Ploiesti is an industrial city in southern Romania, long associated with the country's oil industry, sitting roughly an hour north of Bucharest, and although Ploiesti has no airport of its own - its transport code is tied to the city's rail station on Romania's national network rather than any airfield - renting a car here is straightforward, with desks in the city center serving travelers who arrive by train from Bucharest or elsewhere in the country. Most air travelers fly into Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP) in Bucharest, roughly an hour south by road, which serves as the natural gateway for a Ploiesti-based rental.
Once on the road, Romania's rovinieta system applies to nearly all national roads and motorways, a prepaid electronic vignette that must be purchased before driving, whether online, at border crossings or at filling stations, and rental cars sometimes come with it already arranged, so confirming this with the rental desk at pickup is worthwhile. From Ploiesti, the DN1/E60 corridor runs north toward Brasov and the Carpathian foothills, a scenic drive of roughly ninety minutes into hillier terrain, while the route south toward Bucharest is a fast, mostly flat highway drive.
Driving is on the right throughout Romania, and while main national roads and the approach to Bucharest are generally well maintained, older two-lane routes can be narrow and shared with slower agricultural traffic, particularly in rural stretches north toward the mountains. Winter brings snow and icy conditions to the Carpathian foothill routes from roughly November through March, so winter tires and cautious speeds are sensible for anyone continuing north from Ploiesti toward Brasov or the mountains beyond during the colder months, when road conditions can change quickly on the higher approaches. Many travelers use Ploiesti as a practical stop when exploring the Prahova Valley's oil-heritage sites or breaking up a longer drive between Bucharest and the Carpathian mountain resorts farther north.