Romania
Compare ride and delivery totals, identify your train operator and pay in Romanian lei
Romania has excellent app coverage, but several systems are fragmented by city or operator.
The essentials
What to know before you go to Romania
Compare Bolt and Uber rather than assuming either is always cheaper. At Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport, follow the current in-app pickup point on the Departures level; the airport train, bus 100 and licensed taxi kiosks are alternatives. City ticketing varies. Info Transport Bucharest shows live STB surface vehicles, while 24pay sells tickets in many Romanian cities but has experienced temporary local outages.
For intercity rail, search the nationwide Infofer timetable first because CFR Călători is only one of several operators and its app sells CFR domestic tickets, not every Romanian train. Romania uses the leu, shown as RON, not the euro. No Romanian payment app is required: pay in RON, decline conversion into your home currency and keep a physical backup card plus some cash. For emergencies call 112.
Treat maps and alert apps as aids, not substitutes for official instructions or mountain-safety advice.
Ride Hailing
BoltEssential
Broad Romanian ride coverage with upfront estimates, live driver tracking, in-app payment and scheduled requests.
UberEssential
Useful second ride quote in Bucharest and many Romanian cities, with upfront pricing and trip sharing.
Star Taxi
Dispatches licensed taxis in Bucharest and several Romanian cities, with driver details and the meter tariff shown.
Food Delivery
WoltEssential
Successor to Tazz with restaurant, grocery and retail delivery across 35 Romanian cities.
GlovoEssential
Wide Romanian coverage for meals, groceries, pharmacies and shops, with availability determined by address.
Bolt Food
Separate Bolt delivery app with restaurant coverage in Bucharest and many other Romanian cities.
Messaging
Useful for coordinating with Romanian accommodation hosts, guides, transfer providers and some bus operators.
Navigation
Google MapsEssential
General maps for Romanian addresses, city walking, driving, saved places and an initial transit view.
Waze
Driving-focused navigation with live Romanian traffic, closures, hazards and community reports.
Munții Noștri
Romanian and English Carpathian trail guide with route details, seasonality notes, difficulty and water sources.
Mapy.com
Topographic outdoor maps with Romanian hiking routes, elevation and free one-country offline navigation.
Transit
Info Transport BucharestEssential
Official STB route planner with live surface vehicles, stops, lines, disruptions and ticket-channel links.
24pay
Buys public-transport tickets without a local transport card in Bucharest and numerous Romanian cities.
Language
Google Translate
Romanian text, speech and camera translation with a downloadable language pack for limited offline use.
Intercity Transport
CFR CălătoriEssential
Official app for domestic CFR train search, purchase, offline tickets, seats, changes and live My Train information.
FlixBus
Direct booking, offline tickets, stop details and trip updates for FlixBus routes within and beyond Romania.
BlaBlaCar
Active Romanian carpool marketplace that can fill gaps between cities when rail or coach timings do not work.
Utilities
DSU
Official Romanian emergency-information app with local alerts, preparedness guidance and an emergency-points map.
Also covered
Internet in Romania
Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling
Guac
RecommendedReliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
Airalo
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Holafly
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Buying a local SIM card ID registration required
- Expect to show your passport or ID when buying a prepaid SIM; stores routinely ask for it, so have it with you.
- Official Orange or Vodafone stores are the best route, with helpful staff and the full plan range; they exist in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, Sibiu, Timisoara and many smaller towns. Digi sells through its own Magazin stores. Skip the counters at Bucharest's Henri Coanda Airport: limited choice, long queues and worse prices than in town.
Telekom Romania prepaid no longer exists: its prepaid customers were moved to Digi in early 2026, so ignore any guide still recommending a Telekom SIM. Digi is new to prepaid, so its retail footprint and tourist-facing plans are less proven than Orange's or Vodafone's. Romania is in the EU, so an EU SIM roams here at home rates, and local mobile data is among the fastest in the world.
Local carriers
Orange Romania
Best overall coverage and speeds; the usual first pick.
Vodafone Romania
Very solid nationwide and a safe alternative.
Digi
Only started selling prepaid in late 2025 after taking over Telekom's prepaid customers; coverage tops 98% of the population and it sells through its own Magazin stores.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-have apps for traveling in Romania?
The essential apps for Romania are Bolt, Uber, Wolt, Glovo, Google Maps.
How many travel apps does Romania have?
We've curated 18 apps across 9 categories for traveling in Romania, including 7 essential apps.
What is the best ride hailing app in Romania?
Bolt. Broad Romanian ride coverage with upfront estimates, live driver tracking, in-app payment and scheduled requests.
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