PLANE
The direct air connection between Warsaw and Bucharest is served by the Romanian airlines TAROM (Romanian Air Transport). Airplanes fly during the season 4 times a week, and out of season – 2 times,- flight time is approx. 2,5 time. Tickets for direct connection are expensive: cheapest ticket (APEX with a specific return date, important 1 month) costs approx. 1200 zloty. You can usually fly cheaper with a change, for example with Hungarian Malev lines via Budapest (3 weekly calls, ok. 900 PLN for a monthly APEX ticket) or Czech CSA lines via Prague (3 weekly calls, ok. 1100 PLN for a 3-month PEX ticket; ok. 1300 PLN for an open annual ticket).
Apart from European routes, TAROM airlines also offer flights to Abu Dhabi, Ammanu, Bahrain, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Chicago, Damascus, Delhi, Dubai, Istanbul, Cairo, Calcutta, Karaczi, Kuwait, Larnaki, New York, Tel Aviv.
LOT Polish Airlines offices
Warsaw, Al. Jerozolimskie 65/79, tel.952, 953
Bucharest, Blvd. Magheru 41, tel.6592575
TAROM
Warsaw, ul. Moliere 8, tel.8273965
Bucharest, Str. Brezoianu 10 (entrance from St. Domnita Anastasia), tel.6463346, 6150499
BUS
The only direct bus connection between Poland and Romania is maintained by PKS in cooperation with its Romanian counterpart. Buses run 6 times a week between Przemyśl and Suceava in Romania via Ukraine. The journey continues 12-14 time., and the main passengers are Romanian traders. Tickets at the price of approx. 50 PLN one-way can be purchased at the PKS station in Przemyśl.
Several transport companies operate to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey - admittedly, buses run through Romania, but they don't officially have stops there. However, it is possible to agree individually with a given line and bus service to travel only to Romania; you also need to make an appointment for the return trip carefully.
The quickest indirect route is to Budapest, from where buses run to several Romanian cities. Buses from Krakow run regularly to the Hungarian capital: the journey is very cheap (60-100 zloty), although it lasts mercilessly long (ok. 10 time.). Tickets can be purchased at most travel agencies in Krakow and other large cities.
Buses to Oradea leave from Nepstadion bus station in Budapest (after Hungarian. Oradea; 1 daily, 260 km, 6 time.), Thunder (6 weekly, 276 km, 7 time.), Timisoary (hungary. Temesvar; 1 weekly, 327 km, 8 time.), Kluża-Napoki (hungary. Cluster weight; 1 daily, 413 km, 9,5 time.) and Brasov (hungary. Brasov; 6 weekly, 790 km, 17,5 time.) Prices range from 8 $ for a ticket to Oradea to 36 $ for the ticket to Timisoary (return tickets cost approx 50% more). You can only communicate in Hungarian in the international counter, so one should study the timetable and prices well, write them down on a piece of paper and then buy a ticket.
TRAIN From Poland
There is a daily direct train from Warsaw to Bucharest via Krakow, Slovakia, eastern part of Hungary and Arad in Romania. The travel time is 27 hours. One way ticket costs 370 PLN plus possibly 40 PLN for a couchette; when buying a return ticket you get 30% discounts.
If anyone would like to visit Hungary on the way, it has two daily direct trains from Warsaw to Budapest: morning Inter City (coming to Budapest in the evening) and the fast train overnight. The price of a one-way ticket is 185 zloty, when buying a return ticket you can count on 40% discounts.
From Hungary
From Budapest-Keleti station there are trains to Bucharest via Arad (4 daily), Kluża-Napoki (2 daily) and Brasov (1 daily) – both via Oradea. Tickets on these routes are quite expensive, because they are calculated on the basis of the international tariff – you have to pay approx. 50 $. You can save some money, by buying a ticket only to the first place abroad (np. Arad lub Oradea), and then buy a ticket for the onward route within Romania. From Budapest Nyugati Train Station to Oradea (249 km, 5 time.) there are two trains a day. A one-way trip from Budapest to Arad or Oradea costs money 16-19 $.
Some tourists also decide to travel to the last station before the border, then they cross the border on foot or by taxi and get on the nearest train on the other side. This, of course, is a waste of time, but it usually pays off.
Coming from Romania to Hungary, it is better to buy an open ticket in advance at the CFR office. If it turned out to be impossible, you can try to take the train in Episcopia Bihor, as indicated in the section on Oradea.
Ticket offices at railway stations in Romania rarely sell tickets for international connections, this is done by the CFR offices (Romanian State Railways) in larger cities – oznaczone jacket „Travel Agencies CFR”. The office in the capital city is always crowded, so it is better to buy an open international ticket in one of their provincial branches. You should actually pay in lees, but some agents stick to old school principles and insist on payment in dollars or marks. In this case, it's best to temporarily cancel the purchase and come back later.
Inter-Rail ticket holders must reserve seats (2-4 $) in all express connections. Anyway, reservations are compulsory for most of the international trains mentioned here. Reservations are made at CFR offices, preferably at least a day ahead, but sometimes it can be done at the ticket office at the train station, exactly one hour before departure.
Good to remember, that when buying a return ticket for a journey between Romania and Hungary you get 30% discounts.
To the former Yugoslavia
Express Bucuresti and Banat run daily from Bucharest via Timisoara to Belgrade-Dunav station and back (698 km, 13 time.). If it's too late, to get a ticket or reservation for that train, you can always take the early morning train from Timisoara to Jimbolia (39 km), where national trains depart for Kikinda in Yugoslavia.
To Bulgaria
Trains on the Romania-Bulgaria route are not fast, but they are cheap. Night runs between Sofia and Bucharest (513 km) – Bulgaria Expres from Moscow and Bucuresti-Istanbul Expres – stop in Ruse. Both are incredibly crowded, so better not to get in at the last minute.