Parking is one of the biggest infrastructure issues in Bucharest. While most office buildings and shopping centres in Bucharest have large enough parking lots, the municipality itself does not offer many options in this area. Public car parks are under construction, but it may take a couple of years to be finalized.

To park the car near your home, the municipality offers the option to rent parking places outside your block of flats. After you buy your place, you can mark it using your car registration number. Avoid using someone else’s paid spot as they may damage your car if you do so a couple of times in a row (people get very angry about this).

If you have paid for a parking space and someone parked there, call the institution, company, or person that gave you the parking space first. There is a parking office in the jurisdiction of every sector. Or, you can use the Romanian method: stop your car next to the vehicle in your spot and simply honk your horn until they come and move their car. It is surprisingly effective. If they do not come, or it happens more than once, lift up their windscreen wipers: this will let them know they are in the wrong spot! You can also call the police in your sector to report the violation: they probably  will not tow the car (because they tow cars based on a predetermined plan), but they may fine them.

Unirea Shopping Center car park
Phone: +40 21 303 01 65
E-mail: cristian.dinu@unireashop.ro
This car park adjoins the Unirea Shopping Center. It is a big car park useful for those with business downtown. It costs RON 1.5 per half an hour. A monthly subscription costs EUR 74.

Intercontinental car park
Phone: +40 372 741 101
Web: www.interparking.ro
Non–stop car park, with 900 parking places. Only 150 of them are for hourly parking. It costs RON 2.5 an hour. Subscriptions vary between RON 280 and RON 420.

Romanian Athenaeum
This is also a paid car park during the day. But you can park for free at night in front of the Romanian Athenaeum (although usually during the evening you will see people helping you to park and asking for money in exchange of ‘watching out’ for your car).

Obor passage car park
Phone: +40 372 713 538
Web: www.interparking.ro
This car park is located inside the Obor passage and it is non-stop. It costs RON 2 per hour and RON 265 to RON 380 if you want to buy a full month subscription.