If you have read older guidance about Romania, you may remember a specific FCDO warning about tourists being lured into bars and clubs in Bucharest and then hit with enormous bills, sometimes backed by intimidation. That paragraph is no longer on the GOV.UK Romania travel advice. The current page, updated 11 August 2026, does not mention inflated bills, touts or menu scams at all.
What the FCDO does say now, under Crime, is to be alert to petty theft in large towns, especially Bucharest, that thieves use distraction techniques and can carry out organised attacks in groups, and — most relevant to a night out — that criminals have copied credit or debit cards in some bars and restaurants. On drink spiking it says there is a risk in bars and clubs, and to be careful not to take drinks from strangers or leave drinks unattended. It also notes that taxi drivers sometimes overcharge foreign visitors.
The US State Department puts Romania at Level 1 – Exercise normal precautions, issued 14 October 2025. Its crime section lists robbery, pickpocketing, online relationship scams and credit card fraud as the most commonly reported crimes, says scams are common in Romania, and advises never leaving food or drinks unattended at a bar or restaurant.
Read that carefully: neither government currently issues a nightlife-specific bill scam warning for Romania. The risks they do flag — card cloning in some venues, drink spiking, and taxi overcharging — apply to a minority of places, not to Romanian nightlife as a whole.
How to avoid the classic bar-bill trap
- Do not follow a street tout. Choose the venue yourself before you leave the hotel, and walk in under your own steam.
- Get prices in writing before you order. Entry fee, drink prices, and the cost of any private dance or private room. Photograph the price list.
- Pay as you go, in cash where you can. The FCDO’s card-copying warning is the reason to avoid leaving a card behind the bar or letting it out of sight.
- Never accept a drink you did not watch being poured, and never leave a glass unattended.
- Book Uber or Bolt rather than a street taxi. The FCDO calls these apps generally reliable.
- If a bill is wrong, do not fight it on the spot. Ask for an itemised receipt, pay nothing extra, and call 112.
Bucharest
Bucharest has its own dedicated guide on this site, so this is the directory list. Every Romanian venue currently in our catalogue is in or around the capital.
- Club Vegas — Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta nr. 13, București 030018
- The Buddhist Exotic Cigars Club — Blvd. Regina Elisabeta no. 54, District 5
- XS Club — Bulevardul Magheru 24
- Club Maya — Calea Moșilor nr. 138
- Vip-Zone Night Club, After-Hours — Mihail Kogălniceanu 20
- Lucky Love — Știrbei Vodă 69
- Bucharest Gentlemens Night Club — Bd. Mărășești nr. 80, Sector 4
- Natasha Gentlemens Club — Str. Elev Ștefan Ștefănescu nr. 76
- Labirint Gentlemen’s Club — no street address on file; the listing places it in central Bucharest
- Buckingham Gentleman’s Club — no street address on file
- Sexy Club — no street address on file
What to check before you go
- Check the venue is licensed. In Bucharest, bars and clubs need an operating authorisation from their sector city hall, renewed and paid for annually, with fire-safety clearance in the file. A venue that cannot show a current autorizație de funcționare is a venue to walk out of.
- Check recent reviews, not the club’s own page. Several listings here point to sites that have not been updated in years. Phone first and confirm the club is still trading tonight.
- Check the official advice yourself before you fly. FCDO advice is revised without notice — the Romania page changed most recently on 11 August 2026.