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Getting There By Air:

Otopeni International Airport (OTP)
Tel: (021) 204 1000 or 1200.
Website: www.otp-airport.ro

Otopeni Airport is 17km (10 miles) north of the city and easily accessed via the E60 road towards Ploiesti and Brasov. Facilities include a bank, bureau de change, ATMs, post office, Internet access, duty-free, tour operator, newspaper stands, snack bars, hair dresser’s, mobile phone hire, car hire and business lounge. Bus 783 stops at Piata Victoriei, Piata Romana, Piata Universitaii and Piata Unirii. Taxis are also available.

Getting There By Road:

Roads in Romania are generally poor with numerous potholes, horse carts and speed traps. Drum National (DN) roads are the main roads and European (E) routes, while Drum Judetean (DJ) are county routes. Speed limits are 120kph (75mph) on a few motorways (autostrada), but more often 90kph (55mph) on other roads outside built-up areas and 50kph to 70pkh (30mph to 40mph) within cities. Only the motorway along the Black Sea coast charges a toll. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.01%, practically meaning that even the smallest amount is forbidden - arrest results in loss of license. Driver and passengers must wear seat belts. It is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving. The minimum driving age is 18 years. Visitors need to carry an International Driving Permit or national driving license with photo, issued in their own country. EU nationals with their own cars need a Green Card insurance document.

The Romanian Automobile Club - ACR (tel: (021) 222 2222; website: http://acr.ro) has reciprocal agreements with a number of foreign automobile associations and members are automatically covered in the event of breakdown.

Emergency breakdown service: ACR (tel: 9271).

Routes to the city: Bucharest is connected to the rest of the country by four motorways - the E70 from Pitesti, the E60 from Brasov via Ploiesti, the E85 from Giurgiu on the Bulgarian border and the E60 from Constanta on the Black Sea coast.

Approximate driving times to Bucharest: From Ploiesti - 1 hour; Giurgiu - 1 hour; Pitesti - 1 hour 15 minutes; Brasov - 2 hours 30 minutes; Constanta - 3 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: Coaches travel to both Romanian and international cities but most are reached more quickly and comfortably by rail. Eurolines, Buzesti 44 (tel: (021) 316 3661; website: http://eurolines.ro), offers direct buses to Paris, Athens, Rome, Berlin and other destinations in Europe. Coaches leave from a few locations, including this one. You can buy tickets from the driver but visitors are advised to purchase their tickets in advance, particularly for international destinations.

Getting There By Rail:

Gara de Nord, Bulevardul Garii de Nord 2 (tel: (021) 223 2060), is the city’s main train station. Those entering the station without a train ticket are charged a small fee at the station entrance; this is to discourage pickpockets and other petty criminals. Facilities include ATM machines, fast-food restaurants, bars, newspaper stands, shops, a tourist agency, pharmacy, supermarket, florist, hair salon, 24-hour left luggage and a waiting room for first-class ticket holders. The ticket counter for domestic trains is on the station’s right-hand side; international trains are to the left. Bucharest also has two smaller train stations (Gara Obor, Bulevardul Garii 3, and Gara Baneasa, Strada Dr Minovici 1) serving trains running east to the coast, during the summer.

The Romanian state railway, SNCFR (tel: (021) 307 7901; website: www.cfr.ro), provides a reliable and often scenic means of transport to destinations outside Bucharest. Rail information is available by calling the information line (tel: 9521). You can buy advance tickets for all trains at the SNCFR offices on Strada Domnita Anastasia 10-14 (tel: (021) 313 2644). Visitors departing within 24 hours, however, must buy their tickets at the relevant train station, where queues can be long. Prices are reasonable and first-class tickets are recommended, as the extra comfort is worth the cost. Tickets are checked at the platform entrance.

There are four types of train. InterCity trains (indicated by IC on timetables) are fastest and only stop at major Romanian cities, such as Cluj-Napoca, Iasi and Timisoara. The next fastest are rapid trains (indicated in green), then accelerat (red). The slowest are the local trains (personal). Direct trains also run to Budapest and Istanbul. Trains to Western European cities run via Budapest.

Getting Around:




Public Transport
Built in 1979 (and ever-expanding), the metro, open from 0500 to 2330, is the best way to get around the city center. This service, run by Metrorex (tel: (021) 319 3601; website: www.metrorex.ro) has four metro lines (M1, M2, M3 and M4), and 45 stations and is generally reliable. Stations are indicated by white signs with a blue ‘M’, although these are not always as visible as they should be and platforms are poorly marked. Inside, magnetic tickets are purchased at counters indicated by a ‘Casa’ sign.

There are two types of ticket - two-journey and 10-journey tickets. Metro maps are posted near the ticket gate entrance. Tickets must be inserted into a machine on top of the ticket gate, which records the entrance time on the ticket. Tickets must be kept throughout the journey, as transport police sometimes check and impose fines on those without. The final destination is indicated on the front of the train. Each stop is announced as the train nears the station. One-day and one-month passes are also available at the station.

Buses (autobus), trams (tramvai) and trolleybuses (troilebuz) operate as one system, running 0500 to 2400. RATB, Bulevardul Dinicu Golscu 1, (tel: (021) 314 7130) provides this service. Tickets are interchangeable for all three forms of transport (except express buses). The express bus system is more useful for reaching destinations outside the city center, as only a few express buses actually pass through the center itself. You can buy transport maps from yellow kiosks near bus and tram stops.

You can also buy tickets at kiosks but these must be stamped in the orange ticket machine on-board (there’s a fine if you’re caught without a validated ticket). Passes for one day, one week, 15 days and one month are also available. This system is more crowded and confusing than the metro and pickpockets can be a problem during the peak hours.

Taxis
Taxis have a terrible reputation in Bucharest for overcharging passengers. You’re generally better off not hailing taxis on the street, but telephoning a reliable one - or picking one up outside a hotel. Some of the best companies are Cobalcescu (tel: 9451), CrisTaxi (tel: 9461), Fly Taxi (tel: 9441) and Meridian (tel: 9444). On the street, tourists should stick to the yellow taxis that indicate the journey’s cost on their meters. There is no additional charge for luggage in yellow taxis. A supplement is charged at night, however. It is customary to round up the amount owed as the tip. Drivers rarely give change and keep whatever excess they receive. Visitors should note that the current number of zeros on Lei notes can make meter reading tricky.

Another form of transport is the maxitaxi. These drive along Piata Romana to Piata Unirii and from the Opera Romana to Bulevardul Carol I, every 10 minutes from 0600 to 2100, but it can be difficult understanding the routes without some local assistance. They can be hailed by a wave of the hand.

Driving in the City
Driving around Bucharest can be confusing. Streets are not always clearly marked and are full of unexpected potholes. In addition to this, Romanians drive fast and not all that carefully. However, it can be a useful way of getting around, especially to the city’s outskirts.

Most Romanian drivers simply park on the side roads (or pavements) for free. There are no parking meters, and towing almost never occurs, but in some central streets there are roaming parking attendants. Some hotels have parking areas that you can use.

Car Hire
Car hire, targeted at business visitors, can be expensive. Major companies include Avis (tel: (021) 204 1957; website: www.avis.com), Budget (tel: (021) 204 1667; website: www.budgetro.ro), Europcar (tel: (021) 201 4937; website: www.europcar.com) and Hertz (tel: (021) 335 7531; website: www.hertz.com.ro). Romanian car hire operators, such as Absolut Rent-a-Car (tel: (021) 319 5473; website: www.esa.ro), tend to be much cheaper than the bigger chains.

Drivers must be at least 21 years of age and must hold a valid passport, international insurance policy (Green Card, in Europe), an international driving permit and a valid driving license that is at least one year old. Some of these companies also offer cars with drivers

Bicycle Hire
Bicycle and scooter hire is neither advisable nor available in Bucharest, seeing as traffic is unpredictable, roads are bad and the likelihood of theft is high.

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