Travel and Safety

         In light of recent global events, questions of safety are on everyone’s mind. Romania is generally safe and Transylvania as a whole is very safe. Most crimes in Romania take the form of petty theft or corruption. Very few violent crimes have occurred in the country. Most of the problems and crimes that are exposed in the media: endemic poverty, gypsy problems, street kids, etc., – happen south of the Carpathian Mountains, mainly around Bucharest and Craiova.

        There are several easy ways to arrive to the dig site in Romania. We advise to land in Budapest. Another option is to land in Arad, Timisoara, Cluj, or Sibiu (there are daily flights from Germany, Italy and Hungary to most of these cities – check, among other sites, http://www.lufthansa.com, http://www.austrianair.com , http://www.carpatair.ro , and http://www.tarom.ro ). Wherever you land, it is relatively easy to arrive by train to Racos (which is half way between Sighisoara and Brasov), Soimeni (near Miercurea Ciuc) and Rasnov (near Brasov) . We do not recommend to land in Bucharest. Although a lot of progress has been made in the last several years to keep the airport and the train station clean and safe, the city is not always welcoming to foreigners traveling alone, and getting from the airport to the train station could be very expensive.

         Most of the people, who participated in the Southern Transylvania Projects in the past, chose to land in Budapest. It is very easy to get from the airport to the Keletli train station, as several bus companies offer their services at reasonable prices. There are two trains daily to Sighisoara/Brasov. In case you want to arrive early and explore Budapest for a day or two, there are several hostels not too far from the train station, relatively inexpensive. The return trip Budapest- Brasov is less than US$150. It usually lasts around 12 hours one way. 

        Although landing in Bucharest might save you a few dollars on airfare, the trip from the airport to the train station can set you back around US$50 and is usually an hour (or more) long. There are at least two direct trains to Brasov daily and the train ride lasts around 5-7 hours. The return fare is less than US$50, but if you choose this way to travel, I strongly suggest to pay an extra $10-15 for first class seats: the conditions are not much better than second class, but it is somewhat cleaner and you get different kind of travelers.
           In any case, it is very easy to get to Brasov, Cluj an Miercurea Ciuc from any of the above airports. There is always the option of the direct train or, if you feel adventurous, you can take the bus from almost any city in Europe (Atlassib or Eurolines) to Brasov. The bus is cheaper, but it takes longer and toilet access is only every 4-6 hours or so (hence the adventure part).

           Once you arrive at the pre-established times, someone will pick you up and take you to the camping site (or your room, as the case may be).

Happy trails! And we'll see you on the dig!