🛫 Schengen Side

Carriers: Tarom (Romania’s flag carrier, SkyTeam member since 2010), Lufthansa (FRA / MUC), Air France (CDG), KLM (AMS), Austrian (VIE), ITA Airways (FCO), Swiss (ZRH), Aegean (ATH), LOT (WAW), plus the dominant Wizz Air operations as Wizz’s largest base globally.

Tarom Business Lounge sits airside in Departures and serves both the Schengen and non-Schengen sides via internal walkway.

🌐 Non-Schengen Side (UK + Long-Haul + Middle East)

Carriers: British Airways (LHR), Turkish Airlines (IST), Qatar Airways (DOH), El Al (TLV), Aer Lingus (DUB — Ireland is EU but not Schengen), Israeli operators, plus selected Wizz Air UK / Israel routes.

Romania’s 2025 Schengen accession reduced the volume of non-Schengen processing significantly — most intra-EU flights now flow internally, and only UK, Turkey, Israel, Gulf states, and selected long-haul use the non-Schengen pier.

EES Live Since 10 April 2026 — Allow Extra Time on First Entry

The EU Entry/Exit System went fully operational across all 29 Schengen countries on 10 April 2026. At OTP, first-time non-EU arrivals get fingerprints + facial scan registered instead of a passport stamp. Subsequent crossings within the 3-year biometric retention reuse the stored data and clear faster. Allow 30 min extra on first arrival; subsequent visits within 3 years process much faster. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are exempt — continue using e-gates as before. Up to 90-day flexibility lets Romanian border police ease checks during peak seasons.

ETIAS Q4 2026 — €20, Valid 3 Years

ETIAS launches Q4 2026 per March 2025 European Council confirmation. €20 fee, valid 3 years or until passport expiry, 96-hour processing. Required for visa-exempt non-EU travellers (UK, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Korea, etc.) before boarding any Schengen-bound flight including OTP. Apply via the official travel-europe.europa.eu/etias — avoid third-party scam sites.

Romanian Customs at OTP

Standard EU customs allowances: 1L spirits, 4L wine, 16L beer, 200 cigarettes from non-EU. Cash declaration over €10,000 equivalent on arrival/departure. Romanian customs are reasonably relaxed on routine tourist traffic. Drone declaration required; drones are restricted near the Palace of Parliament and the airport itself. Pet imports: standard EU pet passport rules — Romania is fully EU-aligned.

⭐ Henri Coandă Express Train (CFR Călători) — €2.55, ~20 Min, 24/7

The CFR Călători Henri Coandă Express runs from Gara de Nord (Bucharest’s main central station) to OTP’s on-airport rail station (covered walkway from the terminal). ~20 minutes, 13 RON (~€2.55) at the conductor or station kiosk, every 40 minutes 24/7 (yes, including overnight). New 2025–2026 timetable in force from 14 December 2025. This is the right answer for almost every solo or duo arrival — fastest, cheapest, no traffic risk.

🚌 Bus 100 Express (Renamed from 783) — 3.50 RON, ~40 Min

Bus 100 Express (renamed from the legacy 783 on 2 December 2023) connects OTP arrivals kerbside to Piața Unirii in central Bucharest. 3.50 RON (~€0.70) single ticket, paid via contactless tap (Visa / Mastercard) or the Activ Card on board — Bucharest’s integrated transit system has full contactless support. Every 15 minutes day / 30 min night, ~40 min trip. Cheaper than the train but slower and more traffic-exposed.

🚕 Official Taxi — Use the Yellow Touchscreen Machines

OTP’s official taxi system uses yellow touchscreen machines in arrivals — you select your destination, the machine assigns you a registered taxi, prints a ticket with the vehicle ID and driver name, and you walk to the marked rank. ~50–80 RON to central Bucharest (~€10–16), metered fares regulated. This is the safe option — tickets are auditable and drivers know they’re being recorded. Cards accepted in most official taxis. Tipping: round up or 10%.

📱 Bolt & Uber — €10–16 to Centre, Reliable

Bolt is the dominant ride-hailing app in Romania, with Uber as the alternative (BlackCab and Blue are local hailing apps). 50–80 RON typical fare to centre (~€10–16), in-app payment, tracked rides. Pickup zone signposted from arrivals; drivers will message you the zone code. Surge runs 1.5–2× during DN1 rush hour but stays mild compared to Western European or US peaks. For 2+ travellers with luggage, Bolt is often the best cost-time tradeoff when train timetables don’t align.

✨ Tarom Business Lounge (Departures, Schengen + Non-Schengen via internal walkway)

If you eat once at OTP, eat mici (skinless grilled minced-meat sausages, pronounced “meech”) — Romania’s national street food, served with mustard, fries, and a beer at most airside food stalls for ~25–40 RON (~€5–8). Sarmale (cabbage rolls stuffed with minced pork and rice, served with mămăligă / polenta and sour cream) is the homestyle option, ~30–45 RON. Mămăligă cu brânză și smântână (polenta with feta-style cheese and sour cream) is the simple shepherd’s plate. Skip the airport McDonald’s — Romanian comfort food at OTP is genuinely good.

Țuică (pronounced “tsoo-ick-uh”) is the traditional Romanian plum brandy distilled in Carpathian villages — typically 40–50% ABV, the strongest commercial versions reach 60% (palincă). Buy at the airport duty-free: ~50–80 RON for a 0.5L bottle of mid-tier țuică, ~120–180 RON for premium palincă. The locally-distilled brands (Saber, Zarea, family-distillery limited editions) are noticeably better than the export-grade tourist labels. Note: 50%+ ABV is the EU duty-free maximum without a separate spirits declaration on connecting non-EU segments.

Take-home picks at OTP duty-free: țuică / palincă (Romanian plum brandy, ~50–180 RON depending on tier), Romanian Orthodox iconography (handpainted icons from Carpathian monasteries, the Voroneț-blue ones are world-class), Carpathian forest honey (acacia, polyflora — Romania is one of Europe’s top honey producers), Romanian wine (Cotnari, Murfatlar, Recaș — distinctly Black Sea / Carpathian terroir, undervalued vs French / Italian peers). Avoid airport-priced “Dracula tat” — Bran Castle gift shops are 30–50% cheaper for the same kitsch.

The Palace of Parliament (Casa Poporului) is Ceaușescu’s 1980s megaproject — the world’s heaviest building and second-largest administrative building globally after the Pentagon. Guided tours run daily (~50 RON for English) — book online via cic.cdep.ro; passport required for entry. The architectural scale alone is worth a half-day; the full tour reveals the Ceaușescu-era political-decoration excess that makes the building uniquely Romanian. Allow 2 hours for the standard tour, more for the Senate floor extension.

Three Carpathian day-trips are within reach of Bucharest: Sinaia (Peleș Castle, ~125 km / 2-hour drive or train), Bran Castle (the “Dracula’s Castle” tourist destination, ~165 km / 2.5h — the marketing connection to Vlad the Impaler is loose, but the castle itself is genuinely Gothic), and Brașov (a beautifully preserved Saxon old town in the Carpathians, ~170 km / 2.5h). The CFR train from Gara de Nord to Brașov is the easiest access (~3 hrs, scenic mountain views, ~60 RON / €12 single). Allow a full day for any of these — same-day return is doable but tight.

Lipscani is Bucharest’s restored 17th–19th century Old Town — café and bar density, the legendary Caru’ cu Bere brasserie (1879, neo-Gothic interior, mici and Romanian beer hall), Stavropoleos Monastery (1724, tiny but stunning), and the genuinely vibrant evening scene. Calea Victoriei further north is the “Little Paris” Belle Époque architecture spine — Cantacuzino Palace, the Romanian Athenaeum (1888), the Royal Palace, plus international chains and high-end Romanian boutiques. The contrast between Lipscani’s Ottoman / Eastern European old quarter and Calea Victoriei’s French-influenced 19th-century plan is the architectural heart of Bucharest’s tourist experience.

Romania’s political turbulence in late 2024 (the cancelled Călin Georgescu first round, Constitutional Court annulment citing Russian interference) resolved on 26 May 2025 when pro-EU centrist Nicușor Dan was sworn in as President, defeating ultranationalist George Simion 53.6% / 46.4% in the rerun. Călin Georgescu was barred from the rerun and withdrew from politics on 27 May 2025. Romania remains a key NATO frontline state given Black Sea proximity to Ukraine; significant US/NATO troop presence at Mihail Kogălniceanu air base near Constanța. Bucharest itself is unaffected operationally; tourist experience remains normal.

Romania is in the EU but NOT in the Eurozone — the local currency is the Romanian leu (RON), trading at ~5.05–5.10 RON per EUR in 2026. Cards (Visa / Mastercard / Amex) are accepted everywhere in Bucharest tourist zones, including buses (contactless tap), Old Town restaurants, supermarkets, and most retail. Cash is useful for: Carpathian village pastry shops (small mountain bakeries are cash-only), tipping, and rural Bran / Sinaia / Sibiu day-trips. Avoid airport Euronet ATMs (predatory FX); use Banca Transilvania, BCR, or BRD branded ATMs in town, or pay by card with “charge in RON” (never DCC / charge in your home currency).

EU travellers: roaming via your home plan covers Romania at the same price as your home country (Roam-Like-At-Home rules apply — Romania is full EU). UK travellers post-Brexit: most major UK carriers re-introduced surcharges for EU roaming, so a Romanian SIM (Orange, Vodafone, Digi, Telekom Mobile) at ~30–50 RON for 30 days / 20 GB can save real money. Non-EU travellers: eSIM via Airalo / Holafly / Ubigi from ~$5–10 for 7-day Romania coverage. 5G covers central Bucharest; spotty in the deeper Carpathians.