travel across the country.
Activities: Depending on how much you want to do in Romania, you can expect to pay approximately 178 EUR for day trips as well as entrance fees to tourist attractions around the country.
Total Budget for 2 weeks in Romania: 859 EUR
Is it Safe in Romania?
I found Romania to be very safe for solo travelers despite what people may have said about the country. I spent about 2 weeks traveling around the country independently, and I found the people here to be extremely friendly, and I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary.
That said, it is always a good idea to exercise precautions by not leaving your belongings unattended, especially when in crowded places like bus or train stations, and ALWAYS keep an eye out for your belongings at all times.
Keep your hands in your pockets when entering or exiting crowded places to secure your phone and wallet. Other than that, you should be perfectly fine traveling around Romania independently.
Which tourist SIM card is best for Romania?
There are 4 major carriers in Romania, Orange, Vodafone, Telekom, and Digi Mobil, that offer prepaid sim cards tourists can buy while they are traveling in Romania. That said, if you are looking for a more convenient way, I highly recommend you look into getting esims instead, which is something that you can buy prior to your arrival in Romania.
If you have a smartphone that supports esims, I highly recommend you take a look at these esims. They have a variety of data packages, price points, and durations for you to choose from.
The setup is fast and instant and you can buy it prior to your trip so you don't have to scramble your way to get one at the airport after a long flight. The data speed is also equivalent to what you get with a local sim card with 4G speed across the entire country.
Or if you are traveling to Romania as part of a bigger Europe trip, I highly recommend you get the regional Eurolink esim which will give you access to data from over 39 countries across Europe. I have personally used this esim on my 3-months trip around Europe and it has worked wonders.
For more information on esims in Romania, click here: Check Romania's Available eSim.
What to Pack for Romania?
As you may already know, I am an advocate of light traveling, and indeed, packing light for a journey like this is a unique art form. Here are some packing tips for your upcoming trip to Romania:
- Walking/Hiking Shoes: With all the walking and possible hiking during your travel, a comfortable pair of shoes is a must. I recommend the Timberland 3-Eye Classic Boat Shoes that are my go-to pair for long strolls and hikes.
- Breathable Shirts: Given the potential for hot weather, pack a few breathable shirts for your outdoor adventures.
- Shorts/Jeans: Anticipate lots of walking during your travels? Be sure to pack some breathable shorts and a pair of Levi's jeans for when the weather cools. For women, leggings are excellent for both hot and cold climates, so consider packing some as well.
- Fleece Jacket: For colder weather, layering is the key, and a fleece jacket makes an excellent insulating layer. I recommend the Columbia Steens Mountain Fleece (for women).
- Outer Shell Jacket: An outer shell jacket is great for windy or rainy conditions. I highly recommend the Columbia Watertight Jacket (for women). It's lightweight, breathable, and even comes in a cool orange color.
- Microfiber Towel: A Microfiber towel is the ideal backpacker's towel due to its lightness, quick drying, and compressibility.
- Camera: You should also pack a good camera for your trip so that you can capture all the beautiful experiences you might have. I recommend the Sony a7R V camera together with the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM II lens, which is probably the highest-performance camera and lens combination you can get right now.
- Power Bank: Keep your electronics charged on the go with a 20,000+ mAh Power Bank.
- Water Bottle: The Hydro Flask Trail Water Bottle is a great insulated water bottle to have with you in cities or on hiking trails. It is lightweight and can keep your water cold or warm for more than 12 hours. It's a total game-changer.
- Universal Adapter: You'll need just one universal adapter to plug in your electronics in any country you visit.
- Packing Cubes: Packing Cubes will help you save space in your backpack and keep all your belongings organized.
- Daypack: The Langly Alpha Globetrotter is my go-to everyday camera backpack. It's large enough to carry all my travel gear, and it comes with plenty of slots and pouches. Plus, it's stylish as hell!
- Large Backpack: You will need a large backpack to carry all of your stuff. I recommend the Osprey Atmos AG 65L backpack. With excellent weight distribution and a lifetime guarantee, you can't go wrong with Osprey.
For more information on what I pack in my backpack for this trip, check out: My Packing List: 60 Travel Essentials.