While Romania might not be the first place that pop into your mind when you think of a vacation, there are many reasons to visit. If you are planning a trip to Bucharest (or thinking about it), here are informations you don’t want to miss out on.

Bucharest is a beautiful city of 1.7 million inhabitants, full of rich history, and it has a lot to offer to visitors. Everywhere you look you’ll find something interesting and one beautiful sight succeeds another at every turn! Being, for the moment, quite an underrated touristic destination, it’s not packed with tourists and it makes it quite pleasant to visit.

 

 

Winter can get cold, and summer quite hot, so spring (flowers every where) and fall (you’ll enjoy some foliage) are good times to visit. I came in August and it was quite peaceful. A little on the hot side, but not uncomfortable.

There is a strong French influence (Bucarest is called after all the Little Paris of the east), and you can see this through some of the architecture, music, and even in the language (lots of words are the same as in French). And also, lot’s of people speak a little French here.

 

 

Another thing that’s pretty striking: there is a lot of abandoned buildings, and lots of them are mansions and magnificent houses left to decay, even right in the middle of town. I heard you can even book tours to see some of the most famous ones, but I wasn’t here long enough to check those out.

I read that there are many amazing tours to chose from though, so if you like this way of visiting, check it out! I did not get to it, but if I go back, it would definitely be something I’d like to try!

 

FROM THE AIRPORT – TRANSPORTATION

Public transports (train and buses) will take you to Bucharest for cheap, but if you have too much luggages, that might not be the best options for you. Our Romanian friend had told us that a taxi would cost us 50-70 lei (or Ron, the local currency), which is about $15-22 in Canadian, but the taxis I asked outside all gave me much higher prices (200-300 lei).

So beware, taxis will scam you and take you on much longer route and make you pay up to 5 times the price. And they often don’t talk much English so you’ll have a hard time arguing with them. So forget the taxis; use the Uber app to go around. It is very cheap to go by this way. Our trip from the airport cost 62 lei in Uber ($20), and around town, usually between 15 to 30 lei – between $5 and $10 CAD. Plus, the service is great.

 

WHAT TO SEE

There are SO many beautiful things to see in this city, you’ll need a few days to see it all. Although, every thing is very close to one another, which makes it more easier to explore.

 

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Stavropoleos Church

This is a fantastic site to see. Build 300 years ago, the church is fascinating and so beautiful. It’s free to get in and look around the inside of the church and the beautiful courtyard.

 

 

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National Museum of History of Romania

I have not got inside, it was closed on the day I wanted to go (make sure to check the schedule ahead of time), but I can tell you that the outside architecture is beautiful and a very nice spot for picture taking!

 

 

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National Museum of Art of Romania

This place is huge! If you want to visit it all, plan enough time! My favorite part is the middle one, for the beautiful architecture and materials inside.

 

 

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Palace of Parliament

You need to make a reservation at least 24h in advance to be able to do the guided tour, or, like me, you might not be able to get in. I went anyway to try my luck (did not work!) and to see the outside, which is pretty impressive.

Interesting fact: it’s the second largest governmental building in the world, after the Pentagon.

 

 

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Cotroceni Palace

Here is another one that I could not get in, you need to make reservation in advance. Heads up, I think photos are not allowed, but if you like to see Palaces (I sure do!), this one looks very pretty!

 

 

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Romanian Athenaeum

This Neo-Classical style building opened its doors to public in 1888. The concert hall is impressive, with beautiful marble columns and floors, and majestic stair cases.

Upstairs, you’ll find the magnificent concert hall. There was a recording with a symphonic orchestra when I went and they let us in to sit and enjoy the show – it was absolutely fabulous!

You’ll need 10 lei in cash to get in (they don’t take the card, so be sure to have cash).

 

 

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Pasajul Villacrosse – Macca

This hidden gem is easy to pass by without even knowing it’s there.

With it’s Paris looking architecture, this cover street is full of cafés, shisha places and restaurants.

 

 

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Pasajul Victoria

Another little passage not to be missed. I spotted a few Italian restaurants there!

 

 

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Carturesti Carusel

This book store has a surprising and beautiful architecture on 4 floors.

It has lot’s of local products and art that you may buy as souvenirs and local gifts!

 

 

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Gradina Cismigiu

A beautiful garden with a lake, where you can canoe, beautiful views and clocks around every turns. A quiet place right next to the more busy old town.

 

 

WHERE TO EAT (MY TOP PICKS)

I loved the food in Bucharest, there are plenty of excellent restaurant to choose from! The Mititei (or Mici) was a specialty I really enjoyed (little sausages served with fries usually, to which I added a cabbage salad) and the duck was the best I ever had.

Here are a few of my recommandations.

 

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Caru’Cu Bere

If you have only ONE place you could try in Bucharest, that would have to be this one!

The architecture is incredible and so beautiful! Wood work, tainted glass, frescos on the wall – this place is like time travel, somewhere in a fairy tale land. The menu is very diverse, with lots of choices from traditional Romanian cuisine. I ate here 4 times during my trip and I couldn’t get enough. The food was great!

Founded in 1898 as a brewery, this is a place you must visit!

 

 

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Hanu Berarilor

There is two locations for this restaurant.

Both have beautiful architecture – good food and amazing terrasses! You can’t be disappointed – definitely a good choice!

 

 

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Hanu Lui Manuc

Another must-stop restaurant in Bucharest is the Hanu Lui Manuc, the oldest in the city (built in 1808). You’ll eat in an inside courtyard, and all around you, on the second floor, are the rooms of the Inn.

There is a lot of action at night (entertainment, traditional dances, etc.), but during the day, at lunch time, it’s very nice and peaceful, and not too crowded at all.

The caramelized lamb was an absolute delight, what a feast (there was 3 of us on it, and we had 1 or 2 meals left after that)!

 

 

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Casa Doina

I loved this chic terrasse and beautiful building.

The food was pretty good, but the service, quite slow. You might need some patience, but it’s the most chic terrasse (in fact it’s a garden) I have been to while I was there, so I am glad we did and I still recommend it for a nice date, away from all the noise.

 

 

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There you go for the first part of this article. In the next one, I will be telling you about the most beautiful hotels in the city of Bucharest. In the mean while, you can head out to my Instagram account to see more travelling destinations (as well as food, fashion, wine, etc.)!

 

WHERE To STAY IN BUCHAREST - COMING SOON