Travelling to Romania

TRAVELLING TO ROMANIA

It’s very easy to travel to Romania from practically every corner of the world. This is due to its location within the European continent, but also to a wide variety of transportation companies that can bring you here.

Travelling by plane

Romania has a total of 17 airports, 11 of which are international airports. The closest one to the Danube Delta is in Tulcea, which is currently being modernized and will serve international flights.

Here are the main airports:

Henri Coanda International Airport Bucharest, is located in Otopeni, 16 km from the capital, Bucharest. It is the largest and most crowded airport in Romania, has flights to almost every big city in Europe, several Middle Eastern capitals, all the main cities of Romania, but also flight stopovers to USA, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, China or Japan. Since 2012 all low cost companies operate flights from this airport.

Traian Vuia International Airport Timisoara is the second largest airport in Romania. It has flights to many big cities from Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, France, the UK and also to several cities in Romania. Many important companies operate here, like Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines, Carpatair or Tarom, but also most of the low cost companies.

Avram Iancu International Airport Cluj Napoca is the largest airport in Transylvania and serves many flights to and from various European destinations. The main companies which use this airport are Lufthansa and Wizz Air (low cost).

Other small international airports are located in:

Sibiu – used for flights to Austria, Germany, UK, Italy and Spain by companies like Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Blue Air.

Bacau – mostly used for flights to Italy and the UK with one main operator, Blue Air.

Constanta – this is an important airport, the only Romanian airport at the Black Sea. Since June 2013 Turkish Airlines operates direct flights between Constanta and Istanbul three times a week.

Suceava – used mainly for flights to Italy.

Iasi –  used for flights to Austria, UK, Italy, and Israel. Companies like Austrian Airlines and TAROM operate here.

Targu-Mures –  used for flights to Hungary, Germany, UK, Italy, France, Belgium and Spain, with a main operator, Wizz Air.

Arad – used for seasonal flights, to one or two Italian destinations.

Baia Mare – has a seasonal airport.

Tulcea – at the moment there are a few national flights; it’s currently being modernized and will serve national and international tourists visiting Danube Delta.  

Travelling by train 

Romania is relatively well connected with the European railways. There are international daily routes to Vienna, Budapest, Sofia, Istanbul, Chisinau, Kiev and Moscow, but due to poor infrastructure, the journey can take a long time.

Even so, when travelling from Central Europe, trains are the ideal way of getting to the central western cities of Romania, like Brasov, Sighisoara, Oradea or Cluj-Napoca.

Travelling by coach

Even if Romania hasn’t been known as a country in which you can to travel by coach, this type of transportation has become very popular over time.

After the 90’s, many coach companies emerged which now carry tourists to Romania in acceptable conditions, to almost every corner of the country. If you travel to Romania and have to choose between train and coach, keep this in mind as a general rule: if the trains have regular schedules, the tickets cost approximately the same and the journey takes as long as if travelling by coach, choose trains, they’re more comfortable.

Travelling by boat

Although expensive, there are many cruises along the Danube. The voyages start either in Passau or Vienna and have the Danube Delta as a final destination. These cruises stop in every important port along the way, from Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Romania. Crossing of the Danube to and from Bulgaria is made from various ports: from Calafat to Vidin (approximately ten times a day, depending on the traffic); from Bechet to Oriahovo (daily) and from Zimnicea to Svishtov (only on weekends).

Travelling by car

If travelling from the West, you can easily travel to Romania with your own car. If travelling from the North or East, you will have to drive through Ukraine or Moldova where it’s likely to take more time at the border.

You also have to be aware that if you want to drive in Romania, the roads’ infrastructure is quite modest compared to Western Europe. There are, however, some highways in the southern part of the country (one of them linking the capital with the Black Sea Coast) in very good condition.

The good thing about the road infrastructure is that it’s dense and most roads are relatively well maintained. Many of them are very picturesque and cross spectacular scenery with mountains, valleys and woods – for example, the Transylvanian roads are built on the top of the hills, overlapping with the old medieval routes. This is why you’ll always find a tourist attraction that will make you pull over and enjoy a short trip full of unexpected pleasures.