Romania late 2024

[searover]

Hi there!

TLDR: Romania chill, affordable (but not so much to locals), pretty safe, good internet, hitchhikers can expect to pay, stray dogs

I spent late 2024 in Romania volunteering on a farm, as I've got an interest in agriculture. This is not a comprehensive guide or anything, I thought I'd confirm some of what I'd heard and an idea of recent pricing. Cliffnotes that might be of interest are:

• Very affordable if you're spending western european currency. the equivalent of 2 quid for 2.5 liters of beer, some cheap hostels in Bucharest, and eating out is reasonably affordable especially outside of Bucharest. Quality of produce vary in stores though. Lots of transactions done extremely locally in villages, you could probably buy eggs, cheese and pork from neighbors easily if you trust the conditions they're raised in.
• Pretty safe on a petty crime level imo, corruption in government which should translate less to tourist experiences, just use common sense as usual.
• Minibuses serving local routes are basically cash only, and ATMs can be sparse outside of major towns.
• Air quality can be terrible at times, if you have respiratory issues be aware around villages because locals might burn all sorts of dangerous materials for heat.
• Low hitchhiking wait times, but 90% of drivers expected payment.
• Stray dogs are still a problem. Excercise usual caution around them, but I believe they put down the aggressive ones.
• Experiences with police involved hitchhiking with an active police vehicle with friendly cops, to being politely (but extensively) questioned on the street for my muddy Docs in Bucharest. Nothing unusual but worth noting.
• Conservative people, particularly outside of the cities. I can maybe recommend Bucharest for anyone LGBTQ, but it'd be wise to be wary outside of the capital. Europe trending right in general so be aware

Pretty Commonly Known information already​

• Still great internet, even in rural places!
• You can camp basically anywhere except military bases, national parks and people's yards
• Trains and buses are cheap, but some information can be unclear unless you're at a station
• Even easier to travel to since Bulgaria and Romania are now Schengen

Hope this helps anyone considering visiting the region

 

[Ichor]

This is very helpful thank you! Do you have any experience with the Carpathian mountains? When I go to Romania I want to explore ancient ruins like its D&D minus the pillaging obviously. Are there lots of those in Romania?

Also, where can i find the vampires? Vampires are my normal person (I think maybe?) equivalent of a special interest. I want to hit up the vampire spots, but in a not so touristy kinds way?

I don't like tourist attractions I find them boring and frankly kinda hate them. I live in a place where tourism basically ate up all of the culture to the point where it's one big amusement park.

I don't mind being exposed to conservatism. I genuinely just want to have an adventure.

 

[searover]

This is very helpful thank you! Do you have any experience with the Carpathian mountains? When I go to Romania I want to explore ancient ruins like its D&D minus the pillaging obviously. Are there lots of those in Romania?

Also, where can i find the vampires? Vampires are my normal person (I think maybe?) equivalent of a special interest. I want to hit up the vampire spots, but in a not so touristy kinds way?

I don't like tourist attractions I find them boring and frankly kinda hate them. I live in a place where tourism basically ate up all of the culture to the point where it's one big amusement park.

I don't mind being exposed to conservatism. I genuinely just want to have an adventure.

Unfortunately no experience with the Carpathians outside of standard walks or taking the train through. Beware, huge number of bears in Romania.

There are ruins but I believe they're subject to protection so may not be accessible for exploration. Urbex sites indicate that there's a lot more recent ruins if that's your thing.

Unsure as to non touristy vampire options, I believe a lot of locals don't pay much attention to the stories, but if you speak Romanian there's a lot of folk tales around.

Keep an eye on Romania anyway, it's lovely

 

[Ichor]

Should I learn Romanian before I go? Would I have issues if I only spoke english?

Honestly, folk tales sound really cool. Are there any events where people gather and listen to folk tales?

And I have heard there is the fake tourist trap vlad tepes castle, but the real one is in ruins. I reallllly want to explore the real one. Atleast see it from the outside. Where is it located/what's its name? I can't find it online.

 

[searover]

If you're outside of the cities, some Romanian is useful to have but proficiency of English is broadly fine.

You might be thinking of Poenari Castle. Still has tourist infrastructure though.

 

[Ichor]

If you're outside of the cities, some Romanian is useful to have but proficiency of English is broadly fine.

You might be thinking of Poenari Castle. Still has tourist infrastructure though.

Ah yeah that does seem to be touristy damn. Idk I will find something probably.