Difference between revisions of "Romania"

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|pop = 22,276,056
 
|pop = 22,276,056
 
|currency = Leu (RON)
 
|currency = Leu (RON)
|hitch = {{very good}}
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|BW = RO
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|hitch = <rating country='ro' />
 
}}
 
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'''Romania''' is one of the newest members of the [[European Union]], located in South-East Central Europe. It shares a border with [[Hungary]] and [[Serbia]] to the west, [[Ukraine]] and the Republic of [[Moldova]] to the northeast, and [[Bulgaria]] to the south.
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'''Romania''' a country in southeastern Europe, a member of the [[European Union]] but not yet a member of the Schengen zone. It shares a border with [[Hungary]] and [[Serbia]] to the west, [[Ukraine]] and the Republic of [[Moldova]] to the northeast, and [[Bulgaria]] to the south.
  
In Romania payment for the ride is often expected, although foreigners often aren't asked for anything. People expect to be paid for giving a ride, but if you tell them in advance that you are unable to pay, 1 out of 2 will take you anyway. It is still cheaper than trains and buses though. The local currency is the Leu (pl. Lei). When hitchhiking, it's best to hold a sign with the name of the place you want to go. The most common method is using the 2-letter county code for the place you want to go.
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Hitchhiking in Romania is usually very easy. Payment for the ride is often expected, however. Make sure to tell the driver that you are travelling without money (''fără bani'' ‘without money’ or ''nu am bani'' ‘I have no money’) before you get in the car. Most drivers will agree to take you anyway, but if you don't tell them beforehand, they can aggressively demand payment when you get out later. If you wish to pay drivers like local hitchhikers do, it is still cheaper than trains and buses though, about 5 lei (€1.25) for every 100 km.
  
Getting a ride can sometimes be difficult, as some of the cars that pass seem tiny, ancient and packed with more people than there are seats. This is probably due to the low rate of car ownership in some areas, and the fact that hitching is still a common way for locals to travel, particularly in the country. Getting a lift in a truck is fairly rare in Romania compared to the surrounding countries.
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Sometimes it's possible to find some drivers that will ask you for a lot of money, maybe even €100 for a short trip. Some people are trying to work as illegal drivers taking people from one place to another, due to the high unemployment. When they see foreigners they will try to convince them to go with them and ask for lots of money, even if local travellers just pay 5 lei. Recently, the Romanian government has forbidden asking for money when taking hitchhikers, but not hitchhiking itself.
  
Romania has a long established hitchhiking tradition from the communist era. Back then, few people had cars, and there was a constant fuel shortage, so sharing a ride was the best way to get from A to B.
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At the exits of most cities, there are established places to hitchhike and you may find yourself competing with local people who will pay drivers. In some cases, it is better to walk a little bit down the road and hitchhike where you can stand alone. The common practice is to hold a sign with the name of the place you want to go; Romanian usually write the two-letter code of the county seat they are going to (e.g. "CJ" for Cluj).
  
Romania has very few kilometers of real highway. You can stand directly on the national roads and thumb, though junctions are always best because cars go more slowly there.
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Romania has just a couple of hundred kilometers of real motorway, in the south of the country. Elsewhere, long-distance traffic is going on national roads with E numbers. You can stand directly on the national roads and thumb, though junctions are always best because cars go more slowly there.
  
 
== Language ==
 
== Language ==
Romanian is one of the few non-Slavic languages of Eastern Europe. It uses the Latin alphabet and is related to French, Italian, Spanish etc. Speakers of one of these languages will find it easier to pronounce and understand Romanian.
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Romanian is one of the few non-Slavic languages of Eastern Europe. It uses the Latin alphabet and is related to French, Italian, Spanish etc. Speakers of one of these languages will find it easier to understand Romanian though speakers of Slavic languages will find it easier to pronounce as its sounds have been influenced by its neighbours.
  
* [[Romanian phrasebook]]
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* [[Template:Phrasebook/Romanian|Romanian phrasebook]]
 +
 
 +
[[File:Lien-hitching-one-car-before-romania.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[User:Guaka|guaka]] spotted his room mate from Brussels at the side of the road in August 2010, this was a couple of minutes later]]
  
 
== Regions ==
 
== Regions ==
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* [[Dobrogea]]
 
* [[Dobrogea]]
  
== Cities ==
 
 
{{Cities Romania}}
 
{{Cities Romania}}
  
 
== Roads ==
 
== Roads ==
 
The roads are very outdated. There are only 3 motorways in all of Romania:
 
The roads are very outdated. There are only 3 motorways in all of Romania:
* The [[A1 (Romania)|A1]] going 127&nbsp;km from [[Bucureşti]] to [[Piteşti]] – the only fully operational motorway in Romania
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* The [[A1 (Romania)|A1]] going 127&nbsp;km from [[Bucureşti]] to [[Piteşti]] – the only fully operational motorway in Romania  
* The [[A2 (Romania)|A2]] or ''Sun's motorway'', going 204&nbsp;km from [[Bucureşti]] to [[Constanţa]] – only 75 % completed
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A 1 parts 2016 situation : Sibiu to Deva 140km ready /Traian Vuia, Lugoj, Timisoara, Arad, Nadlac to Szeged (Hungary) +/-170km ready.
* The [[A3 (Romania)|A3]] or ''Transylvania motorway'', going 588&nbsp;km from [[Bucureşti]] to the border with [[Hungary]] – under construction, due 2013
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* The [[A2 (Romania)|A2]] or ''Sun's motorway'', going 204&nbsp;km from [[Bucureşti]] to [[Constanţa]] completed.
 +
* The [[A3 (Romania)|A3]] or ''Transylvania motorway'', going 588&nbsp;km from [[Bucureşti]] to the border with [[Hungary]] – under construction, due 2013.
 +
A3  parts 2016 situation [[Bucuresti]] to [[Ploiesti]] 60km in use, Turda to Gilau in use.
 
Most of the other roads are in poor condition, the European routes being the best. Even so, hitching a ride is quite easy, especially on the major European roads that get a lot of traffic.
 
Most of the other roads are in poor condition, the European routes being the best. Even so, hitching a ride is quite easy, especially on the major European roads that get a lot of traffic.
  
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[[File:Map_romania_regions_and_districts.jpg|thumb|right|float|Political map of Romania: historical regions and counties]]
 
[[File:Map_romania_regions_and_districts.jpg|thumb|right|float|Political map of Romania: historical regions and counties]]
 
The most used type of license plate uses a ''cc-99-xyz'' format, where ''cc'' is the 2-letter county code, ''99'' a random 2-digit number, and ''xyz'' 3 random letters.<br />
 
The most used type of license plate uses a ''cc-99-xyz'' format, where ''cc'' is the 2-letter county code, ''99'' a random 2-digit number, and ''xyz'' 3 random letters.<br />
It's quite possible to see [[Bucharest]] registered plates ('''B'''''-99-xyz'') all over the country, as all the leasing companies are based in Bucharest, and people are obliged to use Bucharest plates while their cars are in leasing.
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It's quite possible to see [[Bucureşti|Bucharest]] registered plates ('''B'''''-99-xyz'') all over the country, as all the leasing companies are based in Bucharest, and people are obliged to use Bucharest plates while their cars are in leasing.
  
 
=== County license plate codes ===
 
=== County license plate codes ===
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== Border crossings ==
 
== Border crossings ==
  
=== [[Ukraine]] ===
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* [[Bulgaria]]:
 
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** [[Ruse-Giurgiu border crossing|Ruse-Giurgiu]], the major international route
* [[Siret-Porubnoe border crossing]]
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** [[Calafat-Vidin border crossing|Calafat-Vidin]]
 
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** [[Durankulak-Vama Veche border crossing|Durankulak-Vama Veche]]
There is no border crossing between Ukraine and the Danube Delta region of Romania. Travelers going between eastern Romania and southern Ukraine must pass through Moldova. There are private boats that may [[ferry]] travelers, but they ask into the hundreds of euro for the service.
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* [[Hungary]]
 
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** [[Ártánd-Borş border crossing|Ártánd-Borş]]
=== [[Moldova]] ===
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** [[Nădlac-Nagylak border crossing‎|Nădlac-Nagylak]]
 
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* [[Moldova]]
* [[Galaţi-Giugiuleşti border crossing‎]]
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** [[Galaţi-Giugiuleşti border crossing|Galaţi-Giugiuleşti‎]]
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* [[Serbia]]
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** The [[Iron Gates]]
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** [[Stamora Moravița-Vatin border crossing|Stamora Moravița-Vatin]]
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* [[Ukraine]]:
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** [[Dyakove-Halmeu border crossing|Dyakove-Halmeu]]
 +
** [[Sighetu Marmației-Solotvyno border crossing]]
 +
** [[Siret-Porubnoe border crossing|Siret-Porubnoe]]
 +
** There is no border crossing between Ukraine and the Danube Delta region of Romania. Travelers going between eastern Romania and southern Ukraine must pass through Moldova. There are privately owned boats that may takes travelers, but they ask up to hundreds of euro for the service.
  
 +
== Personal Experiences ==
 +
''In total I spent around three months in Romania. I hitchhiked from Bucharest to Timisoara, Brasov and Iasi and also spent a few weeks camping in Transylvania. I hitchhiked to many landmarks such as Dracula's Castle, Rasnov Castle and the National Park in Zarnesti. Romanian people are incredibly friendly and happy to see travelers. I never found safety to be a problem and camped out at night in the national park in special spherical huts built for shepherds (I think they are for protection from bears). There are maps of the park which indicate the location of these huts and the best trails. Romania was the first country where I traveled for more than two days with the one truck driver. You should be OK to get around speaking English although if you have Italian that's a huge bonus and maybe learn a few basic Romanian words to be polite with any elderly farmers who pick you up in the country (Hungarian instead in many parts of Transylvania). Some drivers are quite lethal here too, so be prepared to take bends while overtaking gypsy carts at worrying speeds! Twice I was asked to contribute to the gas expenditure (out of maybe 30 lifts). I found hitchhiking at the side of the road with thumb out to be more time effective than petrol stations, many towns have hitchhiking spots where locals can be seen with their thumbs out. This country can't be skipped on a Europe trip if you like sheep's cheese, nature and castles'' -[[User:HoboSpirit|HoboSpirit]]
  
 
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
 
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
 
{{hitchbase_country|160}}
 
{{hitchbase_country|160}}
 
{{IsIn|Eastern Europe}}
 
{{IsIn|Eastern Europe}}
__NOTOC__
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[[trash:Romania]]
  
 
[[Category:Romania| ]]
 
[[Category:Romania| ]]
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[[es:Rumania]]
 
[[es:Rumania]]
 
[[fr:Roumanie]]
 
[[fr:Roumanie]]
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[[ru:Румыния]]
 
[[tr:Romanya]]
 
[[tr:Romanya]]

Revision as of 22:09, 17 February 2020

Flag of Romania Romania
Information
Language: Romanian
Capital: Bucureşti
Population: 22,276,056
Currency: Leu (RON)
Hitchability: <rating country='ro' />
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots or BeWelcome
<map lat='46' lng='25' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' height='320' country='Romania' />

Romania a country in southeastern Europe, a member of the European Union but not yet a member of the Schengen zone. It shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the northeast, and Bulgaria to the south.

Hitchhiking in Romania is usually very easy. Payment for the ride is often expected, however. Make sure to tell the driver that you are travelling without money (fără bani ‘without money’ or nu am bani ‘I have no money’) before you get in the car. Most drivers will agree to take you anyway, but if you don't tell them beforehand, they can aggressively demand payment when you get out later. If you wish to pay drivers like local hitchhikers do, it is still cheaper than trains and buses though, about 5 lei (€1.25) for every 100 km.

Sometimes it's possible to find some drivers that will ask you for a lot of money, maybe even €100 for a short trip. Some people are trying to work as illegal drivers taking people from one place to another, due to the high unemployment. When they see foreigners they will try to convince them to go with them and ask for lots of money, even if local travellers just pay 5 lei. Recently, the Romanian government has forbidden asking for money when taking hitchhikers, but not hitchhiking itself.

At the exits of most cities, there are established places to hitchhike and you may find yourself competing with local people who will pay drivers. In some cases, it is better to walk a little bit down the road and hitchhike where you can stand alone. The common practice is to hold a sign with the name of the place you want to go; Romanian usually write the two-letter code of the county seat they are going to (e.g. "CJ" for Cluj).

Romania has just a couple of hundred kilometers of real motorway, in the south of the country. Elsewhere, long-distance traffic is going on national roads with E numbers. You can stand directly on the national roads and thumb, though junctions are always best because cars go more slowly there.

Language

Romanian is one of the few non-Slavic languages of Eastern Europe. It uses the Latin alphabet and is related to French, Italian, Spanish etc. Speakers of one of these languages will find it easier to understand Romanian though speakers of Slavic languages will find it easier to pronounce as its sounds have been influenced by its neighbours.

File:Lien-hitching-one-car-before-romania.jpg
guaka spotted his room mate from Brussels at the side of the road in August 2010, this was a couple of minutes later

Regions

Romanian cities with more than 100.000 inhabitants

> 1.000.000: Bucureşti

300.000–500.000: Cluj-NapocaConstanţaIaşiTimişoara

100.000–300.000: AradBacăuBaia MareBotoşaniBrăilaBraşovBuzăuCraiovaDrobeta-Turnu SeverinGalaţiOradeaPiatra-NeamţPiteştiPloieştiRâmnicu VâlceaSatu MareSibiuSuceavaTârgu Mureş

Roads

The roads are very outdated. There are only 3 motorways in all of Romania:

A 1 parts 2016 situation : Sibiu to Deva 140km ready /Traian Vuia, Lugoj, Timisoara, Arad, Nadlac to Szeged (Hungary) +/-170km ready.

A3 parts 2016 situation Bucuresti to Ploiesti 60km in use, Turda to Gilau in use. Most of the other roads are in poor condition, the European routes being the best. Even so, hitching a ride is quite easy, especially on the major European roads that get a lot of traffic.

Number plates

Political map of Romania: historical regions and counties

The most used type of license plate uses a cc-99-xyz format, where cc is the 2-letter county code, 99 a random 2-digit number, and xyz 3 random letters.
It's quite possible to see Bucharest registered plates (B-99-xyz) all over the country, as all the leasing companies are based in Bucharest, and people are obliged to use Bucharest plates while their cars are in leasing.

County license plate codes

County Code Residence County Code Residence County Code Residence County Code Residence
Alba AB Alba Iulia Buzău BZ Buzău Gorj GJ Târgu Jiu Prahova PH Ploieşti
Arad AR Arad Caraş-Severin CS Resiţa Harghita HR Miercurea Ciuc Satu-Mare SM Satu-Mare
Argeş AG Piteşti Cluj CJ Cluj-Napoca Hunedoara HD Deva Sălaj SJ Zalău
Bacău BC Bacău Călăraşi CL Călăraşi Ialomiţa IL Slobozia Sibiu SB Sibiu
Bihor BH Oradea Constanţa CT Constanţa Ilfov IF Bucureşti Teleorman TR Alexandria
Bistriţa-Năsăud BN Bistriţa Covasna CV Sfântu Gheorghe Maramureş MM Baia Mare Timiş TM Timişoara
Botoşani BT Botoşani Dâmboviţa DB Târgovişte Mehedinţi MH Drobeta Turnu-Severin Tulcea TL Tulcea
Braşov BV Braşov Dolj DJ Craiova Mureş MS Târgu Mureş Vâlcea VL Râmnicu Vâlcea
Brăila BR Brăila Galaţi GL Galaţi Neamţ NT Piatra Neamţ Vaslui VS Vaslui
Bucureşti B Giurgiu GR Giurgiu Olt OT Slatina Vrancea VN Focşani

Border crossings

Personal Experiences

In total I spent around three months in Romania. I hitchhiked from Bucharest to Timisoara, Brasov and Iasi and also spent a few weeks camping in Transylvania. I hitchhiked to many landmarks such as Dracula's Castle, Rasnov Castle and the National Park in Zarnesti. Romanian people are incredibly friendly and happy to see travelers. I never found safety to be a problem and camped out at night in the national park in special spherical huts built for shepherds (I think they are for protection from bears). There are maps of the park which indicate the location of these huts and the best trails. Romania was the first country where I traveled for more than two days with the one truck driver. You should be OK to get around speaking English although if you have Italian that's a huge bonus and maybe learn a few basic Romanian words to be polite with any elderly farmers who pick you up in the country (Hungarian instead in many parts of Transylvania). Some drivers are quite lethal here too, so be prepared to take bends while overtaking gypsy carts at worrying speeds! Twice I was asked to contribute to the gas expenditure (out of maybe 30 lifts). I found hitchhiking at the side of the road with thumb out to be more time effective than petrol stations, many towns have hitchhiking spots where locals can be seen with their thumbs out. This country can't be skipped on a Europe trip if you like sheep's cheese, nature and castles -HoboSpirit


trash:Romania