Winter fog, and what it means for a trip

What actually happens

Craiova gets relatively few snow days. What it gets instead is fog — the Oltenian plain traps low cloud, and in December and January it can sit for several days at a time without lifting.

January averages a daily high of about 2.5 °C and 131 hours of sunshine, the lowest of the year. It is not bitterly cold by Romanian standards; it is grey and damp, which is a different problem.

What it changes

Photography. If you came to photograph the Belle Époque facades, check the forecast rather than the calendar. A clear January day here is genuinely good, and there are not many of them.

Flights. Dense fog occasionally disrupts operations at Craiova airport, as it does at every airport on a plain. If you are flying in or out in December or January, build in a margin and do not book a tight connection in Bucharest.

Driving. The roads out into Oltenia cross open country; in fog, visibility on a county road at seven in the morning can be very poor. Leave later rather than earlier.

What it does not change

The Christmas market runs regardless and arguably looks better in fog — lights in low cloud is not a bad trade. The museums are the correct winter activity anyway.

Dressing for it

Damp cold, not dry cold. A Christmas market is a standing-still activity and standing still in damp air at 3 °C gets through a coat that would be fine for walking. Layers, and something waterproof rather than merely warm.

See the weather month by month for the full year.