Bucharest (Bucureşti) Overview

Once a storied stop on the Orient Express, Bucharest (booh-kooh-RESHT; pop. 2,100,000) is now infamous for its heavy-handed transformation under dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. During his 25-year reign, he nearly ruined the city’s splendor by replacing historic neighborhoods, boulevards, and Ottoman ruins with concrete blocks, highways, and communist monuments. Since the 1989 revolution citizens have since endured a mix of communist nostalgia and break-neck capitalism. Though it retains only glimmers of the sophisticated city it once was, life here is now as fascinating as it is frustrating.

• Flights: Henri Coanda (Otopeni) Airport ( OTP; ☎021 204 1200; www.otp-airport.ro). Avoid pricey taxis outside the terminal. Call a cab ( Euro Taxi ; ☎9851 or Taxi Alfa ☎9488) or buy a bus ticket (L5 for 2 trips) from the corner kiosk at the exit from the airport, open 6am-9pm. Bus #783 runs from the airport to Pţa. Unirii. (60min., M-F 4 per hr. 5:30am-8pm, every 30 min. 8:30pm-11pm, every 30 min. Sa-Su 5:30am-11pm.) Flying into Bucharest can be expensive; it is often a better idea to fly into Budapest or Zagreb and enter Romania via train or bus.
• Trains: Gara de Nord (☎021 223 0880, info 95 21). M1: Gara de Nord. to: Brașov (2.5-4hr., 18 per day, L26); Constanta (5hr., 9 per day, L41); Sighișoara (4-5hr., 10 per day, L49); Budapest, HUN (14hr., 3 per day, L172); Kraków, POL (27hr., 1 per day, L299); Prague, CZR (36hr., 1 per day, L360); Sofia, BUL (11hr., 2 per day, L95). CFR, Str. Domniţa Anastasia 10-14 (☎021 313 2643; www.cfr.ro), books domestic and international tickets. Open M-F 7am-8pm, Sa 9am-1:30pm. Cash only. Wasteels (☎021 317 0369; www.wasteels.ro), inside Gara de Nord, books international tickets. English spoken. Open M-F 8am-7pm, Sa 8am-2pm. AmEx/MC/V.
• Buses: The profusion of bus services can make taking a bus difficult; trains are preferable for domestic travel. Although both trains and buses are notoriously late, buses have been known to be capricious and run on a schedule of their own. There are 6 official bus stations in Bucharest, each serving different directions. Internationally, however, buses are the best way to reach Athens, GCE and İstanbul, TUR. Multiple companies near the train station sell tickets to most of Europe. Toros, Calea Griviţei 134 (☎021 223 1898), sends buses to İstanbul (10hr., 2 per day, L125). Open daily 7am-5pm. Cash only. Next door at Calea Griviţei 136-138, Transcontinental (☎021 331 1600; www.tci.ro) goes to Athens (2 per week, €80). They also sell Eurolines bus tickets, which cover most of Western Europe, but tend to cost upward of €150, so a plane may be a better deal for a similar price. English spoken. Open daily 9am-5pm. Cash only.
• Public Transportation: Buses, trolleys, and trams cost L2.60 and run daily 5:30am-11:30pm. To avoid a L30 fine, validate tickets by sliding them into the small boxes and then pushing hard on the black button outside the box. The transportation system is invaluable, but figuring out how it works is a chore. Express buses take only magnetic cards (L5 per 2 trips, L20 per 10 trips). Tickets and magnetic cards are sold at RATB kiosks, often near bus stops. Pickpocketing can be a problem during peak hours. The Metro offers reliable, less-crowded service (L2 per 2 trips, L7 per 10). Runs 5am-11:30pm. Maps of the public transportation system, which include a detailed city map, can be purchased from kiosks.
• Taxis: Taxi drivers will cheerfully rip off foreigners and locals alike—often preferring to sit around in their taxis rather than drive you for a reasonable price. Drivers rarely speak English. Normal rates should be around L1.50 base fee and L1.4-L1.8 per km. The base fee is often posted; look for the “tarif.” Fake taxis are a problem; avoid taxis that post the number “9403,” as this is a commonly used fake number. Reliable companies include Meridien (☎94 44), ChrisTaxi (☎94 61), and Taxi2000 (☎94 94).

Orientation And Practical Information

Bucharest’s main street changes its name from Bulevard Lascăr Catargiu to Bulevard General Magheru to Bulevard Nicolae Bălcescu to Bulevard I.C. Brătianu as it runs north-south through the city’s four main squares: Piaţa Victoriei, Piaţa Româna, Piaţa Universităţii, and Piaţa Unirii. Another thoroughfare, running parallel, is Calea Victoriei, which crosses Piaţa Revoluţiei. To reach the center from Gara de Nord, take M1 to Pţa. Victoriei, then change to M2 in the direction of Depoul IMGB. Go one stop to Pţa. Româna, two stops to Pţa. Universităţii, or three stops to Pţa. Unirii. It’s a 15min. walk between each of squares.

• Tourist Office: No municipal office. Hotels are a good resource. The staff speaks English and many hotels have free maps handy.
• Embassies and Consulates: Australia, Pţa. Montreal 10, World Trade Center, entrance F, 1st fl. (☎021 316 7553). M4: 1 Mai. Open M-Th 9am-5:30pm, F 9am-2:30pm. Canada, Str. Tuberozelor 1-3 (☎021 307 5000). M1 or 2: Pţa. Victoriei. Open M-Th 8:30am-5pm, F 8:30am-2pm. Ireland, Str. Buzești 50-52, 3rd fl. (☎021 310 2131). M2: Pţa. Victoriei. Open M-F 10am-noon and 2-4pm. Citizens of New Zealand should contact the UK embassy. UK, Str. Jules Michelet 24 (☎021 201 7279, www.britshembassy.gov.uk). M2: Pţa. Romană. Open M-Th 9am-noon and 2-6pm, F 9am-noon. US, 7-9, Tudor Arghezi Street (☎021 200 3300, after hours ☎021 200 3433; www.usembassy.ro). M2: Pţa. Universităţii. Behind Hotel Intercontinental. Open M-F 8am-5pm.
• Currency Exchange: Exchange agencies and ATMs are everywhere. Stock up before heading to remote areas, but don’t exchange more than you’ll need—many won’t buy lei back. Banca Comerciala Româna (☎021 312 6185; www.bcr.com), in Pţa. Universităţii and on Ştefan cel Mare, exchanges currency for no fee and American Express Travelers Cheques for 1.5% commission. Open M-F 8:30am-5:30pm. The Pţa. Universităţii location, Bd. Regina Elisabeta 5, has both an ATM and a currency exchange machine, available 24hr. Changing money on the street is illegal and almost always a scam.
• Luggage Storage: Gara de Nord. L3 per bag, L6 per large bag. Open 24hr. However, most hostels will allow you to store luggage with them even after check-out.
• GLBT Resources: Accept Romania, Str. Lirei 10 (☎021 252 5620; www.accept-romania.ro). English-speaking staff has a wealth of information on GLBT events in the center and organizes counseling services, support groups, and informal get-togethers. Accept Romania is also responsible for the annual Gay-Fest, a week-long festival to raise awareness of minority issues, the 1st and 2nd weeks of June. Open M-F 9:30am-5pm.
• Medical Services: Spitalul de Urgenţă (Emergency Hospital), Calea Floreasca 8 (☎021 317 0121). M1: Ştefan cel Mare. Open 24hr.
• Telephones and Internet: Phone cards (L10 or L15) are necessary for all calls. Internet cafes are everywhere. Free Wi-Fi available at all KFC and Pizza Hut locations in the city.
• Post Office: Central Post Office, Str. Matei Millo 10 (☎021 315 8793). M2: Pţa. Universităţii. Like most branches, this one has Poste Restante. Open M-F 7:30am-1pm and 1:30-8pm. Postal Code: 014700.

Accommodations

Renting private rooms is uncommon, and hotels here are more expensive than in other Romanian cities. Travelers should avoid “representatives” who greet them at Gara de Nord, sticking with established hostels and hotels instead.

• Butterfly Villa Hostel, Str. Dumitru Zosima 82 (☎40 747 032 644, www.butterfly-villa.com). From Gara de Nord, take bus 282 and get off at the 6th stop called Piata Domenii. Cross the boulevard, Ion Mihalache, walk to the left, and turn right on Dumitru Zosima. The hostel is on your left. Incredibly friendly staff, fantastic free breakfast and good prices bring together young fresh backpackers looking for a home in the big city. 8-bed dorm €12; doubles €16. Call ahead in summer. Cash only. Free Wi-Fi and internet.
• Alex Villa, Str. Avram Iancu 5 (☎021 313 3198 or cell ☎072 351 5088, www.alexvilla.ro). M2: Pţa. Universităţii. From Gara de Nord, take trolley #85 to Calea Moşilor. Follow Bd. Carol I to Pţa. Pache Protopopescu, then go right on Str. Sf. Ştefan. At the playground, take a left on Avram Iancu. Central location, yet relaxed neighborhood. Multilingual owner, Alex, is incredibly inviting and helpful. Breakfast, and Internet included. 4-bed dorms L40, L100 for a double room. Laundry L10. Cash only.
• Funky Chicken Guesthouse, Str. General Berthelot 63 (☎021 312 1425, www.funkychickenhostel.com), near Cișmigiu Park and Pţa. Revolutiei. The cheapest prices in town mean only the basics provided. The outside terrace is a nice place to relax and drink a beer with other broke backpackers. Small kitchen available. Laundry and free cigarettes included, but no Internet. 4- to 8-bed dorms €8. Call ahead in summer. Cash only.
• Villa 11, Str. Institut Medico Militar 11 (☎07 22 49 59 00). M1 or M4: Gara de Nord. From the train station, take a right on Bd. Dinicu Golescu and left on Str. Vespasian. A little far from the hubbub of the city center, a quiet hostel with home-cooked breakfast daily. English spoken. Shared baths. 3- to 8-bed dorms L55; singles L90; Cash only.

Food

The open-air market at Pţa. Amzei, near Pţa. Romană, has cheese, meat, and produce. (Open M-F 6am-9pm, Sa 6am-7pm, Su 6am-3pm. Cash only.) A large La Fourmi Supermarket is in the basement of the Unirea Shopping Center on Pţa. Unirii. (Open M-F 8am-9:30pm, Sa 8:30am-9pm, Su 10am-6pm. MC/V.)

• Cafeneaua Actorilor de vara , Parcul Tineretull, Bd. Nicolae Balcescu (☎0724 14 74 32; www.cafeneauaactorilor.ro). Open only during the summer months, usually from June-Aug., this restaurant sits right in the middle of Bucharest’s Tineretului Park, surrounded by beautiful lakes and greenery in the middle of the city. The pizzas are fantastic, but expect a bit of a wait at night. Spontaneous karaoke known to occur. Beer L5-9. Entrees L10-30. Open daily noon-1am.
• Burebista Vânatoresc, Str. Batiştei 14, off B-dul. Nicolae Bălcescu (☎021 211 8929; www.restaurantburebista.ro). M2: Pţa. Universităţii. Complete with a stuffed bear, hunting trophies, and a live folk band daily after 8pm. Menu features game, including wild boar. English-language menu. Entrees L20-70. Open daily noon-midnight. MC/V.
• Cremcaffe, Str. Toma Caragiu 3 (☎021 313 9740; www.cremcaffe.ro). M2: Pţa. Universităţii. Off B-dul. Regina Elisabeta, find Str. Toma Caragiu behind the statues, 1 block from Pţa. Universităţii. Established in 1950, this elegant Italian coffeehouse specializes in desserts. Also features delicious focaccia and ciabatta sandwiches (from L14), with a good vegetarian selection. Coffee and liqueur blends L13-20. English-language menu. Open M-F 7:30am-midnight, Sa-Su 9am-midnight. Cash only.
• Vatra, Ion Brezoianu 23-25 (☎021 315 8375; www.vatra.ro). M2: Pţa. Universităţii. From Pţa. Universităţii, head down B-dul. Regina Elisabeta. A block before Cișmigiu Park, turn right down Brezoianu. Traditionally attired waitstaff serves relatively cheap, authentic Romanian cuisine in a lively dining room with rough-hewn wooden tables. English-language menu. Beer L4-6. Entrees L9-24. Open daily noon-midnight. Cash only.

Sights

Civic Center. To create his ideal Socialist capital, Ceauşescu destroyed five sq. km of Bucharest’s historical center, demolishing over 9000 19th-century houses and displacing more than 40,000 people. The Civic Center (Centru Civic) that he built lies at the end of the 6km B-dul. Unirii, and is 1m wider than its inspiration, the Champs-Élysées. Its centerpiece, the 1000-room   Parliamentary Palace (Palatul Parlamentului), is the world’s second-largest building after the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. As much as 80% of Romania’s GDP was consumed by the project during its construction. (☎021 311 36 11 M1 or 3: Izvor. M2: Unirii. Visitors’ entrance on the north side of the building by the river. Open daily 10am-4pm. L15. 40min. English-language tours L15. Cash only.)

Cişmigiu Garden. One of Bucharest’s oldest gardens; the peaceful, tree-filled eye of central Bucharest’s storm of gray modernity. Join the locals and stroll among the carefully tended flower gardens, statues, cobblestone pathways, and fountains that surround the small lake. ( M2: Pţa. Universităţii. Bus #61 or 336. Open 24hr. Rowboats and pedal boats L10 per hr. Open M-Th 11am-9pm, F 11am-midnight, Sa 10am-midnight, Su 10am-9pm. Cash only.)

Sights Of The Revolution. Crosses and plaques throughout the city commemorate the eroii revoluţiei Române, “heroes of the revolution,” and the year 1989; many of Romania’s streets are named after iconic dates from the revolution. The first shots of the Revolution were fired at Piaţa Revoluţiei on December 21, 1989. The square holds the University Library, the National Art Museum, and the Senate Building (former Communist Party Headquarters) where Ceauşescu delivered his final speech. Afterward, he fled the roof by helicopter but didn’t get very far; shortly thereafter, he was captured by his pursuers and executed on national television. A white marble triangle with the inscription Glorie martirilor noștri (“glory to our martyrs”) commemorates the rioters who overthrew the dictator. Piaţa Universităţii overlooks memorials to victims of the revolution and the 1990 protests against the new government. Crosses line Bd. Nicolae Bălcescu; the black cross lies where the first victim died. (M2: Pţa. Universitatii. Turn right on Bd. Regina Elisabeta and then right on Calea Victoriei.)

Museums.   The Village Museum (Muzeul Satului), Sos. Kiseleff 28-30, sits on the shores of Lake Herastrau and is an excellently designed open-air replica of traditional rural village life in different Romanian regions. Each exhibit bears a plaque showing exactly where it is from and when it was transferred. (M2: Aviatorilor. ☎021 317 91 10; www.muzeul-satului.ro. English-lang. captions. Open M 9am-5pm, Tu-Su 9am-7pm. L6, students L3. Cash only.) The massive National Art Museum (Muzeul National de Arta) centers around three main exhibitions—Medieval Romanian Art, Modern Romanian Art, and European paintings and sculptures. The modern Romanian exhibition is a definite highlight, with works from all of Romania’s best artists, including Aman and Tattarescu. (B/C5, Calea Victoriei 49-53, in Pţa. Revolutiei. M2: Pţa. Universitatii. ☎021 313 3030; www.mnar.arts.ro. Open W-Su May-Sept. 11am-7pm; Oct.-Apr. 10am-6pm. Each wing L8, students L5; both wings L15/7.50; free 1st W of each month. Cash only.) The Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Tbranului Român) captures Romanian rural life and is considered one of the best museums in the city. Built almost 100 years ago, it houses everything from clothing to ages-old handmade pottery. Don’t miss the small, fascinating collection of Communist memorabilia, tucked downstairs near the restrooms—it has one of the few remaining publicly exhibited portraits of Nicolae Ceauşescu. (Şos. Kiseleff 3. M2 or 3: Pţa. Victoriei or bus #300. ☎021 317 9660; www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro. Some English captions. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm. L6, students L2. Cash only.) The National History Museum (Muzeul National de Istorie al României), has extensive jewel collections and countless artifacts from all over the country. (Calea Victoriei 12. M1 or 2: Pţa. Unirii. ☎021 315 8207 www.mnir.ro. Open W-Su 10am-6pm from June-August. Sept.-May 9am-5pm. L7, students L2. Cash only.)

Other Sights. Several of modern Bucharest’s most fashionable streets, including Calea Victoriei, Şoseauna Kiseleff, Bulevardul Aviatorilor, and Bulevardul Magheru, are sights in themselves. Side streets just off Pţa. Victoriei and Pţa. Dorobanţilor are lined with villas and houses typical of beautiful 19th-century Bucharest. Herăstrău Park is a popular place for people of all ages to stroll; it also contains rides for people of all ages. At the head of Kiseleff street is Romania’s Arcul de Triumf, commemorating Romania’s WWI casualties. The old center lies west of B-dul. Brbtianu and south of B-dul. Regina Elisabeta. On Str. Lipscani (open only to pedestrians and taxis) cafes, art galleries, and quaint cobblestone streets abound. The ruins of one of Dracula’s actual palaces, Curtea Veche (Old Court), can be seen on Str. Franceza. With access from both Lipscani and Blǎnari streets, Hanul cu Tei hosts a myriad of eclectic specialty shops and art gallerys. Once an inn, it retains its original 19th century structure. (Open M-F 9am-6pm, Sa-Su 9am-2pm.)

Entertainment And Nightlife

For the best deals on already cheap opera, symphony, and theater tickets, stop by the box office about a week before a show. There are no summer performances. (Opera at B-dul. Mihail Kogalniceanu 70-72; ☎021 313 18 57; www.operanb.ro.) At night, pack a map and cab fare, but expect to be frustrated by unreasonable cab drivers demanding sky high rates. At night, streets are poorly lit and public transportation stops at midnight.

• El Gran Comandante, Str. Vlitorului 26. (☎0728 55 60 43). Newly opened and dedicated to Che, but you don’t have to be a fan of his to enjoy the cheap drinks and relaxed rock that is a welcome break from Eastern Europe’s love of house music. Beer L2-5, Drinks from L5. Open Tu-Sa 7pm-6am.
• Club A, Str. Blănari 14 (☎021 315 5592; www.cluba.ro). M2: Pţa. Universităţii. Bucharest’s most famous hot spot, with cheap drinks and loud music. Live music also available most weekends. Beer from L2.40. Cover M-W and Su men L3; Th men L4; F-Sa men L5, women L2. Open M-W 10am-5am, Th-F and Su 9pm-5am, Sa 9pm-6am.Cash only.
• La Motor/Laptaria, B-dul. Balcescu 1-3, is a student bar with a huge terrace. (M2: Pţa. Universităţii. Beer L3-5. Open M-Th and Su noon-2am, F-Sa noon-4am. Cash only.)