Where to stay in Bucharest
Bucharest has one municipal parking zone and a fixed tourist tax of RON 10 a night. The choice of area comes down to the walk to the Old Town against the drive to Henri Coandă airport.
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How the areas differ
The Old Town grew around Curtea Veche, the court of the princes of Wallachia from the 14th century, on Strada Franceză. The Bucharest city museum calls it the oldest medieval monument in the city, and the court once reached north of the Lipscani street. Stavropoleos Monastery, founded in 1724 by the archimandrite Ioanichie, stands a few streets away.
Centrul Civic lies about 3 km by road to the west, around the Palace of the Parliament. Its conference centre opens it for tours daily from 9:00 to 16:30 and sells the cheapest tickets only on the day, at Strada Izvor 2-4.
Herăstrău and Şoseaua Kiseleff, in the north, hold the lake and the National Village Museum "Dimitrie Gusti" with its outdoor exhibition at Kiseleff 28-30. The area is about 8 km by road from the Old Town and about 12 km from the airport. Otopeni, the town at Henri Coandă airport, sits about 3 km from the terminal and about 17 km from the Old Town.
Staying with a rental car
The old parking zones 0, 1 and 2 are gone. Since 1 March 2023 the city parking company has run every municipal space as one tariff zone, under General Council decision 705 of December 2022: RON 5 an hour from 08:00 to 20:00, Monday to Sunday. A subscription costs RON 30 a day or RON 500 a month and covers any municipal space in that window without reserving one. These rates date from 2022; the company still lists that decision as its tariff in October 2026, and no 2026 tariff decision was found.
Payment runs through prepaid tickets, meters, SMS or the parking apps, and the time can be extended within 15 minutes of running out without a penalty. Resident subscriptions exist only for people who live next to the car park and drive a car registered in Bucharest, so a visitor pays the hourly or subscription rate. The company warns of a RON 200 a day charge and a wheel clamp for unpaid parking.
Which streets the six sector councils run themselves, and at what price, was not verified, and neither was car access to the Old Town streets. Ask the host for a space or the nearest car park before arrival. Outside the city, the rovinieta vignette is required on national roads; whether a rental car already carries one was not verified as of October 2026, so ask at the desk. Cars can be compared on GetCar's car rental page for Bucharest.
Tourist tax and registration for a guest
General Council decision 516 of 23 December 2025 sets the special tax for tourism promotion for 2026 at a fixed RON 10 per tourist per night. It applies in every kind of accommodation in Bucharest, apartments and rooms in family homes included, whether classified or not. The accommodation collects it when it registers the guests, and when Booking, Airbnb or another platform takes the payment, the platform collects it instead. Either way it must appear as its own line on the receipt. The decision text lists no exemption.
Romanian tourism law, Government Ordinance 58/1998, lets operators work only with classified accommodation, and the classification norms count apartments and rooms to let in family homes as one of the types. Ministry order 948 of 18 June 2026, published on 8 July 2026, moved applications online, requires private hosts to file the consent of the neighbours who share walls with the flat and caps them at 7 rooms or 14 places. Establishments classified at 3 to 5 stars must show their certificate number on their web page.
When to book what
Municipal parking is charged every day of the week from 08:00 to 20:00, so a Sunday arrival pays the same as a Monday one. A flight before dawn or after midnight makes Otopeni the practical base, with the airport car parks at RON 20 an hour.
Romania has been a full member of the Schengen area since 1 January 2025, when checks at the internal land borders ended. UK and other visa-exempt visitors arriving from outside Schengen pass through the EU Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026. Compare and book on this page once the dates are fixed.
Which area for which trip
A first visit on foot: the Old Town.
The Palace of the Parliament and a short drive to the Old Town: Centrul Civic.
The lake, the Village Museum and a shorter run to the airport: Herăstrău and Kiseleff.
An early flight or a late landing: Otopeni.
Questions
How much is the tourist tax in Bucharest?
RON 10 per tourist per night in 2026, under General Council decision 516/2025. It must appear as a separate line on the receipt.
Who collects the Bucharest tourist tax on a platform booking?
The platform, when Booking, Airbnb or another intermediary takes the payment. Otherwise the accommodation collects it when it registers the guests.
What does street parking cost in Bucharest?
RON 5 an hour from 08:00 to 20:00 every day on municipal spaces, or RON 30 a day and RON 500 a month by subscription. These are 2022 rates that the city parking company still lists in October 2026.
Can a visitor get a resident parking permit in Bucharest?
No. Resident subscriptions go only to people who live next to the car park and drive a car registered in Bucharest.
Which area is closest to the airport?
Otopeni, about 3 km by road from the Henri Coandă terminal. Herăstrău and Kiseleff are about 12 km away, the Old Town about 18 km.