How To Get There

Traveling to and from Bucharest

a. If you are attending both congresses in Budapest and Bucharest and the Combined Hungarian/Romanian (Back to Budapest (S-13), you should buy a round trip ticket to Budapest. You can come from Budapest to Bucharest with the scheduled transfer plan (S-1), and back to Budapest through S-13.

b. If you are attending both congresses in Budapest, but taking no post-IFSSH congress tour, or only the one to the Black Sea (S-14), you may purchase air tickets from your home to Budapest and from Bucharest back home. You can come from Budapest to Bucharest with the scheduled transfer plan (S-1).

c. If you are attending only the post-IFSSH congress in Bucharest and want to join our Combined Hungarian/Romanian (Back to Budapest) Tour (S-13), you may buy air tickets from your home to Bucharest and from Budapest back home.

d. If you are attending only the post-IFSSH congress in Bucharest, but taking no post-IFSSH congress tour or the one to the Black Sea(S-14), you may purchase a round trip ticket to Bucharest.

e. You may also use commercial flight or train between Budapest and Budapest on your own, if you do not wish to take either or both proposed tours (S-1 and S-13).

Travel Formalities

American and Canadian citizens as well as citizens of most European countries do not need an entry visa to visit Romania. However, a valid passport is required. Citizens of other countries should check the visa regulations that apply to them with the nearest Romanian diplomatic office. For more visa information and a list of Romanian diplomatic offices abroad please visit www.mae.ro.
There is no arrival or departure tax.

Money and Budget Guide:

Currency Exchange
Romania's currency is leu (plural "lei"). Coins come in denominations of 500, 1,000 and 5,000 lei. Notes are issued in the following amounts: 10,000, 50,000, 100,000 and 500,000 Lei. Foreign currency may be exchanged at banks or authorized exchange offices (called: "casa de schimb" or "birou de schimb valutar"). International airports and larger hotels also offer currency exchange services.

Note: Although black market rates may seem good, please remember that it is illegal and you can be easily cheated.

Exchange Rate (as of March 6, 2003)
32,835 lei to one US dollar
22,303 lei to one Canadian dollar
For current exchange rate, please visit www.curs-valutar.ro.

ATM (Bancomat)
ATM machines are available at main banks and at airports and shopping centers and everywhere in the cities. Do not expect to find ATMs in remote areas or villages.

Credit Cards
Major credit cards including American Express, Mastercard and Visa are accepted in large hotels, car rental companies and stores in the main cities. However, credit cards are unlikely to prove useful in small towns or away from tourist areas.

Travelers' Checks
Preferably in US dollars or Euros, Travelers' Checks can be cashed in large banks, some hotels and selected exchange offices but most of them charge considerable commissions. Do not count on cashing such checks outside Bucharest and a few other major cities. For travel around the country it is a good idea to carry cash. Small stores and restaurants might accept U.S. Dollars in small denominations ($1, $5, $10 and $20) but the exchange rate offered will not be the best. Street handicraft vendors prefer Romanian currency.