There is a particular kind of freedom that comes from realising your money goes further than expected. Romania gives you that feeling on the first day and does not take it back.
100 euros. 48 hours. Any Romanian city. Here is what that actually looks like.
All prices are in Romanian lei (RON). At the time of writing, 1 euro is approximately 5 RON.
Pick a city. Any city.
Romania’s towns are consistently underestimated and consistently affordable. Brașov, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, Sinaia, Iași, Constanța – each one has enough history, architecture, and honest food to fill two days without rushing and without spending like a tourist.
A dorm bed in a central hostel runs 50 to 70 RON per night. A private room in a guesthouse starts around 150 RON.
Book on Booking.com and filter by guest rating before price: in Romania, paying 20 RON more per night often gets you a significantly better experience.
The rule about food
Step away from the main square. Two streets in any direction and prices drop 30 to 50 percent for the same quality, this is true in every Romanian city without exception. A set lunch menu at a local bistro, soup and main included, costs 35 to 50 RON. A covrig from a street bakery costs under 5 RON and is one of the better things you will eat in Romania. Tap water is safe everywhere in Romanian cities. Use it.
Getting around
Inside cities, a single bus or tram ticket costs 3 to 4 RON. Bucharest’s 24-hour metro pass costs 8 RON. You rarely need a taxi. Between cities, trains are the most comfortable option and the routes through the Carpathians are genuinely beautiful. Book at CFR Călători, cheaper online, works in English.
Train travel between cities is not included in the 100 euro budget above – plan for it separately. A second-class ticket between major cities costs 60 to 120 RON depending on distance, and the journeys through the Carpathians are worth every leu.
What to see
Most Romanian old towns are free to walk and take a full morning to do properly… not the Instagram version, the slow version, with a coffee somewhere that does not face the main square. Churches, citadels, and fortresses typically cost between 15 and 25 RON to enter. The views from the hills above most Romanian cities cost nothing at all.
If you prefer a guided start, walking tours and day trips are available across Romania from 75 RON on GetYourGuide.
The honest math
Two nights in a hostel dorm: 120 RON. Three meals a day for two days: 200 RON. Local transport for two days: 50 RON. Entry fees and a walk up the hill: 60 RON.
Total: 430 RON – well under 100 euros, with enough left for a coffee, a pastry, and the particular satisfaction of having seen Romania the way locals actually see it.
One thing worth knowing
Romania is not the cheapest country in Europe in the way it once was. Cities have grown, prices have adjusted, and the gap with Western Europe has narrowed. But you are simply in a place where good things still cost what they should.
Romania does not ask you to be rich to see it properly. It just asks you to look in the right direction.
Also available in French : Roumanie petit budget : 48 heures pour moins de 100 euros
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Photo cover by Fermoar.ro on Unsplash
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Secrets of Romania 