Romania - currency and train travel

Kyss

I am travelling to Romania soon. I had hoped to carry some local currency but none of the places I've tried [Post Office, Travelex, Thomas Cook] seem to offer it. I've been reading the advice on this site and have applied for a Nationwide account, but I don't know if it will come through before I leave. Is it possible to buy Romanian lei [I'm nowhere near London]? Could I just take sterling and change it at the airport on arrival? I assume that there will be a currency exchange place at the airport - I've not been this far afield before! Or should I change my pounds to dollars or euros in the UK, then change to lei when I get there?

My other question is about train travel. I need to book an intercity train in Romania and have read that reservations are needed. I've tried https://www.raileurope.co.uk but they say that more than three connections are needed for that journey and they can't sell me the tickets [I don't know why as it seems to be a direct route]. The only option they offer is a rail card, but this will work out a lot more expensive than the return journey I'd hoped to book, and also won't include reservations. Does anyone know how to book train travel in Romania?

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Finishrich

Regards currency I looked at travelex but it's not listed on their website either. Try contacting their customer service I would imagine they'd be able to advise you on what's the best thing to do.

" customerservices@travelex.com
Please use this address for all correspondence regarding Travelex daily business and services. We will do our best to respond to your message within 3-5 business days. "

As for the train journey I would have suggest raileurope too, so not much help there.

Kyss

Thank you - I have emailed Travelex. Does anyone know how long it takes to order money, if I am successful? I was thinking it would be a few days, but I've now been told it takes weeks.

What about my ideas of taking UK money and changing it in Bucharest, or taking money out by debit card over there?

Kyss

I have now checked with Travelex and they say they don't stock Romanian lei, and that there are government imposed import and expert restrictions. I presume that this means that nowhere else will stock it either?

What's the best course of action - to take over UK pounds and exchange at the airport, assuming there's a currency exchange place there, or to take another currency such as Euros or dollars and do the same - or to get money out with a debit card, assuming there is a cashpoint at the airport? Are these viable options? I'm feeling a bit nervous about arriving without any useable money - and I'll need to get a taxi at the airport so will need some local money to hand.

I'm still stuck with the trains too - I've found the local train website, but can't work out how to buy or book tickets, and can't find the journey I want.

The_Lambton_Worm

I went to Romania by bus (from Glasgow) in about 1986. The commies were still running the place then.

When we got to the border we had to buy our money from an official outlet at the border post. We were told that we would be jailed if we were caught buying Lei on the black market and that when we left the country we had to produce a receipt to prove how much we'd bought on the way in. If you tried to exchange more than you'd originally bought, a nice young man would poke a AK47 in your back and march you off to the nearest gulag (or Romanian equivalent).

Needless to say we bought our money on the black market at a far superior rate than the official outlets gave. In fact, i got to much (£20 worth) and couldn't spend it even after buying 24 bottles of the local vino at a small town on our way back. What i couldn't spend i exchanged at the Austria/Hungarian border (i lost my official receipt) for less than the official Romanian rate.

I haven't got the foggiest whether they still have the same constraints on their currency but maybe giving the Romanian Embassy a call might be worth a go.

wigginsmum

Yeah I had a similar experience to Lambton_Worm in Romania in 1985 - I changed mine via the hotel courier on the black market.

Mr_Warren_2

Romania has changed a lot since......Bucharest now has a nice new modern airport with "Bureau de Change" on arrival. Any good currency is ok (Sterling, US$ and Euros) to change into Romanian Lei (cant remember last exchange rate).
I have travelled by train within Romania and always bought my ticket on the day of travel (would be VERY surprised to see train fully booked anyhow). Take a taxi from the airport to the Central Station and watch your belongings......

Kyss

Thank you - that's very helpful. I think I will stick to the Bureau de Change. I'm travelling with a child and want to make sure I avoid anything that could get us into trouble. I've been reading about the changes since the Communist era. It would have been interested to have seen it then and be going back now. It's my first trip though, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll do as you advise, Mr Warren, and buy the ticket at the station if I can't get in advance. I'm sure the language difficulties will make ordering the correct ticket quite a challenge, but I'm sure it will add to the experience .