Romania: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Romania feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 127 written places.
Old-world hospitality is genuine; rural life continues in ways western Europe has forgotten.
✓ Considered polite
- Accept offered food and drink in rural homes - hospitality is heartfelt
- Greet with Buna ziua
- Drive the mountain roads - Transfagarasan and Transalpina are the attractions themselves
- Try the markets - produce, cheese and honey straight from makers
✗ Better avoided
- Reduce the country to Dracula - locals appreciate deeper interest
- Expect punctuality from rural buses - build slack into plans
- Photograph people in traditional dress without asking
- Feed or approach street dogs
Worth knowing
- The leu is the currency; cards work in cities, carry cash in villages
- Tipping is about 10%
- Petrol station coffee is inexplicably good - a national quirk
- Bears are real in the Carpathians - heed local guidance on trails
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.