Planning your trip to the Eastern part of Europe including Romania and don’t know what currency you need to have?

This article will help you clear this matter and will tell you which are the best ways to get the national currency in Romania.

Currency for Romania

Romania is part of the European Union but the national currency of Romania is the New Romanian Leu plural lei with the common abbreviation RON (currency code).

The Romanian leu is denominated in banknotes of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 200 and 500 lei.

The subunit of a leu is cents called “bani”.

So, you will also need to have Romanian coins which are pretty rarely used: 5,10, and 50 bani.

How can you get Romanian leu?

There are two main ways to get the Romanian New Leu:

• Exchange your money into RON at an exchange office or bank
• Withdraw some RON from a local ATM

In many places from all across the country, especially hotels, big restaurants and international stores, and shopping malls you can pay with debit or credit cards.

In small towns and villages paying with a card might be a little bit complicated or even impossible that is why I advise you to always have some cash with you.

Exchanging money to get the national currency in Romania ( LEU)

Most of you are probably wondering if exchanging Romania currency in their country is a wise thing.

To be honest with you, I don’t think it is a smart move because you’ll get poorer rates than in Romania.

If you really want to exchange money then do it at a Romanian bank after you’ll arrive in the country.

Romanian bank offices practice pretty good exchange rates comparable with exchange offices and are safer than the other ones.

Keep in mind that some banks practice a commission for exchanging your money but still the rate is better than the ones from the exchange offices.

These are the new essentials you have to pack for your trip

Withdraw currency for Romania from a local ATM

When I visit a foreign country I always choose to withdraw money from a local ATM.

At the beginning of my adventures around the world, I used to do this only when I did not have time to go to the bank to exchange money.

But in a very short time, I realized that this was the best thing to do because the exchange rate at withdrawal is even better than the ones from exchange offices and it is easier and quicker to get the currency I needed.

There is also the option of paying with a credit or debit card.

The good news about this one is that you don’t have any commission except the one practiced by your bank.

My advice is to do some research before traveling abroad and to take with you a travel card that has a 0% commission for foreign currency and no exchange fee.

When I travel I like to use a mix of these three alternatives to get national currency in Romania and in any other country.

I pay with my travel card as much as I can and I withdraw money from a local ATM as soon as I land in that country.

I let the part with exchanging money at bank offices for the last, just in case I am out of cash and I cannot find any ATM from where to withdraw money.

What is the best currency to use in Romania?

The best currency to use in Romania is Romanian New Leu (local currency) because this is the national currency of the country you are about to visit.

Stay safe while you travel

You don’t have to worry about exchange rates when trying to buy something from a store; you just pay the price written on the shelf.

Is Euro accepted in Romania?

Currency for Romania is Leu.

But, there are some restaurants, hotels, and shops especially in the tourist area where you can pay with Euro.

The main downside of paying with the euro is that the exchange rate used to convert the Leu to Euro is not very good for you.

For sure you will end up paying more because of the poor exchange rate.

Can you pay with US dollars in Romania?

Unfortunately, you cannot pay US dollars when buying something in Romania.

If you come to Romania and have US dollars with you, my advice is to go to a bank office and exchange it for Romanian Leu, the national currency in Romania.

I hope you get a better understanding of Romanian currency and know how to use it and what to do to minimize your loss when exchanging currency for Romania.

It’s time to pack your bags and visit this amazing country from Eastern Europe!