Romania has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers.
The Black Sea coast has a slightly milder climate, but not by much, since it often receives air masses coming from inland.
In the long Carpathian range, which crosses the country, the weather becomes colder and wetter with increasing altitude: in winter, snowfalls are frequent, while in summer, thunderstorms occur in the afternoon.

Precipitation is not abundant in inland plains, since it amounts to around 600 millimetres (23.5 in) per year, although it is well distributed over the seasons, with a maximum in May and June, mainly because of afternoon thunderstorms.
Here is the average precipitation in the capital Bucharest.
Average precipitation - Bucharest

Bucharest	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Bucharest	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D	Y
Prec. (mm)	40	35	40	45	70	75	65	50	40	30	50	45	595
Prec.(in)	1.6	1.4	1.6	1.8	2.8	3	2.6	2	1.6	1.2	2	1.8	23.4
Days	6	6	6	7	6	6	7	6	5	5	6	6	72

Along the coast of the Black Sea, precipitation is quite low, amounting to around 385 mm (15 in) per annum, being the summer thunderstorms less frequent; here, from 20 to 40 mm (0.8 to 1.6 in) per month fall throughout the year.
Here is the average precipitation in Constanta.
Average precipitation - Constanta

Constanta	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Constanta	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D	Y
Prec. (mm)	30	25	20	30	35	40	35	30	25	40	40	35	385
Prec.(in)	1.2	1	0.8	1.2	1.4	1.6	1.4	1.2	1	1.6	1.6	1.4	15.2
Days	4	4	3	4	4	3	3	3	2	3	5	5	43

As mentioned, the situation is different in mountainous areas, where rainfall is more abundant, and exceeds 40 in per year.

Winter, from December to February, is cold throughout Romania. Cold air stagnates in the lowest layers of the atmosphere, and the sky is often cloudy. Snowfall is quite common, but not abundant; in inland plains, there are about thirty days with snow per year. In Bucharest, the ground is often covered with snow. During winter, temperatures are fairly uniform across the continental region, and decrease mainly with increasing altitude. In the plains, the average temperature in January hovers between 0 °C (32 °F) and -1.5 °C (29.5 °F). In Bucharest, the average is -1 °C (30 °F).
Here are the average temperatures in Bucharest.
Average temperatures - Bucharest

Bucharest	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Bucharest	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	-5	-4	0	5	10	14	15	15	10	5	1	-3
Max (°C)	3	6	11	18	24	28	30	30	25	18	10	4
Min (°F)	23	25	32	41	50	57	59	59	50	41	34	27
Max (°F)	37	43	52	64	75	82	86	86	77	64	50	39

In the Transylvanian Plateau, west of the Carpathians, winter is slightly colder: in Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu, both located at 400 metres (1,300 feet) above sea level, the average in January is -3 °C (27 °F).
Romania, like other parts of the Balkan Peninsula, is exposed to outbreaks of cold air masses from northern Europe or Russia, most likely in winter and spring. They were more frequent in the past decades, when the climate was colder, however, they can still lower the temperatures to around -20 °C (-4 °F), while in summer, a bit of cool air at high altitudes, in contrast with the hot air lying in the lower layers, can give rise to thunderstorms.
During winter, the mildest plain area of Romania is Dobrudja, the stretch of plain east of the Danube River, which is affected by the influence of the sea. On the Black Sea coast (see Constanta) the average temperature in January is just above freezing, around 1.5 °C (35 °F). The cold record of the last 20 years is -23 °C (-9 °F) in Bucharest, and -18 °C (0 °F) in Constanta. On colder winters, the Black Sea along the coast can even freeze, as happened in February 2012, so winter along the coast of the Black Sea, albeit milder than in the interior, is still cold.
Here are the average temperatures in Constanta.
Average temperatures - Constanta

Constanta	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Constanta	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	-1	-1	3	7	12	17	19	19	15	10	5	0
Max (°C)	4	6	9	14	20	25	27	27	23	17	11	6
Min (°F)	30	30	37	45	54	63	66	66	59	50	41	32
Max (°F)	39	43	48	57	68	77	81	81	73	63	52	43

As mentioned, until a few decades ago, winter was a few degrees colder, here as in other Eastern European countries, so if you look at historical archives and long-term data, you will find average temperatures lower than those of the last decades.

Summer, from June to August, is quite warm in the north, in the plains and hills of Transylvania (the region west and north of the Carpathian Mountains) and in the region east of the Carpathians, on the border with Moldova: in Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu, around 400 metres (1,300 feet) above sea level, highs are around 26 °C (79 °F), while in Iasi, near the border with Moldova, they are around 28 °C (82 °F).
Here are the average temperatures of Cluj-Napoca.
Average temperatures - Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Cluj-Napoca	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	-6	-5	-1	4	9	12	14	13	9	4	0	-4
Max (°C)	0	3	10	16	21	24	26	26	21	15	7	2
Min (°F)	21	23	30	39	48	54	57	55	48	39	32	25
Max (°F)	32	37	50	61	70	75	79	79	70	59	45	36

South of the Carpathians, the region of Wallachia, where Bucharest is located, is warmer, and it's often hot: here the maximum temperatures in July and August are 30 °C (86 °F) on average, and they reach quite easily 35 °C (95 °F) and even more. Sometimes, however, it can get hot even in the northern plains and hills.
Along coast of the Black Sea, in summer the weather is nice and pleasantly warm, sometimes even hot, but tempered by the breezes.
Summer is a fairly rainy season, especially because of afternoon thunderstorms, which occur especially in May and July, and are most frequent and abundant in the mountains. Sometimes, these thunderstorms are so strong that they can cause floods.
The amount of sunshine in summer is good in the lowlands, while cloud cover is more frequent in the mountains and in Transylvania, where, however, the sun often shines, especially in the morning.
Here are the average daily sunshine hours in Bucharest.
Sunshine - Bucharest

Bucharest	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Bucharest	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sun (hours)	2	3	4	6	8	9	9	9	7	6	3	2

Along the coast, where summer thunderstorms are even more rare, in summer the sun shines even more often.
Sunshine - Constanta

Constanta	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Constanta	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sun (hours)	3	4	5	6	9	9	11	10	8	5	3	3

At the Bran Castle, which according to legend would be Dracula's castle, located at 750 metres (2,450 ft) above sea level, winters are cold and snowy, while summers are pleasant, with highs around 23 °C (73 °F) and cool nights, but also possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. A similar climate is found in the Poenari Castle, located at 820 metres (2,700 feet) of altitude, which should be the real Dracula's Castle, Prince Vlad III of Wallachia.
The Monasteries of Bucovina are located about 350 metres (1,150 ft) above sea level, in Romanian Moldavia, near the border with the Republic of Moldova: during the day it can get hot in July and August, while nights are still cool.

The temperature of the Black Sea is acceptable for swimming in summer: it's around 23 °C (73 °F) in July, and 24 °C (75 °F) in August, while it is a bit cool in June and September.
Sea temperature - Constanta

Constanta	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Constanta	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sea (°C)	7	6	7	10	15	20	23	24	21	17	13	9
Sea (°F)	45	43	45	50	59	68	73	75	70	63	55	48

The best time to visit Romania is from May to September.
June is the rainiest month, because of afternoon thunderstorms.
July and August can be hot in inland plains, especially in the south, ie in Wallachia (see Bucharest), so you can choose May, June and September, especially if you don't like the heat.
In May, the country is in bloom and the temperature is generally pleasant, even though afternoon thunderstorms are already possible.
September is usually a pleasant and quiet month, with little rain; sometimes, a warm and sunny weather lasts until October.
The Black Sea coast in summer is good for a beach holiday, but in winter, having an average temperature around freezing and possible wind and snowfalls, it's certainly not a refuge from the cold European winter.


In winter: warm clothes, sweater or fleece, down jacket, hat, gloves and scarf, raincoat or umbrella.
In summer: light clothes, t-shirts and shorts, but also long pants, light jacket and sweatshirt for the evening; umbrella. Some heavier clothes for the mountains.