Râmnicu Vâlcea is connected to Bucharest by a regular train service (about 3 hours on the fastest trains) along the Olt Valley line. The same line runs north through the gorge to Sibiu and Cluj. Buses from Bucharest's Filaret station take a similar amount of time and are often faster in practice.
By car, Râmnicu Vâlcea is about 170km northwest of Bucharest on the DN1 and then the DN7 through the Olt Valley. The drive along the Olt gorge through Cozia is among the most scenic in southern Romania.