🇷🇴

Romania

رومانيا

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📖 Full guide⚡ Active destination3 discussions · 2 logged tripsLast updated: 12/08/2026🏞️ Nature & mountains 🏛️ History & culture 🧗 Adventure

Legendary Transylvania: Bran (Dracula) Castle, Saxon Brașov and Sibiu, the famous Transfăgărășan mountain road, and the Danube Delta — dense nature and castles at friendly prices.

ℹ️ General information

Capital: Bucharest

Language: Romanian

English among locals: Widespread

Currency: Romanian leu (RON)

Time zone: UTC+02:00

Weekend: Saturday–Sunday

🛂 Visa for Saudi passport

Visa required — 90 days

Schengen visa required in advance (via VFS/BLS centres): appointment + biometrics, ~15 working days processing — apply early. Valid across Schengen, 90 days in any 180.

Official source ↗

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.

🕓 Last officially verified: 12/08/2026

🗓️Best time to visit

Romania is a continental climate governed by the Carpathians: warm summers (25–30°C), hard snowy winters, and a real gap between plains and highlands. May–September is the season for nature and Transylvania, but its most famous mountain road — the Transfăgărășan — only opens roughly July to October, since snow closes it the rest of the year, so anyone coming specifically for it must time the trip to the road rather than to summer generally. The Black Sea coast (Mamaia) has a short July–August season. For Gulf families: prices sit clearly below Western Europe for the same season.

🕌 For the Muslim traveler

Halal food: Limited — mainly Turkish/Middle Eastern spots in Bucharest.

Prayer places: Few mosques (Bucharest and historic Constanța).

Friday is an official holiday: No

🌙Ramadan & Eid

Few mosques (Bucharest, historic Constanța).

🎭Culture tips

Intercity driving is slower than it looks (mountain roads) — plan fewer legs. Cards work in cities; cash helps in villages.

💳Cards & payments

Leu, not euro; cards common in cities. Apps: Bolt, CFR trains.

📲Apps & internet

Everything works. Uber and Bolt are cheap in Bucharest and major cities.

🚗Driving there

Traffic keeps to the right side of the road, as in the Gulf (steering wheel on the left); IDP advised. A car is essential for Transylvania; mountain roads are slow — plan fewer legs.

💵Tipping culture

~10% customary.

📶SIM & eSIM

Orange and Digi — very cheap SIMs (~EUR 5) with generous data.

🚇Getting around

A rental car is the only practical way to do Transylvania and the mountain roads.

💰 Approximate cost

Good hotel EUR 50–100, meal EUR 7–15 — some of Europe's best value.

ℹ️ Prices are approximate and subject to change

🛡️ Safety

Generally safe; watch stray dogs in some rural areas and taxi overcharging — use Bolt.

⚠️ Key laws before you travel

Rural stray dogs are real — don't feed them. [verify] seasonal winter-tyre rules. E-vignette for motorways.

ℹ️ Laws change — verify with official sources; this is not legal advice.

💊 Restricted medications

Codeine went prescription-only in 2018; tramadol and benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium) also need a script, and melatonin is Rx-only, not a free supplement. Ritalin for ADHD needs a Schengen medical certificate; amphetamines (Adderall) are near-banned. Arriving from outside the EU, declare in writing any medicine with narcotic or psychotropic content to Romanian Customs.

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.

🆘 Emergency & your embassy

Unified emergency: 112

Your embassy (🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia): طوارئ السعوديين بالخارج / Saudi emergencies abroad: 00966920033334 — الرقم الموحد للخدمات / services: 00966920011114 — أقرب سفارة وأرقامها المحلية / nearest mission & local numbers: saudiembassy.sa + تطبيق MOFA

⚠️ Guidance only — always verify with the official source before traveling.