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Getting Around
Public Transport
The metro, open 0500-2330, is the best way to get around the city centre. This service, run by Metrorex (tel: (01) 212 6366; fax: (01) 312 5149; e-mail: contact@metrore.ro; website: www.metrorex.ro), has four metro lines (M1, M2, M3 and the new M4), as well as 45 stations and is generally reliable. Stations are indicated by white signs with a blue ‘M’, although these are not always as visible as they should be and platforms are poorly marked. Inside, magnetic tickets are purchased at counters indicated by a ‘Casa’ sign.
There are two types of ticket – two-journey (US$0.30) and ten-journey (US$1.40) tickets. Metro maps can be purchased in bookshops and kiosks and are also posted near the ticket gate entrance. Tickets must be inserted into a machine on top of the ticket gate, which records the entrance time on the ticket. The visitor then proceeds with the ticket onto the platform, where trains arrive every few minutes. Tickets must be kept throughout the journey, as transport police sometimes check and impose fines on those without. The final destination is indicated on the front of the train. Each stop is announced as the train nears the station. One-day (US$0.60) and one-month (US$4.35) passes are also available at the station.
Buses (autobus), trams (tramvai) and trolley buses (troilebuz) operate as one system, running 0500-2400. RATB, Calea Serban Voda 164-168 (tel: (01) 314 7130) provides this service. Tickets are interchangeable for all three forms of transport (except express buses). The express bus system is more useful for reaching destinations outside the city centre, as only a few express buses actually pass through the centre itself. RATB maps are available for US$0.15 from yellow kiosks near bus and tram stops, open 0530-2100 Monday to Friday.
Tickets also can be purchased at the kiosk but must be stamped in the ticket machine on-board. Those caught travelling without a stamped ticket will be fined US$4. One-way tickets cost US$0.15. Passes for one day (US$0.50), one week (US$1.70), 15 days (US$3.40) and one month (US$5) are also available. Like the metro, ticket prices change constantly. This system is more crowded and confusing than the metro and pickpockets are rife during the peak hours.
Express buses operate similarly to the metro, using magnetic tickets. These cost US$0.65 for two journeys and US$2.50 for ten journeys. A monthly pass is US$10.50.
Taxis
Taxis wait at taxi ranks in front of hotels and can be hailed on the street, although telephoning ahead is the least risky way of securing a taxi. Some of the best companies are Alfa Taxi (tel: 9488), Cristaxi (tel: 9461) and Meridian (tel: 9444). On the street, tourists should stick to the yellow taxis that indicate the journey’s cost on their meters, starting with US$0.18, then adding US$0.20 per kilometre travelled. There is no additional charge for luggage in yellow taxis. A US$0.02 supplement is charged at night, however. It is customary to round up the amount owed as the tip. Drivers rarely give change and keep whatever excess they receive. Visitors should note that the current number of zeros on Lei notes can make meter reading tricky.
Another form of transport is the maxitaxi. These drive along Piata Romana to Piata Unirii and from the Opera Romana to Bulevardul Carol I, every ten minutes 0600-2100. They can be hailed by a wave of the hand and cost just US$0.30 per journey.
Limousines
Marshal Tourism at the Hilton Hotel (tel: (01) 335 1224 or 1780; fax: (01) 335 7976; e-mail: office@marshal.eunet.ro; website: www.rotravel.com/marshal) offer a Mercedes limousine service and guide drivers. Rates start at US$75 per day. Sky Services, operated by Tarom (tel: (01) 204 1002; fax: (01) 201 4840; website: http://tarom.digiro.net/services/sky.htm), offer a private limousine service to and from Otopeni International Airport. A single one-way journey costs US$25.
Driving in the City
Driving around Bucharest can be confusing. Streets are not always clearly marked and are full of unexpected potholes. In addition to this, Romanians drive fast and not all that carefully. However, it can be a useful way of getting around, especially to the city’s outskirts. Traffic is bad only during rush hour, which lasts pretty much all day (1000-1700).
Car parks cost about US$0.20 for the first hour, which is given to a parking attendant as soon as the car is parked – fees for staying beyond one hour are collected on departure. There are no parking meters. A popular place to park is outside the Ateneul Roman, Piata Revolutiei. Underground car parks are badly marked but there is one near Universitatii. Cars can be left overnight in them for a reasonable sum.
Car Hire
Car hire, targeted at business visitors, is relatively expensive. Travel agencies usually offer the best prices, especially if booked in advance. Major companies, in order from the cheapest to the most expensive, are Budget (tel: (01) 210 2867; fax: (01) 210 2995; e-mail: budget@pcnet.ro; website: www.budgetro.ro), Europcar (tel: (01) 314 3910; e-mail: europcar@ont.ro; website: www.europcar.com), Hertz (tel: (01) 222 1256; e-mail: reservations@hertz.com.ro; website: www.hertz.com.ro) and Avis (tel: (01) 230 4344/45; website: www.avis.com). Romanian car hire operators, such as Euro Service Amerom (tel: (01) 204 1567; e-mail: esa@arexim.ro; website: www.esa.ro), tend to be cheaper.
Drivers must be at least 21 years of age and must hold a valid passport, international insurance policy (Green Card, in Europe), an international driving permit and a valid driver’s licence that is at least one year old. The average price is about US$80 per day, including unlimited mileage and insurance. Cars can be hired on a mileage basis for much less but approximately US$0.35 per kilometre travelled is charged on top of the initial cost. Insurance is about US$17. These companies also offer cars with drivers, which are not that much more expensive.
Bicycle & Scooter Hire
Bicyle and scooter hire is neither advisable nor available in Bucharest, seeing as traffic is unpredictable, roads are bad and the likelihood of theft is high.
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General
