Bucharest Activities Priced in Lei, Day by Day
Bucharest Activities Priced in Lei, Day by Day
Land at Henri Coandă with about 6 lei in your pocket and you can be at Gara de Nord within 25 minutes. The CFR airport train is timetabled rather than round-the-clock, so check infofer.ro for the next departure. Express Bus 100 runs all night, every 15 minutes by day and every 30 at night, from the Departures stop. The Bucharest metro does not reach the airport, and the M6 line is still under construction. Bolt and Uber cost roughly 60 to 110 lei into town, and they beat the touts at the arrivals hall.
The currency is the leu (plural lei, code RON). Count on roughly 5.3 lei to the euro, and compare the rate on the day. Cards work almost everywhere. The three-day plan below shows what each activity costs.
Day one: the Old Town
Begin with Strada Stavropoleos, where a 1724 chapel with a carved porch stands a short walk from Caru’ cu Bere, the beer hall that opened in 1879. Entry to the church is free. Wander on to the cobbled lanes of Lipscani and the spiral staircases of the Cărturești Carusel bookshop, a former bank. Dinner is at Caru’ cu Bere: grilled mici run roughly 8 to 10 lei apiece, and a full meal comes to about 75 to 120 lei per person.
Day two: palace and village
Book the Palace of the Parliament first, because it cannot be done on a whim. Tours are guided and last about an hour. Individuals phone +40 733 558 102 or 103 on weekdays between 09:00 and 16:00, at least a day ahead, and groups of ten or more send an email. Carry a physical passport or national ID card (copies and driving licences are refused) and aim to arrive 30 minutes early. The visitor centre lists the rules. A reseller option exists if the phone route fails.
In the afternoon, head to the Village Museum in King Michael I Park. It costs 40 lei for adults, 20 for retirees and 10 for pupils and students, with half-price entry on Monday and Tuesday. Summer hours are Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 19:00, and the gates close earlier in winter. Details are at muzeul-satului.ro .
Day three: a spa, or the mountains
Therme București in Balotești sits on the DN1 road north of the airport, 30 to 40 minutes from the centre. Galaxy suits families, while The Palm and Elysium are for adults. Adult prices run from 71 lei for three hours in Galaxy to 217 lei for a weekend day in Elysium. Check therme.ro for the exact tier.
If you prefer castles, take the train to Sinaia and see day trip options . Peleș is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Moving around
A metro single costs 7 lei and a 24-hour pass 18 lei, as listed on metrorex.ro . A surface ticket for buses, trams and trolleybuses is about 3 lei for 90 minutes, and you pay by tapping a card on the validator. Watch for fake plain-clothes police near Piața Unirii and in the Old Town. Real officers do not inspect wallets in the street. Walk away and dial 112.
Verdict
Day two is the one to protect. Everything else bends to the weather, but the Parliament slot is fixed once booked. For more days see the four-day itinerary . Tip: phone the Parliament line the same day you book your flights, before anything else fills the calendar.