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Voykit pocket guide · Romania
Costești
Skip as a base: Costești is a 1–2 hour stop on the Pitești–Craiova line. Sleep in Pitești or Bucharest and come only if you want the wooden churches.
Costești is a small Argeș county town of about 10,000 people on the Pitești–Slatina–Craiova railway, in the Wallachian Plain at the edge of the Argeș hills. It has two old wooden churches, a 1930s memorial church, a central park and a small ethnographic museum, plus a rail station and a bus station on the same street. There is almost no tourist infrastructure: one guesthouse, a handful of cafés and fast-food places, no ticket office culture. Treat it as a half-day stop between Pitești and Craiova, or skip it and use Pitești as your base.
- Country
- Romania
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, 30 °C+), Dec–Feb (cold, short days)Jul–Aug (hot, 86 °F+), Dec–Feb (cold, short days)
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- RON
- Money
- Currency is the Romanian leu (RON, plural lei); Romania does not use the euro. About 5 lei to €1 in 2026 — check the live rate.
- Daily spend
- Budget RON 175–400 excl. bed · Mid RON 450–880 excl. bed · Comfort RON 1,080–2,500 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, Vodafone and Digi sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at the airport; Digi is the cheapest. Passport ID is required to register a SIM — check.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance and fire 112 · European emergency number (English) 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European round two-pin; Schuko (F) sockets take C plugs.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: About 10%, left in cash even when paying by card.; Café or bar: Round up or leave a few lei.; Taxi or Bolt: Round up; app tips optional.; Guesthouse host or driver-guide: RON 20–50 per day for good service.; Hotel porter: RON 5–10 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water in cities is treated and generally safe; many locals prefer bottled mineral water (apă plată = still, apă minerală = sparkling). Avoid untreated wells in villages.
- Toilets
- Use cafés, malls, museums and fuel stations; some stations and parks charge RON 1–3. Village and monastery toilets can be basic — carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | RON 10–18 |
| Daily lunch menu (meniul zilei) | RON 30–50 |
| Local beer, 0.5 L | RON 10–18 |
| Shawarma or pizza slice | RON 20–35 |
| Taxi within town | RON 15–30 |
| Train Pitești–Costești, 2nd class | RON 10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- OTP · Bucharest Henri Coandă
- About 2 h 30 min–3 h by train or car via Pitești; the usual arrival airport for this area.
- CRA · Craiova
- About 1 h 30 min by car or train from the south; small, few international routes.
Typical fares
- Train Pitești → Costești
- about RON 10–20, 40–50 min
- Bus Pitești → Costești
- about RON 10–15, 50 min
- Taxi Costești station → town centre
- RON 15–25
Get around
The town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. Trains and buses both stop on Aleea Gării, a few minutes apart. For Telești Lake and the outlying wooden churches you need a car, a taxi or a long walk; local buses exist but timetables are unreliable — check locally.
See and do
Known for
- Wooden churches (1686 and later)
- Memorial church of the 1930 fire
- Rail junction on the Pitești–Craiova line
- Argeș county market town
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pitești | Frequent bus or train from Aleea Gării | About 50 min–1 h |
| Bucharest | Train via Pitești, or bus | 2 h 30 min–3 h 30 min |
| Ștefănești | Train towards Pitești, then local connection | About 1 h 30 min |
| Craiova | Train south on the Pitești–Slatina–Craiova line | 2–3 h |
| Snagov | Car or bus via Bucharest | 3 h+ |
Sleep
- Strada Victoriei / Aleea Gării
- The only practical area: rail station, bus station, post office, shops and the one guesthouse are all within a 10-minute walk.
- Pitești (base instead)
- About 40–50 min by train or bus; far more beds, restaurants and onward connections. Most travellers sleep here.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bună ziuaBOO-nuh ZEE-wah |
| Thank you | Mulțumescmool-tsoo-MESK |
| How much is it? | Cât costă?kuht KOS-tuh |
| Can I pay by card? | Pot plăti cu cardul?pot pluh-TEE koo KAR-dool |
| Where is the station? | Unde este gara?OON-deh YES-teh GAH-rah |
| Help | Ajutorah-zhoo-TOR |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and eye contact; 'bună ziua' by day, 'bună seara' in the evening; avoid: First names with older people before they offer them
- Visiting a home: Take shoes off at the door; bring flowers (an odd number), chocolate or wine; avoid: Even numbers of flowers — they are for funerals
- Churches: Cover shoulders and knees; women may cover their hair in monasteries; stand quietly at the back during services; avoid: Crossing in front of the altar area or photographing people praying
- Conversation: Food, football, travel in Romania and family are safe topics; avoid: Dracula as the country's identity, calling Romanians Slavs, and careless talk about Roma or Hungarians
- Hospitality: Accept at least a taste of what you are offered; thank the host by name; avoid: Refusing all food and drink outright
- Queues and transport: Give seats to older people and parents with children; avoid: Loud phone calls in train compartments
Scams and watch-outs
- Very limited beds: one guesthouse listed, so book ahead or base in Pitești.
- Few places take cards outside the main shops; carry lei cash.
- Some churches are locked outside service times; ask at the parish house.
- Stray dogs and unlit side streets after dark in the outer neighbourhoods.
- Rail line Pitești–Craiova has infrequent services; check times the day before.
A quiet, low-crime small town; the real issues are stray dogs, unlit outer streets after dark and almost no late transport. Use 112 for any emergency.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Costești yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Wooden churches (1686 and later)
- Memorial church of the 1930 fire
- Rail junction on the Pitești–Craiova line
- Argeș county market town
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Romania tourism — official site: romaniatourism.com/
- CFR Călători (Romanian railways): www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/
- Autogari.ro — bus timetables: autogari.ro/?&lang=UK
- Wikivoyage: Costești (Romania), revision 5333370 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5333370
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Costești
La această adresă, vă rog
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Costești; most are in Bucharest. The US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland all have missions in Bucharest — check addresses before you travel.
Print this card; mobile signal is fine in town but weak on the rail line south.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/costesti-romania). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.