Romania is easily accessible, served by buses, trains and planes galore. There are plenty of scheduled flights to Romania from a dozen or so Western countries, and, with a single plane change, from a great many more. Most flights arrive at Bucharest's Otopeni international airport. There are also flights to Timisoara, Constanta Arad, Satu Mare, Târgu Mures and Sibiu.

With an unbeatable train service linking Romania to western Europe and Russia, there is little reason to travel to/from Romania by bus. Romania's public bus system is virtually nonexistent, while fares offered by the numerous private bus companies operating buses to the West rarely compete with the inexpensive comfort offered by trains. The exception to this rule is Istanbul. The bus (12 to 14 hours) is substantially cheaper and faster than the train (17-1/2 hours) - and they've banned smoking on it, which is just as well since most Romanians and Turks smoke like the proverbial chimney. There are plenty of trains from western Europe, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine and beyond.

There's no departure tax when leaving Romania, but there's a decent chance that you'll have to show your exit card - that's the wee piece of paper they may have placed in your passport when you entered the country and which you've probably lost by this stage.

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