MEETING VENUE
Venue: Grand Hotel Bucharest, Romania
Address: 4 Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu, Bucharest, Romania
Metro station: University Square (Universitate)
Distance to Otopeni Airport (OTP): approx 17 km
CURRENCY
Currency: RON = Leu (plural “Lei”) (pronunciation: lay).
The official exchange rate is around: 1 EUR= 4.97 LEI. This rate varies slightly on a daily basis.
There are several exchanges at the Henri Coanda Airport, but the Exchange rates are better in the city.
ATMs
There are several ATMs in the Arrivals Terminal, Public area, first floor. You can take out lei from almost any Credit and Debit Cards. All ATMs offer similar exchange rates and can be used with confidence.
The banks that have an ATM installed in the Arrivals terminal:
- Raiffeisen
- BRD-GSG
- UniCredit
Payment by card is available for all services in Bucharest.
AIRPORT & TRAVEL
International flights land at Henri Coanda International Airport, located in Otopeni, 17 km north of the city center. Henri Coanda (Otopeni) Airport is serviced by train, buses and taxis. The easiest and direct option to get to the city center is by train, bus or taxi.
The train offers daily service from the airport to Bucharest North Railway Station, from where the metro is available. The train station is in front of International Arrivals. The dedicated train line runs non-stop, every 40 minutes. The journey usually takes about 20-25 minutes. The cost for one trip is 4 lei without a reserved seat or 5 lei (1 euro) with a seat reservation. Tickets can be bought directly on the train (cash in lei or by card), from the ticket machine in the Airport station (at the entrance to the station from the airport, to the right of the ticket offices) or online, here. The easiest way is to pay by card directly in the train.
Express Bus 100 offers daily service to the city center with main stops at Baneasa Airport, Piata Presei Libere, Piata Victoriei, Piata Romana, Piata Universitatii (University Square – near the meeting venue)/Piata 21 Decembrie and Piata Unirii. The bus leaves from the international Departures terminal, as well as the Arrivals terminal, every 15 minutes during the day and 30 minutes at night. The exact schedule can be found here. The journey usually takes about 45-50 minutes. During the rush hour, the trip could easily take more than an hour. The cost for one trip is 3 lei (0.6 euros). You can pay by card (contactless) directly in the bus.
On-demand taxi services are available at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport. You may order a taxi car by using the touch screen devices in the public area of the International Arrivals Terminal. The passengers get on the taxi-cabs right outside the terminal, on the first floor, by showing the ticket issued by the automatic touch screen. The charges vary between 2.5 and 3.5 lei/km.
Uber and Bolt are also available and can be ordered through the app. The pick-up point is outside the International Arrivals Terminal, in the parking on the first floor (right side).
Metro is available for traveling within Bucharest. The cost of one trip is 3 lei (0.6euro), two trips 6 lei (1.20 euro) and 10 trips 25 lei (5 euro). Click here to see the Metro map.
Additional information is also vailable on Metrorex official website.
VISAS
In order to check if you need a visa, please check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official website, here. To streamline the process, applications for a visa can be submitted directly via the dedicated eVisa electronic portal.
Starting with March 2024, Romania is part of air and sea Schengen. You cand read more on the specific provisions this entails here.
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
Temperature: Normally 0 to 15 degrees °C (November). Please make sure you check the weather before you arrive in Bucharest.
Time zone: GMT + 2 hours
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz Standard continental European dual round-pronged plugs.
Emergency number: 112
Romania country telephone code: +40
Bucharest telephone code: 021