Henri Coandă Airport (Otopeni) is about 16 km from central Bucharest, and between landing and your hotel you have four options that genuinely matter: the train, a taxi, an Uber/Bolt ride or a rental car. Below we line them all up — what you pay, how long it takes and where each one can trip you up.
One thing to know from the start: there is still no metro to the airport. The M6 line to Otopeni is under construction and only estimated for 2028, so until then the train is the only option on rails.
The train: cheapest and most predictable
A direct train leaves Gara de Nord for the airport — a Blue Arrow (Săgeata Albastră) railcar that covers 19 km in about 21 minutes. It runs around the clock, roughly every 40 minutes. The ticket is among the cheapest in any EU capital — around 8 lei; buy it at the counter or from a machine, because it costs more from the conductor.
- At the airport, exit through the automatic doors in Arrivals and walk a few minutes through the car park, under the green roof, to the platforms. It is not spectacularly signposted, but it is there.
- Those 21 minutes take you to Gara de Nord, not to Piața Unirii or the Old Town. Add 15–25 minutes for the last mile by metro.
The taxi: fast, but mind the fare
On the ground floor of Arrivals there is a taxi rank with authorised cars that take passengers in order. Here is the trap: the airport allows fares between 2.29 and 3.50 lei/km, so the same ride can cost noticeably different amounts. Check the fare sticker on the door before you get in. For a central destination, reckon on 45–70 lei and 30–45 minutes without traffic.
Golden rule: do not accept offers from people who approach you inside the terminal. Touting is illegal — go to the official rank or use an ordering machine.
Uber / Bolt: convenient, but with one important change
Ride-share is often the simplest option: you order from the app, see the estimated price and pay by card. The price swings a lot with demand — between 40 and 120 lei. The detail that catches people out: since 2026, the pickup point has moved to Departures, no longer Arrivals. Go up one level and follow the pickup map in the app.
The rental car: worth it if you are not only staying in the centre
If your plan includes trips out of town — mountains, monasteries, the seaside — or you simply want freedom, a car picked up right at Otopeni saves you an extra transfer. From the airport you reach the centre in 25–45 minutes on DN1; keep in mind that the Băneasa–Piața Presei area jams at peak hours.
The real cost in the city is not fuel (16 km is nothing), it is parking. The centre has paid parking via app, and in the Old Town spots are few and expensive. If your hotel has its own parking, ask in advance.
In short, what to choose
- Minimum budget, light luggage: the train (~8 lei), plus metro to your destination.
- Straight to the door: taxi (45–70 lei) or Uber/Bolt (40–120 lei).
- You want to go further than Bucharest: a rental car.
- Racing the clock at rush hour: the train, to skip the jams.
If from Otopeni you plan to see more than the centre — a weekend in the mountains or a monastery tour — a car taken right at the airport spares you the transfers and the train timetable. With driveXplore you rent straight from Otopeni, with unlimited mileage and full insurance included, so you set off the moment your bags are off the belt.