Cheap beer, a pedestrian Old Town packed at weekends and two huge summer festivals around Cluj. Bucharest sets the pace.
Live city guides: Bucharest.
Best clubs: Bucharest.
Where to go out
Romania nightlife is cheap, late and built around Bucharest. A normal night starts on a terrace at about 20:00, moves to a bar around 23:00 and reaches a club after midnight. Weekend clubs run until about 05:00. A beer costs 10 to 22 lei (€2 to €4), and most Old Town bars charge no entry.
Bucharest nightlife is three scenes on one map. Lipscani, the pedestrian Old Town, is loud, central and aimed at visitors. Floreasca and the lakeside north are dressier, with door lists and bottle tables from about 500 lei (€95). Along Calea Victoriei towards Piața Romană, cocktail bars at 50 to 90 lei (€9 to €17) and jazz rooms suit a slower start.
The summer circuit sits outside the capital. Cluj-Napoca hosts Untold in August and, about 25 km away at Bonțida, Electric Castle in July. Timișoara is a student city, and Mamaia, the Black Sea strip beside Constanța, runs from mid-June to early September. The mistake visitors make is staying in the Old Town all night, where menus get switched and promoters push free shots.
A beer costs about €2 to €4, Old Town bars rarely charge entry and a full night can come in around €25.
Electric Castle in July and Untold in August bring hundreds of thousands of people to Cluj-Napoca, and Summer Well adds an August weekend near Bucharest.
Bucharest clubs play house, trance, metal and punk. Control Club stays open until about 05:00 at weekends.
Cluj-Napoca has Romania's largest university, and Timișoara has about 40,000 students.
Mamaia is a strip about 8 km long between the Black Sea and a lake. Almost nobody lives there, so the summer season is the nightlife.
Central Bucharest is walkable, and two nights covers the main areas.
Not for you if you dislike hard selling. In Lipscani, promoters push "free" shots and terrace menus can change after you sit down. Walk one street away from the main drag.
Three days of jazz in an open-air museum park inside the city. The 2027 edition is announced for 25 to 27 June.
Four days in mid-July on the Bánffy estate, about 25 km from Cluj-Napoca. It ran 16 to 19 July 2026, and 14 to 18 July 2027 is announced. Trains and buses run from Cluj, and camping is on site.
Four days across the city, with the main stage at Cluj Arena. It ran 6 to 9 August 2026 with more than 500,000 visitors, and 5 to 8 August 2027 is set.
Three days on the Știrbey estate, about 20 km north-west of Bucharest. It ran 7 to 9 August 2026, and 13 to 15 August 2027 is listed.
Friday in Lipscani, then a cocktail bar on Calea Victoriei. Saturday around Floreasca or at Control Club. The metro stops around 23:00, so use Bolt or Uber home.
Two nights in Bucharest, then Cluj-Napoca, 445 km away, so fly or plan most of a day by train. Spend the third night around Piața Unirii.
Two nights in Budapest, then 461 km east to Cluj-Napoca for two student-city nights. Allow most of a day for the journey.
Three nights in Bucharest, two in Constanța and Mamaia between mid-June and early September. Neversea, the beach festival, did not run in 2025 and is not back in 2026.
Three nights in Bucharest, two in Cluj-Napoca, two in Timișoara, moving west. Timișoara was a European Capital of Culture in 2023, and clubs such as Hamei run weekend events.
Lipscani is calmer in the early evening. Read the price list before you sit.
Caru' cu Bere on Strada Stavropoleos runs folk dance shows, and Berăria H by Herăstrău Lake has live folk music. Book ahead for groups.
A jazz club on Calea Victoriei, reached through a narrow gate into a courtyard. Tickets are about 40 to 100 lei (€8 to €19).
Stages in the grounds of a baroque castle at Bonțida.
Early August, four days, with the main stage in a football stadium.
A strip about 8 km long between the sea and a lake, busy from mid-June to early September. It is a district of Constanța, so you can stay in the city.
Romania's shawarma: chicken or pork in a flatbread with garlic sauce and chips. Stands and 24-hour counters sell it for about 25 to 30 lei (€5 to €6).
Grilled, skinless minced-meat rolls with mustard and bread. Order them at beer halls and grill terraces.
Tripe soup with garlic and vinegar, the traditional morning-after bowl. Look for it where the kitchen stays open late.
Pretzel-style bread rings from street stands and bakeries. Cheap, and good for the walk home.
Fried dough with garlic, cheese and sour cream, sold at festival food stalls.
Most Lipscani bars charge no entry and have no dress code.
Around Floreasca and Herăstrău, doormen can refuse shorts, tank tops, flip-flops and sportswear. Bottle service starts from about 500 lei (€95).
On Old Town terraces, a different menu can appear after you sit down. A 50 lei round has been reported turning into 400 lei.
Free shots are sugary and weak, and drinks cost well above nearby side streets. A new friend who steers you to a quiet bar is the same trap.
Exchange kiosks on Lipscani are reported to pay about 10 per cent less than bank ATMs. If a card machine offers euros, choose lei.
Say the total you want to pay, or round up in cash.
Possession of any drug, cannabis included, carries severe penalties. Foreign visitors have received long sentences for offences at music festivals.
| Club entry | Free in Old Town bars; 50–110 lei (€9–21) at clubs |
| Beer in a bar | 10–22 lei (€2–4) |
| Cocktail | about 45–90 lei (€8–17) |
| Metro ticket, single trip | 7 lei (about €1.30) |
| Ride-hailing across town | about 25–40 lei (€5–8) |
| Shaorma | about 25–30 lei (€5–6) |
| Bottle table in the north | from about 500 lei (€95) |
Five beers in an Old Town side street, a shaorma and the metro.
A cocktail bar, a club door, four drinks, a shaorma and a ride home by app.
A bottle table in Floreasca plus entry and rides, or a festival day with food and drinks.
The Bucharest metro runs from about 05:00 to 23:00, so it will not take you home from a club. STB runs night buses, but most people use Bolt or Uber. Avoid street taxis: some drivers overcharge foreign visitors.
The legal drinking age is 18. Carry a passport or ID card, because doormen check age.
Cards and contactless work in most bars and clubs. Carry 150 to 200 lei in cash for small bars and tips. Cards have been copied in some bars, so keep yours in sight.
Club nights mostly sell at the door. Festivals sell online in waves, with 2027 early passes around €109 to €139.
Stay on terraces and inside. Public drinking rules vary by municipality and police can fine you, so do not walk the streets with an open bottle.
Petty theft is the main risk in Bucharest. Drink spiking happens in bars and clubs, so keep your glass in sight.
Banned inside bars, clubs and restaurants. People smoke on terraces and outside.
Young Romanians in the big cities speak English. Bună seara is good evening, noroc is cheers and mulțumesc is thank you.
Yes, and cheap. Bucharest has the Old Town, jazz rooms and clubs, Cluj-Napoca has the big festivals, and Mamaia works in summer.
Weekend clubs in Bucharest run until about 05:00. Old Town bars close around 02:00, with a few open much later.
About €25 for a cheap night, €60 for a normal one and €120 or more with a bottle table or a festival day.
18. Carry ID, because clubs check.
Bucharest for clubs and bars. Cluj-Napoca for students and festivals, and Mamaia in summer.
Yes. Untold ran 6 to 9 August 2026 and is set for 5 to 8 August 2027. Electric Castle ran 16 to 19 July 2026 and is announced for 14 to 18 July 2027.
