Romania
Craiova
Away-day guide
unverified draftCraiova is a working southern-Romanian city with a handsome pedestrian centre, very low prices, and one of the best modern grounds in the country — the Ion Oblemenco, a 30,000-seat arena rebuilt in 2017 that fills for European nights. It is not a tourist city, which is rather the point: you will be the away fans people talk about.
🚺 To Ion Oblemenco Stadium
The ground is west of the centre, about a 25-minute walk from Calea Unirii through the park, or a 15-lei taxi. Buses run out that way from the centre on matchday.
- Nearest stop
- Stadion / Parcul Tineretului bus stops
- Lines
- RAT Craiova buses towards the stadium and Parcul Tineretului
- Walk from centre
- 25 min
- Parking
- Car parks around the ground fill early and the approach roads close before kick-off; walking from the centre is quicker.
Public transport
The centre is small and walkable — Calea Unirii, the pedestrian spine, runs the length of it. RAT Craiova runs buses and a tram line at around 3 lei a ride, bought on board or from a kiosk. Taxis are the practical option for anything else and are absurdly cheap: 15–25 lei across the city, ordered through Bolt where it operates or by phone. There are no ride-hailing worries because the distances are so short.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- RON 12
- Coffee
- RON 11
- Meal, mid-range
- RON 55
- Taxi from airport
- RON 35
- Single transit ticket
- RON 3
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Craiova International Airport CRA primary 8 km A city bus runs into the centre for a standard ticket; a taxi is 30–40 lei and takes 15 minutes. Small, with a handful of Wizz Air routes to Italy, Spain and occasionally the UK. Check schedules carefully — there may be nothing useful on your dates.
- Henri Coandă International Airport (Bucharest) OTP alternative 230 km Train from Bucharest Gara de Nord to Craiova takes about three hours; coaches and Bolt-style long-distance shares also run. Allow half a day. The realistic option for most travelling fans — far more flights, then a train down. Book the train ahead for the cheaper fares.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
Universitatea Craiova
Home fans: The support gathers on Calea Unirii and around Piața Mihai Viteazul before games, then heads west to the ground together; the bars on the approach roads to the Ion Oblemenco are home territory from a couple of hours before kick-off.
Away fans: The pedestrian centre is the place to be — pick a terrace on Calea Unirii, where a visiting group will be welcomed as a curiosity. Keep colours out of sight on the walk to the ground.
The city's club, carrying the name and the following of the great Craiova Maxima side of the 1980s. European nights here are loud.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
Everything happens on and around Calea Unirii and Piața Mihai Viteazul: terraces, beer gardens and a young crowd from the university, with the action concentrated in a few hundred metres. It is not Bucharest — expect a handful of busy bars rather than a district — but it is cheap and friendly, and the beer keeps coming until late. The English-style pubs near the centre are the usual meeting point for anyone visiting.
Food & drink
Oltenian cooking is Romanian at its most robust: ciorbă de burtă, mici off the grill, sarmale, tochitură (pork stew with polenta and a fried egg) and papanași. The market halls sell the region's plums and peppers, and the local țuică is taken seriously. Beer is Ursus, Timișoreana or Bergenbier; the wine from the nearby Drăgășani and Oltenia vineyards is a good and very cheap order.
Cheap eats & beer
This is one of the cheapest cities in this guide. A plate of mici with bread and mustard is 25–30 lei, shaorma 20–25 lei, and a full restaurant meal with drinks rarely tops 70 lei. Beer is 10–14 lei in a bar and 4–5 lei from a shop. Lunch menus run 30–35 lei. There is no need to hunt for budget options — everything is a budget option.
Staying safe
Craiova is safe and low-key, and visitors are a novelty rather than a target. Take taxis rather than walking long distances late at night, agree the fare or use the meter, and be careful crossing roads — drivers are quick and crossings are advisory at best. English is less widely spoken here than in Bucharest or Cluj, so have your hotel address written down. Romanian police enforce public-drinking rules and take crowd control seriously on matchdays.
On matchday
The Ion Oblemenco is a genuinely impressive ground for a city this size and Universitatea's support fills it for European ties — the noise on a big night is the reason to come. It sits west of the centre, walkable in around 25 minutes or a 15-lei taxi. Segregation is strict: the away sector has its own gate and approach, ID and ticket are checked at the turnstiles, and no full-strength alcohol is sold inside. Expect a heavy police presence around the ground, and do not wear colours on the way there — drink in the centre first and travel in together.
This city guide is still being fact-checked — some details may be inaccurate.