Romanian transportation - Help!!

Posted by Natalie (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) on 04/17/18 12:35 PM

In a bit of a panic because I'm leaving for Romania soon, thinking I'd rent a vehicle but am now not sure which companies are trustworthy. I've heard the scam is that they don't pay back your deposit for the tiniest of scratches (which are easy to get in Romania, and insurance doesn't cover). Does anyone have any recommendations on car rental companies? Does anyone know if there's an additional type of insurance I could get that covers scratches? (note: I have no insurance on my credit card)

Does anyone have experience renting from the local companies: Magrenta, Carpro, Autonom, Alia. I've heard good things about them, with the bonus that they are cheaper than the bigger rental companies.

I've decided to rent a vehicle to get around in Romania because I'll be travelling around the entire country, timisoara, maramures, constanta, etc. for about 3 weeks and trains appear to leave infrequently and to be very slow. Has anyone traveled to the farther reaches of the country by train? What has been your experience in terms of the time it takes? Does taking overnight trains help save time??

Thank you in advance!
Natalie

Posted by Paul-of-the-Frozen-North

Sioux Falls, SD, USA

04/17/18 07:36 PM

3100 posts

Have you looked at buses? We used FlixBus a lot last summer, and it was quite good.

Really having a car is overrated. What I find is that driving can be a huge hassle - figuring out where stuff is can be difficult. We in the US get used to a certain type of roadsign, and they are different in Europe. Certainly there are places where a car is needed, but not all that many.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

04/17/18 08:19 PM

16895 posts

Magrenta has a pretty comprehensive rental guide for you (https://magrenta.com/blog/how-to-rent-a-car-in-romania/), including a relatively low Standard Deductible (equivalent to 200-300 euros) for their insurance plan and a description of Super CDW options that doesn't sound any different from what you'd expect elsewhere in Europe (https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/car-rental-cdw).

Posted by Sarah

Stuttgart, Germany

04/17/18 08:59 PM

3050 posts

For seeing what you want, a car is the way to go. I've only traveled by train in Romania but let's just say I wasn't impressed, and I only went to Brasov and Timisoara. Easily the worst train experience I've had in Europe (and I enjoy trains!) I don't recommend the overnight train. We payed a decent amount for a private sleeper car from Bucharest to Timisoara and I maybe got one hour of sleep. The car was hot, but opening the window made it too loud, and the train was listing crazily back and forth the entire journey. Booking the ticket wasn't particularly easy, either (unless the website has gotten better - we had to book in person in 2013 and it was confusing at best.)

Renting a car (or hiring a driver, if you can afford it) is the preferable option for what you're describing.

Posted by Becky

seattle

04/17/18 11:15 PM

2117 posts

We rented from Sixt one-way from Bucharest to Timisoara. We had no difficulty though some roads were quite slow. We did like being able to see the countryside up close and stay in some hotels a ways out of towns/cities.

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

04/18/18 09:11 AM

27929 posts

I've never driven in Europe. I spent some time in Romania in 2015. I traveled primarily by bus and train. I figured I made about 30 mph. You're right that you won't get around very fast. However, I did get to Timisoara, Oradea, Iasi, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, Sighisoara, Bucharest and Suceava. I took taxis to and from Peles Castle, though I think there is some public transportation.

The buses were comfortable, but there was a quirk: For some of them one had to make a reservation by calling the bus company. You couldn't just go to the bus station a day early and buy a ticket. I figured the odds of finding an English speaker on the other end of the phone were not good, but I was fortunate to find kind locals who made the phone calls for me.

Public transportation is inadequate for exploring Maramures or the painted monasteries in Bucovina. For those area, you should rent a car, hire a driver or take a tour. I took a very good 2-day tour of Maramures that was organized by the Retro Hostel in Cluj-Napoca. The tours are scheduled based on demand, so you need to be somewhat flexible to take advantage of them. My one-day commercial tour of Bucovina (departing from Suceava) served its purpose, but the guide was less experienced that the guide on the Retro Hostel tour, whose regular job is as a history teacher, I believe.