CRAIOVA

LOCATION

Craiova is the 5th largest Romanian city, after Bucharest, Constanta, Iasi and Timisoara, the capital of the county of Dolj, situated near the East bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a long time political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians (north) and the Danube (south).

HISTORY

Craiova, which occupied the site of the Dacian and Roman city Pelendava, was formerly the capital of Oltenia. Its ancient bans, the highest ranking boyars of the Wallachian state, initially those of the Craioveşti family. The bans had the right of minting coins stamped with their own effigies - the origin of the Romanian word ban as used for coins. Because of that Craiova is also known today as “Cetatea Banilor” which in a free translation means “The fortress of the money”.


TRANSPORT

The public transportation in Craiova consists of 3 trolley tram lines and 17 bus lines. It is operated by the Regia Autonomă de Transport Craiova (RAT Craiova), a corporation ran by City Hall. A ticket for one travel is around 0.5€.
Craiova is also a major railway center and is connected to all other major Romanian cities, as well as local destinations, through the national Căile Ferate Române network. Check the national railway timetable for an appropriate connection.
The town taxicabs are very cheap. For an usual travel you don't pay more than 2€ (around 0.3€/km).
The city is served by the Craiova Airport.