TRAVEL INFORMATION
A) HOW TO GET TO BUCHAREST
Bucharest is the capital city and largest city of Romania. The best way to get to Bucharest is by airplane to Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport, also known as Otopeni Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Coandă_International_Airport). Other ways to get to the city is by train or by bus; however, due to old infrastructure, trains are really slow, hence we honestly discourage you from choosing train transportation
B) HOW TO GET FROM OTOPENI AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN BUCHAREST
1) By public transport
There’s only one public airport in Bucharest which is connected to downtown Bucharest through two bus lines: 780 (terminus at North Railway Station – Gara de Nord in Romanian) and 783 (terminus at Union Square / Piața Unirii), both operated by the Bucharest Transport Company (abbreviated STB in Romanian). To get to the buses, as you exit the security area, go straight to the escalator (without getting out of the terminal), get one level down and you should find the bus stop there. There’s a 24-hour open ticket kiosk.
One trip for 780 or 783 (which are considered express lines) is RON 3.5 (approx. $0.80 / €0.65). One regular trip in Bucharest by STB is RON 3. If you plan to travel by public transport more, you may want to buy a rechargeable nameless plastic card (card nenominal). Usually, at the airport they sell the non-rechargeable (paper) cards to tourists, so make sure you specify plastic. The cost of the plastic card is RON 3.7, payable once you buy it. You can then top it up with as much money as you want.
There’s also an improper train line from Otopeni to Gara de Nord, but we discourage you from using it.
2) By taxi
Make sure you only take a cab ordered from the taxi machines to your right as you exit with your luggage (their price should be no more than RON 1.99/km). Very few take cards, so make sure you have cash (and exact change).
DO NOT, under any circumstances, accept a negotiation with a fake taxi-driver (unfortunately, you won’t be able to ignore them easily, you are perfect targets for them).
3) Using ride sharing apps
In Bucharest, you can use UBER, BOLT (formerly known as Taxify) or, recently, YANGO. Prices are dynamic, but acceptable and they’re easy to use, as you just put in your card details and you’re all set.
CURRENCY AND PAYMENTS
Romania’s national currency is leu (or RON). The plural is lei. All shops and stores take lei. In more touristic areas, euros or dollars may be accepted (at a disadvantageous rate). Exchange offices are available everywhere downtown, and their commission is, by law, 0%. Banks also can change your money. Cards and contactless payments are accepted virtually everywhere, as long as they bear the logo of Visa, Maestro or Mastercard. American Express may be accepted in some places (especially international brands), but Discover, JCB or Diner’s Club are virtually unknown and unaccepted.
VENUE OF THE CONFERENCE
All the activities of the Bucharest SLE meeting will be held at the Faculty of Law, which is in the city centre at the address 36-46 Mihail Kogălniceanu. The venue is easily reachable by bus, trolley, tram and subway.
ACCOMMODATION
Information on accommodation and a selection of hotels with special arrangements for SLE 2022 will be published later on the conference website. In any case, given that the venue is extremely central and easy to get to by all means of public transportation, accommodation in any hotel in the central area is fine.