Visitors to today's Bucharest will miss out on the chaotic, and expensive, entertainment of figuring out the 'foreigners prices' and the 'locals prices.' This was a time when visitors were cheerfully fleeced for every possible penny – to the point where a foreign-born spouse of a Romanian was charged double for the same bed in the same hotel on the same night. Welcome to Bucharest, a city of contrasts.
A Changing Place
Once called Little Paris, Bucharest no longer really qualifies as 'beautiful.' While plenty of typical tourists are intimidated by the mish-mash of grand architecture, communist-bloc blocks, stray dogs, street kids, illegal cabs and legitimate buyers of US dollars and Euros mixed in with the con-men, braver travelers stay a while, and have plenty of good things to say about Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
Although Romania is in economic chaos (unemployment hangs around 44% in some parts of the country), Bucharest is a proud and predominantly young town. This is a place of nationalism and a stubborn, almost weary pride. There is also a stubborn refusal to succumb to depression, and Bucharest has a reputation of being one of the best places in Europe to have a good time.
Entertainment
Clubs and bars are routinely open until the wee small hours of the morning (4 or 5am) most weekends and there are hundreds of cheap and cheerful places to pass the time. There are also plenty of bars and clubs that are trying too hard to be trendy, so head for one of these instead: Berestroika (Aleea Cauzasi 57) is a micro-brewery that is working hard to bring respectability to Romanian stout, Gara Lipscani (Str. Lipscani 38) is a train-themed bar with a casual attitude, while nearby Interbelic (Str. Selari 1) is hiding in the lane that connects Str. Blanari to Str. Lipscani. Perfect if you like hole-in-the-wall bars.
Places to See
Main attractions in Bucharest center around the historic (albeit recent): the Palace of the People (aka the Lunatic's Palace) was commissioned by the former dictator Ceausescu. The second largest building in the world behind the Pentagon, a tour takes around 45 minutes and is an uncomfortable glimpse into the workings of a controversial mind. Ceausescu was killed in the 1989 revolution that overthrew communism. That's no typo – the bloody Romanian revolution is only celebrating it's 20th anniversary, and although it's a gruesome story, it's well worth knowing. The Memorial of Rebirth is in Revolution Square and has been a controversial tribute to the victims of the revolution since its inauguration in 2005. Most of the controversy is over the design (think tall, thick white toothpick skewering an olive).
Other main attractions are the Ancient Court in the center of the city, Lipscani Street, the ancient home of trading in the city and still a good place to poke around the shops, and the National Art Museum which houses more than 70,000 works from Romania and the world (housed in two separate wings).
Events
You've just missed Martisor (the First of March celebration of Spring's arrival) but on June 23 and 24 is the celebration of Midsummer, Sanzienele, a national tradition that goes back to the country's pre-Christian roots. Although the best place to celebrate is in the countryside, Bucharest will offer vestiges of the tradition and whether you believe in the potential miracles of Midsummer Eve or not, it is certainly a good excuse for a party.
Hotels
Accommodation in Bucharest can either be outrageously... average (this is still a relatively poor country) or incredibly cheap. Hotels like the Trianon offer very comfortable digs for around €40 per night, with serviced apartments, hostels and guesthouses dipping as low as €12 per person per night.
Use the Hotelsio Rate Finder on the left to find cheap hotels in Bucharest, Romania.
(Photo:©iStockphoto.com/benedek)
