Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
The best souvenirs from Romania are Horezu pottery bought from a named potter, a hand-embroidered ie blouse, a bottle of țuică or pălincă, and jars of zacuscă and walnut preserve. Romania is among the cheapest countries in the EU to shop in, and its crafts are still made by hand in villages, but the two best-known ones are also the most copied: imported pottery is sold as Horezu, and machine-made blouses as the ie. Below are 9 things worth buying from our time in Sibiu, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Sinaia and Oradea, how to tell handmade from copy, where to shop, and the tax refund for non-EU visitors. Prices are tiers: $ is small change, $$ a considered purchase, $$$ a splurge.
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The jars and bottles are cheap and travel well. The crafts are where it pays to slow down and buy from the maker.
| Souvenir | Type | Price tier | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horezu ceramics | Craft | $ to $$ | A named potter's workshop in Horezu, craft fairs |
| The ie (embroidered blouse) | Craft | $$ to $$$ | Makers, museum shops, craft fairs |
| Embroidered textiles | Craft | $ to $$ | Craft fairs, museum shops |
| Țuică | Spirit | $ | Supermarket, markets |
| Pălincă | Spirit | $ to $$ | Supermarket, markets |
| Romanian wine | Wine | $ to $$ | Supermarket, wine shops |
| Zacuscă | Food | $ | Supermarket, piață |
| Dulceață (walnut or fig preserve) | Food | $ | Piață, supermarket |
| Christmas market crafts | Craft | $ to $$ | Sibiu and other December markets |
• Horezu ceramics ($ to $$). Cream-glazed plates and jugs painted with roosters, spirals and fish, from the town of Horezu in Vâlcea county. UNESCO added the craftsmanship of Horezu ceramics to its intangible heritage list in 2012. Romanian press reports that much of what is sold in Horezu itself now comes from elsewhere, including pottery brought in from Bulgaria, so buy from a named potter's workshop where you can see the wheel and kiln, and ask who made the piece.
• The ie ($$ to $$$). The embroidered Romanian peasant blouse. In 2022 UNESCO inscribed "the art of the traditional blouse with embroidery on the shoulder (altiță)", a joint listing with Moldova. Romanian makers have since complained about cheap machine-made copies, many imported. A hand-embroidered ie takes weeks and costs accordingly; the embroidery on the back of a handmade one is slightly uneven and shows knots, while a machine-made one is perfectly regular. Folk-art museum shops and craft fairs are the safest places to buy.
• Embroidered textiles ($ to $$). Table runners and cloths with the same motifs are a cheaper way to bring the craft home; the same handmade-or-machine check applies.
• Christmas market crafts ($ to $$). Sibiu's December market is the best place to find wooden toys, painted ornaments and handmade decorations; see Christmas in Romania 2026 and our Sibiu guide.
• Țuică and pălincă ($ to $$). Plum brandy, from mild țuică to strong pălincă. A supermarket bottle is fine; a family-made one from a market is better, but it will be unlabelled and very strong.
• Romanian wine ($ to $$). Inexpensive and improving; supermarkets stock a good range.
• Zacuscă ($). Roasted aubergine and red pepper spread, cooked down and jarred. Cheap, sealed and the most useful food souvenir in the country.
• Dulceață ($). Thick fruit preserves; the green walnut version is the one to look for.
Skip the cheese (telemea, cașcaval) and cozonac sweet bread: eat them there. More on the shelf in what to buy at a grocery store in Romania and on the dishes in our Romania food guide.
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• Sibiu: the old town's craft shops and, in December, the Christmas market. Sibiu also makes an easy base for the villages around it.
• Horezu: buy in a potter's own workshop rather than from roadside resellers.
• Bucharest: museum shops for embroidered textiles and the ie, and supermarkets for drink and jars. See our Bucharest guide and day trips from Bucharest.
• The piață: every town's market sells preserves, honey and homemade drink. Markets are cash; supermarkets take cards.
• "Dracula" souvenirs. Mugs, capes and fangs sold around the castles have nothing to do with Romanian craft.
• Unattributed "Horezu" pottery from roadside stalls and tourist shops.
• Cheap synthetic blouses sold as an ie. Check the fabric (cotton, linen or silk) and the back of the embroidery.
• Unlabelled homemade spirits for flying. Customs at home may treat an unlabelled bottle with suspicion, and it leaks more easily. Buy a sealed bottle for the suitcase.
Visitors who live outside the EU can claim back VAT on goods bought in shops in the tax-free scheme. Romanian refund sources put the minimum at about EUR 175 per invoice, and separate invoices cannot be added together. Leave the EU with the goods within 90 days and have the form stamped at your exit; Bucharest's Henri Coandă airport has a refund point. If you fly out through another EU country, the stamp is done there.
• US: one litre of alcohol fits in the $800 duty-free personal exemption if you are 21 or over.
• Australia and New Zealand: declare wooden items and anything woven from plant fibre on arrival.
• Pottery: wrap each piece in clothing in your hand luggage; Horezu ware chips easily.
More in things to know before visiting Romania, tipping in Romania and our souvenirs by country guide.
Horezu pottery, the hand-embroidered ie blouse, and plum brandy (țuică and pălincă). Horezu ceramics and the embroidered blouse are both on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
Buy from a named potter's workshop in Horezu where you can see the work. Romanian press reports that much pottery sold in the town now comes from elsewhere, including Bulgaria.
Look at the back of the embroidery: handmade work is slightly uneven and shows knots, while machine embroidery is perfectly regular. A hand-embroidered ie takes weeks and is priced accordingly.
Yes, non-EU residents can, at shops in the tax-free scheme, with a minimum of about EUR 175 per invoice. Leave the EU with the goods within 90 days and get the form stamped at your exit.
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