The best fashion and gift stores Romania

Timetable

Supermarkets and grocery stores are generally open every day (including Sundays) from 8am to 10pm, and some are open 24 hours a day. The gigantic malls and all their shops are open every day too, from 10am to 10pm, even on Sundays. Many markets are open every day, from 8am to 4pm, and sometimes even later. Non-food shops are generally open from 9 or 10 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday.

Budget & Tips

The cost of living is lower than in France. But some imported products are only slightly cheaper.

Payment by bank card (including contactless) is widespread in shops.

Sales

Sales periods are very long in Romania: from early August to mid-October for summer sales, and from mid-January to mid-April for winter sales.

What's very local

The major international fashion, beauty and food brands are to be found in the shopping streets of the big cities and in the malls, the huge American-style shopping centers that have proliferated in recent years and where city dwellers (families and teenagers in particular) love to stroll. At the other end of the commercial spectrum, local farmers' markets are holding their own and remain popular with Romanian consumers.

Bargaining is not a widespread practice in Romania.

Tourist traps

Avoid souvenir stands in tourist areas like Bran. Instead, look for those run by craftsmen, or visit their workshops directly, or the few designer boutiques. In Horezu, for example, the many stalls at the entrance to the village sell more Chinese or Bulgarian ceramics than local ones.