Car rental in Bucharest

Car Rental in Bucharest: traveling to the Little Paris of the East

Romania’s capital city continues to be an increasingly fascinating and exciting place to visit, as new buildings, activities, and events spring up in direct parallel to pre-communist and communist structures and celebrations. With epic and complicated structures such as the Palace of the Parliament, myriads of both colorful and nondescript churches, and arts, fine dining, and clubs speckled throughout the city, you’ll need a few days to fully explore the city, but plan to make the most of your visit by driving into Romania’s countryside as well! Book you rental car today.

You’ll experience the best weather of Bucharest if you avoid high summer and winter, so plan to visit the city from April through June, September through October, or in early December.

The official language in Romania is Romanian, the living language most similar to Latin. Hungarian, German, Turkish, and Romany are also widely spoken throughout the country. French and English are the most spoken tourist-based languages in the country, though rarely spoken outside of tourist areas or large cities.

Bucharest is located in the Eastern European Time Zone, UTC+2.

The currency in Romania is the leu (plural “lei”). Most transactions throughout Romania occur via cash, so take advantage of frequent ATMs in major cities and airports or exchange money at a bank.

Automobile hire is available in 20 locations throughout Bucharest, including Bucharest Baneasa (BBU) and Otopeni Airports (OTP), downtown, at the Intercontinental and Radisson SAS Hotels, and in Voluntari.

Visa Regulations

Citizens of the European Union, member countries of the European Free Trade Area, Canada, Japan, and of the United States can visit Romania visa-free for up to three months. All other nationalities will require a visa to enter, which they can apply for at their local Romanian embassy; visas can typically be quickly processed in cities such as Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Driving in Bucharest

Streets can be narrow and bumpy throughout Bucharest and quite packed, especially during rush hour. Make the most of your visit by renting a car only for the days you plan to drive outside of the city itself.

Right-Hand Driving

• Traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road throughout continental Europe.

Speed Limits

• In the city: 50 km/h
• Rural roads: 90 km/h
• Expressways and national roads: 100 km/h
• On the motorway: 130 km/h.
• Speed limits are enforced via speed traps by car and helicopter throughout the country, so drive prudently to avoid exorbitant fines.
• Avoid driving during morning and evening rush hours in Bucharest, from 7 to 9 am and 4 to 6 pm respectively.

Other Regulations

1. Street parking can be difficult to find in Bucharest, so take advantage of frequent municipal and private parking lots. Parking fees at municipal lots typically cost around 1.5 lei an hour between 9 am and 5 pm, when an attendant is on duty.
2. An international driver’s permit in addition to your valid domestic driver’s license is required to rent and drive a car in Romania.
3. Vignettes are required on Romania’s motorways, so ask your rental company if your car has already been outfitted with one.
4. While the minimum driving age in Romania is 18, you will have to be 21 years old to rent a car and you can expect to face young-driver surcharges until the age of 25.

Cheap Car Rental in Bucharest

Automobile hire in Bucharest varies substantially in price. Rentals can start as low as $0.45 a day and at other times of the year and in other locations start at $40. See below for our tips on how to get the best prices. Here are some of the best deals in Bucharest:

• Opel Corsa or similar (economy class) – $1/day
• Chevrolet Spark or similar (mini class) – $2/day
• Renault Clio or similar (compact class) – $3/day
• Skoda Rapid or similar (intermediate class) – $4/day
• Renault Fluence or similar (standard class) – $11/day

Note that prices vary depending on the availability of each specific car and the season in which you rent. For the most accurate offers, use the search bar above.

Tips for Renting a Car Inexpensively in Bucharest

Prices for car rental typically go up during the spring and summer months in Bucharest, when the city sees more tourist traffic. If you are arriving in Bucharest outside of the cheap rental period of winter, however, you may still find some excellent deals by booking your car just one to two months in advance of your arrival from local car rental companies such as Premium Rent and Payless Car Rental. You are most likely to get the best deals if you book your cars from these agencies at locations such as downtown Bucharest or at Baneasa and Otopeni Airports.

Extending your rental period to over a week also typically drops your rental price, even if you’re renting cars for under $1 a day!

Keep an eye out for discounts of 10% and more that guarantee low prices for your self-drive travels in and around Bucharest.