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The Princely Church at Curtea Veche in Bucharest's Old Town, a striped brick and stone church with a round tower, with a brick bell tower beside it under a cloudy sky

Where to stay in Bucharest

Photo: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Bucharest

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About Bucharest

Bucharest charges RON 10 per tourist per night in 2026, and its municipal parking has been one zone since 2023, at RON 5 an hour on 2022 rates still listed in 2026. The areas differ in how close they sit to the Old Town and to Henri Coandă airport.

Romania. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Henri Coandă International (OTP) in Otopeni, about 18 km by road from the Old Town; car parks RON 10 for 30 minutes, RON 20 an hour. Source
Tourist tax
RON 10 per tourist per night in 2026 (HCGMB 516/2025), collected by the host or by the platform that takes the payment and shown as a separate line. Source
Short-term rental rules
Romanian tourism law (OG 58/1998) lets operators use only classified accommodation, with a classification certificate for each unit. Source
Classified apartments
Apartments and rooms let to tourists are a classified type; ministry order 948 of 2026 caps private hosts at 7 rooms or 14 places. Source
Parking with a rental car
One municipal tariff zone since March 2023: RON 5 an hour, 08:00 to 20:00 every day, RON 30 a day or RON 500 a month (2022 rates, still listed in 2026). Source
Unpaid parking
The city parking company warns of a RON 200 a day charge and wheel clamping until the fee is paid, a notice in place since enforcement began in 2022. Source
Road vignette
The rovinieta is required on national roads; whether a rental car carries one was not verified as of October 2026, so ask the desk. Source
Schengen
Romania has been a full Schengen member since 1 January 2025, when checks on persons at its internal land borders were lifted. Source
UK visitors
No visa for up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area, which includes Romania. Source
US visitors
On Romania's visa-exempt list for stays of up to 90 days in any 180 (immigration inspectorate list of 2021, no 2026 version found). Source
Entry/Exit System
Fully operational since 10 April 2026; it registers non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay in 29 European countries. Source
EU citizens
No visa; residence registration with the immigration inspectorate only for stays of more than 3 months (inspectorate guidance of 2021). Source
Monthly stays
The RON 10 tax applies to every night; the 2026 decision sets no long-stay exemption. Source
Currency
Romanian leu (RON). Source
Emergency number
112 (ambulance, fire, police) Source

Areas of Bucharest

Empty café terraces with white umbrellas and colourful wooden benches on a cobbled street in Bucharest's Old Town, in front of a pale 19th-century corner building
Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Old Town (Centrul Vechi)

The historic centre around Curtea Veche, the princely court on Strada Franceză that the city museum calls the oldest medieval monument in Bucharest, north of the Lipscani street, with Stavropoleos Monastery, founded in 1724. It suits a short stay on foot among the oldest sights.

Henri Coandă airport
about 18 km

Car and parking

Municipal parking spaces in Bucharest are one tariff zone at RON 5 an hour, 08:00 to 20:00 every day (2022 rates, still listed in 2026). Whether cars may drive into the Old Town streets was not verified, so ask the host where the car can stand.

View from the Palace of the Parliament over its flower garden and forecourt towards Bulevardul Unirii, lined with long apartment blocks
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Tim Adams, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Centrul Civic and the Palace of the Parliament

The district around the Palace of the Parliament on Strada Izvor, which its conference centre calls the largest administrative palace in the world, open for visits daily from 9:00 to 16:30. It suits a stay about 3 km by road from the Old Town.

Henri Coandă airport
about 19 km
Old Town
about 3 km

Car and parking

Municipal spaces cost RON 5 an hour from 08:00 to 20:00, or RON 30 a day by subscription (2022 rates, still listed in 2026). Who runs the open car park in front of the palace, and its price, was not verified.

The calm water of Lake Herăstrău in north Bucharest, with a line of trees on the far shore, a white tower building and two glass office blocks behind
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Alexandru Panoiu from Bucharest, Romania, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Herăstrău and Kiseleff

North Bucharest around Lake Herăstrău and Şoseaua Kiseleff, where the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti" keeps its permanent outdoor exhibition at Kiseleff 28-30. It suits a stay closer to the airport, about 12 km by road.

Henri Coandă airport
about 12 km
Old Town
about 8 km

Car and parking

Municipal spaces follow the single city zone, RON 5 an hour from 08:00 to 20:00 every day (2022 rates, still listed in 2026); a RON 500 monthly subscription covers any municipal space without reserving one.

Otopeni, by Henri Coandă airport

The town in Ilfov county where Henri Coandă International Airport stands, about 3 km by road from the terminal. It suits an early flight or a late arrival before the drive into Bucharest.

Henri Coandă airport
about 3 km
Old Town
about 17 km

Car and parking

The airport car parks P2 and P7 charge RON 10 for 30 minutes and RON 20 an hour, and a lost ticket costs RON 100 plus the time parked. Street parking in Otopeni was not verified.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Bucharest in 2026?

RON 10 per tourist per night, set by the General Council decision 516 of 23 December 2025. The host collects it, or the platform when the platform takes the payment, and it must appear as a separate line.

Does Bucharest still have parking zones 0 to 3?

No. Since 1 March 2023 every municipal parking space has been in one tariff zone, at RON 5 an hour from 08:00 to 20:00 every day. Those rates come from a 2022 decision that the city parking company still lists in October 2026.

How far is Henri Coandă airport from the Old Town?

About 18 km by road. The airport car parks charge RON 10 for 30 minutes and RON 20 an hour.

Does a rented apartment need a licence in Romania?

Yes. Romanian tourism law lets operators use only classified accommodation, and apartments let to tourists are one of the classified types, with a certificate from the tourism ministry.