GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE COMING TO TRANSYLVANIA
Your pocket guide to Transylvania
TIPS TO PACK FOR A TRIP IN TRANSYLVANIA
Wether you come to Transylvania for business or to enjoy the nature, there are a few things to know before your arrival.
No matter when you come, make sure to bring: flexible/sport shoes to walk around; Sunscreen, your camera and a sweater or jacket.
Transylvania is a pretty casual area, so make sure to have casual or business-casual clothing. We have 4 seasons, so make sure to pack the clothing that fits you best: winters are very cold and you should bundle up (0 to -20C), falls are beautiful and wet (5 to 15C), summer is sunny and light (20 to 40C) and spring (10 to 20C).
Note that you can also buy pretty much everything you may need once you arrive here: so no worries!
USEFUL PHRASES & WORDS IN TRANSYLVANIA
You will definitely get along with everyone in English, but here are a few phrases to make your stay fun. And the locals will also love it! Here are some helpful words/phrases:
👋Hi = Salut | Bye-bye = Pa Pa | See you = Ne vedem!
☕ Coffee = Cafea | 🍺 Beer = Bere | 🍷 Wine = Vin | 💧 Water = Apa
👌Thank you = Mulțumesc | Please = Te rog
😅 I am sorry = Îmi pare rău | Excuse me = Mă scuzați
🍲 A gulash, please! = Un gulash, vă rog!
🍷 A glass of wine, please! = Un pahar de vin, vă rog
💧 A still water, please! = O apă plată, vă rog
🍽 I am hungry. What do you recommend to me? = Mi-e foame. Ce îmi recomadați?
🧛Vampire = Vampir | 🔴 I am scared = Mi-e frică
You may have seen these peculiar letters: ș (sort of sh from ash), ț is the double z in pizza, ă is like the preposition a and â is like... sort of um.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TRANSYLVANIA
FLIGHTS TO TRANSYLVANIA
If you want to visit Transylvania, we highly recommend you to search for the best deals on flights to Cluj, and from there we will take care of everything.
Cluj Napoca is located in northern Transylvania, and the airport is directly connected to Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Hungary.
And there are plenty of internal flights, trains and buses too - so no worries about reaching Cluj!
GETTING AROUND
During the tours within Transylvania Trips the entire transport will be covered by our team via small vehicle for custom trips (couples or up to 3 persons) or minivan so you won't have to stress yourself about this.
Anyway, if you decide to go through Transylvania's towns and cities on your own, please note that we have very slow rail service and the buses are quite quick but less common for villages or small towns.
The public transport in Cluj and most of the cities are good, and you can get tickets via SMS, apps, get a local card or simply buy tickets from the bus stations.
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
Transylvania (and Romania, generally speaking) is a safe area, but there are some common scams to be aware of:
Uber/Taxify or any other car sharing service is not legal (anymore) in Romania. So if you still ask for an Uber, just be aware that you may be stopped by the police (of course, you can always tell them that he is a far cousin of yours and came to pick you up).
Taxi is very affordable here. Use a local taxi app to get the fare beforehand (or ask your hotel to call you a cab) and make sure to have the regular fare all the time as some taxi drivers may try to overcharge you.
Public transportation is not always on time (most of the time is not)
BASIC COSTS IN CLUJ NAPOCA
Street food and self-catering: 40 Lei
Burger: 35 Lei
Bottled water (0.5L) in any shop: 2.5 lei (goes up to 10 lei in restaurants, though)
Public Transportation ticket: 2.5 Lei
Meals in mid-range restaurants: 70 lei (three courses)
Lunch/dinner at the best restaurants: >100 lei
Average Taxi rides: 15 Lei
Taxi Ride from the Cluj Airport to the City Center: 35 Lei
Taxi costs: 2.25 lei to start, 2.25 - 2.50 lei/km and 22.50 lei for 1h waiting
Artisanal local beer: 20 Lei
Domestic beer: 9 Lei
A glass of good wine: 17 - 20 lei
Cappuccino: 10 Lei
A bottle of mid-range local wine: 35 Lei
HEALTH & INSURANCE BEFORE YOU COME TO TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA
Romania is a safe country: you won't be subject to any significant health risks (we have pretty much everything that Europe has), and there are no vaccinations required to enter Romania.
What we highly recommend though is to have Travel insurance and make sure you’re ready for anything: trip or flights cancellations, medical expenses (emergencies), gear lost or stolen etc.
There are plenty of hospitals around, so if you need it (hopefully will not be the case, though), bring your passport, credit card and cash, as you may be required to prepay for services. No worries, Romanian health care is generally very affordable by central and western Europe (and for sure for the American) standards.
ENTRY AND EXIT PAPERWORK
Transylvania (and Romania, generally speaking) is a safe area, but there are some common things to be aware of:
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Taxi is very affordable here. Use a local taxi app to get the fare beforehand (or ask your hotel to call you a cab) and make sure to have the regular fare all the time (just make sure you won't be overcharged), Clever works great as well and you can pay by card as well.
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Public transportation is not always on time (most of the time is not)
TAP WATER
Tap water is totally safe to drink in Romania and if you really want bottled water, no worries: it's cheap and available everywhere (in glass bottles too).
BARGAINING
Yes, we are in Eastern Europe, and the Ottomans were around quite a while, but you’re expected to pay the stated price pretty much everywhere. Gentle haggling is common though in flea markets, crafts market or when you buy directly from a local.
DISCOUNT CARDS
Holders of an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) do have lots of discounts around, and there are local cards for public transportation as well.
CURRENCY
Romanian leu/lei (singular/plural) - you will see it as RON in the exchange rates. Do not confuse it with the Moldovan leu!