Romania Travel Guide for Americans
Everything you need to plan your trip to Romania: when to go, how much it costs, and where to fly from.
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About Romania
Romania is Eastern Europe's best-kept secret and the last place where you can actually afford to travel in Europe without a trust fund. It sits at the crossroads of Balkan, Central European, and Eastern Orthodox cultures, which means the food is incredible, the architecture is wild (medieval towns that look untouched since 1500, plus some genuinely bizarre communist-era brutalism), and the people are genuinely friendly once you get past the reserved first impression. The country stretches from the Carpathian Mountains in the north down to the Danube Delta (Europe's most pristine wetland ecosystem) and has basically zero tourism infrastructure compared to Prague or Budapest, which is exactly why you should go before everyone else figures it out. Americans are charmed by how cheap everything is, how authentic the experiences are, and how the Transylvania region is legitimately atmospheric without being a theme park version of itself. This isn't a party destination or a beach getaway—it's a destination for people who actually want to experience something different, eat well on $10 a day, and see real Europe before it gets fully gentrified.
At a Glance
Trip Cost: What to Expect
Getting Around
Trains are the backpacker's standard—slow but cheap, extensive network, and genuinely atmospheric. CFR (Romanian state railway) runs most routes; buy tickets at stations or use their website; express trains are only slightly faster and more expensive. Buses are faster than trains for most routes and competitive on price; FlixBus dominates cross-border routes and is actually reliable here. Within cities, taxis are extremely cheap ($2-3 rides in Bucharest) but use only Uber, Bolt, or Clever Taxi apps—avoid street hails. Renting a car makes sense for Transylvania if you want to explore mountain villages at your own pace; expect $25-35/day for economy cars, gas is cheap (~$1.20/liter), and mountain roads are narrow but manageable. Domestic flights barely exist and make no financial sense. Walking is how you experience Romanian cities—they're compact and reveal themselves on foot.
Practical Tips
Buy a Vodafone or Orange SIM at the airport (they have desks in arrivals) or any corner store; takes 5 minutes and requires your passport. Vodafone is slightly more reliable in rural areas. A 7-day plan with 10GB costs around $10-12 and works everywhere you'll travel in Romania. Activation is immediate. Your US phone will work fine if it's unlocked (which most iPhones and Androids from 2020+ are). Alternatively, just use WiFi—it's everywhere in towns and free at cafes. Don't pay roaming from your US carrier; it's a massive ripoff. Mobile payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay) works at most shops in cities but not villages, so carry some lei.
Tipping isn't obligatory but is appreciated in restaurants—10-15% for good service is standard among locals and tourists. Round up at minimum. Leave cash on the table, not on card (card tipping isn't tracked the same way). Taxi drivers don't expect tips but rounding up by 10% is nice. Hotel staff and guides appreciate 5-10 lei per day or per service. No one will be offended if you don't tip; it's not baked into prices like the US. Bartenders don't expect tips in casual bars but 1-2 lei per drink is customary in nicer establishments. Bathroom attendants expect 1-2 lei.
Romania is safe for tourists in visited areas—crime against tourists is vanishingly rare. Bucharest has petty pickpocketing in crowded areas and around the train station (normal urban precautions apply), but violent crime against tourists doesn't really happen. Rural areas and mountains are genuinely safer than US cities. Avoid the sketchy blocks immediately around Bucharest's main train station at night, but the city itself is walkable in daylight and evening. Road conditions are rough outside major cities and driving at night requires caution. Don't flash expensive gear or get drunk stumbling alone at 3am, but neither of these should be news to you. Corruption exists but doesn't affect tourists. Women traveling solo report feeling very safe; street harassment is minimal. Summer storms in mountains can be intense—check weather before hiking.
Stay in villages instead of Bucharest. Two nights in Bucharest for museums, then get out to Brașov (medieval Saxon town, mountain access), Sibiu (stunning main square, hiking hub), or smaller villages like Sighișoara or Viscri where you can rent a guesthouse for $20-30/night, eat at the owner's table, and wake up to Carpathian views. Bucharest is gray and underwhelming compared to the rest of the country—most tourists overestimate it. The real Romania is in the villages, monasteries in mountain valleys, and day hikes where you might see actual bears and shepherds. Allocate 5 days minimum for Transylvania, 2-3 for Danube Delta if nature is your thing, and 1-2 for Bucharest (Lipscani old town, communist architecture walking tour, maybe a day trip). This flips the usual itinerary but the reward is experiencing the actual country instead of just the capital.
Destinations in Romania
Frequently Asked Questions
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