City Rating: Bucharest
Population: 1’900’000
Date of visit: April 2018
Attractions & sights: 2/5
Nightlife: 4/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 3/5
Low budget factor: 4/5
Total: 👍👍👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Bucharest is a fun city with the most vibrant old town I’ve ever been to. It’s not the most beautiful capital in Europe, but an action-packed and budget friendly city full of fantastic bars and restaurants. Compared to the capitals of the neighbouring countries in the North and South, Bucharest is less pretty than both Kiev and Sofia, but more fun than the latter.
Where to stay:
Old town, old town, old town!
The Good:
The best thing first: Bucharest has a phenomenal nightlife. Old Town is full of bars and nightclubs, and there are even parties going on during daytime (check out Pura Vida Sky Bar). I would even go as far as to say that Bucharest is one of the best cities in Europe for having a couple of great night outs with a group of friends.
Another big plus is the restaurant quality. Especially in old town, usually an area for awful tourist traps, you will find plenty of budget friendly restaurants with delicious food The best ones we went to were Aubergine and Les Bourgeois.
Speaking of budget, Romania is like most Eastern European countries very cheap. A main course in a restaurant costs 20-30 Lei (5-7€). The same goes for a drink in a bar. Taxis are cheap too, but there is the threat of being ripped off (see The Bad & The Ugly).
Bucharest is not a city full of sights and attractions. The most popular sight is arguably the Parliament Palace, where you can join a tour (35 Lei for 75-90 minutes). It’s worth it. Another attraction is old town itself, with its charming narrow streets. However, Bucharest might be disappointing to you, if sightseeing is your top priority on a trip.
The Bad & The Ugly:
Bucharest has the reputation of being the ugliest European capital sometimes. However, this is not true (looking at you, Pristina). Of course, the architecture of Bucharest is questionable, as you’ll find really ugly buildings and also ruins in the city centre, but there are some really picturesque buildings as well.
A real problem are the scammers who drive a taxi. Choose your taxi wisely. The best option is Uber or the taxi app Star Taxi. As our receptionist told us, there is a 50 percent chance that people will have a bad experience when randomly taking a taxi from the airport to the city centre. This article helps.
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