Romania - Eastern Europe - page 485

Smoking is now banned in public spaces in Romania, but this law is vehemently
ignored; there's no smoking on planes, but there's plenty on trains and other enclosed
spaces, including restaurants. Most high-end hotels now have nonsmoking rooms.
GETTING THERE
BY PLANE
Many national airlines, including Romania's official carrier, Tarom (www.tarom.ro)
have direct flights from London and other major western European centers, including
Amsterdam (KLM only), Athens, Bologna (Alitalia only), Düsseldorf (Lufthansa only),
Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, Vienna, and Zurich. Eastern Euro-
pean capitals that are connected by air include Budapest, Prague, Sofia, and Warsaw.
Where possible, if you're traveling from North America, Australia, or New Zealand,
you should shop around for an airline that offers direct connections from your coun-
try of origin through one of the European capitals; many of the bigger airlines have
code-share agreements with Tarom, which means that times between connecting flights
are reduced. If you're traveling from New York or Sydney, you are able to book your
entire journey through Tarom, but departure dates are limited by the availability of
partner airlines. For these ultralong-haul journeys, you are best off with British Air-
ways (www.british-airways.com) via London, Air France (www.airfrance.com) via
Paris, Swiss (www.swiss.com) via Zurich, or KLM (www.klm.com), via Amsterdam.
Most international flights arrive at Bucharest's Henri Coanda International Air-
port (generally known by its pre-2006 name, Otopeni); however, Romania does have
a number of other international airports receiving a few flights from a handful of Euro-
pean national and regional airlines. These airports are small and hassle-free and located
in tourist-friendly destinations such as Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Ia @ i, and Constanta.
BY TRAIN
Trains are viable, but not necessarily cheap or speedy. Romania's National Railway
service (www.infofer.ro) operates services, many of which include overnight sleepers
in first- and second-class carriages. Visit www.raileurope.com for details of schedules
and reservations.
BY BUS
The size of the country along with the condition of most Romanian roads makes the
thought of traveling overland in a large vehicle nothing short of nightmarish. Never-
theless, Romania's principal cities are connected by bus services to most important
European centers, including London, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Berlin, Budapest, Sofia,
Vienna, Milan, Istanbul, and Athens.
BY CAR
If you drive a rental car into Romania, you will require a RoVinieta road toll license;
these are available at border crossings, and can also be purchased at many gas stations.
Expect to pay $5 for a 7-day license or $8 for a 30-day version. You will require proof
that you have insurance for the car and you must carry all the vehicle registration doc-
umentation with you. U.S., Canadian, and E.U. driver's licenses are acceptable for
driving in Romania. Note that Romanian roads are often in a very dismal condition
and driving is not recommended unless you have off-road capability.