Seit Rumäniens Schengen-Beitritt gibt es auf den Hauptkorridoren keine Grenzstaus mehr — von Wien oder München rollst du bei Nădlac direkt auf die A1. Hier sind die bewährten Routen, die Vignettenkette pro Land und alles Wissenswerte übers Fahren in Rumänien.
Sleep in Budapest or Győr; you reach the Saxon villages by the next afternoon.
Two relaxed days with a night in Brno or Budapest.
Doable in one long day — leave by 7am and you arrive for dinner.
Overnight around Lake Balaton splits the drive beautifully.
Rumäniens Straßen sind besser als ihr Ruf, und die Landschaft bezahlt jeden Kilometer. Die Regeln und Realitäten, die wirklich zählen:
Required on all roads outside towns, for every car. It is electronic — no sticker — bought online (roviniete.ro), at any petrol station or at the border, for a few euros per week. Rental cars usually include it; if you drive your own car, buy it before you leave the border area. Cameras enforce it automatically.
The legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.00‰. One beer with dinner and driving is an offence. Checks are frequent; plan a designated driver or walkable evenings.
Dipped headlights are mandatory outside towns day and night. The car must carry two warning triangles, a first-aid kit, a fire extinguisher and a reflective vest — rentals come equipped.
50 km/h in towns, 90 on national roads, 100 on express roads, 130 on motorways (car). Village limits start at the white name sign — and villages can run into each other for kilometres. Speed cameras and average-speed checks are increasingly common.
On national roads you will average 50–60 km/h — trucks, villages and mountain curves. Add 20–30% to what your navigation app promises. Our roadtrip planner already estimates conservatively.
The Transfăgărășan and Transalpina — the two famous high roads — are typically closed from late October until June. We show the live Transfăgărășan status on the site; always check before routing over a 2,000 m pass.
Winter tyres are mandatory whenever roads are covered by snow, ice or slush — in practice: always, November to March in the mountains. Snow chains may be required on marked sectors.
Expect horse carts, free-running dogs, pedestrians on the roadside and the occasional pothole on minor roads. Drive defensively after dark; overtake carts with real clearance.
Petrol stations (Petrom, OMV, MOL, Rompetrol) are dense and card payment is universal. Keep some lei in cash for village shops. Besides the rovinieta the only extra tolls are a few Danube bridges (e.g. Fetești on the way to the coast, Giurgiu–Ruse into Bulgaria).
The single emergency number is 112. Carry your licence, registration and green insurance card; police checks are routine and polite — have documents at hand.
Hinfliegen und Auto übernehmen ist oft die entspanntere Kombination. Unser Partner Autonom ist der größte rumänische Anbieter — saubere Flotte, Vollkasko inklusive, Automatik auf Anfrage, Stationen an allen sechs Flughäfen.
Der Reiseplaner fädelt Häuser und Sehenswürdigkeiten zu einer Route mit realistischen Fahrzeiten zwischen den Stopps.
Reiseplaner öffnen →