![]() |
Home - City Guide - Bucharest - Getting Around | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Getting Around Public Transport The metro, open 0500-2330, is the best way to get around the city centre. The service, run by Metrorex, has three metro lines (M1, M2 and M3) and is generally reliable. Stations are indicated by white signs with a blue 'M'. Inside, magnetic tickets are purchased at counters indicated by a 'Casa' sign. There are two types of ticket: two journey (US$0.30) and ten journeys (US$1.40). One-day (US$0.60) and one-month (US$4.35) passes are also available. Metro maps can be purchased in bookshops and kiosks and are also posted near the ticket gate entrance. Tickets must be inserted into a machine on top of the ticket gate that records the entrance time on the ticket. The visitor then proceeds with the ticket onto the platform, where trains arrive every few minutes. Tickets must be kept throughout the journey, as transport police sometimes check and impose fines on those without. The final destination is indicated on the front of the train. Each stop is announced as the train nears the station. Buses (autobus), trams (tramvai) and trolley buses (troilebuz) operate as one system, run 0500-2400 by RATB, Calea ?erban Vod? 164-168 (tel: (01) 314 7130); tickets are interchangeable for all three (except express buses). The system is more useful for reaching destinations outside the city centre, as only a few express buses actually pass through the centre. RATB maps are available for US$0.15 from yellow kiosks near bus and tram stops, open 0530-2100 Monday to Friday. Tickets can also purchased at the kiosk, but must be stamped in the ticket machine on board. Those caught travelling without a stamped ticket will be fined US$4. One-way tickets cost US$0.15. Passes for one day (US$0.50), one week (US$1.70), 15 days (US$3.40) and one month (US$5) are also available. Like the metro, ticket prices change constantly. This system is more crowded and confusing than the metro and pickpockets operate during peak hours. Express buses operate similarly to the metro, using magnetic tickets. These cost US$0.65 for two journeys and US$2.50 for ten journeys. A monthly pass is US$10.50. Taxis Taxis wait at taxi ranks and in front of hotels. They can also be hailed on the street. The best practice is to wave at any yellow taxi that comes along, ignoring non-yellow ones. Yellow taxis indicate the journey's cost on their meters, starting with US$0.18, then adding US$0.20 per kilometre travailed. There is no additional charge for luggage in yellow taxis. A US$0.02 supplement is charged at night. It is customary to round up the amount owed as the tip. Drivers rarely give change and keep whatever excess they receive. Taxis can also be telephoned - some of the best companies are Cob?lcescu (tel: 9451), Cristaxi (tel: 9461) and Getax (tel: 9531). Another form of transport is the maxitaxi. These drive along Pia?a Roman? to Pia?a Unirii and from the Opera Roman? to Bulevardul Carol I every ten minutes (0600-2100). They can be hailed by a wave of the hand and cost US$0.30 per journey. Driving in the City Driving around Bucharest can be confusing. Streets are not always clearly marked and are full of unexpected potholes. Also, Romanians drive fast and not all that carefully. However, it can be a useful way of getting around, especially to the city's outskirts. Traffic is bad only during rush hour, which lasts pretty much all day (1000-1700). Car parks cost about US$0.20 for the first hour, which is given to a parking attendant as soon as the car is parked; fees for staying beyond one hour are collected on departure. There are no parking meters. A popular place to park is outside the Ateneul Rom?n in Pia?a Revolutiei. Underground car parks are badly marked, but there is one near Universit??ii. Cars can be left overnight in them for a reasonable sum. Car Hire Car hire, targeted at business visitors, is relatively expensive. Travel agencies usually offer the best prices, especially if booked in advance. Major companies, in order from the cheapest to the most expensive, are Budget (tel: (01) 210 2867; fax: (01) 210 2995), Europcar (tel: (01) 314 3910), Hertz (tel: (01) 337 2910) and Avis (tel: (01) 230 0054). Romanian car hire operators, such as Euro Service Amerom (tel: (01) 204 1567), tend to be cheaper. Drivers must be at least 21 years of age. The average price is about US$80 per day including unlimited mileage and insurance. Cars can be hired on a mileage basis for much less, but about US$0.35 per kilometre travelled is charged on top of the initial cost. Insurance is about US$17. These companies also offer cars with drivers, which are not that much more expensive. |
|