Getting around · Bucharest · Romania
Getting around Bucharest
Public transport, passes, airport connections and when a car makes sense.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Mihai Petre, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Bucharest is large, but the Old Town, Calea Victoriei and the Parliament are walkable. The five-line metro run by Metrorex is the quickest way across the city, with buses, trams and trolleybuses from STB and inexpensive ride-hailing filling the gaps. No for the city, where traffic and parking are difficult.
Key facts
- Main way around
- Metro
- Airports
- OTP
- Need a car?
- No
- Travel pass
- Day and multi-day passes
Ways to get around
Metro
Metro lines link Piața Unirii, Universitate, Piața Romană, Piața Victoriei and Gara de Nord, and run to the outer districts.
Tap a contactless bank card at the gates instead of buying a card at the ticket office.
Bus
STB buses, trams and trolleybuses cover the whole city; contactless bank cards can be tapped on board to pay.
Ride-hailing
Ride-hailing apps are widely used and usually cheaper and more transparent than hailing a taxi in the street.
Taxi
Licensed taxis display their rates on the door; at the airport, order one from the touchscreen kiosks in arrivals.
Ignore drivers who approach you in the arrivals hall or at Gara de Nord.
Walking
From the Old Town to the Athenaeum along Calea Victoriei takes about 20 minutes; the Palace of the Parliament is about 15 minutes from Piața Unirii.
Train
Trains from Gara de Nord serve Sinaia and Brașov in the Carpathians and the airport.
Tickets and passes
Day and multi-day passes
STB and Metrorex sell 24-hour and longer passes; check whether a pass covers both networks before buying.
From the airport
Henri Coandă International Airport at Otopeni is about 17 km north of the centre. The 24-hour express bus 783 runs to Piața Romană and Piața Unirii in about 40–60 minutes depending on traffic, and trains run to Gara de Nord in about 20–25 minutes. Order taxis from the kiosks in arrivals, or use a ride-hailing app.
Do you need a car?
No for the city, where traffic and parking are difficult. A car is useful for touring Transylvania beyond Brașov; Sinaia and Brașov themselves are reachable by train.
Reaching the day trips
| Destination | Travel time | How |
|---|---|---|
| Sinaia and Peleș Castle | About 1 hour 45 minutes by train | Train from Gara de Nord to Sinaia |
| Brașov | About 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours by train | Train from Gara de Nord |
| Bran Castle | About 3 hours by car or tour | Car, organised tour, or train to Brașov then bus |
| Snagov Monastery | About 45 minutes by car | Car or taxi |
| Târgoviște | About 1 hour 30 minutes by train or car | Train or car |
Questions travellers ask
+Do you need a car in Bucharest?
No for the city, where traffic and parking are difficult. A car is useful for touring Transylvania beyond Brașov; Sinaia and Brașov themselves are reachable by train.
+How do you get from the airport to Bucharest?
Henri Coandă International Airport at Otopeni is about 17 km north of the centre. The 24-hour express bus 783 runs to Piața Romană and Piața Unirii in about 40–60 minutes depending on traffic, and trains run to Gara de Nord in about 20–25 minutes. Order taxis from the kiosks in arrivals, or use a ride-hailing app.
+What is the best way to get around Bucharest?
Metro: Metro lines link Piața Unirii, Universitate, Piața Romană, Piața Victoriei and Gara de Nord, and run to the outer districts.