Bucharest's extensive public transport system is the largest in Romania and the third largest in Europe. It is made up of the Bucharest Metroas well as a surface transport system run by RATB (Regia Autonoma de Transport Bucuresti), which consists of buses, trams, trolleybuses and light rail. In addition, there is a private taxi and minibus system. The metro and the surface transport system — currently run by two separate state-owned corporations — will be merged in early 2007 to form the Bucharest Metropolitan Transport Board.
The city is served by two airports: Henri Coanda International Airport (formerly Otopeni) and Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (formerly Baneasa). Henri Coanda is the largest airport in Romania and the main hub for the national operator TAROM. It is also connected to several international airports by a wide range of international airlines. The smaller Aurel Vlaicu Airport is used for charter flights and low-cost carriers.
Bucharest is the hub of Romania's national railway network, run by Caile Ferate Române. The main railway station is Gara de Nord (North Station), which provides connections to all major cities in Romania as well as international destinations such as Budapest, Sofia, Vienna and Prague. The city also has eight other railway stations run by CFR, which are in the process of being integrated in a commuter railway serving Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov county.
The city's municipal road network is centred around a series of high-capacity boulevards, which generally radiate out from the city centre to the outskirts. The main axes, which run north-south, east-west and northwest-southeast, as well as one internal and one external ring road, support the bulk of the traffic. The city's roads are usually very crowded during rush hours, due to an increase in car ownership in recent years. Every day, there are more than one million vehicles travelling within the city. This has resulted in wear and potholes appearing on many Bucharest roads, particularly secondary roads, this being identified as one of Bucharest's main infrastructural problems. In recent years, there has been a comprehensive effort on behalf of the City Hall to boost road infrastructure and according to the general development plan, nearly 2000 roads are expected to be repaired by 2008.
Bucharest is also a major intersection of Romania's national road network. It is the origin of most of the country's national roads and expressways, which link the city to all of Romania's major cities as well as to neighbouring countries such as Hungary, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Romania's two expressways currently in operation, the A1 and the A2, both start from Bucharest. The planned A3 and A4 freeways will also radiate from the Voluntari region in the city's northern outskirts.
Although it is situated on the banks of a river, Bucharest has never functioned as a port city, with other Romanian cities such as Constanta and Braila acting as the country's main ports. However, the Danube-Bucharest Canal, which is 73 km long, is currently in construction and is around 60% completed. When finished, the canal will link Bucharest to the Danube River and, via the Danube-Black Sea Canal, to the Black Sea. This corridor is expected to be a significant component of the city's transport infrastructure and increase sea traffic by a large margin
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Bucharest has two international airports: Henri Coanda International Airport, located north of the Bucharest metropolitan area, in the town of Otopeni, Ilfov. Currently the airport has one terminal di... read more
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Bucharest is served by a commuter railway network operated by CFR, the Romanian national railways. Although commuter trains no longer serve national routes, commuter train services are bad to say the ... read more
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Bucharest has a fairly extensive subway system consisting of four lines: M1, M2, M3 and M4, and run by Metrorex. In total, the network is 63km long and has 45 stations, with 1.5km average distance bet... read more
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The passengers are obliged to validate the ticket without delay when boarding the vehicle. The ticket is valid for one trip, any transfer implies a new validation. The tickets and season tickets procu... read more
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The passengers are obliged to validate the ticket without delay when boarding the vehicle. The ticket is valid for one trip, any transfer implies a new validation. The tickets and season tickets procu... read more
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The passengers are obliged to validate the ticket without delay when boarding the vehicle. The ticket is valid for one trip, any transfer implies a new validation. The tickets and season tickets procu... read more
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The passengers are obliged to validate the ticket without delay when boarding the vehicle. The ticket is valid for one trip, any transfer implies a new validation. The tickets and season tickets procu... read more
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Taxis are easy to find, although regular rises in the price of fuel lead to frequent protests and strikes. Try and avoid drivers who approach you at the airport or train station, and only used marked ... read more
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These rates are for renters who are 25 years of age or older and have a major credit card in their name to secure this rental. Changes in rental or return location, car type, date or times may change ... read more
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