In 2014, Romania’s Convergence Report set as a target the date of 1 January 2019 as the date when Romanian currency will be euro.
In 2015, the targeted date was changed from 2019 to 2020.
Now we are in 2020 the official currency of Romania is still leu with plural lei.
You are probably wondering what happened and which is the reason why the Romanian leu was not exchanged for EURO.
Well, there are a lot of things that happened over the years which caused the postponement of the euro adoption.

Romania currency
Well, there are a lot of things that happened over the years which caused the postponement of the euro adoption.
Romanian currency was not exchanged to Euro
First of all, we have to talk about the failure of the reforms adopted by the Romanian Government.
And then about the political instability not to forget about the fact that most of the criteria required by the EU have not been fulfilled.
So, that is why we are in 2020 and if you plan to visit Romania you have to have Romanian’s currency in your pocket.
The most commonly used banknotes are : 1 leu, 5 lei, 10 lei, 50 lei, 100 lei and 200 lei while 500 lei banknote is rarely used.
I bet that in your country you will not find to buy Romanian leu, but this is not a problem at all.
My advice is to buy lei directly from Romania, once you get here.
Don’t buy lei from the airport exchange offices, better withdraw some money from your card once you land to have for the taxi!
No! Try to avoid buying foreign currency from these places because the exchange rates used by those offices are very bad for you as a buyer!
Hold your money and better exchange your money to a bank or why not use your credit card and withdraw lei directly from a cash machine!
These are the new essentials you have to pack for your trip
1. Hand sanitizer with 99.9% efficiency
2. Face mask with increased protection
3. Vaccine card and passport holder
10. First aid kit
In the airport are cash machines from where you can withdraw Romanian currency and the only commissions applied are the ones from the bank where you have the card.
It will be much cheaper for you to withdraw money than to exchange them at the airport offices!
Travel anywhere without worries
- trip interruption -up to $5.000
- medical assistance including COVID-19
- travel delay - up to $100/day
- emergency medical evacuation
- medical safety abroad
Not to be fooled by all kind of people, please know that the average exchange rate for euro and dollars are the following:
1 USD = 4.5 Romanian lei
1 EUR= 4.8 Romanian lei
The subdivision of leu is ban, more precisely 100 bani, so if you go to a restaurant and see on your bill 188.5 it means 188 lei and 50 bani.
The history of the Romanian national currency starts in 1867 when the currency was born. Over the years the currency had a very unstable history, a thing reflected in the numerous denominations it has. From 1867 to 2020, the currency was denominated three times:
1st time in 1947 when 20.000 lei old lei = 1 new leu
2nd time in 1952 when any range between 20 to 400 old lei became 1 new leu
3rd time in 2005 when 10.000 old lei = 1 new leu.
In 2003, the highest exchange rate was recorded when 40.000 lei = 1 USD.
There is still a long road to go to Romania until they will adopt the EURO.
There are many thick boxes that need to be filled and many reforms to be adopted until the Romanian people will be able to adopt the EURO.
Until then, Romanian currency is still the leu.

Romania currency
The actual COVID 19 crises are not helping at all and the Romanian economy is struggling to maintain the exchange rate at a reasonable level.
On the other hand, for the tourists perspective, this is a good thing. It is a very cheap country and visiting it does not imply a considerable financial effort for international travel.
Just to get you an idea about what I am talking about, the prices for car rental start at 30 USD per day and this is one of the greatest ways to explore the country.
Most of the attractions are spread all over the country, so the car gives you the mobility and freedom needed to explore the whole area.
Get the best price for your car rental today
Once you have some lei in your pocket and the key from the rented car, let your Romanian adventure begin!
Logistical tips and tricks for your trip
Book your accommodation
We always use Booking.com as they have the best price-quality ratio and they offer a wide range of hotels, guesthouses, apartments, and villas to choose from.
You will find here all types of accommodations, from the cheapest ones to the most luxurious.
Don't forget travel insurance
We never leave home without HeyMondo Insurance or Safety Wings Insurance as they offer the best services and a good value for money, plus COVID coverage.
Travel insurance will always protect you against unexpected events and cost like illness, COVID, injury, theft, or travel cancellation.
We never go on any trip without travel insurance and there were many cases when we had to use it.
Renting a car
We like to explore a country on our own and a car gives us the mobility and freedom to do that.
We always rent our car from Discovercars as they have free cancellation 48 hours prior to starting date and a wide range of car rental companies and options to choose from all over the world.
Tours and attractions
When we are looking for some adventure or we simply want to break up the monotony and discover new places, we always use GetYourGuide.
We love it because we always find the most amazing experiences, with free cancellation and a large variety of activities and tours to choose from.
Airplane tickets and holiday packages
Expedia is our ally when searching for the best price for airplane tickets as it works as an aggregator for a huge number of airlines and we always find the best price for our flights.
Travel tip: use Expedia when you are searching for holiday packages as they have many last-minute offers and great discounts for hotels, flights, and even the whole holiday packages.