By plane

No airport in Transylvania accepts direct flights from both capitals.

Airport them. Avram Iancu is located 9 km east of Cluj-Napoca. The cheapest tickets are from the LOT airline, flying from Sheremetyevo with a 12-hour night connection in Warsaw. In 6.5 hours you can fly Aeroflot to Vienna, and from there – with Wiz Air – but twice as expensive. It is more convenient to get from St. Petersburg with Lufthansa: the fastest (7 hours 40 minutes) is with a transfer in Munich, the cheapest is via Frankfurt am Main.

You can get from the airport to the city by bus number 8 or trolleybus number 5, the stop is 200 meters from the exit from the terminal on the street. Trayana Wui. Travel time to the center is 30 minutes, traffic interval is 8-15 minutes. Tickets are sold at the kiosk at the bus stop. Cost of a 15-minute taxi ride to the center: 25 RON (at night: 35 RON).

The airport next to Targu Mures receives only 1-2 flights per day from Wiz Air and Corendon Airlines from Memmingen, Dortmund and Antalya.

According to Best-medical-schools, the small airport in Sibiu is especially busy during the ski season. The best flight option from Domodedovo is by Austrian Airlines via Vienna (8 hours 50 minutes), from St. Petersburg by Lufthansa via Munich (6 hours 40 minutes).

You can get from the airport to any area of ​​Sibiu in 15-25 minutes by buses No. 11, 112, 116, 117 and 118. The stop is located on sh. Alba Iulia (highway DN7) 250 m from the airport terminal. The cost of a trip to the center by taxi during the day/night is 20/28 RON.

By train

Traveling from Moscow or St. Petersburg to Transylvania by rail is expensive, troublesome and time consuming. First to Minsk or Chisinau, then on another train to Bucharest, followed by a transfer to a local train to Transylvania. In terms of cost, such a trip is comparable to an airplane, and in time it stretches for 2 days.

By bus

The best option for a bus trip is from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Chisinau, from there by bus Chisinau – Cluj-Napoca or Chisinau – Brasov. A little cheaper than by train, but the journey takes at least 37 hours.

By car

From Moscow to Transylvania, only 1,600 km if you go through Ukraine, and 1,900 km – through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. To travel on toll roads in Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, you will need a vignette confirming payment (purchased online or at the first gas station when entering each of these countries).

Transport

Public transport

The main type of public transport is buses, in large cities there are trolleybuses and trams. In Cluj-Napoca, they are run by Compania de Transport Public (off. site in English), in Brasov – Ratbv SA (off. site in English), in Sibiu – TurSib (off. site in English). As a rule, they run from 5:30 to 23:30 on weekdays and from 6:00 to 22:00 on weekends.

Tickets for one or two trips are sold at kiosks or vending machines at stops. You can also buy a ticket for 24 or 72 hours at the kiosks.

Railways

The railways are operated by the CFR Calatori company (off. site in English). They link the cities of Romania and provide communication with neighboring countries. Up to 20 trains to Bucharest pass through Brasov daily (journey time from 2.5 to 4 hours) and 8 trains to Cluj-Napoca (7-8 hours). Most trains between Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest run at night, which allows you to get a good night’s sleep during the 10-14 hour journey.

The first thing that catches your eye on suburban lines is the retirement age of the rolling stock, produced in the distant 70s.

Intercity buses

An alternative to trains is comfortable intercity buses from Memento BUS (off. site in English), Transbus Codreanu (off. site), Ballint Trans (off. site) and others. The travel time from Brasov to Constanta is 8.5 hours, to Sighisoara 2 hours, the journey from Sibiu to Targu Mures will take 2 hours 45 minutes. Tickets are sold at the box office at bus stations.

Taxi

Taxi in Transylvania is inexpensive, it is convenient to use for trips over short and medium distances – the typical cost of a trip around the city is 20-25 RON (30% more expensive at night). When choosing a taxi, preference should be given to cars with the logo of the taxi company, equipped with a meter. But even in this case, it is worth checking with the driver in advance the cost of the trip.

Bicycles for rent

You can rent a bike in Cluj-Napoca, Brasov and other cities, as well as in many hotels and boarding houses. The ClujBike network in Cluj-Napoca has 50 stations operating from 06:00 to 00:00. In order not to pay for rent, it is enough to return the bike to the rack within the first hour of riding. After a 10-minute pause, the client is entitled to another free hour. If necessary, this procedure can be repeated again and again. With continuous skiing for more than an hour, the payment grows exponentially. An alternative is Down Town Rent a Bike, which offers long-term bike rentals for a very reasonable price.

Rent a Car

The best way to get the most out of your trip to Transylvania is to rent a car. There are offices of international Avis, Sixt, Europcar, etc. at airports. Cars are new, clean and well maintained. Prices and rental conditions are standard for Western Europe. Local KlassWagen, Top-Rent-a-Car, PayLess and other prices are significantly lower. To travel to neighboring countries Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, you must obtain a written permission from the rental company and pay for additional insurance. Otherwise, crossing the border is regarded as an attempted theft.

Most of Transylvania’s roads are in exemplary condition, and the cost of parking and fuel is noticeably lower than in Western Europe.

Street parking is divided into zones – the most expensive in the city center, half the price outside the center, free on the periphery. Payment for parking (from 8:00 to 20:00 on weekdays) through parking meters. For a longer period, it is better to look for covered parking – it will be cheaper.

The police are quite strict and tend to punish any violation. Their favorite pastime is to lie in wait for drivers who break the speed limit in secluded places. Another road misfortune is the “zero” level of tolerance to alcohol in the blood. The smallest indication of the breathalyzer entails a substantial fine.

If you pay the issued fine within two days, you can get off with half the amount.