Discover Bucharest
Time Zone
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Money and Budget Guide
Romania’s currency is RON (Lei Noi)
Exchange rates** for foreign currencies, valid on May 1st, 2009:
one US dollar = 3.14 RON (Lei Noi)
one Euro = 4.18 RON (Lei Noi)
Banknote denominations: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500
Coins: 1, 5, 10 and 50 bani
1leu nou = 100 bani
Getting to Bucharest
By air
Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP)
Address: Calea Bucurestilor 224
Tel: (21) 204.12.00 or 204.12.10
Web:www.otp-airport.ro
All international flights land at Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP), located about 12 miles from downtown Bucharest. Facilities include ATMs, an exchange office and cell phone rentals. Major car rental companies have offices located on the baggage claim level. There are direct flights from multiple destinations in Europe and connecting flights from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Baneasa Airport
Address: Sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti 40
Tel: (21) 232.00.20 or 9713
Baneasa Airport, located six miles from downtown, offers scheduled domestic flights from/to Romania’s main cities, as well as scheduled flights from/to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova
By train
Bucuresti North – main train station (Gara de Nord)
Address: Blvd. Garii de Nord 2
Bucharest’s main station, Gara de Nord, is located three miles from downtown Bucharest and is a major rail center with daily connections from/to cities throughout Europe and main cities in Romania.
There are daily trains from/to Budapest (journey time – 12 hours), Prague (journey time – 12 hours), Vienna (journey time – 17 hours), Belgrade (journey time – 12 hours), Sofia (journey time – 10 hours), and Istanbul (journey time – 18 hours). Trains from/to Western European cities run via Budapest.
Bucharest is located in the southeastern part of Romania. Just like many Eastern European capital cities, Bucharest was built on the banks of a river - the Dambovita. Bucharest has been the capital of Romania since the 19th century. Now it is a modern and joyful city, where you can visit many interesting sites and also have a lot of fun.
Fans of museums will enjoy Bucharest as there is many to choose from. On the other hand, if you want to go straight to the big attractions, you can visit the Parliament Palace – the 2nd largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon or the University Square.
There are also a lot of clubs for each kind of music and they are opened until 5 or 6 in the morning! Everybody is very kind and there are a lot of beautiful girls. 
Bucharest is a great starting point from which to explore the rest of the country. Away from the buzz of the city, you will find a different side of Romania - life in the countryside moves more slowly, the air is crisp and hospitality abounds. At 120km from Bucharest you’ll find many mountain resorts, where you can go skiing in the winter and climbing in the summer. There are also two well-knowed castles: Peles and Pelisor
