Any traveler dreaming at a vacation in Dracula’s country is interested in Romania travel costs. Is Romania the type of destination for which you have to save up years in advance? Fortunately, as much as it is beautiful, Romania is equally affordable.
Romanian currency and exchange rates
The official Romanian currency is the leu (lei for plural). A leu is divided into bani and consists of 100 of them. A Euro is approximately 4.6 lei, and 1 dollar is 3.8 lei. The currency exchange rates are communicated daily by the BNR, National Bank of Romania.
Money can be exchanged into lei in any of the many exchange spots throughout the city. Always check the BNR exchange rate to see if it’s similar and look out to have 0% commission. Also, you can exchange your money at a bank or withdraw it from an ATM.
Almost all places are equipped with POS and you can pay by credit card. But for street food, tipping or souvenirs from street vendors it is preferable to have a little bit of cash in small banknotes as 1, 5 or 10 lei.
Romania travel costs – accommodation
The means of accommodation in Romania are quite diverse. From budget-friendly hostels for the young travelers to five stars hotels, traditional guesthouses or campsites, you for sure can find something for your taste and budget. While in cities like Bucharest you can opt for a hostel or hotel, in rural Romania is advisable to choose a guesthouse in order to feel the Romanian way of life and enjoy a traditional home-cooked meal.
While a hostel can start anywhere from 20 euros/night, a four-five stars hotel can go as up as 300 euros/night. A guesthouse will start at around 30 euros and some even include breakfast and dinner in the price.
Romania travel costs – transportation
Romania has 16 airports and most have both line and low-cost options. Within the country, you can travel by train, rental car or private transfer (contact us for rates). Renting a car starts from 30 euros/day and goes up depending on the model. A two ride ticket with the Bucharest subway or the public transport by bus or tram is around 1 euro, a taxi is 1,9 lei/km and Uber is also somewhere close in price.
Romania travel costs – food and nightlife
Food is not only delicious in Romania but also affordable. Street food, although it lacks the traditional factor, being more towards pizza and Turkish dishes, is cheap and with 3-5 euros, you’ll be set. Of course, there is also the occasional bagel or doughnuts for less than 50 cents.
Breakfast is available in most restaurants and for an omelet with sides and coffee, you’ll spend around 5-7 euros. Lunch usually consists of soup, main dish and dessert and can vary from 8 – 20 euros depending on the place. a nice Dinner in a nice restaurant will be somewhere around 10-30 euros including drinks.
And the nightlife won’t leave you cashless as well. A beer of half a liter is around 10-15 lei (3 euros!?) and cocktails start from 4 euros.
And since we’re talking about dinning, tipping is very common in Romania and it is expected to be at least 10%.
Romania travel costs – day trips and tours
Trips, be them day-trips from Bucharest or multi-day trips exploring the country, start around 100 euros. Although you can be inclined to think that you’ll get away cheaper by organizing it yourself, it is way more comfortable and convenient to get the help of local guides. They know the country better than anyone else and can choose the best accommodation and travel itinerary.
Our small team of certified tourist guides is always happy to share stories about Romania. Furthermore, our aim is to make sure you have the vacation of your dreams. Just see what other travelers are saying about us.
You can find out more about us in the contact section and see all our predefined tours. But keep in mind that we can customize any tour to suit your needs and interests. Just drop us a line and we’ll start planning your dream vacation together.
