While extensive, covering all areas of the city and its outskirts, Bucharest's public transport network is far from fit for purpose. Services are few and far between, slow, and as a result most trams, buses and even the metro are notoriously overcrowded throughout the day. The current sorry state of transport in the Romanian capital is a consequence of years of poor management, under-investment in infrastructure and total disinterest on the part of the city council. A ‘car first' mentality amongst locals has not helped. Taken as a whole, transport in Bucharest is at breaking point. Main roads and intersections are gridlocked, and hours are wasted in traffic. The city is the most congested capital in the European Union.
- Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Milan
- Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Dublin Airport
- Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Budapest
- Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Vienna
You can also reach Bucharest city centre by two bus lines operated by local bus service RATB. Express line 780 which connects Bucharest Airport with the Gara de Nord (main railway station) – runs from 05:35 to 23:10 (Mon to Fri) → timetable. For more information about the 780 Express Bus timetable or route, please visit: www.ratb.ro and choose 780 Bus from the left menu. Info: Between Bucharest North Train Station and Henri Coanda Airport you can also use the Express Bus 783 by combining the bus with the Metro system.
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Buses & Trams
Bucharest has hundreds of bus and trolleybus routes, and tens of trams, serving every part of the city as well as a number of suburban villages and outposts. However, most services are very crowded (their appalling interior layout and the inherent desire of many locals to stand next to the doors does not help) and you should keep your wits about you, as well as your hand on your wallet, at all times. Pickpockets are rife. In fact, if you can avoid using buses and trams, do so.
Buses and trams run at infrequent intervals from very early in the morning (around 04:30) to around 22:50 (earlier at weekends), after which the night buses takeover. These serve all areas of the capital throughout the night, with all routes departing from Piata Unirii. Most night bus services run at hourly intervals.
Bucharest Bus Route Map
Bucharest Night Bus Route Map
Two routes (laughably prefixed ‘express' - they are no such thing) serve the airport: 780 (from Gara de Nord) and 783 (from Piata Unirii).
Metro
Bucharest's metro has four lines, with a fifth eternally under construction (it is already years behind schedule). Although relatively modern (the first section opened only in 1979) many of the network's stations are shabby and in need of refurbishment. Fortunately, most of the metro's actual trains are new and the system is cheap, reliable and quick (at least compared to service-level forms of transport). The exception is the north-south M2 line, which gets dangerously crowded during the morning and evening rush hours. The metro runs from 05:00 in the morning to around 23:00.
View a large version of our bespoke Bucharest Metro map here.
Tickets
Tickets for the metro can be purchased at all metro stations. Tickets valid for two journeys cost 5 lei, while tickets valid for ten journeys cost a bargain 20 lei. You can also buy a daily ticket for 8 lei, while a weekly season ticket costs 25 lei.In order to ride Bucharest's buses, trolleybuses or trams, you need to buy an Activ or Multiplu
The Multiplu card (which is blue and white) costs 1.60 lei and needs to be loaded (when purchasing) with two to ten journeys (which each cost 1.30 lei). You can also choose to load it with a pass valid for one day's unlimited travel on all buses, trolleybuses and trams for 8 lei. After the initial purchase, the Multiplu card cannot be topped-up. The green and white Activ card costs 3.70 lei but can be topped-up with anything from 2.60 to 50 lei at a time.
When boarding buses, trolleybuses and trams you need to validate your Multiplu or Activ
If you are caught without a validiated Multiplu or Activ card you will be fined 50 lei. On all forms of public transport in Bucharest children under seven ride for free. After that - unless they are attending school in the city - they have to pay full price.
Taxis & Ridesharing
Ride-sharing apps Taxifyand Uber are well-established in Bucharest and present a good alternative to the city‘s often unreliable, dirty, and rip-off taxis. Prices (around 1.39 lei per kilometre) are about the same as for standard yellow cabs, while standards are far higher. If you do not have either app on your phone it is well worth downloading at least one, in order to spare yourself running the gauntlet of taking a normal taxi.
These are yellow, ubiquitous (at least when it is not raining) and very cheap (but only if you get into the correct taxi). Fortunately, that means the vast majority of them. Unfortunately, it is still far too easy for the uninitiated to be ripped off. Always pay careful attention to the prices, displayed on the driver's door of all taxis. There should just be one single tarif displayed, and anything higher than 1.39 lei per kilometre should start alarm bells ringing: never pay more. Always insist that the metre is turned on: many drivers (especially at night) refuse to do so, demanding exorbitant flat fares. Many others will often refuse short journeys (even though by law they are not allowed to do so). Be extra careful when getting into a taxi around Gara de Nord, any mall or shopping centre, Piata Universitatii, Piata Unirii and the Old Town/Lipscani area, especially at night. When leaving a hotel or restaurant, always have the concierge or waiter order you a cab. At Otopeni Airport, ignore any taxi drivers who approach you in the arrivals hall, as well as those waiting outside, and use the official taxi ordering system. Better still, boycott Bucharest's taxis altogether, as many locals now do on a matter of principle. Call an Uber, or a Taxify.
More on avoiding Bucharest's dodgy taxis and the tactics they use over at Bucharest Life.
Trains
Romania's railways are in an awful state. More than two decades of neglect has rendered much of the country's railway infrastructure dangerously out of date, and large swathes of Romania now see no train services at all. Even in those of parts of the country where trains still run, services are slow, infrequent and subject to long delays. CFR - which operates the trains - perennially verges on bankruptcy and has become a byword for inefficiency. What's more, ticket prices are no longer the bargain they once were, and while they remain relatively low by international standards, for many Romanians on low incomes the train is now out of reach.That said, the story is not wholly a sad one, for there has been some investment in the railway network, most notably on the Bucharest - Brasov and Bucharest - Constanta routes. Even here, however, the lack of trains (there are just a handful of services per day) and constant delays make the train an increasingly unattractive option for travellers.
Should you have to take a train in Romania, always try to get an InterCity (IC - although note these are few and far between) or InterRegio (IR) as they are the fastest and usually have the most modern rolling stock. Regio (R-) trains (which until recently were known as Personal), are slow and often use much older rolling stock. You will also see trains designated as ICN: these are InterCity trains which stop at more stations than usual, and are more like InterRegios. Prices on all types of train are relatively cheap, but are rising fast. An
Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Milan
InterRegio adult single from Bucharest to Brasov currently costs 73 lei.Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Dublin Airport
To buy train tickets, visit either the station, a CFR agency or buy online at cfrcalatori.ro. Fairly substantial reductions are available for buying online return tickets well in advance. It is also worth noting that if buying tickets online you need to do so at least 12 hours before the train is due to depart. After that you will need to purchase them from the station or a CFR ticket agency.In all cases, do not leave buying tickets to the last minute: long queues could mean you miss your train. Tickets cannot be purchased on CFR trains, though in the worst case scenario you can try bribing the guard. Many locals do this habitually.
On the privately run Hyperion trains, however, which depart Bucharest for Brasov and Constanta at 09:23 and 10:00 respectively each morning, you can buy tickets on board. There is also free Wifi and a coffee machine: a refreshing change to CFR. What's more, tickets cost just 30 lei. There is, alas, just the one private train per day at the moment, although more may follow soon. For more info, see the website softrans.ro. The full Romanian train timetable is online at cfrcalatori.ro.
Plenty more about Romanian trains at Bucharest Life.
Bucharest has a well-developed public transport network: there are 4 metro lines, a dense network of buses, trolleybuses, and trams. Buses and trams meet both old and modern air-conditioned Mercedes buses. Bucharest has one of the largest public transport networks in Europe.
Bucharest public transport tickets
Please note that some types of tickets are only valid for metro travel . Magnetic cards are used as tickets in Bucharest. You can buy tickets for metro travel at kiosks at the entrance to the metro or at ticket offices with the inscription Casa. Ground transportation tickets are purchased at kiosks with the RATB sign.
Underground
There are 4 lines in the Bucharest metro: M1, M2, M3 and M4 with stations for the transition between branches, which can be viewed on the metro map attached below. The metro operates from 05:00 to 23:00. The metro has modern trains manufactured by Bombardier and Romanian manufacturer Astra IVA. On the 2019 Bucharest metro map, you see, in addition to the letter designation, the color coding of the lines.
Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Budapest
The total length of metro lines is 73 km and 53 stations. The metro transports over 700 thousand passengers daily. The metro is crowded in the morning and at rush hours. We went down the subway, and it seemed to me rather gloomy. The plus is that if you are traveling in summer, you do not have to shake in dusty and stuffy ground transport. Fortunately, the metro runs close to all the main attractions of Bucharest:
- Botanical Garden (metro station Politehnica);
- Cantacuzino Palace (metro station Piata Romana, Piata Victoriei);
- Cotroceni Palace (metro station Politehnica);
- Palace of the Parliament (metro station Izvor);
- National Museum of the History of Romania (metro station Piața Unrii).
Ground transportation: buses, trolleybuses, trams
Bucharest's ground transportation network is one of the densest in Europe. Ground transportation is used by 1.7 million passengers daily. Ground transportation in Bucharest runs on average from 04:30 am until 23:00 or 23:30.
What is important to know about bus routes in Bucharest:
- City buses are numbered from 101 to 697;
- Suburban buses – from 408 to 471;
- Express buses # 780 and # 783 connect Bucharest Airport (Otopeni) with the city center .
Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Vienna
There are 85 daily routes in the city. The cost of travel on suburban buses is slightly higher than on city routes, so pay attention to which specific bus routes you will use to get the right ticket.
The bus can only be entered through the front door. You can buy a ticket from the driver or validate a pre-purchased ticket that you already have. During validation, the cost of 1 trip will be deducted from your ticket, after which a green light on the device will light up.
There are 15 trolleybus routes in Bucharest. Outdated Ikarus operate on the routes, but there are also more modern low-floor trolleybuses. If you are planning to travel around Bucharest by trolleybus, I recommend that you print out a map of its routes.
There are 23 tram routes . In addition, there is 1 light rail line. In my opinion, trams look extremely ancient and depressing. I noticed that few people use them: apparently, the locals prefer the metro and buses.
Night routes
If you are walking in the center and suddenly night has fallen, you can take a chance and take one of the night bus routes. However, if I were you, in such a situation, I would take a taxi: you are not in civilized Europe, and you need to understand that it is not as safe to travel here by night transport as in the Czech Republic or Germany. Fortunately, a taxi costs a mere penny here.
There are 25-night bus routes in Bucharest. In the interval from 23:00 to 01:00, buses run at intervals of 40 minutes, from 01:00 to 03:00 – at intervals of 120 minutes, from 03:00 to 04:30 – at intervals of 40 minutes. Night routes are numbered N101 – N125. Below you can see the routes for night transport in Bucharest.
Taxi in Bucharest
Taxis in Romania are not a luxury: here they are more than cheap. But you need to make sure you get into the car with the official carrier. The fare for 1 km from official carriers ranges from 1.39 to 3.5 lei. The taxi must be marked with checkers and other typical designations. When boarding, the driver turns on the counter, to which the boarding fee is added. Tipping is usually not given to taxi drivers in Romania.
Some tips for ordering a taxi safely in Bucharest and Romania in general:
- To avoid bad taxis, it is better to order a taxi from the official taxi services (Meridian, Taxi 2000, or Taxi AS) by phone or through mobile applications. If you don't want to mess with the Romanians, order a reliable taxi, and don't fool your head.
- Before the trip, check the address of your destination on Google Maps and get at least a rough idea of which direction you need to go so that the taxi driver does not arrange for you a tour with loops and detours of the entire city.
- Always take a small change with you in a taxi: bills of 1, 5, 10 lei, so as not to face the fact that the taxi driver 'has no change.'
- Avoid taking taxis on the street near crowded places: in the Otopeni airport area, by the main shopping street of Lipscani. Tourists for local drivers are a great profit, so do not take a taxi in these places, this is a complete divorce.
- Always check the cost of 1 km indicated on the taxi door. Taxi drivers sometimes resort to tricks and keep the door open so that you don't see this number.
- If you think that the taxi driver has cheated you, call the police on 112.
Alternatively, you can order a taxi transfer online in advance on the Internet, it is comfortable and no one will deceive you.
Rent a car in Bucharest
The Multiplu card (which is blue and white) costs 1.60 lei and needs to be loaded (when purchasing) with two to ten journeys (which each cost 1.30 lei). You can also choose to load it with a pass valid for one day's unlimited travel on all buses, trolleybuses and trams for 8 lei. After the initial purchase, the Multiplu card cannot be topped-up. The green and white Activ card costs 3.70 lei but can be topped-up with anything from 2.60 to 50 lei at a time.
When boarding buses, trolleybuses and trams you need to validate your Multiplu or Activ card at one of the orange machines dotted around the vehicles. Just wave the card next to the machine until you here the beep: the screen will tell you how many journeys or how much credit you have left.
If you are caught without a validiated Multiplu or Activ card you will be fined 50 lei. On all forms of public transport in Bucharest children under seven ride for free. After that - unless they are attending school in the city - they have to pay full price.
Taxis & Ridesharing
Ride-sharing apps Taxifyand Uber are well-established in Bucharest and present a good alternative to the city‘s often unreliable, dirty, and rip-off taxis. Prices (around 1.39 lei per kilometre) are about the same as for standard yellow cabs, while standards are far higher. If you do not have either app on your phone it is well worth downloading at least one, in order to spare yourself running the gauntlet of taking a normal taxi.
These are yellow, ubiquitous (at least when it is not raining) and very cheap (but only if you get into the correct taxi). Fortunately, that means the vast majority of them. Unfortunately, it is still far too easy for the uninitiated to be ripped off. Always pay careful attention to the prices, displayed on the driver's door of all taxis. There should just be one single tarif displayed, and anything higher than 1.39 lei per kilometre should start alarm bells ringing: never pay more. Always insist that the metre is turned on: many drivers (especially at night) refuse to do so, demanding exorbitant flat fares. Many others will often refuse short journeys (even though by law they are not allowed to do so). Be extra careful when getting into a taxi around Gara de Nord, any mall or shopping centre, Piata Universitatii, Piata Unirii and the Old Town/Lipscani area, especially at night. When leaving a hotel or restaurant, always have the concierge or waiter order you a cab. At Otopeni Airport, ignore any taxi drivers who approach you in the arrivals hall, as well as those waiting outside, and use the official taxi ordering system. Better still, boycott Bucharest's taxis altogether, as many locals now do on a matter of principle. Call an Uber, or a Taxify.
More on avoiding Bucharest's dodgy taxis and the tactics they use over at Bucharest Life.
Trains
Romania's railways are in an awful state. More than two decades of neglect has rendered much of the country's railway infrastructure dangerously out of date, and large swathes of Romania now see no train services at all. Even in those of parts of the country where trains still run, services are slow, infrequent and subject to long delays. CFR - which operates the trains - perennially verges on bankruptcy and has become a byword for inefficiency. What's more, ticket prices are no longer the bargain they once were, and while they remain relatively low by international standards, for many Romanians on low incomes the train is now out of reach.That said, the story is not wholly a sad one, for there has been some investment in the railway network, most notably on the Bucharest - Brasov and Bucharest - Constanta routes. Even here, however, the lack of trains (there are just a handful of services per day) and constant delays make the train an increasingly unattractive option for travellers.
Should you have to take a train in Romania, always try to get an InterCity (IC - although note these are few and far between) or InterRegio (IR) as they are the fastest and usually have the most modern rolling stock. Regio (R-) trains (which until recently were known as Personal), are slow and often use much older rolling stock. You will also see trains designated as ICN: these are InterCity trains which stop at more stations than usual, and are more like InterRegios. Prices on all types of train are relatively cheap, but are rising fast. An
Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Milan
InterRegio adult single from Bucharest to Brasov currently costs 73 lei.Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Dublin Airport
To buy train tickets, visit either the station, a CFR agency or buy online at cfrcalatori.ro. Fairly substantial reductions are available for buying online return tickets well in advance. It is also worth noting that if buying tickets online you need to do so at least 12 hours before the train is due to depart. After that you will need to purchase them from the station or a CFR ticket agency.In all cases, do not leave buying tickets to the last minute: long queues could mean you miss your train. Tickets cannot be purchased on CFR trains, though in the worst case scenario you can try bribing the guard. Many locals do this habitually.
On the privately run Hyperion trains, however, which depart Bucharest for Brasov and Constanta at 09:23 and 10:00 respectively each morning, you can buy tickets on board. There is also free Wifi and a coffee machine: a refreshing change to CFR. What's more, tickets cost just 30 lei. There is, alas, just the one private train per day at the moment, although more may follow soon. For more info, see the website softrans.ro. The full Romanian train timetable is online at cfrcalatori.ro.
Plenty more about Romanian trains at Bucharest Life.
Bucharest has a well-developed public transport network: there are 4 metro lines, a dense network of buses, trolleybuses, and trams. Buses and trams meet both old and modern air-conditioned Mercedes buses. Bucharest has one of the largest public transport networks in Europe.
Bucharest public transport tickets
Please note that some types of tickets are only valid for metro travel . Magnetic cards are used as tickets in Bucharest. You can buy tickets for metro travel at kiosks at the entrance to the metro or at ticket offices with the inscription Casa. Ground transportation tickets are purchased at kiosks with the RATB sign.
Underground
There are 4 lines in the Bucharest metro: M1, M2, M3 and M4 with stations for the transition between branches, which can be viewed on the metro map attached below. The metro operates from 05:00 to 23:00. The metro has modern trains manufactured by Bombardier and Romanian manufacturer Astra IVA. On the 2019 Bucharest metro map, you see, in addition to the letter designation, the color coding of the lines.
Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Budapest
The total length of metro lines is 73 km and 53 stations. The metro transports over 700 thousand passengers daily. The metro is crowded in the morning and at rush hours. We went down the subway, and it seemed to me rather gloomy. The plus is that if you are traveling in summer, you do not have to shake in dusty and stuffy ground transport. Fortunately, the metro runs close to all the main attractions of Bucharest:
- Botanical Garden (metro station Politehnica);
- Cantacuzino Palace (metro station Piata Romana, Piata Victoriei);
- Cotroceni Palace (metro station Politehnica);
- Palace of the Parliament (metro station Izvor);
- National Museum of the History of Romania (metro station Piața Unrii).
Ground transportation: buses, trolleybuses, trams
Bucharest's ground transportation network is one of the densest in Europe. Ground transportation is used by 1.7 million passengers daily. Ground transportation in Bucharest runs on average from 04:30 am until 23:00 or 23:30.
What is important to know about bus routes in Bucharest:
- City buses are numbered from 101 to 697;
- Suburban buses – from 408 to 471;
- Express buses # 780 and # 783 connect Bucharest Airport (Otopeni) with the city center .
Bus 780 Bucharest Timetable Vienna
There are 85 daily routes in the city. The cost of travel on suburban buses is slightly higher than on city routes, so pay attention to which specific bus routes you will use to get the right ticket.
The bus can only be entered through the front door. You can buy a ticket from the driver or validate a pre-purchased ticket that you already have. During validation, the cost of 1 trip will be deducted from your ticket, after which a green light on the device will light up.
There are 15 trolleybus routes in Bucharest. Outdated Ikarus operate on the routes, but there are also more modern low-floor trolleybuses. If you are planning to travel around Bucharest by trolleybus, I recommend that you print out a map of its routes.
There are 23 tram routes . In addition, there is 1 light rail line. In my opinion, trams look extremely ancient and depressing. I noticed that few people use them: apparently, the locals prefer the metro and buses.
Night routes
If you are walking in the center and suddenly night has fallen, you can take a chance and take one of the night bus routes. However, if I were you, in such a situation, I would take a taxi: you are not in civilized Europe, and you need to understand that it is not as safe to travel here by night transport as in the Czech Republic or Germany. Fortunately, a taxi costs a mere penny here.
There are 25-night bus routes in Bucharest. In the interval from 23:00 to 01:00, buses run at intervals of 40 minutes, from 01:00 to 03:00 – at intervals of 120 minutes, from 03:00 to 04:30 – at intervals of 40 minutes. Night routes are numbered N101 – N125. Below you can see the routes for night transport in Bucharest.
Taxi in Bucharest
Taxis in Romania are not a luxury: here they are more than cheap. But you need to make sure you get into the car with the official carrier. The fare for 1 km from official carriers ranges from 1.39 to 3.5 lei. The taxi must be marked with checkers and other typical designations. When boarding, the driver turns on the counter, to which the boarding fee is added. Tipping is usually not given to taxi drivers in Romania.
Some tips for ordering a taxi safely in Bucharest and Romania in general:
- To avoid bad taxis, it is better to order a taxi from the official taxi services (Meridian, Taxi 2000, or Taxi AS) by phone or through mobile applications. If you don't want to mess with the Romanians, order a reliable taxi, and don't fool your head.
- Before the trip, check the address of your destination on Google Maps and get at least a rough idea of which direction you need to go so that the taxi driver does not arrange for you a tour with loops and detours of the entire city.
- Always take a small change with you in a taxi: bills of 1, 5, 10 lei, so as not to face the fact that the taxi driver 'has no change.'
- Avoid taking taxis on the street near crowded places: in the Otopeni airport area, by the main shopping street of Lipscani. Tourists for local drivers are a great profit, so do not take a taxi in these places, this is a complete divorce.
- Always check the cost of 1 km indicated on the taxi door. Taxi drivers sometimes resort to tricks and keep the door open so that you don't see this number.
- If you think that the taxi driver has cheated you, call the police on 112.
Alternatively, you can order a taxi transfer online in advance on the Internet, it is comfortable and no one will deceive you.
Rent a car in Bucharest
There is no point in renting a car to explore Bucharest because of problems with parking and traffic jams. But if you decide to go to the castles and other cities of Romania, then it's hard to do it without a car. The roads in Romania are of normal quality, there is always asphalt to popular tourist sites. Traveling by car in Romania is comfortable, and the mountain roads are very picturesque. When traveling, it is worth considering that a liter of gasoline costs about € 1.2.
Don't know where are the best car rental conditions? Then go to Rental cars and select a car according to the parameters you need. The advantage of the site is a comparison of rental prices from all large and reliable rental companies.
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