Safety in Romania

The general picture. The country is comfortable for walking around on your own, including at night. Violent crime against visitors is very rare and the police are competent.
Pickpockets. Stay switched on in crowded buses and on the Bucharest metro. Petty theft in busy places is the one real problem for a distracted traveller.
Stray dogs. Packs turn up in residential outskirts and industrial areas. Give them a wide berth and do not provoke them, though in city centres they are largely gone.
Wildlife. Bears genuinely live in the Carpathian forests and even around the edge of Brasov. Do not hike alone and never try to feed an animal by the roadside.
Driving. Romanian drivers can be aggressive and speeding is common. On narrow mountain switchbacks keep your distance and do not attempt risky overtakes.
Health. Skip the tap water and buy bottled. Private clinics in the big cities provide a high standard of care, but you need your insurance documents on you.
Before you travel. Check your own government's travel advisory for anything current, and make sure your policy covers mountain hiking if the Carpathians are on the plan.

Romania is calmer than its reputation, but Bucharest has a couple of persistent schemes.

Taxis at Otopeni airport. A historic problem. Cars wait outside with tariffs several times the normal rate: instead of 2 lei per kilometre, the sticker reads 7 or more in small print. The arrivals hall has terminals for ordering taxis at the official rate — use those, or Bolt and Uber.

Currency exchange. Offices advertising "0% commission" recover the difference on the rate, and sometimes disclose a commission after you sign. Change at banks or chain offices that state the final amount beforehand.

"Police" checking your money. They ask to see cash on the pretext of hunting counterfeits. Real Romanian police do not.

Bars in Bucharest's Old Town. Bills with additions and a "minimum order" disclosed at the end. Check the menu.

ATMs. Decline the machine's currency conversion, and avoid Euronet machines on tourist streets.

Zero alcohol at the wheel. Absolute, and criminal above 0.8. Romania is extremely strict about this.

The vignette (rovinietă). National roads require an electronic vignette bought online or at a filling station. Cameras check automatically and the fine reaches the rental company.

Drugs. The law is strict and possession of any quantity is criminal.

Bears in the Carpathians are also a legal matter. Feeding bears and stopping for photographs on the Transfăgărășan are prohibited and fineable. The reason is simple: fed bears come to the road and attack, and people die of this in Romania every year.

Drones. Registration is compulsory, and flights over cities and infrastructure are restricted.

Photography. Military installations are off limits; otherwise there are no restrictions.

Stray dogs. Packs occur on city outskirts and in rural areas. Formally the municipalities deal with it; in practice they do not.

Vaccinations. None mandatory. For Carpathian hiking, discuss tick-borne encephalitis and rabies.

Water. Tap water in Bucharest and the large cities is drinkable. In rural areas, bottled is better.

Bears are Romania's main natural danger. The Carpathians hold Europe's largest brown bear population and attacks are increasing. The rules: no food in a tent or in a car with an open window, make noise on the trail, never approach cubs, and do not feed from the roadside. Bears come to the verge on the Transfăgărășan precisely because tourists feed them.

Ticks. The season runs April to October, with risk in forests and meadows.

Stray dogs. Bites are the commonest reason visitors see a doctor. Any bite means a rabies vaccine the same day.

Healthcare. The public system is weak and overloaded. The Regina Maria and MedLife private networks work at European standards, are inexpensive and speak English. Insurance is needed.

Mountains. Făgăraș and Retezat are genuine high country with sudden storms. Huts exist, but the Salvamont rescuers are volunteers.

Emergency number is 112, with English-speaking operators.

Romania sits in the lower half of the European corruption table, but police are generally correct with tourists.

Numbers. 112 is the European line, works in English and covers every service.

Tourist police. Operating in Bucharest, Brașov and Constanța.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates for insurers issued. The process is slow but functional.

Traffic police. Many speed traps and fines issued on the spot. Unofficial payment has diminished but occurs in the regions. Ask for a receipt.

Salvamont. The mountain rescue service, reached through 112 or on 0725 826 668. It operates free of charge.

Languages. English is spoken in Bucharest and tourist towns, and Romanian is a Romance language comprehensible to Italian and Spanish speakers. Russian is barely used.

What actually matters. Romania's main risks are not criminal but road-related and natural: the driving style on highways, the state of rural roads, and bears in the Carpathians.