Romania - Republic of Romania

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Passport and visa service: The visas from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Visa HQ
Diplomatic representations: List of Romanian diplomatic representations

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car rental
Bucharest - Baneasa (BBU)	8 km / 5 miles	RON 40-50 / 20-50 min	RON 5 for 2 trips / 20-45 min		Available

Recommendation: The quality of the roadways is inconsistent. The only highway is from Bucharest-Pitesti. Roads are often congested with horse drawn wagons, unlit at night, and used by vehicles with defective lighting. It is therefore recommended not to drive at night. Fuel is readily accessible and there are no shortages. The speed limit is 50 km/h in the city and 80 km/h on all other roads. One should bring an international driver's license and monitor the conditions of validity of their auto insurance.

The bus and train are two means of transport most commonly used. The rail network is dense and travel from one city to another very easily achieved. Beware of rush hours because tickets are often only available for sale one hour before departure. Local buses travel over short distances and are often the only way to get to some small medieval villages.;
Road maps: Romaniatourism

Historical: - The city of Bucharest,
- The Black Sea,
- The Valleys of the Prahova,
- The Monasteries of northern Moldova,
- The Danube Delta,
- The Maramures,
- The Apuseni Mountains,
- The Oltenia ....

See the page on medieval tourism in Romania.
Cultural: Museums are often closed on Monday and in some villages on Sunday as well.
Religious: Churches and monasteries (classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO) attest to the medieval legacy.
See page of the Office of Tourism.
Thermal: Spas and thermal cures are numerous in Romania.
Visit the site of the Organization of Spa Owners or to book a trip online to a seaside resort.
Also see the site of the Romanian Tourism Office.
Beach: In summer it is nice to visit the Romanian Black Sea coast, particularly in the south between Mangalia and Mamaia. There are sandy beaches and numerous spas and thermal cures.
Outdoor activities: Fishing in Bolitza and in the Aries valley.
Hiking: in the Apuseni, Maramures, and Bucovina mountains, or in the mountains of Moldova.

Top highlights of the capital city
House of the Free Press
Arch of Triumph
Victory Avenue
Cantacuzino Palace
Revolution Square
Royal Palace
Romanian Athenaeum
Kretzulescu Church
Military Club
Lipscani Quarter

Top highlights of the country
Fortified Church of Biertan
Bran Castle
Fagaras Fortress
Peles Palace
Fortified Church of Harman
Seaside town of Constanta
Danube Delta
Medieval city of Brasov
Monastery of Arbore
Fortified Church of Calnic

Health precautions: Any requirement for vaccines for international travels.
To travel in Romania, a tuberculosis screening is obligatory.
For further information on sanitary conditions: Recommendations of the World Health Organization
For further information on safety conditions: Recommendations of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Police (emergency)	955
Police	(40 21) 315 35 34 ou 311 20 21

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Bucharest (GMT +2 in winter, GMT +3 in summer)
Summer time period: DST is from late March to late October.

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: The climate type is temperate continental.
In winter, the temperature drops below 0°C and as low as -15°C in the mountains and -7°C in the city. It snows heavily but the cold is dry.
Spring and autumn are rather short and rainy.
Summer is usually very sunny and temperatures can climb to 35°C.
The coldest month is January and the hottest month is July.
For further information: Daily weather in major Romanian cities

Climate

Food specialties: The Romanian cuisine is extremely rich in specialties: the mamliga (polenta) often eaten with cheese is commonly served at breakfast. Other dishes of vegetables, meat or fish are served throughout the day:

- sarmales: stuffed grape leaves
- zacusca: an appetizer of vegetables, mushrooms, and herbs preserved in oil or brine
- mititei: small grilled sausages
- ciorba: sour fermented vegetable soup
- muschi: barbecue
- cozonac: a sweet yeast cake swirled with a raisin walnut, and poppy seed filling

For more information on traditional recipes.
Drinks: Romanian beer, wine red and rarely white wine, following the meal a small cup of Tuica or Rachiu , the traditional plum liquor, is an "eau de vie".
In other areas near the borders, schnapps or vodka is also served.
‘Ceai’ is Romanian for ‘Tchai’, a tea infusion.
Dietary restrictions: Serving meat rare is unthinkable in Romania, so if you really want a rare steak, you will have to give instructions about how long to cook the steak. Snails are not generally consumed.

Domestic currency: Romanian New Leu
ISO Code: RON
To obtain domestic currency: The Romanian currency is the Leu (“Lei" in the plural) (pronunciation: lay). Bills are in the denominations: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 lei. The coins are in the denominations: 1, 5, 10 and 50 bani rooms (pronunciation: bahnee) 1leu = 100 bani. The transition to the euro (EUR) is expected in 2012.

Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks and official exchange bureaus ("casa de schimb" or "birou of schimb valutar"). Money exchange bureaus are available in airports and major hotels. The ATMs are accessible at major city banks, airports and shopping malls. However they are rare in villages. Credit cards American Express, MasterCard and Visa are accepted at major hotels, car rental agencies and shopping malls in large cities. Far from the tourist centers and large cities, credit cards are not as widely accepted.
Possible means of payment: It is preferable to pay in cash rather than with credit card.

Official language: Romanian, spoken by 89.4 % of the population.
Other languages spoken: It is important to note that the Hungarian and German are also widely spoken in the country. Regarding foreign languages, the most commonly spoken in Romania are English and French. After a decade, the speaking of Russian has slightly diminished.
Business language: French, English and German.
Getting some knowledge: For courses Romanian: Easyromania.com
To learn a few phrases: Romanianlessons.com
Free translation tools: Tranexp - Translation software and handheld translators
Ectaco - Handheld translators

To find an apartment: Example of short-term apartment rentals
Example of short and long-term apartment rentals
To find a job: Romania on line: List of job recruitment websites in Romania
Job: Website ads for jobs in Romania
Romania.jobs: Website ads for jobs in Romania

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