Practical Information - Transport within Romania

Transport within Romania

LOCAL CITY TRANSPORT
Underground trains, buses, trams and trolleybuses in Bucharest have a standard price per journey, irrespective of distance.

Taxis, whether state or private-owned, are equipped with metres. As with many other things in Romania, prices are more than reasonable.

Coaches. Coach services provide links between the main towns and cover the whole country. In Bucharest the main coach stations are to be found at 164, Soseaua Alexandriei; 1, Ion Ionescu de la Brad; 1, Piaţa Gării Filaret; 221, Soseaua Chitilei; 141, Păcii Blvd.; 3, Garii Obor Blvd.

Trains. An extensive rail network of 11,000 km spans the country.

Air transport. TAROM, the national carrier, has flights to major cities. However, it is wise to remember that Bucharest is the centre of the network, so a return to Bucharest is often necessary to go to another city. TAROM's domestic office in Bucharest is at 59, Buzesti, Str. P-ta Victoriei, Tel. 659.41.85.

CAR RENTAL
Your travel agent can book a self-driven car, on a rent and mileage, or unlimited mileage basis. Ask also for car drivers, as bargains are available.
Some of the best car renting companies in Romania are: AVIS Romania, Budget Romania and HERTZ Romania. Cars can be rented from almost any Romanian travel agency as well.

OTHER GENERAL INFORMATION
Local time: Summertime 1 hour ahead of GMT (last Sunday of October). Rest of the year: 2 hours ahead of GMT. Postal and communication services. Post offices are open daily, including Saturday morning in most areas, and provide local and external services.

Direct dial national and international services are available. Use phone cards for public phone calls (as indicated in public telephones). Phone cards can be in value of 50,000 lei or 100,000 lei and may be purchased from press shops or PTTR (National Post) and RomTelecom offices.

For special services numbers of 3 figures are used: 971 - international calls, 930 - General Inquiries - government, public and private organizations and companies, 931 - Directory Inquiries, Individual subscribers (A - L), 932 - Directory Inquiries, Individual subscribers (M - Z), 955 - police, 953 - taxis, 951 - information, 961 - ambulance/emergencies, 981 - firemen, 958 - time, 952 - train times. On direct dial telephones dial 0 then the city area code for internal calls or 00, or the country and city code for international calls. For long distance calls to Romania: for Bucharest dial 40 then 1 and the phone number; for other localities, dial 40, the code of the respective locality and the phone number proper.

Mobile phone services are provided in Romania by Connex, Orange, Zapp, Cosmorom.
Credit cards: American Express, Dinner Club, JCB International, Euro Master Card VISA are accepted in most hotels and car hire companies, and in some restaurants. It is however advisable to check in advance.

Electricity: 220 volts and 50 Hz. 2 prong plug. Laundry, dry cleaning: available in hotels. Medical Services: available in state and private health units through out the country (hospitals and dispensaries), according to the medical agreements between Romania and other countries. Tipping: Normally a small tip for good services will be appreciated. Foreign newspapers and magazines: foreign newspapers and magazines are usually available at the reception desks of leading hotels. Likewise news broadcasts from various European countries are featured on Romanian television. Public and National Holidays: January 1 & 2; Easter Monday: May 6; December 1 (the national holiday); December 25 & 26. Banks are open between 9,00 a.m - 6,00 p.m. from Monday till Friday