How do I get from the airport to Bucharest?

Henri Coandă Airport (OTP) sits 17 km north of Bucharest's center along the DN1 highway. Book a Bolt ride from the arrivals curb. The app works at OTP, cars show up in 3-8 minutes, and the fare to the Old Town near Strada Lipscani runs 50-80 RON ($11-18). Uber also operates, but Bolt tends to be 10-15% cheaper on the same route. The ride takes 25-35 minutes at midday, closer to 50 minutes if you land during the 7-9am or 5-7pm commuter crunch on the DN1. Bolt cars in Bucharest are generally clean, often with the pine air fresheners you'll notice before you shut the door. Neighborhoods further south like Cotroceni cost 60-90 RON ($13-20). Bolt is the right default for first-time visitors because it's door-to-door, metered, and cheaper than every alternative except the train.

The airport train to Gara de Nord runs roughly every 40 minutes from about 5:35am to 10:55pm and costs 4 RON ($0.90). The ride is 23 minutes, and at under $1 nothing else comes close on price. The catch is Gara de Nord itself. The station sits 3 km northwest of the Old Town, and the surrounding blocks smell like diesel and stale cigarettes. From Gara de Nord, you'll need the M4 metro (2 stops to Piața Unirii, 3 RON) or another Bolt ride, adding 15-20 minutes and a second fare. To be fair, if your hotel is near Piața Victoriei or along the northern stretch of Calea Victoriei, the train makes more sense because Gara de Nord is closer to those neighborhoods. For anyone staying near Piața Unirii or south of the Dâmbovița, the transfer eats the savings.

Bus 783 runs from OTP to Piața Unirii, stopping at Piața Victoriei along the way. It costs about 3.50 RON ($0.77) for a contactless travel card and takes 40-50 minutes. Mind you, the bus has air conditioning and luggage racks, but it fills up on weekday evenings, and 50 minutes of standing room with a roller bag is not how you want to meet Bucharest. For taxis, use only the automated dispatch kiosks inside OTP's arrivals hall. You type your destination, the machine prints a ticket with a car number and plate, and the driver uses the regulated meter at about 1.69 RON per km. A metered ride to the Old Town runs 45-65 RON ($10-14). Skip anyone inside OTP who approaches offering a ride. The unofficial drivers at Henri Coandă quote 150-250 RON for the same trip a Bolt handles for 60.

ATMs in OTP's arrivals hall dispense lei at standard bank rates. Skip the currency exchange counters near baggage claim, which tend to charge 5-8% commission. Vodafone and Orange both have small kiosks past customs selling SIM cards for 25-30 RON ($5.50-6.60) with 10-15 GB of data, enough for a week of navigation and translation apps. The drive into Bucharest runs past Băneasa's commercial strip, then onto the wide boulevards built in the 1980s under Ceaușescu's urban overhaul. On a warm evening along Calea Victoriei, you'll catch linden blossom and fresh bread from the ground-floor pâtisseries. By the time the driver drops you near Curtea Veche's worn cobblestones, OTP feels 17 km and a full century away.