Archives September 2014

Metrorex manages the subway network and the system operates between 05:00 and 23:30 daily. There are five lines: M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5, and the most frequently used is the north-south M2.

Some of the most crowded metro stations – especially in the morning and in the afternoon, are Unirii, Universitate and Victoriei, but are also good meeting places.

Ten journey cards with Metrorex cost RON 15, while the monthly pass with 62 journeys costs RON 50. The monthly pass with unlimited trips is RON 60, while the weekly pass – also with unlimited trips – is RON 20. All these are paper cards. You can also use the bus plastic card if you have money on it. You can buy paper tickets from the operator at the metro station or from one of the 35 automatic vending machines installed across Bucharest. Two journey cards are RON 4.

You can also text your way into the subway system. Vodafone customers should text to 7477 for one trip – EUR 0.5 plus VAT, two trips – SMS 7492, for EUR 0.9 – without VAT. For ten trips, Vodafone customers can text a message to 7490, and will pay EUR 2.2 – excluding VAT.

Web: www.metrorex.ro

The website has an English version.

Red double deckers carry tourists on the Bucharest City Tour route. The buses serving this line run daily between 10:00 and 22:00 on the route Piața Presei Libere, Muzeul Satului, Arcul de Triumf, Piața Victoriei, Calea Victoriei, Palatul Parlamentului, Piața Unirii, Universitate, Piața Romană, Piața Victoriei, Piața Charles de Gaulle, Șoseaua Kiseleff and back to Piața Presei Libere. The route is 15.4 km long and should take 50 minutes, and buses arrive every 15 minutes. The price of a ticket is RON 25 (the equivalent of EUR 5.8) for adults and RON 10 (some EUR 2.2) for children up to 14 years old. The transport card bought for this fee is valid for 24 hours and can be bought on the bus.

Web: bucharestcitytour.ratb.ro

The wesite has an English version.

The local public transport company called RATB (short for Regia Autonomă de Transport București ) runs street-level transportation in the Romanian capital- buses, trolleybuses and trams, and is a great way of getting around. The ground transportation system operates between 05:00 and 23:59 daily. Tickets must be purchased beforehand and validated upon boarding. The system is a bit complicated and it requires getting used to, even for Romanians.

The ticketing system uses plastic cards that can be charged with any amount of money resulting in a certain number of rides. One trip costs 1.3 RON on Bucharest regular public transport, and RON 3.5 for Express lines, such as the one connecting Bucharest Otopeni airport to downtown. The plastic cards can be recharged either with a subscription if you travel frequently or with various amounts of money if you have a bus trip once in a while. The same cards work on trams, buses and trolleys, and the metro. Subscriptions start at RON 30 a month for one line, RON 35 for two lines and RON 50 for all street-level public transport. The card must be validated after boarding the bus using the orange devices located throughout the bus by keeping the card in front of the orange machine for some seconds until it beeps. Any transfer to another means of transport needs a further validation.

Express buses require a different kind of card for validation, made of cardboard. The express bus system serves destinations outside the city center. Two or 10-journey tickets, as well as monthly passes, are available for these buses. For schedules and routes of buses visit www.ratb.ro – English section available. Use Google Maps, which now offers information about public transport in Bucharest as well.

You can use the mobile phone to buy a one-day subscription with RATB, by texting A at 7456 from Vodafone, Orange and Cosmote networks for EUR 1.75 + VAT.

Tickets for RATB

• For one urban line: RON 30/month

• For two urban lines: RON 35/month

• For all urban lines: RON 50/month

• One trip: RON 1.3

• For all urban lines, valid 1 day: RON 8

• For all urban lines, valid 7 days: RON 17

• For all urban lines, valid 15 days: RON 25

We’ve recently discovered a place which offers so many things to do! It’s called Stejarii Country Club, and is located in the Northern part of Bucharest, in the Baneasa forest.

The club covers 22,000 sqm and includes a fitness center, aerobic and cycling, indoor and outdoor tennis court, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, Jacuzzi, squash courts, a Shiseido SPA and a Golf Driving Range.

They will also add a restaurant, which should be opened in December 2014 – January 2015.

More details about the club and contact data, here. 

The club was created by famous Romanian businessman and former tennis player Ion Tiriac, which explains why so many sports have been added and can be practiced there.

The club is membership only – check out their membership options. 

Although parking is a very big problem in Bucharest for cars, there is plenty of space for bikes! You can practically park your bike wherever you want, just lock it, like in every other city. Make sure you lock it well as sometimes parts can be stolen. Removing the saddle and/or a wheel is always a useful deterrent to thieves and at least makes it less steal-able than other bikes.

Here we listed the main bike parking places.

Most car dealerships have their own car service specializing in the brands they also sell. In this category we’ve also listed some car service centers in Bucharest.

The Kulinarium restaurant in the Central Romanian city of Sibiu offers a 10% discount to bikers, provided they come to the restaurant by bike. Kulinarium is located in the Small Square – Piata Mica – in Sibiu.

The offer was launched a month ago and seems to have attracted plenty of bikers, judging by the number of bikes parked outside. Read the full story on Romania-Insider.com.

Cernica is located at 15 km east of Bucharest. The monastery awaits near a lake, and is also a destination for cyclists.