Bucharest advice

[lewismark]

I'm off here in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone has any recommendations of where to go and more importantly where to avoid. Reading up online it appears this city has a few savoury areas. Anyone been here recently care to share their experience?

[raysablade]

Bucharest is at once grim but uplifting. Like everywhere you go in Romania there is a huge amount needing fixing but it is interesting to see a country with so much opportunity to improve. I felt reasonably safe wandering around the city with my GMT II and it is clear that up until WW2 the architecture was impressive with a strong French influence. For a hundred yards you really could be in Paris, then you turn the corner and face an appalling concrete pile constructed after the 70s earthquake.

The greatest entertainment is probably the traffic and working out how pensioners manage to consistently cross 8 lanes of it unscathed; hiring your own car would be completely mad. The most depressing part is the volume of stray dogs, they cope with the traffic too.

Public transport is difficult and the Metro doesn't seem to go where you want to, i always took taxis.

The highlight is always going to be the Parliament/Palace complex breathakingly large and mad but my favourite is the Village Museum (Salatuni); a park with houses from all over Romania. Apparently they were brought there to help workers moving to Bucharest remember home. There is a "old town" with some decent looking restaurants i'm sure others can make specific recommendations.

A couple of days is enough is Bucharest, if you have more time get out to the Mountains, Sinaia is close and has a fairytale castle. Romanian railways are cheap and arrrive, but not always on time.

Thinking about Romania makes me quite sad, seeing a country that presents so much opportunity convinced me that the EU is wonderful project.

[VDG]

One and only advice. Protection.

[bootneck]

Off here myself in August so good timing, what kind of protection are we talking about? Rubber or metal lol


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[asteclaru]

Uber for transportation, but if you do use taxis instead, take properly licenced ones (i.e. call the taxi company and make a booking)

Oh, almost forgot. Check your pockets if there's gypsies around

[leiper]

Been a few times for work so I have an agent that sorts everything for me.

Caru' cu bere is an interesting bar/restaurant.

[bloater]

It's an odd place, I only spent half a day there but that was enough, venture out and there are nicer places in the country from the mountains to the coast.
I spent most of my time around Brasov which was enjoyable, the bosses wife is Romanian and doesn't have much positive to say about Bucharest.

[Mr Curta]

Lipscani, the Old Town, is packed with restaurants, cafes and bars, including the already mentioned Caru' cu Bere which is worth a look for the architecture but gets packed with tourists. A few beers are very affordable and if the weather is nice there are plenty of bars that spill onto the pedestrianised streets. Mica Elvetie is a reliable restaurant in the area and Bordellos has an 'interesting' burlesque theme.

If staying on Calea Victoriei (the Radisson Blu is a favourite), Revolution Square is just down the road featuring the weird 'olive on a cocktail stick' monument.

As mentioned, stray dogs abound and watch your pockets.

[henryviii]

Palace of Parliament is definitely worth checking out. It's enormous and you see about 5% of it in 2 hrs.

Definitely agree with those who said get out in the countryside. The Bucegi mountains are beautiful and not far out of town. Definitely worth a day or two there if you can. Further afield, Brasov and Sigisora.

[Mikes1]

The Radisson Blu Hotel gets my vote as always stay here..... really nice staff and a great bar within...

Lots to see and take in, especially as already mentioned the amazing architecture and the Palace is enormous, well worth a visit.

There is, of all places a fantastic Indian Restaurant - Karishma Restaurant, near to the Palace, unusual but extraordinary food, albeit hardly local cuisine

Be careful, but a great place to visit.

head to Constanta on the black sea if you have some time.

[PipPip]

One of my former colleagues is from Bucharest. He is quite a cultured chap and recommends the opera when there. He also highly recommends the new enormous thermal spa centre that opened there last year: https://en.therme.ro

[Inq24]

One and only advice. Protection.

Protection from what? Ze Germans?!

[ordo]

There aren't as many stray dogs as there used to be before.

There are many places where you won't find any stray dogs.

As it has been said, check your surroundings and be a little cautious if you spot members of the ethnical minority group that hails from northern India. Tourists are usually easy to spot.

There are loads of places to see and visit. Museums, parks, malls, clubs, bars, etc. There are places for everyone. Either old/historical or new/modern.

It depends on what you're looking for. Are you alone or in a group. Young, not so young, etc.

The nightlife is really good. :) Food and services can be good but it depends on the venue I guess.

Usually it's the city center (comprises Old Town, plenty of old architectural wonders but also new buildings, office buildings, government buildings and so on) that is bustling with tourists so that is where you want to be a bit careful.

You can use uber but if you want to use a taxi (this is valid for ANY situation possible, and anywhere you are/want to go) call one of the taxi companies and order it through a dispatch.

If you were to pick one off the street, some might try to take advantage of you seeing as you're a foreigner. There are also situations where some will have a MUCH higher taxi fare usually in the city center when it's crowded, around important concert/show venues, when the weather is really bad and taxis are limited in the area (they know that they can make a few extra bucks).

If you call a taxi through dispatch then they can't over charge you or anything like that. When in railway stations or airports use the automated machines to order one.