Train Travel in Romania

Transportation options in Romania for solo travellers who don’t want to drive

Romania is best seen in a rented car. The roads are good and the countryside drives are amazing. The traffic can be unpredictable though and the driving is sometimes rash. Honking and overtaking is common. Also, be careful while parking; parking in the city centre is usually paid and parking illegally (unknowingly) may lead to heavy fines.

I did not want to drive in Romania. So public transport it was. Which wasn’t always seamless and easy, but it was plenty of fun figuring things out.

Here are what I thought were the best ways to travel around Romania solo.

Trains

Trains provide a good panoramic option to travel between Romanian cities. Usually, they are timely and clean too.

I’ve had mixed experiences with travelling on Romanian trains, so here goes.

Bad: I found the process of booking and travel a hassle when I did it between Bucharest and Brasov. I waited in the queue at Bucharest Nord for almost an hour with people cutting queues, until on my turn, I was told tickets to my train were sold out. I bought a ‘standing ticket’ and sat next to the toilet for most of my 3-hour journey, being pulled up by the Ticket Checker later for doing so. I finally did find a place, in the last 30 minutes leg. Lesson learnt: Reserve online.

Good: On the other hand, my ride from Sighișoara to Sibiu was a dream. I booked online, having learnt from my last experience. The train was stopping over at Copsa Mica. The fare for the 2-hour journey was 27 lei (while the minivan was costing me 95 lei and the shared cab ride through Mydaytrip cost me 10 euros or 45 lei. Both would have taken an hour less to reach though)

  • Register yourself at CFR Calatori
  • Get the tickets online because the queues at the station can be serpentine. You also risk not getting a confirmed seat
  • The tickets can be shown on mobile. There is no need to get them printed. Carrying a form of identification (like a passport) is recommended although they never checked mine
  • Choose the IR trains; I believe they are the only ones that can be selected online
  • My Amex cards were not accepted online
  • Choose the time you want to travel to get the correct tickets
  • While a cheap option to travel between cities, trains do take longer than a car or bus. There are plenty of stops and changes to contend with
  • This is a good guide on Romanian trains by Romanian Insider.
How to travel in Romania
Sighișoara train station. Not all of them look so good.
Train Travel in Romania
A CFR train in Romania
Train travel in Romania
The day I had fun travelling from Sighisoara to Sibiu

Buses

Buses provide a bumpy ride and are usually also delayed by 15 min to 30 min; road traffic plays havoc with their schedules. But they connect better and run with more frequency.

  • Check the timetable at Autogari
  • Go to Autogara (bus stop) and wait at the correct platform
  • Pay the driver the amount; he may or may not give you a receipt for it. In any case, ask for it
  • If he does give you a paper ticket, do not throw it away until the end of the journey
  • I didn’t try an online booking. Paying the driver was easy enough
8 days Romania Travel itinerary
Bus Transport in Romania

Bla Bla Car

  • Register yourself on the app
  • Most payments are cash only
  • The timing put up by drivers is approximate. You may need to discuss this with drivers if you have time constraints. The time may change last minute with no recourse
  • It is possible to be picked up and dropped at desired locations especially if it is the city centre. Request your driver. I got dropped off each time next to my hotel which was in the city centre
  • As an example of prices: a trip between Brasov and Cluj cost me 45 lei and 4 and half hours with door-to-door pick up and drop. A trip between Cluj and Sibiu cost me 20 lei and 2 hours.

Day driver hire

This is possible through Mydaytrip. This is an expensive option but if you have no other choice, it’s a good one. I took a shared trip with a group of two more from Sibiu to Sighisoara in a hired taxi which cost me 10 euros.

Travelling inside cities

Uber and Bolt work best. I used them liberally in Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj, and Timișoara. Download the apps and travel hassle-free. Buses work well too but are known to be slower, infrequent, and connections not too helpful.

If you have to travel by local taxi, be sure to check if they are from a reputed taxi company before you get in and go only by the meter. Check the rate per hour on the door of the taxi before you get in. For example, in Brașov, I had to take a taxi from the train station. I was being approached by touts asking for 50 lei for a trip to the city centre. However, I had been advised to look out for legitimate taxi operators: Bratax, Martax, RO Taxi, TOD Taxi. It finally cost me 10 lei to get to the centre! The cost per km on the door was 1.53 lei/ km.

A tourist told me about Clever Taxi, a taxi-hailing service which worked well for her. Try it.

Tours

I thought Romania was not prepared for solo travellers at all. Almost all the day trips advertised online were for groups or couples. I think I had the most trouble while checking for a Transfăgărășan road trip in Sibiu. How I found something, in the end, was to write to all Tripadvisor listed tour operators and ask to join a tour booked by another group, if they were willing to have me. I managed to pay €60 for my trip (which included other stops and tickets), while the solo price would have been €120. Sigh. I know, right?!

For a comprehensive Romania itinerary, go here.

Now that you know how to travel, visit these cities in Romania: Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj Napoca, and Timisoara.

My Recommended Travel Sites
This is how I plan all my trips quickly, efficiently, and economically. Below are my go-to recommended travel planning sites.
  • First, I go to TripAdvisor and check out top things to do, top places, and experiences. I use this to make a rough itinerary.
  • From TripAdvisor I often go to Viator to book day tours. I love their user friendly platform and flexible cancellation policies. Compare their offers with GetYourGuide, which is great too.
  • I book my accommodations in Booking because of their flexibility and that the bookings are easily cancellable. The mobile app is great and the genius discounts are on point.
  • I recommend getting the Priority Pass. It gives you access to airport lounges and has helped me through many long waits. It’s definitely well worth the money.
  • And I am literally always on Skyscanner. I get to see the best airfares, and the airline / third party providers offering them. Try the “From: origin city” to “To: Everywhere” option to ignite your imagination on where to travel to next.

2 thoughts on “Transportation in Romania for solo travelers”

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  2. This site is really useful. I’m off to Romania for a week in a few days and found your site really helpful and easy to use. Thanks.

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