Packing List for Romania: Tips for Carry On Travelers

Are you looking for the perfect packing list for Romania for carry on travelers? We visited in late spring/early summer, so my advice for what to pack for Romania is based on that time of year. I also love to travel carry on only, so my Romania packing list is geared towards carry on travelers.

Romania is a wonderful country for exploring cities and nature. You can take a food tour, see castles, and go hiking all on one fun vacation, so your packing list needs to reflect what’s on your itinerary. Let’s take a look at what to pack and what to wear in Romania, especially for carry on travelers.

Romania Packing List: Essentials for Carry-On

Romania surprised me. It’s a gorgeous country with friendly people, fantastic landscapes, and interesting history. We spent a week in Romania and traveled to Bucharest, Brasov, and several different castles and villages within a few hours of Brasov, so my advice is based on those experiences. I never felt like I needed to be dressed up in Romania, but if you plan on going to nice restaurants in Bucharest, add a few dressier items to this carry on Romania packing list.

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Clothing

Plan your clothing choices for Romania so that your pieces are practical and coordinate, which also helps you pack for a week in a carry on. Comfort is key when you’re walking around sightseeing all day. If you do like to dress a little nicer to go out for dinner in the evening, you don’t need anything too fancy, although certainly there are fancy places in Bucharest if you want to seek them out.

I’m very open to re-wearing shirts, leggings, and jeans. In general, I don’t think one day is enough to get something so dirty that I can’t wear it another day. This is one easy way to travel carry on only. Of course if you plan on doing some serious hiking in Romania, you’ll want to stick to wearing something just once.

Short sleeved shirts: Pack 4-7 shirts for a one week in Romania, plus or minus, depending on how open you are to re-wearing a shirt. If you’re traveling in winter, use these as a base layer. Try these from Bluffworks: women’s crew neck | men’s crew neck | For something a little cuter: women’s cowl neck

Long sleeved shirt or hoodie: Even in the summer, it can get a little chilly in some places, especially if you’re in more mountainous regions of Romania. So it’s good to have one long sleeved shirt, hoodie, or light jacket to wear over a short sleeved shirt. For a winter trip to Romania, or early spring or late autumn, pack a few more long sleeve shirts.

Pants: 2-3 pairs of leggings or jeans. In the winter, leggings can be layered under jeans to keep you warm.

Shorts: Summer in Romania can get hot, or even late spring and early autumn, so pack a few pairs of shorts if this is when you’re going.

Light waterproof jacket: It’s good to have a jacket in case it rains or if you’re in a windy location. I was happy to have a jacket when we visited some hilltop villages and castles in Romania. As you can see in the photo above, we wore layers in the mornings and at higher altitudes, but it got hot in the afternoons.

Underwear: Pack one pair of underwear and one pair of socks for each day of your trip. Ladies, pack 2 or 3 bras for a one week trip. I love ExOfficio because they’re quick dry, which is great for travel.

Sleepwear: Pajamas, t-shirt and shorts, leggings…you know what you’re comfortable sleeping in.

Shoes: Pack a pair of comfortable walking shoes or hiking boots, plus one other pair of shoes depending on your itinerary. Sandals or other casual shoes will work. Leave the high heels at home because they will not be good for walking on cobblestones or up hills.

Toiletries

Everyone has specific toiletries they like to use, but here’s my toiletries list that helps me pack carry on only.

Shampoo and conditioner: I love using solid shampoo and solid conditioner for travel and at home. But if you’re not ready to ditch your liquid versions, stay under the liquids limit by using these GoToob refillable bottles. | Read my reviews of Ethique solid shampoo for travel and Ethique solid conditioner for travel.

Shower gel or bar soap: Bar soap won’t count against the liquids limit.

Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss: Keep those teeth clean! Did you know you can get solid toothpaste tabs like these to save even more space in your liquids bag? | Read my review of Hello Solid Toothpaste Tabs for Travel.

Contact solution and case: If you wear contacts, I also recommend bringing glasses as a backup.

Lotion: Always good to have to prevent dry skin, especially when it’s windy in Romania.

Deodorant: Everyone appreciates it when you don’t stink. I love this deodorant from Ethique. | Read my review of Ethique solid deodorant for travel.

Razor: If you have shaving needs, add a razor to your Romania travel packing list. | Read more about packing a razor in carry on bags.

Nail clippers and nail file: Leave the nail scissors at home since some security agents might confiscate them.

Brush and hair elastics: Really whatever your normal hair routine requires.

Makeup: Pack your must-have makeup items, but you don’t need much. | Learn about bringing makeup on a plane in carry on.

Sunscreen: Important if you’re spending lots of time outside sightseeing or hiking in Romania. Did you know you can get solid sunscreen? I love this one.

Laundry soap: If you plan on packing carry on only for Romania, you might need to wash a few things along the way. I travel with this laundry soap, or if my liquids bag is really tight on space, I’ll use these laundry detergent sheets.

First aid items

Of course Romania has pharmacies and other stores where you can buy basic first aid items. But it’s always easier if you have a few things with you, plus if you’re out sightseeing, you might need something right away.

• Headache/Pain meds
• Bandaids and wound cream
• Immodium (hopefully you won’t need this)
• Allergy meds
• Prescription medications (always worth packing a few days extra)
• Bug repellent depending on what time of year you’re visiting Romania (try this solid one)

Electronics

Hopefully you can leave your laptop off your packing list for Romania so you can relax and enjoy your trip. But here are some other electronics you won’t want to forget to pack.

Camera and accessories: These days I mostly use my iPhone to take pictures, especially for city trips, but I was very happy I traveled to Romania with my Canon Rebel DSLR and zoom lens for some of the landscape shots. If you’re really into photography, a DSLR is a good choice.

Kindle: Great for bringing as many books as you want to read on the flight to the Romania or while on trains or buses from one city to another.

Smart phone: This works well for photos if you don’t want to bring a camera.

European SIM card: Rather than deal with the hassles of trying to buy a local sim card when you arrive, get one ahead of time. Orange SIM cards work throughout the EU, including Romania. Choose between a normal SIM or an eSIM.

Chargers, cords, batteries: Make sure you pack any chargers, cords, and batteries you need for your electronics.

Plug adapters: Most of mainland Europe, including Romania, uses a two pronged electrical outlet. You’ll need a plug adapter like this one to make your devices fit.

Most electronics do not need a voltage converter unless you’re traveling to Romania with a hair dryer, curling iron, or hair straightener. Even then, I highly recommend buying a dual voltage hair appliance before your trip because it’ll work better.

Documents

Passport: US citizens do not need a tourist visa to visit Romania, but if you carry a passport from somewhere else, please check the embassy website for requirements. Also note that Romania is in the EU but not in the Schengen Zone.

It’s also good practice to scan a copy of your passport and email it to yourself and to your emergency contact at home. Print a copy to have with you in case there’s an internet issue and you can’t access your scanned copy. Hopefully you’ll never need these backups, but you’ll be grateful to have them if your passport gets lots or stolen. It’s also worth getting a passport holder to protect your passport from bending, water damage, etc.

Credit and debit cards: Many places in Romania will accept credit cards but it’s worth taking out a little cash for small purchases or the occasional place that only takes cash. If a credit card machine or ATM asks if you want to use their exchange rate or let your bank choose it, or if it asks if you want to be charged in local currency or your home currency, ALWAYS let your bank choose the exchange rate, and ALWAYS choose to pay in local currency.

Driver’s license: We did not drive in Romania, but if you’re up for a bit of an adventure, renting a car in Romania could be fun. Just be sure to research road conditions before you decide. Get a quote for a rental car here. Otherwise you can get from Bucharest to Brasov by train pretty easily.

Other essential items to add to your packing list for Romania

Umbrella: In case it rains while you’re in Romania, packing a light weight travel umbrella is a good idea. But if it’s windy, a rain jacket will be even more useful.

Sunglasses: Definitely include sunglasses on your packing list for Romania.

Water bottle: The tap water in Romania is safe to drink, so bring your own water bottle to refill to save money and be kind to the environment. Get a collapsible one like this that will take up less space in your bag.

Tissues: I always travel with a few packs of tissues.

Sleep mask and ear plugs: If you’re a light sleeper or you’re staying in hostels, a sleep mask and ear plugs will come in handy.

Snacks: I always have a handful of granola bars with me to snack on while sightseeing or for long trains or buses. I’m a bit of an anxious person, so knowing I have a snack helps if lunch ends up being later than I’d like.

Romania tours

We took some really wonderful tours while we were in Romania, and I definitely recommend them. Food tours are always amazing, so we did one in Bucharest, and we also booked private tours to explore castles, villages, citadels, and more in the Brasov area.

• Bran Castle and Peles Castle Tour from Brasov: This tour picked us up from our hotel and took us to Bran Castle and Peles Castle, as well as a few other interesting places. (It says Rasnov Fortress is also included, but it was closed when we were in Romania.) The guide was wonderful and knowledgeable and it was such an enjoyable tour.
• Small Group Tour to Viscri Church, Sighisoara Town, Rupea Fortress: This tour was so interesting, and it was great to see villages and citadels and other places that aren’t nearly as popular (or crowded) as Bran Castle.
• Street Food’n’Culture Tour: Food tours are always a good idea, and this one we took in Bucharest gave us a wonderful introduction to Romanian food.

Hopefully my packing list for Romania is helpful for your trip to this gorgeous country, especially if you’re interested in traveling carry on only.

You might also enjoy:

• What NOT to Pack in Your Carry-On Bag: What is Not Allowed on a Plane
• How to Pack for 2 Weeks in a Carry On
• How Much Liquid Can You Bring on a Plane?
• What to Pack for a Trip: Travel Packing Checklist for Carry-On Only