Is Romania Safe or Dangerous? The Truth from Someone Who Lives Here

Many people still connect Romania with outdated stereotypes and vague fears that all Eastern European countries seem to inflict. But is any of that still true today?

Romania is a safe country to live in or travel to. There is almost no gun violence or violent crime here, and most foreigners are generally welcome by the locals. You should still practice normal precautions, like everywhere in the world, but you’ll feel and be safe here.

Romania is one of the safer countries out there. It’s not perfect – no place is – but compared to many other parts of the world, it is. Plus, you’ll feel a lot safer walking the streets here than in cities in Western Europe or the US.

But let’s get a bit more in-depth, address some specific (potential) issues and concerns and let you decide how safe it really is!

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General Safety in Romania

As I said in the intro, there are almost no violent crimes here, and no gun violence. People don’t carry weapons, and bands/gangs are not really a thing there. All in all, most foreigners will find locals welcoming and curious rather than threatening.

For example, in our small provincial city of Drobeta Turnu Severin, my wife sometimes went alone to take our dog for a walk at around 10:30 PM. She never had any problems, and always felt comfortable – it’s the same in pretty much all cities here.

I do have to mention that we lived in Constanta for two years, and there was one event when I felt unsafe. Funnily enough, it happened soon after moving, which initially made me consider our choices.

We were exploring the city when we saw an angry man holding a large knife or machete or something scary like that, screaming after somebody to come and face him. He was with two friends who were trying to calm him (and eventually took them inside a house), so nothing really happened – but it was scary.

Fortunately, these things are extremely rare in Romania, and even in Constanta, we have never experienced anything close to that. But I had to tell this story to prove that, in the end, anything is possible anywhere.

Still, Romania consistently ranks among the top countries based on safety. Last year, for example, it was placed 36th in the Global Peace Index, above countries like Sweden, Greece, South Korea, or the US. So things are looking really good.

War in Ukraine – Does It Affect Romania?

OK, I will start by addressing the elephant in the room, which, in this case, is the Ukraine war. It is important because Ukraine is one of Romania’s neighbors and many worry that the war might spill over.

While there have been incidents since the war started (like drone debris falling at the border or limited foreign drone incursions in Romania’s airspace), the risk of war is tiny – and basically the same as in France, Germany, or Spain.

I say this because Romania is both in Schengen and the EU, and a member of NATO, and any attack would trigger NATO defense. So the possibility of this happening is minimal – I said this in 2022 when the war started, and it remains valid today too.

So despite the scary headlines, Romania remains one of the safest Eastern European countries – and also one of the safest in the world.

Petty Crime & Scams

The most common crimes are not violent, but small annoyances you can expect in any country.

Pickpocketing is relatively common, and it can happen in crowded places like Bucharest’s metro, busy buses, or festivals.

Taxi scams sometimes occur at airports or train stations, so stick to Bolt, Uber, or official taxi apps and make sure to read my guide on how not to get scammed by your taxi driver in Romania.

But all in all, even when it comes to petty crime, Romania doesn’t have the same level of tourist-targeted scams as other popular places in Europe, like Prague, Paris and so on.

Unsafe Areas

Most cities have “bad neighborhoods.” For example, in Bucharest, Ferentari used to be one, known for drug use and poverty.

But even there, things have improved a lot as regular families have moved in, more shops opened in the area and life overall got better. Still, for peace of mind, most tourists should avoid it.

If you visit a different city, try to find out which are the bad neighborhoods and avoid them. But in reality, even these are far less threatening than the “no-go zones” you see in movies.

Stray Dogs (and Bears, Believe It or Not)

Stray dogs used to be Romania’s scariest reputation. Packs of 10-15 animals roaming the streets could be seen here and there some 15-20 years ago.

Today, things have changed dramatically. Most dogs you’ll see are strays-turned-community pets: fed by neighbors, friendly, and harmless, and their numbers are still going down overall. The odd aggressive dog still exists, but packs are rare in cities.

You can read more about stray dogs in Romania here.

Nowadays – and as strange as it might sound – the risk of being attacked by a bear is higher than meeting packs of wild dogs.

The number of bear attacks is increasing year by year, even though the authorities are doing their best to prevent them. The problem is two-faceted, though: tourists see wild bears and try to feed them, film them, or get close – and that’s when some attack (most still don’t). But these can result in tragic events, and we’ve seen a few of those each year for the past few years.

While you won’t meet any bears in most cities, if you’re traveling to the mountain towns and if you see one, it’s best to keep your distance. Also, read more about the danger of bears in Romania here.

Driving & Road Safety

If Romania has one real safety challenge, that’s traffic – both in the cities and outside. Actually, Romania has the highest number of deaths from road accidents in the EU (source here).

Bucharest drivers are known to be chaotic and aggressive, where rules sometimes feel like base guidelines. Accidents happen often, and not just in Bucharest, but most cities – and also on the connecting roads between them, generally due to speeding and risky overtakes.

Pedestrians should also be careful, even when crossing the streen where and how they should.

All in all, if you are careful – either as a pedestrian or driver – you minimize the risks as much as possible. But, as I said, this is probably the biggest danger you’ll be facing when visiting the country.

Health & Emergencies

If something does go wrong, Romania has solid emergency services. Here’s what you should call (or what to visit):

Emergency number: 112 (works EU-wide). Operators usually speak English.

Hospitals: Public hospitals can feel outdated, but private clinics (in major cities) are modern and affordable compared to Western Europe. For your peace of mind, make sure to always have good travel insurance.

Is Romania Safe for Women, Minorities, and LGBTQ Travelers?

Everything I wrote above is usually valid for all travelers. But since these specific questions do pop up, and I have a few comments here and there, I wanted to talk a bit more about these categories as well.

Women travelers should feel generally safe, including when walking alone at night, even in smaller cities. Petty harassment is much less common than in Southern Europe, but there might be the occasional whistle or person trying to talk to you – usually, either ignoring or a polite response is enough to handle the situation.

For LGBTQ people, physical safety is not a major concern, generally. Still, public displays of affection are going to at least raise eyebrows, and might result in comments or petty harassment too.

Progress in this area is slower compared to Western Europe, but there is progress and, despite the recent wave of hate that took over the world, big cities like Bucharest, Cluj, and Timisoara have growing LGBTQ communities and events, while smaller ones are still pretty safe overall.

For a compete, in-depth guide, I recommend looking at my previous article: “Is Romania LGBTQ-Friendly?“

Racism and Xenophobia in Romania

If you are not Caucasian, you might have worries that you could be less safe if you travel or move to Romania. Generally speaking, you should have nothing to worry about, no matter where you come from.

While racism is present in Romania (as it is in other countries), Romanians are generally friendly people and won’t judge and especially won’t attack you based on race alone, nor your country of origin.

While Romania is not very heterogeneous – at least from a racial point of view – more and more foreigners from all parts of the globe arrive here, ending up enjoying life and being treated as equals.

Still, people coming from specific countries (Southeast Asia, for example) have been in the spotlight recently because of extremist comments and as a result of the wave of hate that is slowly but steadily covering the world.

Out of all countries in Europe, some Romanians decided that immigrant workers are here to steal our jobs and do harm. There were a few incidents related to that, but I can only hope that this is a fad and not here to stay (things got heated after a politician posted an inflammatory comment, but seem to have cooled down a bit since).

As I said, some Romanians might have some misconceptions and outdated thinking, but the vast majority will keep their opinion to themselves. So most, at least for now, are still friendly and welcoming towards all foreigners. You can read more about living in Romania as a foreigner here.

If you’re curious about specific cities, I wrote detailed articles you can check out below, but the bottom line is, for all of them, that they’re generally safe to visit and live in:

• Is Constanta, Romania Safe?
• Is Cluj Napoca Dangerous?

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Conclusion

After over 40 years of living here, I can say, without a doubt, that Romania is a safe country. It’s safer than many places people consider “good” tourist destinations, and far safer than its outdated reputation suggests.

There are no mass shootings, violent crime is rare, and foreigners are generally welcomed warmly.

I’d love to hear what you think about Romania’s safety overall, and any stories you might have, so don’t hesitate to comment down below.