Arriving at Bucharest Otopeni (Henri Coanda) Airport

Otopeni (officially Henri Coanda) Bucharest's main airport, is 17km north of the city on the DN1. Opened in 1970 but recently extended, it is a spacious, efficient airport. 

After getting off the plane and easing your way through passport control, you’ll find yourself in the baggage reclaim area. Ignore all of the services on offer here. You should especially ignore the currency exchange desks: they do not offer decent rates.

Instead, grab your luggage, which usually arrives promptly (if it fails to arrive head for the small office on the left hand of side of the exit, where staff will help you find out where it might have gone), and then it’s off through customs to the arrivals area.

Here there are loads of ATMs, a press shop and a small cafe. To the right is a passage leading to the departures terminal: the passage is lined with car hire desks and a few shops, including a chemist.

You should beware of, and ignore, the taxi drivers who will besiege you as you make your way through Arrivals. Ignore them, even if they have 'Official Taxi' badges (the badges are meaningless). Swear at them if you have to: they will eventually get the message. 

Directly outside you will find a line up of very expensive taxis. These cabs will display an 'Airport' sign. Again, you should ignore them: they are charging way over the odds.

A ride to the city centre with one of these taxis would cost around 150.00 lei (€40), and that is if they have the metre running. Often they will not, however, and will simply demand an extortionate price when you arrive at your destination.

So we repeat: ignore them!

Instead, call a normal Bucharest taxi, from a company such as Cristaxi (tel. 021-9461) or Meridian (tel. 021-9444). These taxis are not allowed to wait outside the terminal building or in the car park, so you will have to go and meet it at the foot of the Arrivals access ramp.

However, the easiest way to get a cheap taxi at Otopeni is simply to walk through to Departures (turn right as you exit baggage claim) and take a regular taxi as it drops somebody off. There is a constant stream of these, even late at night, and you should never have to wait too long. 

(Note that by regular taxi we mean one which belongs to a trusted company - such as Cobalcescu, Cristaxi, Meridian, National, Taxi 2000, Taxi Leone, Speed Taxi) and charges from 1.39 lei/km to 1.69 lei/km. Never pay more than 1.69 lei/km.

You can also get to town by taking bus 783, which stops underneath the arrivals hall, in front of internal arrivals and leaves for the city centre (stopping at Piata Victoriei, Piata Romana and Piata Universitatii) every 30 minutes during the day, and then every 40 minutes through the night.

The full timetable of the 783 bus is online at ratb.ro.

You need to purchase an Activ Card before boarding (get it from the little booth which you’ll find on your right hand side as you exit). A return journey into the city and back costs 7 lei (no singles are available, but there is no time limit on using the return). You also need to pay 3.70 lei for the card, but it can be recharged as often as you like at any ticket kiosk in Bucharest, with as much credit as you like, and used on all Bucharest buses, trams and the metro. These cards cannot be bought on board. 

There is also now a train which connects the airport to the main railway station, Gara de Nord. The train departs at irregular and infrequent intervals, however, and to get to the airport's station you need to take a bus. We do not recommend it. Timetables and tickets are available from a counter in the Arrivals hall. Look out for the Bilete CFR sign.