5 Myths Busted By a Visit to Romania

Like many countries, Romania was on our travel radar for years. I nearly visited Romania in 2002, on the several month European backpacking trip I met Bell, after finishing university. At the time I was staying at a hostel in Budapest and a few people I met decided to catch a train together to Transylvania. I could have continued my journey through Bulgaria with them, on my way to Greece. But on that trip I met a couple people who didn’t have the nicest things to say about Romania. In later years, there were a few things frequently mentioned in travel forums that made us a little hesitant to pull the trigger on a visit. While Romania has the second lowest GDP in the Europe Union to Bulgaria, it’s an interesting country in transition. Let’s address several things some people complain about.
Romanian Parliament in Bucharest, People's Palace

1) It’s Hard to Travel in Romania with English

Some people complain that they found it difficult to travel in Romania while only speaking English. And perhaps this is perspective, because Bucharest isn’t Amsterdam, where everyone speaks English. However, 40% of Romanians speak at least a moderate amount of English. We didn’t partake in any organized tours in Romania and were fine organizing trains and buses ourselves on the ground. Most people who work at hotels and train stations speak a moderate amount of English and we found Romanians generally helpful. Is traveling in Romania more challenging with English than the Netherlands? Yes, but is it hard? Not really, because if one Romanian doesn’t speak English there’s a great chance the next person will.

2) Romanians Are Rude

Caru' cu Bere, classic Romanian restaurant in Bucharest
Like anywhere, there are cultural differences and sometimes Romanians come off as being a little more gruff and less polite than English speaking cultures, but this doesn’t mean they’re rude. It’s not the custom in some cultures to interact with the same pleasantries as nations like the USA, Canada, England, Ireland and Australia, but approach people with a smile, respect their country and you’ll find most Romanians to be very helpful and nice people. We were even given free shots by a friendly bartender in Brasov who knew nothing about this website.

Booking.com

3) Aggressive Wild Dogs are a Major Problem in the Cities

cute wild dog on Romanian street
Wild dogs were apparently a big problem in Romania in the recent past. But the situation has improved in recent years. We saw very few stray dogs in the centers of Bucharest and Brasov. And one stray dog in Brasov was extremely cute and friendly. We saw him repeatedly and Bell even named him “Dracula.” He really grew on us and we honestly wanted to take him home after we found him huddled up sadly on our final night, which was pretty cold. Unfortunately, we weren’t coming straight home from Romania. There were a couple bigger wild dogs that approached us in the gardens of Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle), but they weren’t at all aggressive. The occasional mean looking wild dog can be found almost everywhere. The problem isn’t as bad as many people say because during our week-long stay we never once felt threatened by a single dog. So this isn’t something that should put you off from visiting Romania, unless you have a serious fear of dogs.

4) Romanians Will Constantly Try to Rip You Off

The vast majority of Romanians are very honest people. In fact, after purchasing our first pastry in Bucharest, the cashier made a mistake and gave us more money back than she should have. So of course, we were honest in returning her the difference. We even received an excellent currency exchange rate at Otopeni International Airport (airports and train stations in western countries are notorious for giving terrible exchange rates). On a side note, the currency exchange booths in the departures terminal did give bad exchange rates, but the bank inside the airport gives an excellent rate. During our week-long stay, we didn’t have any transactions where anybody tried to short change us. Of course, it could happen, but it’s definitely not prevalent. We usually ask drivers to approximate the fare before entering a cab. Taxis can be a problem when they don’t want to run the meter. Taxi drivers at both Bucharest and Brasov train stations asked a flat fee significantly higher than the honest metered fare. In those cases we just said no thanks and found taxi drivers who would run their meters. Taxis are very inexpensive in Romania. We traveled 15 minutes from our hotel in the old town of Bucharest to the train station for the equivalent of $2 US. Sometimes we couldn’t find a taxi to run the meter so we just negotiated a fair price for both parties, around $5 for a moderate distance. Taxi drivers can be a problem everywhere, they certainly can be in our current home in Boston! While many taxi drivers are honest, you certainly can’t judge an entire nation by this profession. With that said, Bucharest is a big city, so you should take the same precautions there as you would in any city in the world.

5) Romanian Food Isn’t as Good as Many Other Countries

Breakfast in a beautiful old mansion in Bucharest Romanian food can be… amazing! Our recent nearly four week trip through Europe also saw us visit France and Belgium, two of the best countries in the world for food. But a couple of Romanian dishes we ate very much so competed for the best meal of our trip. One of which was a beef stew called Tocana de Vita with Mamaliga (polenta with cheese), which we ate at Hanu Lui Manuc in the old town of Bucharest. The dish had been marinating for 12 hours, and was definitely just as delicious as the wonderful stews we ate in Belgium and France. Romanian desserts are more hit or miss than Belgium and France but we found wonderfully fresh and delicious pastries from a couple of middle eastern patisseries, and some of the Romanian patisseries were also very good. Sweet pretzels (covrigi) are one of the most common Romanian desserts, with chocolate filling and honey and walnut being two of the most prevalent flavors. A lot of travelers also complain that Romania isn’t good for vegetarians as the dishes are very meat centric. While this is generally true, most restaurants in Bucharest and Brasov had a nice salad selection. To balance our meals we usually split one heavy Romanian meal and one salad main, comparable to a Greek salad. Of course, some vegetarians may want more than just salad, in which case, the selection can be limited. We really enjoyed most of the food we ate in Romania, and we didn’t eat anything extremely expensive. We almost chose to visit Sicily instead of Romania because we enjoy food a lot and the island has a reputation for amazing food. While eating in Romania, we didn’t wish we were in Sicily instead. Now the cold wet weather in Transylvania, that’s another story…

Best Hotels to Stay in Bucharest

Bucharest has a wide range of accommodations, from luxury to budget. Consider booking hotels in advance with free cancellation, especially during peak summer travel and holidays. Booking offers free cancellation on many rooms, and often gives the best rates.

Epoque

Epoque is a stylishly and elegantly decorated boutique hotel with spacious and air-conditioned rooms, as well as free on-site parking and free WiFi in all areas. It is centrally located near the Cismigiu Central Park, away from Bucharest’s noisy boulevards. Designed in a Neo-Romanian architectural style, some rooms have a french balcony and views of the garden. All guest room have a well-lit work desk as well as a comfortable living area fitted with a plush sofa. All suites have 2 flat-screen TVs. Guests at the Epoque enjoy free access to a spa centre with a Finnish sauna, a wet sauna, a hot tub, an indoor pool and a fitness centre. Massages can also be booked. Guests can taste the refined French Haute Cuisine with a contemporary touch in L’atelier – l’art culinaire restaurant.

JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel

JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel offers elegance and comfort with 402 deluxe rooms, 6 restaurants, a convention centre, health club and spa, shopping gallery and the Grand Casino. Rooms and suites of JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel are fitted with flat-screen TVs with cable and satellite channels, including HBO and CNN. Bathrobes, slippers and free toiletries come standard. Free WiFi is offered in public areas. This is the perfect place to stay in you’re redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points.

Europa Royale Bucharest

We stayed at the Europa Royale Bucharest. The location is great to bar hop in the Old Town at night. It’s great to not worry about having to catch a taxi at night if you do not have to. While it’s not an amazing stay, it is comfortable enough.

Want to travel to Romania for very cheap?

Play the credit card points game to earn free flights with everyday spending. We take advantage of credit card bonus sign up bonuses to save thousands every year on travel. If you need tips on travel hacking, leave a comment below or get in touch by email! Have questions about traveling to Romania? Email me at [email protected] and I’ll be happy to assist you! Castle pin for Romania

About the Writer and this Website

Alex Kallimanis is a UCF graduate who grew up in the Orlando, Florida area before living in destinations like Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland and east coast destinations like Boston and Washington, DC. As a travel journalist and travel consultant, I enjoy assisting readers with getting amazing experiences and value from their trips. I’ve visited 67 countries and counting. Alex working on his computer along the beach in Sanibel Island, Florida I’m also a Greek citizen that has made 10+ trips to Greece. My wife of nearly 17 years, Bell, is an Australian scientist working in cancer research. We first met in a hostel in Brugge, Belgium while backpacking Europe solo after college. You can read more on that story in our about page if you’re interested. I encourage you to browse some of the other destinations we’ve covered for helpful tips. I also share advice in our resources page that could save you thousands on travel costs! Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. We receive a small commission when you book or sign up through certain links and it costs you nothing extra. Thanks for using them!

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  • Alex&Bell

    Alex and Bell originally met while solo traveling after finishing university in 2002, in Brugge, Belgium. Alex grew up in the USA and Bell hails from Australia. During our nearly 20 year marriage we've lived around the world, including spending six years living in the Netherlands and Ireland. We have traveled to nearly 70 countries and enjoy giving readers authentic and quality travel tips. Alex is an award winning travel journalist and travel planner, who also freelances for other outlets. Bell is an award winning PhD scientist who currently works for a non-profit lung cancer advocacy research organization called Lungevity. Happy travels and if you have any questions leave a comment or drop an email!

44 thoughts on “5 Myths Busted By a Visit to Romania

  1. Romania has been my favourite country in Europe ever since my first visit in 2000. I have been twice more since, and often consider moving there (maybe next year). I have always found the people in Romania the most helpful and friendly on my travels around Europe and, being very much a meat and potatoes girl, I love the food there. Romania also has some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe.

    I’m so glad you are dispelling the myths so that other people will visit!!

  2. I wrote about some of the same stuff and (mostly) agree:
    1) We were fine with English. Most people speak at least a few words. We actually switched to Spanish or French a few times and were understood.
    2) Romanians are not the smoothest, we call them gruff. Some are rude and unfortunately they outnumber the really nice ones. But over a month there we also met a few really nice people along the way…but that’s the way it is with generalities…
    3) Lots of wild dogs as you say. But like you no aggressive behaviour. I usually find wild dogs better behaved than dogs cooped up in backyards that can get frustrated…
    4) Taxi drivers trying to rip us off was a constant. Otherwise no, very honest.
    5) Food was fine…but what put us off was the cigarette smoking. Almost all in Romania allow smoking and they don’t just smoke, they chain-smoke. We frequented very few restaurants.

    Frank (bbqboy)

    1. Thanks for the interesting comment, Frank!

      You said “I usually find wild dogs better behaved than dogs cooped up in backyards that can get frustrated,” That’s an excellent point!

      Indeed, cigarette smoking everywhere can be really bothersome to some people. We’re both ex-smokers but even when we smoked we didn’t enjoy smoking inside restaurants. We always believed people should step outside while other people are eating. Most of Europe has already banned this, but Romania is behind the times in this area. On the flip side, it’s an interesting cultural experience and we still enjoyed the food!

  3. Romania of Youtube is not my REAL depressive sad Rumania with hot and arrogant women.i am leaving coz i cant get a decent woman who can appreciate my cuteness and photo memory and brains.I saw some Europe after 1991.
    I am 33 and Greekmacedonian sadly with Rumanian passport.I dont want to die in Rumania i prefer even Poorest Country of Africa Asia or Iberoamerica to that so called European country which claims to be a Son of Rome !
    In Rumania if u speak perfect Rumania and u are a kind honest shy guy you are mocked by all women of all ages as stupid.

  4. There are no more stray dogs in Bucharest! I recommend you to visit: Bigar cascade, mud volcanoes, Turda Salt Mine, The Danube Delta, Transfagarasan.

  5. Regarding rudeness. I have a conference at Bucharest, Romania. In the internet i got confused with the visa process. Whether with a multiple entry Schengen visa, was it possible to travel to Romania was my question. I called up the Romanian embassy in New delhi, India and after repeated calls, finally a person who spoke english in a romanian accent picked up. He was so rdue that he repeatedly kept asking if you have any doubts travelling to Romania ask us or else ask the people concerned with Schengen. He even asked if it is a joke. My first experience made me think should I really go ?

    1. Sorry to read that. Don’t let this discourage you from your business trip to Bucharest. I imagine Romanian bureaucrats can be particularly rude somtimes- it’s probably nearly impossible to remove these people. There’s always going to be a few bad apples everywhere. Best of luck organizing your trip! And have fun when you get there!

  6. “4) Romanians Will Constantly Try And Rip You Off”

    Romanians will constantly try TO rip you off. “And” is incorrect

    This is the proper expression. English is not an easy language, but if you just think about what you are writing you’ll get better results

    1. The mistake has been changed. Thank you for your service, Grammar Police agent. Anonymously scolding people over the internet for little mistakes is no small undertaking. Please pass along the website that you run so we can see what real perfection looks like and marvel at its glory.

        1. So glad you enjoyed the article, Justin! Thanks for letting us know. Happy planning and let us know if you have any questions about visiting Romania!

  7. I stayed in Romania for about five months as an exchange student. While it’s getting to be a long time ago, everything was horribly disorganized (the tour of the university included seeing stacks of books in the “library” with three women sitting around supposedly there to help you find what you need – ?), getting ripped off was rampant, and it seemed as though no one wanted foreigners in their country (“Romania is for Romanians!”). An orphan told me in his language that he didn’t like Romania. I am most disappointed by Romanians who deliberately taunt and harass people who travel there to help the orphans. This seems common. So maybe now it’s better and maybe it’s easier to navigate the country than it was just a few years after the revolution. However I would say it’s much better to visit for a week or two than to try to live there. By the way, the Romanian English accent grates on my ears! Not many Romanians speak good English (they know it mostly from seeing the translation on the screen when they watch movies). Thanks for writing about your experience and letting me vent!

    1. Sorry you had that experience. Seems like an interesting time to have been living in Romania. Thank you for sharing your story!

    2. You should definetely go and visit again! It changed a lot since that Time. The entire former Eastern Bloc, as well as The Balkans was a wreck back în the 90’s. It was during The days when în Romania inflation was s-o bad that prices could increase three Times în two weeks. În the first five years after The 1989 Revolution Romania was still pretty much semi-communist, The transition had not been completed yet, and many People back then still didn t really understand how capitalism was supposed to work, and hundreds of People lost all of their savings în all kinds of pyramid schemes and scams ,guided by The dream of becoming rich over night, fast and easy. It was during The period when then – president Iliescu(President of Romania from 1990 to 1996),would regularly call The miners from Jiului valley to beat The protesters în the capital. It was a crazy Time of great uncertainty, but also mixed with a great hope for a brighter future.Thanks God that period îs long over. I wasn t born back then but I heard tons of stories from my parents and older adults Who lived through it, it was fucking hell. Romania îs a completely different country today, we still have some problems, but we ve evoluted a lot since that point. You should definitely try and visit again, maybe you ll like it, maybe you won t, but it îs impossible that you won t notice the differences from The last Time you visited. Hope you get my message.

      1. Thanks for your insight into Romanian history! We would love to visit Romania again! We visited in 2015 so it wasn’t that long ago, but certainly there are already some changes 🙂

      2. I’m about to go to Romania in December/January to attend a wedding in the transylvania Mts – Avrig. The groom is native Romanian, but lives and works in the US. She is US Greek & they decided to marry in Romania. Sooooo, i know it will be cold, but my big question is: have they banned smoking in public places – – yet??

        1. Hi Lanette! That will be a wonderful wedding – have a fantastic time! The Romanian parliament banned smoking in enclosed public places effective March, 2016 https://www.romania-insider.com/non-smoking-romania-a-short-guide-to-the-new-regulations-on-smoking-in-public-places

          “smoking is banned at work (offices, conference rooms, hallways, elevators, enclosed balconies), in public institutions, and in the common areas of residential buildings (hallways, elevators). Moreover, people can no longer smoke in commercial areas (stores, exhibitions/fairs in enclosed spaces, malls, enclosed markets), in restaurants, cafes, bars, pizzerias, enclosed patios, hotels and guest houses, clubs, theaters, and gyms.”

          Now there may still be some small bars that ignore the laws but generally this is a major step in the right direction for public health in Romania! Have a wonderful trip!

        2. No they haven’t…I was on a military rotation there and tbh…nothing had really changed since you guys last visited…..taxi drivers are still ripping people
          Off….sex work is at an all time high!….and the English was beyond horrible…I had a great time tho it’s an ideal place to be if you’re into partying(raging,clubbing,) the food was great best couple months I’ve had

          1. Thanks for sharing your experience in Romania, Ray. We’re glad to hear you still had a good time despite the taxi drivers. You’re right, taxi drivers in Romania are not a highlight. Then again, problem taxi drivers are often an issue in many countries. Happy travels to you.

          2. Is depending pretty much where you were staying. Is true that a consistent part of the taxi drivers will try to rip you off. Even we, the romanians are experiencing this. That’s why apps like Uber, Bolt, freenow are succesful. Regarding sex work, i found it more obvious in prague, berlin, than in bucharest :). I was literally approached on the street, which never happened to me in bucharest in 32 years (except some of the highways – thats a classic spot). The other things you mentioned, i agree, alot of bars, pretty girls, cheap booze etc 🙂

          3. Hey Constantin. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. We’re glad to hear apps like Uber and others are keeping the ride share/taxi industry more honest in Romania and many other countries. We always choose Uber over taxis when the option is available to us. All the best to you! 🙂

  8. I have been to Romania several times in recent years, and totally recommend it as somewhere you have to visit. Just be aware that Romania is a developing nation, so don’t expect too much luxury and you wont be disappointed, though you maybe in for some surprises. Try a hotel called Oblique in the city of Sinaia.

    Romanian is a Latin language, so if you speak Italian, or perhaps French or Spanish, you might get by better than me as an English only speaker. But many young people, especially those working in shops and accommodation hotels in tourist areas are English speakers. Take your translation book with you, because Romanians love it when you try speak their mother tongue. Romanians have a reputation for being abrupt and rude; in reality, they are just being up front. We Anglo types, I’m a 4th generation born Australian of mixed Anglo-Celtic origin, tend to be overly diplomatic, which Romanians may interpret as being judgemental, evasive or disingenuous. Understand and accept cultural differences with a smile and you can’t go wrong.

    1. Hi Vaughn. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment on Romania. Great to hear about your experiences traveling around that country!

      That’s an excellent point that cultural differences can at times make Romanians seem rude when they’re just being more direct. We know exactly what you mean. It’s important to be cognizant and respectful of cultural differences. This is part of the beauty of traveling. Great point about accepting cultural differences with a smile. Thanks again for your comment and happy travels!

  9. Hay I am uddin from Bangladesh I come for work in Rumania .do I thinks I can stay at Rumania and I can marriage in Rumania is possibole? Please ans me

    1. This might be possible for you, unfortunately we’re not a resource on the subject and can’t assist with this. We can only offer information relating to the travel aspect of visiting Romania. Our best advice would be to join a Facebook group on Romania travel or expats in Romania and post your questions there. Best of luck to you!

  10. Forgot to thank you for this amazing article! And yes thank you for amswering even though it was not adressed to you. Congratulations for caring about The People that read your blog! Most of The things I said were True for pretty much The entire former Eastern Bloc region, ask People from Bulgaria, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Belarus etc. and you ll see they have almost The exact same
    story of The 90s,the similarities are astonishing. Yes our country îs advancing very fast since The early 2000s. Just like all former Eastern Bloc States. Hope we will be able to catch up with Western countries soon. Thank you for visiting our country and for writing such nice words and know that you re always welcome back here! Best wishes from Bucharest Romania

    1. Oops, this was supposed to be a reply to your reply to my original comment but for some reason it got posted as a separate comment

    2. Thank you so much for your nice words, Rares! It’s great to hear from readers, and especially those who are locals of a destination we covered. We both love visiting the eastern bloc countries as the architecture, food and cultural differences make the experience worthwhile. Congratulations to the Romanian people for their continued advancements! And thanks so much again for reading and taking the time to leave comments here. All the very best! 😀

  11. Oops, this was supposed to be a reply to your reply to my original comment but for some reason it got posted as a separate comment

  12. I really liked this post and gave me some idea.. I am planning a trip to Romania during Christmas and new year this year.. Any recommendations

  13. Hi there Alex & Bell,
    I think my comment comes a bit late. More than 5 years have passed since your visit to Romania and my home town of Brasov. A lot of things have changed since then. First of all, smoking was banned in restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs, which is a huge improvement, especially for people like me, non-smokers who just want to enjoy a nice meal.
    I also strongly believe that more and more people are speaking English, so the chances of meeting someone not familiar with Shakespeare’s language are quite low, to be honest. We grew up with cartoons which had subtitles. Nowadays, a lot of cartoons for kids are dubbed, which is rather unhelpful. However, many people under 40 know at least a bit of English and many under 30 are quite good.
    Speaking about improvements, Romanian entrepreneurs, especially those working in the tourism industry, realized in the past years how dependent this country is on tourism and hospitality. So many restaurants, bars and accommodations you’ll see, especially in Transylvania, offer exceptional service.
    There are a lot of things to do in Brasov, for instance. There are more local guides, for instance, more tour operators that organize diverse tours, like bear watching tours in the wild, for instance, which is probably the most popular activity among foreign travelers. I have to agree with you though, Romania is still a bit behind other Western countries. And this reminds me of a joke I like to tell to my guests: “If there will ever be an Apocalypse, come to Romania. We’re 10 years behind so you’ll survive another 10 years as well.”
    Of course we’re not 10 years behind, we just have to get rid of corruption and incompetent people. Luckily, Brasov has a new mayor which promises to raise the standards.

    1. Hey Robert. Thank you for your thoughtful comment to let us know how some things have changed in Brasov over the past 5 years. We’re happy to know that smoking is now banned in restaurants, cafes and bars. Last year I lost my mother to lung cancer so that’s an issue that hits close to home for me. Decisions like that are for the betterment of everyone. I’m a former smoker and know that if people can’t smoke inside, they will at least smoke less – and it was something that helped me to to quite smoking. Thankfully! And certainly it’s the right thing to do for non-smokers, who are the majority of people.

      It’s also wonderful to hear that there are more local guides and more tour options. We visited Brasov on our own but we certainly would have been open to a guided tour. Next time!

      All the best with everything, stay safe and well and happy holidays! Maybe we’ll see you next time in Brasov sometime in the future 🙂

    1. Thanks for the informative comment, Ana! We would love to re-visit Romania and drive the highest road in Romania, Transalpina. We just returned from a great trip to your neighbors, Hungary, just a few days ago. We had previously visited Hungary in 2002 and 2012. All the best and hope to return to Romania in the near future. Happy and safe travels to you also!

  14. I completely agree with you! I visited Romania last year and was surprised by how misunderstood the country is. The culture and history are so rich and diverse, and the people are warm and welcoming. I loved learning about the traditional folklore and trying the delicious food. Thank you for shedding light on the true beauty of Romania!

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