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🇵🇱 Cross-border drive · Poland → Romania 🇷🇴

Driving from Warsaw to Bucharest

Heads up You'll hit three different toll systems on this trip Plan your stops, not just your finish time Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump See all →
Drive time
18h 7m
Distance
1,284 km
Same day?
Split it
12 h+, plan a stop
Fuel cost
≈ €165
petrol · diesel ≈ €147
Tolls
≈ €39
mixed
EV charging
Plenty fast
19 of 46 ≥50 kW
Countries
🇵🇱 🇷🇴
2 countries
On this page

Route map

Route options

Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.

Alternative

+5m
Distance:
1,389 km
(+105 km)
Duration:
18h 13m

Via: S7 · A1 · DN1 · M30

Avoids motorways

+3h 13m
Distance:
1,181 km
(−103 km)
Duration:
21h 20m

Via: DN2 · 17 · Н-10 · 801

How else can you make this trip?

Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.

By car

18h 7m

1.284 km · €165 fuel

See details ↓
By bike

Not realistic

1.284 km is far beyond a typical multi-day cycle tour. Try a shorter pair like a day or weekend stage.

By bus

No direct service

Our coach data (FlixBus + BlaBlaCar) doesn't list a direct service for this pair. National operators (e.g., National Express in the UK, Eurolines feeders) may still cover it — check their site directly.

By plane
WAW → BBU

2h 36m

from €40

See details ↓
By train
2 changes

26h 25m

PKP Intercity · OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice

See details ↓

Trip plan

How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.

Overnight recommended

Too long for a single-driver day. Plan on 2 overnight stop(s) to do this trip right.

A natural overnight stop near the halfway point: Kalush (ua).

Distance:
1,284 km
Duration:
18h 7m (free-flow, no traffic)

Where to stop

Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.

  1. Lublin 🇵🇱 pl

    ≈161 km

    ≈ 17.2 km detour from the main route

  2. Rzeszów 🇵🇱 pl

    ≈321 km

    ≈ 8.6 km detour from the main route

  3. Shchyrets 🇺🇦 ua

    ≈482 km

    ≈ 14 km detour from the main route

  4. Otyniia 🇺🇦 ua

    ≈642 km

    ≈ 3.2 km detour from the main route

  5. Calafindeşti 🇷🇴 ro

    ≈803 km

    ≈ 7.2 km detour from the main route

  6. Mărgineni-Munteni 🇷🇴 ro

    ≈963 km

    ≈ 9.2 km detour from the main route

  7. Sihlea 🇷🇴 ro

    ≈1,124 km

    ≈ 6.4 km detour from the main route

Key moves

Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.

Cross-border drive · PL → RO

You'll leave one country and enter another on this trip. Keep your ID close, even inside Schengen, and check current border-control status before you go.

Tolls on motorways in PL

Budget for motorway tolls — France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal charge per-km, Croatia and Greece by section. Contactless cards work almost everywhere; have one loaded.

Vignette required in RO

Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania require a sticker or e-vignette for motorway use. Buy at the border — missing one is a heavy on-the-spot fine.

Long rural stretch on S19 Via Carpatia im. Prezydenta RP Lecha Kaczyńskiego

Plan for about 157 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.

Long rural stretch on S17

Plan for about 138 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.

Must-know before you go

The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.

Tolls, vignettes & road payment

You'll hit three different toll systems on this trip

Must know

This route crosses countries with mismatched toll mechanics — France's ticket-and-pay, vignette stickers, electronic-only stretches. There's no single transponder that works everywhere, but a Telepass EU device covers FR/IT/ES/PT and a Bip&Go covers the same plus a few more. For a one-off trip, contactless cards plus a Swiss vignette and Austrian e-vignette is the simplest mix.

Driving rules & habits

Plan your stops, not just your finish time

Useful

OSRM gives you free-flow drive time. Realistic add: 10% on motorway-heavy routes, 25% if you're crossing two cities. Eat at off-peak hours (11:30 lunch, 18:00 dinner) — service-area queues at noon kill 20 minutes. EU fatigue research is consistent: 15-minute break every 2 hours, full 45-minute break before 6 hours. The drive between hours 7 and 9 is where avoidable accidents cluster.

Fuel stations

Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump

Tip

Major brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.

Diesel and petrol typically 15–20% cheaper than DE/CZ

Tip

Polish fuel prices are among the lowest in the EU. If you're crossing from Germany or the Baltics, fuel after the border. Major brands (Orlen, BP, Shell) accept all major contactless cards; some independent stations are cash-only — the queue is the giveaway.

Money & connectivity

EU roaming covers calls, texts and data at no extra cost

Tip

Your home EU SIM works at home rates across every EU member, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The "fair use" cap on data only applies if you're abroad more than four months. For a 2-week road trip, just use your phone normally — but switch off "data roaming" if you're leaving the EU into UK / CH for any segment.

Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.

Main roads

The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.

  • DN2 Strada Alexandru cel Bun
    216 km
  • A7 —
    194 km
  • S19 Via Carpatia im. Prezydenta RP Lecha Kaczyńskiego
    157 km
  • S17 —
    138 km
  • Н-10 Івано-Франківська вулиця
    119 km
  • Р-84 Щирецька вулиця
    98 km
  • A4 —
    88 km
  • Т-26-07 Сторожинецька вулиця
    49 km
  • A3 —
    46 km
  • М-10 —
    27 km
  • О140302 Цвітна вулиця
    19 km
  • Н-10; Р-24 —
    12 km

Route character

How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.

Rural-road drive — narrow roads, small towns, patience required.

Motorway
26%
Secondary
43%
Other / rural
31%

Drive difficulty

At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?

Overall

Demanding

Tough drive — multiple complicating factors compound fatigue. Strongly recommend splitting across days.

  • Long drive: 18h 7m behind the wheel at free-flow speeds.
  • Cross-border: pl → ro. Keep documents accessible and check border rules.
  • About 860 km on non-motorway roads where speeds and conditions vary.

Elevation profile

Highs, lows, and the total climb / descent along the route.

Lowest point
61 m
Highest point
405 m
Total ascent
↑ 570 m
Total descent
↓ 601 m

Fuel & tolls

Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.

Petrol (RON 95)

≈ €165

96.3 L × €1.71 / L · 7.5 L/100 km

Diesel

≈ €147

77 L × €1.90 / L · 6 L/100 km

Electric (DC fast)

≈ €116

225 kWh × €0.51 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km

Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.

Motorway tolls & vignettes

≈ €39

  • PL — €0.05/km on the motorway network (≈ 719 km in-country ≈ €36)
  • RO — Vignette (motorway sticker / e-vignette) — €3.00 for 7 days Annual vignette is €28.00 if you drive often

Prices last refreshed 2026-10-12.

Fuel and EV charging along the route

Stations within a few kilometres of the road, sampled at evenly-spaced waypoints.

EV charging

46 found

19 at 50 kW or above (fast / ultra-fast).

Fastest first

  • iHunt EV 300kW AFI Palace Cotroceni — București 300 kW
  • Tesla Supercharger Bucharest 2 - Mega Mall — Bucharest 250 kW
  • Eldrive - Unirea Shopping Center Hub — Bucuresti 150 kW
  • Union Plaza — Bucuresti 150 kW
  • Vulcan Value Center Charging Hub — Bucharest 150 kW
  • GreenWay Elektrownia Powiśle — Warszawa 140 kW
  • Warsaw Supercharger — Warsaw 120 kW
  • Spațiu servicii A7 - Milcovul (sens Ploiești) — Milcovul 120 kW
  • Spațiu servicii A7 - Milcovul (sens Siret) — Milcovul 120 kW
  • Mol Focsani — Focșani 50 kW
  • Kaufland Bulevardul Brăilei — Focșani 50 kW
  • Eldrive - OMV Coposu 50 kW

Weather by month

Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.

🇵🇱 Warsaw

Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
4°
-1°
5°
-1°
11°
2°
15°
6°
20°
9°
24°
14°
26°
16°
26°
16°
23°
13°
14°
7°
6°
2°
4°
0°
58mm 49mm 41mm 55mm 53mm 58mm 89mm 74mm 35mm 62mm 48mm 49mm

hot mild cold

🇷🇴 Bucharest

Month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
8°
-0°
8°
-1°
14°
4°
18°
7°
21°
11°
29°
18°
33°
20°
32°
20°
26°
16°
19°
9°
11°
4°
7°
1°
48mm 22mm 46mm 70mm 69mm 31mm 44mm 27mm 41mm 56mm 94mm 46mm

hot mild cold

Next 5 days at Bucharest

Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.

  • Mon 26

    ⛅

    15° / 6°

    16.4mm

  • Tue 27

    🌧️

    13° / 10°

    127.5mm

  • Wed 28

    ⛅

    16° / 12°

    16.5mm

  • Thu 29

    ⛅

    16° / 11°

    0.1mm

  • Fri 30

    ⛅

    15° / 11°

    —

Forecast: MET Norway

Directions

Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.

Show all 106 manoeuvres
  1. Rondo Romana Dmowskiego
  2. Aleje Jerozolimskie
  3. Wał Miedzeszyński (801) 10 km
  4. Wał Miedzeszyński (801)
  5. Południowa Obwodnica Warszawy (S2) 8 km
  6. — 0.9 km
  7. (S17) 138 km
  8. — 0.8 km
  9. Via Carpatia im. Prezydenta RP Lecha Kaczyńskiego (S19) 157 km
  10. — 0.3 km
  11. (A4) 88 km
  12. (4) 0.5 km
  13. (М-10) 0.6 km
  14. (М-10)
  15. (М-10) 27 km
  16. (О140302) 17 km
  17. Цвітна вулиця (О140302) 2 km
  18. (Р-84) 0.2 km
  19. (Р-84) 6 km
  20. (Р-84)
  21. (Р-84) 7 km
  22. (Р-84) 3 km
  23. Щирецька вулиця (Р-84) 5 km
  24. Нова вулиця (Р-84) 5 km
  25. (Р-84) 0.2 km
  26. (Р-84) 12 km
  27. (М-06; Р-84) 4 km
  28. (Р-84) 5 km
  29. вулиця Січових Стрільців (Р-84)
  30. вулиця Січових Стрільців (Р-84) 3 km
  31. (Р-84) 7 km
  32. (М-30; Р-84)
  33. (М-30; Р-84) 4 km
  34. вулиця Січових Стрільців (Р-84)
  35. вулиця Січових Стрільців (Р-84) 2 km
  36. вулиця Тараса Шевченка (Р-84) 4 km
  37. вулиця Петра Дорошенка (Р-84) 12 km
  38. Галицька вулиця (Р-84) 6 km
  39. вулиця Михайла Грушевського (Р-84) 21 km
  40. вулиця Степана Бандери 3 km
  41. Івано-Франківська вулиця 2 km
  42. Івано-Франківська вулиця (Н-10)
  43. Івано-Франківська вулиця (Н-10) 19 km
  44. (Н-10; Н-09) 11 km
  45. (Н-10) 7 km
  46. (Н-10) 0.1 km
  47. (Н-10) 7 km
  48. (Н-10)
  49. (Н-10) 24 km
  50. (Н-10) 12 km
  51. (Н-10; Р-24) 12 km
  52. (Н-10)
  53. (Н-10) 34 km
  54. вулиця Тараса Шевченка (Н-10)
  55. вулиця Тараса Шевченка (Н-10) 10 km
  56. (Н-10) 6 km
  57. (Т-26-07) 14 km
  58. Сторожинецька вулиця (Т-26-07) 9 km
  59. вул. Глибоцька (Т-26-07) 19 km
  60. (Т-26-07)
  61. (Т-26-07) 6 km
  62. (М-19) 6 km
  63. (М-19) 0.7 km
  64. (М-19) 0.3 km
  65. (DN2) 39 km
  66. Centura Suceava (DN2P) 9 km
  67. Centura Suceava (DN2P)
  68. Centura Suceava (DN2P) 3 km
  69. (DN2) 16 km
  70. Strada Sucevei (DN2)
  71. Strada Sucevei (DN2)
  72. (DN2)
  73. (DN2)
  74. (DN2) 23 km
  75. (DN2) 44 km
  76. (DN2)
  77. (DN2) 8 km
  78. (DN2)
  79. (DN2) 3 km
  80. Bulevardul Republicii (DN2)
  81. Strada Sucedava
  82. (DN2; DN15D)
  83. Strada Alexandru cel Bun (DN2)
  84. Strada Alexandru cel Bun (DN2) 12 km
  85. Strada Răsăritului (DN2) 20 km
  86. (DN2)
  87. (DN2) 7 km
  88. Calea Romanului (DN2)
  89. Bulevardul Unirii (DN2)
  90. Strada Ion Luca Caragiale
  91. Strada Constantin Ene
  92. Strada Alexei Tolstoi
  93. Strada Poligonului (DJ119) 2 km
  94. Centura Bacău (DN2T)
  95. Centura Bacău (DN2T) 5 km
  96. Calea Republicii (DN2)
  97. Strada Alexandru Ioan Cuza (DN2) 12 km
  98. Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare (DN2) 29 km
  99. (DN11A)
  100. —
  101. (A7) 194 km
  102. — 2 km
  103. (A3) 46 km
  104. Strada Gherghiței
  105. Șoseaua Colentina (DN2) 3 km
  106. Calea Moșilor

By plane from Warsaw to Bucharest

Indicative travel time on a non-stop flight, based on great-circle distance, average commercial cruise speed (850 km/h), and a 90-minute allowance for taxi, security, and boarding.

Total time
2h 36m
Door-to-door from :from airport.
In the air
67 min
At ~850 km/h cruise speed.
On the ground
90 min
Taxi + security + boarding (typical short-haul).
Route
WAW → BBU
945 km great-circle.

Indicative fare: from €40 — fares vary by season, day of week, and how far ahead you book. Always check the airline or a meta-search before planning around this number.

Show flight path on map

Estimate-only. We don't pull live schedules or fares for flights — see the methodology page for how this number is computed.

Air travel emits roughly 5–10× the CO₂ per passenger-km of rail for the same distance.

By train from Warsaw to Bucharest

Fastest cross-border rail itinerary from the public Transitous planner. Times reflect a typical Monday-morning departure on the next available service-day.

Fastest journey
26h 25m
2 changes
Lead operator
PKP Intercity
+ 2 more
Alternatives
5
Itineraries returned by the planner.

Trains on the fastest itinerary

  • EIP 1304

All operators across alternatives

  • PKP Intercity
  • OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice
  • Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko, a.s.

Includes a high-speed rail leg (TGV, ICE, AVE, Frecciarossa-class).

Show route on map

Routing via the public Transitous OTP planner (community-run MOTIS instance). Cached 24 hours; verify on the operator's site before booking.

How this page is built

Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, OpenTopoData SRTM 30m for elevation, EU Weekly Oil Bulletin for cross-border fuel-price bands, and Open Charge Map for EV charging stations. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

Keep exploring

Reverse trip: Bucharest to Warsaw

More routes from Warsaw

More routes to Bucharest