If you’re planning a visit to Romania, choosing the best time to visit based on your preferences is very important. And today, I will help you choose the perfect month for your visit here.
Romania is a country with four seasons and a temperate-continental climate, very similar to what you would get in most areas in Central Europe. While finding the best time of the year to visit is extremely important, it’s also a very subjective thing, depending on what is the main reason why you travel here.
If you want to enjoy the beaches, soak in the sun and hear the birds chirping, January is obviously a bad month since it’s cold and freezing. However, if you come to Romania to enjoy its skiing slopes, that would be a perfect month to visit!
With these in mind, it’s difficult to name a period of the year as the “best” to visit the country as it depends on what you’re planning to do and see.
However, I do believe that some of the seasons are better suited than the others for most occasions and purposes and I will try to cover them all in today’s article.
So I’ll share with you my thoughts on the best time to visit Romania, plus a small guide on each season and what to expect if you visit during that time.
This way, depending on your needs, expectations and budget, you can plan your trip properly.
The Absolute Best Time to Visit Romania
If I had to pick an absolute best time to visit Romania, I would say that it is during the warmer days of late spring and summer. This gives you a relatively large time frame, between mid-May to mid-September.
Summer in Romania begins officially on the 1st of June and ends with the last day of August.
However, with the recent changes in weather and temperatures, you will still get awesome weather throughout September (and even October), while June is becoming a bit colder and generally windy.
But let’s narrow down the moments you should visit – the recommended dates being most suitable for general travel and sightseeing (we’ll go in depth with beach time and the winter afterward):
– 25 May – 25 June: It’s late spring and early summer. Generally, the weather is really nice and balanced. Temperatures don’t reach insanely high levels as they do in July, meaning that you can walk more without getting sweaty and miserable.
You also have flowers, strong green colors but rain is not completely out of the question, although rain usually goes fast and without major events.
However, in recent years, thanks to the climate change taking place everywhere in the world, this period has become a bit windy, sometimes colder than usual and on some occasions extremely hot. But usually it’s like I described it in the paragraphs above.
– 15 August – 20 September: I would consider this period the best possible to visit most of Romania.
The weather is still really warm and even though the day starts to get shorter, you still get perfect temperatures and very few bits of rain. Fall is coming and you get the chance to experience a ton of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Just like the previous time frame, the country won’t be as crowded as it is between mid-June to mid-August.
Since you’re at the end of the summer season – and therefore the end of the touristy season in Romania – you will also get better prices. And with the recent changes in weather, your days will be perfect!
Take your time to book your stay at a hotel in Romania here
Best time to visit Romania in the Summer
If you want to visit Romania in the summer, mainly for the best beaches on the Black Sea’s coast (or for any swimming/tanning related activities), late summer is when it’s best to schedule your trip.
The best time of the year for beach goers is between July 15th – August 30th. This is the high season in the country, so expect larger crowds and higher prices.
But they are so for a reason: the sea temperature is perfect and you’ll get mostly sunny days with little rain.
And if you don’t know where to stay, I have written an in-depth guide about the Best hotels in Mamaia – Romania’s best sea resort.
Best time to visit Romania in the Winter
If you want to visit the country for some winter related activities, you should make sure to include the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in your time frame.
There is a lot to see and do during these celebrations, including sampling the delicious Romanian food.
The best time to visit Romania in the winter is between December 20th – January 31st.
You will get plenty of snow in the mountain resorts (but maybe none in most other cities – snow has been scarce in the past few years) so there’s room for a lot of skiing and mulled wine.
I wrote more about winter in Romania – make sure to read that article to learn more about the temperatures and my thoughts about my least favorite part of the year.
Understanding the country’s 4 seasons
As I said, the best time to visit Romania really depends on why you’re here and what you’re expecting to do or see.
If you’re just planning to see as many of the attractions as possible, the first recommended dates above should be perfect – or you can adjust them accordingly.
By tradition, mid-July and the entire month of August are considered the best months for the beaches (also most crowded) while mid-December through February are considered the best for winter sports.
Usually, beach time starts in June (water is still pretty cold then – just like the weather) until mid September (when you risk a rainy stay).
Now here are more details on the seasons in Romania:
Spring: March, April, May
Spring weather is pretty unpredictable in Romania. It’s usually cold and sometimes temperatures can easily go below 0 degrees Celsius.
It’s not uncommon to get snow in March although it’s more common in the cities situated at higher altitudes.
In the past couple of years, in the city I live in (by the Danube), we had no snow during the winter, only for it to come in March/April. The climate indeed seems to be changing a lot.
No matter what the temperatures are, the skies are usually cloudy, especially during the first month of spring.
It’s not unusual for the weather to be pretty windy during Spring and rainy, but you can also get surprisingly hot temperatures and sunny skies for several days in the row.
Things start to get better once May begins as temperatures start to rise and chances of rain become lower and lower.
If you want to play it safe, mid-May would be a great month to visit most of the country as the temperatures are balanced (even though at night it can get a bit cold).
Towards the end of the month you can normally think about hitting the beaches too, although the sea would still be too cold for a pleasant swim.
Summer: June, July, August
Summer in Romania is generally hot and dry. Days are long and sunny, with June officially marking the beginning of the beach season, although the second half of July to the first half of August are considered high season and much better options.
Temperatures can get unbearably high during July and August, with the former being the hottest month of the year (also called the “Oven” month because of the high temperatures).
Although it sometimes rains – quick showers usually, summers are getting drier and drier, with quick summer storms coming and going without big chances of ruining your vacation.
Because of the nice weather, most people consider summer to be the best time of the year to visit Romania. Make sure you book an air-conditioned room if you come after July 1st, you’ll need it!
Fall: September, October, November
Days get shorter and rainier during the fall, but September and lately even the first half of October have pleasant weather and sunny skies.
For example, the day that I am updating this article (October 29th), the temperature outside is 19 degrees Celsius and the sky clear. Things are changing!
November brings the cold weather though and, just like in Game of Thrones, lets you know that winter is coming.
It’s a nice time of the year to visit Romania, though. It’s crops season and you’ll get the chance to enjoy locally grown vegetables and delicious fruits at extremely low prices.
September is off season at the beach, so you will get much cheaper prices for accommodation and food, but I wouldn’t risk scheduling a holiday at the beach after September 15th, because of the poor weather.
All in all, most of these months are good for visiting the country: not as many tourists as you get in the summer (but Romania rarely gets crowded apart from the resorts) and you still have decent weather, although higher risks of rain.
Winter: December, January, February
Winters in Romania are cold to extremely cold and miserable, I would say.. In the past several years most winters were warmer than they usually are, but I wouldn’t bet on good weather during this time.
By tradition, January and February are the coldest months of the year, with the latter holding some unpleasant surprises every now and then (I still remember the time when, several years ago, we got hit by -27 degrees Celsius temperatures that everything was frozen, including water pipes and the people’s hearts).
I don’t think that this is a good time to visit unless you’re here for the mountain resorts and winter sports.
Most of the cities in Romania struggle to deal with snowfall and you can expect blocked roads (both in the city and roads leading to the cities) and other cold-weather related trouble.
But if you want to come here to ski, mid-December is a great month to begin with and the mountains will usually have solid snow until mid-February or so. Make sure to double check though!
Wrapping up
In the end, you should decide when the best time to visit is based on what you want to do and see.
If you already have a favorite time of the year to visit Central Europe or other countries in Eastern Europe, the same rules should apply for Romania as well!
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Hello Calin,
Nice overview of Romanian weather. I think with global warning affecting everywhere, Romania is hotter and drier in the summer, and maybe warmer in the winter with less of a snowpack (and hence less water available). Where I live in Seattle-Tacoma, we’ve gone without rain for nearly a month. It’s hotter and drier here, too. In the winter, it’s warmer, so the mountain icepacks melt sooner, and then there’s less water for general use and for farming and irrigation. (Basically it s*cks for everyone affected!)
At least you don’t have tornadoes and hurricanes like we have in the U.S. They are real buzzkills!!! There’s a whole swath of the country affected by tornadoes: “Tornado Alley”–where neither love nor money could entice me to reside!
Apropos nothing:
So is Romania going “Spider-Man” crazy? I don’t know why the U.S. has to keep remaking and remaking films that were better the first time around. (Well, I guess I do know–it’s the $$$.)
I guess “Spidey” is duking it out with the “Apes” to see who comes out on top.;-) Isn’t there another “Pirates of…” coming out soon, too? Well, poor Johnny Depp has to make a living, somehow–ha, ha!
Stay hydrated, if you can,
~Teil
p.s. Have you used your a/c, yet?
Hello Teil,
The weather is indeed changing. As long as the winters are mild, I don’t mind though, haha. We’ve been using the air conditioning unit quite heavily since June. There are cooler days when we don’t have to, but most of the times we do as temperatures outside are 30 and above (degrees Celsius).
Regarding the movies, people rarely go crazy over a movie here. I didn’t even know that a new Spider Man movie is coming out, but I know for sure that a Pirates of the Caribbean one is out already 🙂 Unfortunately, I rarely have time for movies nowadays, even though I would love it to be otherwise.
Look like we picked a good time to visit. The shoulder of the fall. I am so sick of warm weather already in Valencia, so l am looking forward to a little bit of cold. If it has to come with rain, so be it. I have a feeling it will feel like Boston in the fall which is by far my most favorite season :-). I am looking forward to it very much.
You can get perfect weather during that period, Kemkem. Not too cold, not too warm, and no rain to make your great photos harder to take 🙂 Hopefully the weather will be perfect when you get here.
Hi,
We are thinking to visit Romania in the first week of Nov to see the fall colours. Is it a good time or you think we may risk rain?
Thank you
Hello,
There’s always the risk of rain during late fall. Depending on the areas you plan to visit, you might even get light snow (up in the mountains). In the past few years, the weather was warmer than usual and you can still get amazing weather in November, but there’s always the risk of cold, rainy days.
We picked it well. Just before Fall is the best time for us to visit Romania :-).
Yes, good choice for sure! I am happy to know that you enjoyed the visit.