Romania - General Information for the Backpacker

Our Golden Rules and Pieces of Advice

Far from being a heavenly place where pink, golden haired angels fly around impeccably white small clouds in a light blue sky, Romania is a country which can be quite enjoyable provided that you are aware of certain things. Find here some of the basic things one should know, just to destroy any pre-conceived idea and any stereotypical image we all probably remember from some TV series:

1. No vaccinations whatsoever are required for travellers to Romania
2. Despite recent changes due to the more and more expensive train tickets (e.g. the new van companies which have taken over some of the routes traditionally covered by trains), Romania is still a "train country", where most areas of interest can be reached by train
3. A seat reservation is required for all fast trains, even if they run slowly; only the local trains make exception from this rule (the ones marked with P on railway boards)
4. An ISIC card will do you no good if you want a discount for domestic trains in Romania, only Romanian students can get it
5. EuRail is not accepted in Romania, while InterRail is accepted; though, even bearing an InterRail pass, you still need to buy the seat reservations for the fast trains (approx. USD 0.3 / ride)
6. There are a few railway stations where it is recommendable to pay maximum care for both yourself and your stuff, among which Bucuresti Nord and Brasov
7. Do not pay any "Environmental Tax" or "Tourist Tax" while in Bucuresti Nord Station, that is a dirty trick some bastards use to rip you off your money
8. In Romania there is no such thing as a "Tourist Police", that is yet another trick used by some to get your money or documents; if they come to you, simply shout loud enough: "Politzia!", that'll make them run incredibly fast
9. If you plan to come by car to Romania, do not take the new one you have just bought, as roads are not always what one would expect of them
10. Yes, there are youth hostels in some of the cities of interest, such as Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj, Timisoara, Sighisoara, Busteni, Aiud, Praid a.o.
11. While in Bucharest, never trust any of the taxi drivers which hang around in the Otopeni Airport or in the Bucuresti Nord Station; always only take taxis belonging to one of the trustworthy companies, such as: Perozzi, Bobalcescu, XXL, Nova, Valentino, Meridian, Leone, Taxi 2000, Cristaxi a.o.
12. The airport lies only 16 km. from Bucharest and a taxi ride should not go over the equivalent of USD 10; a ride from Bucuresti Nord Station to the centre should not go over the equivalent of USD 2, disregarding of the route the driver chooses (except for the case where he goes via Budapest)
13. The museums are dirt cheap if compared to Western tariffs in this respect
14. Romania is covered quite well by 2 main GSM mobile phone networks: CONNEX and ORANGE; even in the mountains there is a good covering, on the ridges, in a clear day
15. There are many internet cafes in the country, especially in bigger cities, and the rates vary widely, from USD 0.5 to USD 2 / hour
16. A daily average budget of about USD 25 will be enough for both accommodation and transportation (even meals) in most cases; outside the bigger cities you'll be fine with less than that even
17. Romanians are not too fond of the Hungarians and Bulgarians and vice versa, so, if you want good information about those countries, do not ask a Romanian; either, do not believe what people tell you about Romania in Budapest, as most of those telling stories have never crossed a Romanian border
18. Hitch-hiking is wide-spread in Romania, yet sometimes one can wait quite a while; generally at the exit of the towns / cities, there are "special" places where people do it; it is considered to be kind of safe, but some drivers are also used to receive money for it (the equivalent of a train ride for the given route)
19. Do not expect most official clerks (train conductors, ticket sellers, police officers a.o.) to speak English or any foreign language, despite the fact that exceptions from this rule have been reported.
20. The Gypsie population of Romania are some of the poorest people you will encounter, consequently you need to keep your eyes open. Many of the Roma people are honest but some WILL try and rob you; exercise caution when you are out and about and stay on the beaten track. Wandering into the rougher parts of town with a naive desire to "do good" or to experience the "real Romania" might see you return to the Hostel with little more than your underwear.
21. Police officers are entitled to ask for your ID and your only accepted ID, as a foreigner tourist, is the passport. Bear the passport wherever you might go, but avoid to show unless you really have to
22. Never, but never change money in the street, as that is both illegal and useless; there are many exchange offices and also most banks will change your money into Romanian currency
23. Officially foreigners cannot change Romanian money (ROL) into hard currency, but most exchange offices will do it anyway for you unofficially (meaning you won't get a receipt)
24. Some of the exchange offices in Bucharest charge you a commission (8-10%), therefore ask before changing
25. Avoid changing money in either Bucuresti Nord station or in the airport, as the rates in the exchange offices there are pretty bad
26. Avoid to pay in hard currency; first, in some remote areas people do not have where to change it into ROL and then you can get tricked because of the changing rate
27. ATMs are wider and wider spread, you can find them in most cities and towns; in smaller towns look for the BCR or BRD logo, these banks have the biggest number of offices all across Romania and generally they have ATMs which accept Cirrus, MasterCard, Visa, AmEx, Diners' etc.
28. Avoid to pay by Credit Card in a restaurant / bar, it is more recommendable to take cash from an ATM and then pay in cash
29. Travel Cheques are accepted by most banks and the commission varies; the best deals are done in BRD (Societe Generale), Banca Ion Þiriac and BCR (1%-1.5% commission, but not less than USD 2 per transaction)
30. WesternUnion and MoneyGram are represented in Romania; for WesternUnion look for "Banca Româneascã", while for MoneyGram, look for BCR ("Banca Comercialã Românã") or BCIT ("Banca Comercialã Ion Þiriac"); WesternUnion is cheaper than the MoneyGram for smaller amounts of money (around 10%)
31. When invited for a drink in a peasant house, a refusal can be taken for mistrust; however be careful though on who invited you and whether there are no second intentions under his/her smile
32. If invited somewhere and you want to bring the host some flowers, be extremely careful, as this is taboo: an odd number of flowers is OK, while an even number of flowers is only taken to funerals; one usually only gives a single flower to the girl he loves, therefore bring your host at least three or so, to avoid being.misunderstood (or maybe that is what you want)
33. Only try the local brandy if you know what you're doing, as it can get pretty strong, but also quite nicely flavoured: if interested, ask for a "þuicã" (S Romania), "palincã" (Transylvania) or "horincã" (N Romania), the last two being better than the "waterish" first one (at least locals say that, you probably won't); whichever it is, it can go as strong as 40-60% alcohol, so hold your pants on
34. The Romanian food is generally of Turkish influence, quite similar to other countries in the neighbourhood (e.g. Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia), however it also joins other various influences (e.g. Greek, Russian, French); the greatest thing about it is the way Romanians put together all these influences in their cuisine; a veggie won't get around pretty well in this mainly meat-stuffed country
35. Gay and lesbian travellers should be a bit discrete in public; despite the fact that the law no longer punishes gay and lesbian people nowadays, it is still against the law to have "homosexual acts" in "public"; the "public" issue is a matter of debate and some people still have problems with the old fashioned mentality, therefore avoid showing off
36. Disabled persons will find it difficult in Romania, although the authorities are introducing some facilities (especially in Bucharest, yet not as fast or as many as there's need of); things like disabled persons elevators or adequate sidewalks are hard to find and few institutions have them (e.g. The National Art Museum, Bucharest)
37. A basic Latin people, Romanians like to shout and make a fuss around things, which doesn't always mean that they are necessarily mad or angry, it is sometimes just a way of expressing themselves
38. Romanians smoke a lot and care less about those who don't, so either start smoking or leave your high standards and expectations at home
39. Camping is free in Romania, except few areas in Retezat National Park and in Bucegi Reserve (Central - S Section); generally avoid to camp on someone's land unless you have his/her approval and also avoid to camp next to roads / railways / cities
40. Mountain hiking has best conditions in Romania; mountain areas like Fãgãras, Bucegi, Piatra Craiului, Rodna, Ciucas, Apuseni have generally well marked paths, in the other ranges you need a good map, a compass and some basic orientation experience in order to find the sometimes old, sometimes lacking marks and sometimes unclear paths
41. Mountain ranges maps are available nowadays only for Fãgãras, Bucegi, Piatra Craiului and a section of Apuseni Mountains; for the rest contact us and we'll make a copy for you after our old prints
42. In most mountain ranges there are few - if ever - huts and lodges. The only mountains decently endowed with lodges are Bucegi, Fãgãras, Piatra Craiului. In most cases it is recommendable to have a tent with you than to rely on a hut which generally only provides a poor bad and a thick blanket

Well, for anything else, feel free to contact me:
Asian Elvis

 

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