How to get to Bucovina? By plane, by train, by bus, or by private transfer?

We will help you to choose the best option for your trip to Bucovina, according to your budget, time, and comfort standards!

Planning your trip to Bucovina can be a time-consuming process. Some people love the trip-planning meanwhile others would like to finish as soon as possible or they prefer to entrust this task to their trusted travel agency. Bucovina and Romania in general, are not mainstream travel destinations and you may have difficulties in finding information for your DIY trip or in finding a trusted local travel agency.

Once you decided what you want to visit Bucovina the next step is to decide how to get to Bucovina!

Suceava, your best base to visit Bucovina

An excellent linked base if you are planning to get to Bucovina by plane, by train, bus, or private transportation. Suceava offers a wide range of accommodations from hostels to 4 stars hotels and a good variety of restaurants.

Even if Suceava was completely remodeled during communism the town still has some noteworthy attractions of its own:

• Suceava’s main tourist site is the citadel, dating back to the 14th-century fortress when Suceava was the capital of Moldavia
  
• Saint George’s Church (the monastery of St. John the New of Suceava), a UNESCO World Heritage site
  
• Bucovina village museum (open-air museum), with its valuable old wooden bucovinean houses and traditional items exhibits, and Suceava’s main tourist site, is the 14th-century citadel.
  
• Bucovina’s History Museum
  
  

How to get to Bucovina by plane

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Suceava International Airport (SCV) is located 12 km from the town of Suceava it can be considered the Gateway to Bucovina. Suceava Airport operates budget international flights to several cities from five European countries:

– Italy (Milano Bergamo, Bologna, Rome Fiumicino & Rome Ciampino)
– Germany (Dortmund and Memmingen)
– United Kingdom (London Luton and Doncaster Sheffield)
– Austria (Wien)
– Cyprus (Larnaca)

These flights are operated by WizzAir, one of Europe’s biggest low-cost airline companies. The flight tickets can be very affordable if booked in advance, starting from 20 Euro, or much more expensive if booked late especially during the summer months.

Suceava International Airport can be reached from most of the European countries with a connection in Bucharest Otopeni Airport which has direct flights in most of the European countries and not only. There is a 1-hour flight Bucharest – Suceava – Bucharest operated by Tarom and it can cost from 20 to 150 Euro.

How to get to Bucovina with private tours/transportation

Here we can be subjective but we think that private transportation or even better a private tour in Bucovina is from far the best option.
A private tour even if it’s not the cheapest solution is the best way to travel around Romania for most of the routes and even better if you will do it for the entire trip. With us, you will be traveling in safe and comfortable cars with specialized travel guides, who know this amazing region inside out. You will save time and have a full understanding of the Romanian culture food and places that you will visit.

For an unforgettable experience, you can book your tour with us, at Explore Bucovina. You are not sure yet? Check our reviews on Tripadvisor

Brasov – Suceava private tour/transfer (5h30’ – 10 h)

The 2^nd most visited city in Romania, situated in Southeast of Transylvania, the medieval town of Brasov is the perfect place to set up and explore many of Romania’s Landmarks like Bran Castle, Peles Castle, Rasnov, and the Saxon fortified churches of Transylvania.

Even if Brasov is very popular among travelers, the connections with Bucovina are bad so we strongly recommend a private tour.
Price:
– for Brasov – Suceava you can contact Boutique Romania
– for Suceava – Brașov you can contact us here

Tips:
*The tour proposed by Boutique Romania includes some very interesting sights on your way to Bucovina like the medieval fortified church of Prejmer (UNESCO world heritage), the Red Lake and Bicaz Gorges, and the Agapia Monastery. 

Sighișoara – Suceava private tour/transfer (5h30’ – 10 h)

A private tour from Sighisoara to Suceava can be a great choice and not because it is the only option, (no public transportation available) but you will see how we can transform this long drive into a great day tour.

On your way to Suceava, you can enjoy the unique Szeklers villages from the Carpathians mountains, the famous Red Lake and, a very nice drive on the very scenic road next to the Bicaz torrent which sliced the limestone rocks in millions and millions of years. We leave Transylvania behind and step into a different historical region, which is Moldavia where we can see the charming monastery of Agapia, with its 300 nuns, full of history, crafts, and valuable paintings.
Price:
– for Sighișoara – Suceava you can contact Boutique Romania
– for Suceava – Sighișoara you can contact us here

Tips:
* You can tailor your tour according to your interest. You can also consider stops at Neamt medieval citadel, Neamt Monastery, Pride Salt Mine, or ask for the fast transfer even if it would be a pity to miss some of these places.

Maramures (Sighetul Marmatiei) – Suceava private tour/transfer (4h45’ – 6 h)

We guarantee that we can transform this trip into an unforgettable experience. We will drive on picturesque mountain roads, rolling hills with beautiful wildflowers, and charming small villages. Once we will leave Prislop Pass behind us, prepare yourself to discover Bucovina, the land of the famous painted monasteries, a place full of peace and spirituality with a unique bucolic atmosphere.
Price:
– Contact us at Explore Bucovina and we will prepare a customized itinerary to fit 100% of your requirements and budget at no obligation or cost to you. Once your ideal itinerary is agreed we can send you the final pricing and the payment options for the deposit to secure your reservation.

Tips:
*Before Suceava, we will take you on an amazing guided tour to the painted monasteries of Bucovina. Moldovita, Voronet, and Humor monastery, 3 of the 8 UNESCO world heritage sites in Bucovina.

Cluj Napoca – Suceava private tour (5h30’)

From Cluj to Suceava you have reasonable options also with public transportations. The private tour it’s not going to be much faster, it will cost more but you will have the chance to plan some visits to places like the Armenian Church of Gherla, the Saxon town of Bistrita or the monastery of Voronet.
Price:
– Contact us at Explore Bucovina

Bucharest – Suceava private transfer (6h30’)

The plane is faster and the train is cheaper. Also, the route is not very rich in major attractions or very panoramic.  Although if you like the comfort and a carefree trip from your hotel/airport in Bucharest directly to the lobby of your hotel in Suceava you can rely on Explore Bucovina.

How to get to Bucovina by train

Traveling by train can be a good idea in some countries and a terrible experience in others. In Romania, the situation is somewhere in between. We have no high-speed trains but on some routes, we have decent speed, AC, dining, and sleeping cars. For some other routes instead, the train ride can last forever, you may have stops in every village, multiple connections, and old and dirty cars. Let’s see which trains you should and should not take to get to Bucovina.

Bucharest – Suceava by train (6-8 hours)

Is part of the main railroad line 500 which goes from Bucharest to Suceava and continues to Moscow via Kyiv. We consider this one of the good train routes in Romania. The distance of 450 km (280 mi), is covered in 6 – 8 hours depending on which train you will take. The trains will have AC, plugs, dining, and sleeping cars.

Prices:
2^nd class – 85 Lei (17,5 E/ 20,5 $ )
1^st class – 130 Lei (27  E/ 31,5 $)
sleeping car with 6 beds – 120 Lei (25 E/ 29,5 $)
sleeping car with 4 beds – 135 Lei (28 E/ 32,5 $)
sleeping car with 2 beds – 205 Lei (42 E/ 49,5 $)

Tips:
* The night train with sleeping cars can be a good idea if you are traveling on a budget, this way you will save the money for 1-night accommodation and at first light you will be in Suceava.
* Don’t expect much more from the 1^st class cars, in our opinion it doesn’t worth the price difference.
* It is not the most panoramic train ride that you can take in Romania.
* The train get on time to Suceava most of the time.

Brasov – Suceava by train (8-11 hours. Not recommended!)

We strongly recommend visiting Brasov and Bucovina during your trip to Romania but we don’t recommend the train ride from Brasov to Suceava or from Suceava to Brașov. From Brasov, it will take you to Bucharest and from Bucharest to Suceava. You will have at least one train connection and it will take somewhere between 8 and 11 and 613 km (380 mi) instead of 330 km (205 mi).
Price:
2^nd class – 126 Lei (26 E/ 30 $ )
1^st class – 190 Lei (39  E/ 45,5 $)

Cluj Napoca – Suceava by train (6-7 hours)

Cluj–Napoca, commonly known as Cluj, located in the heart of Transylvania, is one of the most vibrant cities in Romania.
The train connection with Bucovina (Suceava) is not great, not terrible. 4 – 5 InteRregio trains every day, 6 hours, and 30 minutes to get to Suceava (320 km/ 200 mi), no connections, dining cars, and 2-night trains with sleeping cars available.
Price:
2^nd class – 72,6 Lei (15E/ 17,5 $ )
sleeping car with 6 beds – 108,7 Lei (22,5 E/ 26,5 $)
sleeping car with 2 beds – 185 Lei (38 E/ 44,5 $)

Tips:
* You will enjoy lovely mountain landscapes especially from Nasaud to Gura Humorului, so try to get a seat by the window.

Iași – Suceava by train ( 1h53’ – 2h50’ hours)

If you are traveling from Iasi to Suceava by public transport you have an easy mission. The train station is not far from the city center and very close to the bus station. You have several trains every day for very reasonable prices.
Price:
2^nd class – 39,5 Lei (8 E/ 9 $ )
1^st class – 56,7  Lei (11,5  E/ 13,5 $)

*Try to get the Inter Regio trains which are 1 hour faster than the Regio trains

Maramures (Sighetul Marmatiei) – Suceava by train (11 – 16 hours. Not recommended!)

Unfortunately, this train route is a disaster! Only 2 trains per day, very slow and with a bad connection.

Sighișoara – Suceava by train (12 – 15 hours. Not recommended!)

Very slow and no direct routes from Sighisoara to Suceava

For more information, timetable, and online ticketing please visit the official site of the Romanian Railroad Company (CFR) > https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/

How to get to Bucovia by bus

Traveling by bus in Romania is popular among the locals but you will see that this is not always the best solution for foreign travelers. All the bus operating companies are private, it is not possible to pay or to book online, and as a foreigner, you may have difficulties in finding the right bus station.

Bucharest – Suceava by bus (7- 8 hours)

You can take the bus from the main bus station, “Autogara Obor”. This is a lucky situation where you have all the bus operating companies in the same bus station:  Tarsin, Trans Nicolaescu, RVG, Tasa, and Nicotur.

Price: 80 – 100 Lei (16,5 – 20,5 E / 19 – 24$)
Tips:
* We consider the train a better option, it’s more comfortable, it costs the same and you will get to Suceava faster.
* If you are lucky and you will book in advance you can get a flight ticket for a similar price.

Brasov – Suceava by bus (8 hours)

Unfortunately, there is only 1 bus per day from Brasov to Suceava, at 07.00 am, operated by Tarsin from “Autogara Bartolomeu” also known as “Autogara 4 Brasov”. 

Price: 80 Lei (16,5 E / 19$)

Tips:
* Even if it sounds terrible 8 hours for only 330 km this is still the best option for public transportation between Brașov and Suceava.
* This is a very panoramic route which will take you through the Eastern Carpathians, inside the National Park Cheile Bicazului – Hasmas, where you can see the Red Lake and Bicaz Gorges. Unfortunately, there will be only a short stop at the Red Lake so you will have to admire most of the breathtaking views only from the bus.

Cluj Napoca – Suceava by bus (7 hours)

3-4 busses every day, unfortunately from different bus stations. From Cluj to Suceava we consider the train a better and more reliable option.

Price: 80 Lei (16,5 E / 19 $)

Iași – Suceava by bus (2h43’ hours)

If you are traveling from Iasi to Suceava by public transport you have an easy mission. The bus station is right in front of the train station, there is only one bus company operating this route (Intertrans Company), for a similar price as the train. 

Price: 35 Lei (7E / 8,5$)Tips:

* The InterRegio train is 1hour faster than the bus meanwhile the Regio train takes the same time from Iasi to Suceava. 

Maramures (Sighetul Marmatiei) – Suceava by bus

The only bus from Sighet to Suceava does not provide complete information on the website. At the moment we write this post we tried to contact them on the phone and we didn’t succeed. We suppose that the bus does not operate this route anymore or if it operates it can’t be very reliable.

Sighișoara – Suceava by bus (not available)

Unfortunately, there are no direct buses available or no reasonable connections.

For more information about the companies operating the bus lines, timetable you can visit this website> www.autogari.ro