Bucharest might seem to be located on the edge of Europe, but this doesn’t make it hard to reach, regardless the mean of transportation of choice.
Let’s din into the best options you have if you plan to travel to Bucharest.
Flying to Bucharest
Bucharest Airports
Bucharest has two main airports, Henri Coandă (also known as Otopeni – by the name of the city it is in), indicative BUH and Băneasa, indicative BBU.
Although Henri Coandă is the one you’re most likely to see on most routes, some low cost companies operate routes to and from Băneasa.
Keep in mind that Henri Coandă is about 20km outside the city, while Băneasa is literally within in the urban area of Bucharest. Both airports are over the north side of the city.
Bucharest is a good low cost hub, with companies like WizzAir and Ryanair flying over from most European capitals.
For details regarding the airports, use the official Bucharest Aorports portal: https://www.bucharestairports.ro/en
For information on how to get to and from each airport, see our article dedicated to this topic.
Train to Bucharest
Wether you’re travelling internationally, or simple wandering around the country, Romania has an extensive rail network. The issue? It’s really slow on most routes. This should not discourage those loking at probably the most pleasant way to travel and in search for some scenic routes.
Bucharest is well connected with direct routes with Vienna, Budapest, Chisinau and other routes via a short train change.
Note that between Bucharest and Budapest, the fastest train will still take around 14 hours. There are night trains on the route if you’re looking to make things more comfortable.
You can check timetables and book tickets through the national rail portal: https://bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro/ro/booking/search
Driving to Bucharest
You might have heard about the infamous Romanian drivers and they live up to the legend.
This is not to scare you out, in the end Romania is an EU country with European rules, you might just need to watch out a bit more that in your own country. It’s nowhere near driving in countries like Albania, Morocco or Turkey.
Romania is part of Schengen, so you will be able to drive into from both Hungary and Bulgaria with no border check. Note that most routes to and from Bulgaria mean crossing a toll bridge (this can be paid upon crossing).
The fastest route for travelling from Hungary is through the A1 highway from Arad, through Sibiu, Pitesti and then Bucharest. The route is just under 600km, but it’s not a continuous motorway, having 2 gaps where you will need to drive over single-lane roads and through villages.
Road tax in Romania
Romania has a vignette system with hundreds of cameras that scan for those that haven’t paid.
The easiest would be to get this from a gas station for the duration of your visit, there are options between 1 day and 1 year coverage. You will only receive a receipt that has your plate number on. No need to stick anything around as the system is fully automatic. Note that in Romania (as in all of Europe) you need to have both front and rear license plates visible.
Your Romanian rental car would have this paid upfront, but it’s good to double check with the rental agent.
Crossing some bridges require a toll on top of this vignette, you can pay cash or card at the toll booths upon crossing.
Plan to drive in Bucharest?
Plan to drive in Bucharest? Check out our article about driving and paring in the city.