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“Bucharest! Well, of course, I was there! It’s very beautiful there! And in general, Hungary is a beautiful country!..” Oops! What about Hungary? Many people confuse Bucharest and Budapest, but not because of geographical illiteracy, but because of the consonance of the names of the Hungarian and Romanian capitals. Let’s be objective, Bucharest is still very, very far from Budapest, but God knows, it’s trying. And if not for the socialist past, the craving of the former Romanian leader Ceausescu for globality and monumentality, and the earthquake of 1977, Bucharest would have managed to retain the title of the little Paris of Eastern Europe.
A fair question arises: for what merits did Bucharest bear such an honorable title? Here's the thing. In the middle of the 19th century, a severe fire occurred in the city, destroying a third of all buildings. After this, Bucharest began to be built up in the Beaux-Arts style (from the French beaux-arts - “fine arts”), also called the “Haussmannian Paris style.” Keep in mind, the term has nothing to do with the Ottoman Empire. It came from the name of a famous city planner and statesman, a member of the Paris Academy fine arts Georges Haussmann, a man who largely defined today's architecture French capital. A famous example of Haussmann's Paris is Place Charles de Gaulle (in a previous life - Place des Stars), in the center of which is the famous Arc de Triomphe and from which 12 wide avenues extend.
So, in the image and likeness of Haussmann’s Paris, which was characterized by large avenues and boulevards, “cut through” in the same way as Kalininsky Prospekt (New Arbat) in Moscow in the mid-20th century - destroying old buildings along with narrow streets and lanes, - Bucharest began to be built up. One of the largest avenues in Bucharest - Victory - is often compared to the Champs Elysees.
In addition, we should not forget that in the second half of the 19th century, a vibrant cultural life was in full swing in Bucharest, which was also a reason for comparison with the French capital.
Today, Bucharest gives the impression of a vast concrete jungle with small oases of ancient architecture and sprawling oases of green parks. A part of the Old Town has been preserved in the center and is currently being reconstructed. The process is slow, but it is progressing. Here is also the Princely, or Old, Courtyard (Curtea Veche), which includes the Church of St. Anton (Annunciation), which is one of the oldest buildings in the Romanian capital. Curtea Veche is famous for the fact that in 1459 Vlad Bessarab Tepes himself - the cruel ruler of Wallachia, the prototype of the literary Count Dracula - built the Dymbovitsa fortress here on the ruins of old fortifications. At the same time, the first mention of the modern name of the Romanian capital appears. However, wars and natural disasters did not allow this fortress to survive to this day.
The old courtyard is being actively restored to become one of the central attractions of the city, while the palm among places of worship is held by the odious Palace of Parliament - a striking monument to the era of Ceausescu's reign. During its construction, part of the historical center and many churches were destroyed, which greatly affected the modern appearance of Bucharest. An incredible amount of marble, bronze, wood, crystal and other materials were spent on the construction and decoration of this huge building. Therefore, the House of Parliament is not only one of the largest administrative buildings in the world, but also one of the heaviest!
If you find yourself in Bucharest in the summer, be sure to visit its gardens and parks, which occupy considerable space. Among them are Freedom Park and the oldest park in the city of Cismigiu, in the improvement of which our compatriot Pavel Dmitrievich Kiselev also took part. Until 1834, this general actually led Wallachia and the Principality of Moldova (parts of modern Romania), which at that time were under the protectorate of the Russian Empire. By the way, one of the city’s highways is still named after him - the Kiseleff Highway (Soseaua Kiseleff), on which another allusion to Paris is installed - the Arc de Triomphe. Another park, Herastreu, laid out on the shores of the lake of the same name, where vacationers can ride boats and catamarans in the summer, is interesting for its open-air Village Museum, which displays wooden houses from different regions of Romania.
In addition to the Village Museum, Bucharest, like any other self-respecting capital city, has a considerable number of other museums. This and National Museum of Arts, and the National Museum of the History of Romania, and the National Military Museum, and the National Museum of Cotroceni, and the Geological Museum - by visiting them, you can get to know the culture and art of the Romanian state better.
You can get to Bucharest without transfers on Aeroflot planes; the price of a ticket in both directions will be about 12.5 thousand rubles. Aerosvit and Air Moldova also operate flights to the capital of Romania from Moscow, but if you choose them, keep in mind that you will have to make a transfer.
As for the prices for accommodation, you can stay in a double room at the three-star City Hotel Bucharest for 1.5 thousand rubles per day, the cost of the same room in the four-star Europa Royale Bucharest hotel will be a little over 3 thousand, and for accommodation in The five-star Grand Hotel Continental is already asking about 4 thousand rubles.
Vladislav Petrovich, Yulia Medvedovskaya
And yet, no matter how many wonderful places there are in Romania, all roads here lead to Bucharest. Everyone remembers the funny story when Michael Jackson greeted the Romanians with the exclamation “Hello, Budapest,” but many of us, following him, confuse the names of these cities, and do not really imagine what kind of city Bucharest is.
This wonderful city was not chosen by chance as the capital of Romania. Having studied the history of just one city, you can understand at least in general terms the history of the entire country, the entire people. To begin with, the city was chosen as the residence of the greatest of the Romanians - Vlad Basarab III (Dracula - Tepes), and served as one of the main strongholds of the defense of Wallachia from the Turks. According to legend, Bucharest was founded by a shepherd named Bucur. Another, more plausible version claims that the city was founded by Mircea the Old in the 14th century after the victory over the Turks. It was this city that was hated the most and one day it was burned to the ground by the soldiers of the Ottoman Empire. After restoration, the city quickly grew and developed, and in 1698, Prince Constantin Brancoveanu moved the capital here. In 1859, Bucharest became the capital of the united Romania.
This is one of the few amazing cities that was freed from fascist invaders thanks to an internal uprising - August 23, 1944. And this is the city whose inhabitants desperately resisted and eventually overthrew the regime of Nicholas Ceausescu. When the latter destroyed the historical part of the city in order to erect his projects imposed by gigantomania, the residents of Bucharest managed to save some of the historical masterpieces. So they moved one of the ancient churches several hundred meters from the path of the so-called Romanian Champs Elysees and, thus, saved for posterity.
Bucharest enchants with its old town and delights with the majestic architecture of palaces and churches. But still, the ugly monument to tyranny - the Palace of Parliament - attracts most of all. How many thoughts and feelings visit a traveler looking at this creation of the twentieth century, from contempt to admiration for selfless work ordinary people, from surprise to horror, from regret to hope that this will never happen again. Erected by the tyrant, the gigantic administrative complex was designed to show the greatness of Ceausescu, and is capable of withstanding even a direct hit from a nuclear bomb (at least his bunker). Even the steps on the stairs were adjusted to the step size of his wife, Elena Ceausescu, and redone several times. Around the “palace” are the Romanian Champs Elysees, like in Paris, only larger (the habits of a giant maniac), on which members of the government were supposed to live and walk to work (apparently, the tyrant did not like being late). However, those who set their sights on greatness and have forgotten the lessons of history will be painfully disappointed: buildings now designed to instill fear and suppress with greatness can only cause a smile and bewilderment. However, millions of people come here, to one of the most controversial buildings in history, to see the stronghold and hope of the former regime with their own eyes. Today, tourists can even spend the night in the Palace of Parliament, and the administration occupies no more than 5% of its area.
Overall, Bucharest evoked positive emotions and gave moments of joy. A metropolis with an ancient history, the latest shopping centers 100 meters from the excavations of the Dracula fortress, squares and boulevards, the intricacy of the streets of the old city... you can walk in this city endlessly, and it beckons you to come back here again. And even farewell to the city turned out to be unforgettable for us: we drove past the triumphal arch (almost Parisian), waved to the Ukrainian embassy and laughed a lot, looking at the extraordinary sculpture in the form of a bright red foot near the journalists’ house. Bucurie is translated from Romanian as “joy”, which is why Bucharest is often called the “City of Joy”. And indeed it is. After my acquaintance with Bucharest, I will never confuse the City of Joy with Budapest or with any other city in the world. Goodbye Bucharest, see you again!
I lived in Bucharest for about a week, and during these days I walked around almost the entire city center with a camera, and also visited the outskirts of the city in . If we talk about general impressions about the city - I didn’t like Bucharest at all, it contrasts very much with the rest of Romania, differing from it not for the better.
So, this post contains a story about Bucharest as I saw it in the fall of 2016.
02. First, a few words about the architecture of the city. Many people consider the architecture of Bucharest to be something outstanding, but I didn’t like it - perhaps it’s the poor condition of the buildings, as well as the mixture of architectural styles. In some places in the city you can see beautiful old buildings in the Art Nouveau or eclectic style:
03. But most often they are adjacent to nondescript buildings from the Ceausescu era, which is why they somehow get lost and fade. Typical buildings from Ceausescu's time look like the house in the middle of this shot - a narrow strip of open balconies in the middle of the building and the obligatory arcade or rotunda on the roof.
04. Here are also very characteristic Romanian projects - a colonnade on the ground floor, a large number of balconies, roof extensions. These projects are still nothing, but often buildings built in the 70s look tatty and shapeless.
05. Another problem in the town is the external condition of the buildings. Look, it’s quite an interesting building, but pay attention to the condition of the building - it hasn’t been cleaned or plastered since the time of Tsar Pea.
06. From the windows of my apartment I had a view of the United Nations Square - one of the central squares of Bucharest. The square is built up with quite interesting buildings - on the left is a post-war project, and the two buildings to the right are old, pre-war.
07. The same buildings from a different angle. The architecture is expressive, but very quickly becomes boring to the eye due to the abundance of non-functional details. The general feeling of the architecture of Bucharest can be compared to the taste sensations of Chinese fast food - at first it seems delicious, but already on the third day it becomes terribly boring.
08. And this is what typical residential buildings look like away from the city center. The projects are similar to the Minsk ones, with the exception of the height of the windows - in Romanian buildings the windows are very small, often no more than a meter high.
09. Perhaps most of all from the city architecture I liked some of the buildings of the interwar period - they carry the features of typical Romanian projects, but at the same time they look strict and stylish - for example, this hotel building with very beautiful rounded balconies.
10. Surprisingly, such a beautiful hotel Almost in the very center of the city it is now abandoned, and abandoned for a very long time - small trees have even managed to grow on the balconies. I hope that in the end there will be an investor who will restore such a wonderful building.
11. And detached pre-war buildings look even more or less good - some projects are reminiscent of Lviv and Vienna.
12. Another architectural interest - in Bucharest there are many buildings reminiscent of Russian pre-revolutionary projects, but here they were built in the period 20-40. In fact, those architectural styles, as well as building codes and regulations, which in Russia (and countries former USSR) disappeared in 1917-1918, but continued to exist here until the 1940s.
In Bucharest, you can often find a house built in the 1930s, which will at the same time resemble a Russian pre-revolutionary one - with a huge entrance, spacious multi-room apartments and 4-meter ceilings.
13. At the same time, like other buildings in the city center, many of these houses are in poor condition. Here, for example, is the entrance to a beautiful house from the 1930s - the doors are wide open, the entrance is literally pissed, there are puddles on the floor.
14. And this is what the courtyard of the house looks like - apparently, garbage is thrown directly from the windows.
15. And the residents of this house sometimes attach some unimaginable structures to the windows. What is this? Greenhouse, seaming warehouse, chicken coop?
16. It’s a shame that such a beautiful house is in such a state...
17. Bucharest is literally a city of contrasts. Here on the left side of the frame is a very cool restored building - with restored stucco, new forged balcony grilles and wooden windows. And right there on the right are terrible ruins, from where it smells of many years of dampness and decay.
18. Or do you see a beautiful and clean alley, in which everything sparkles, there are cafe tables and people relaxing?
19. As soon as you step back literally 10 steps, you will see an abandoned building with black windows and everything covered with clumsy “tags”. Optionally, a homeless person can sleep on the porch - the juxtaposition of luxury and poverty here does not surprise anyone.
20. But such a dump could be on the corner of a house, 5 meters from which there will be an entrance to an expensive restaurant.
21. The examples of the urban environment of Bucharest clearly show how the “broken windows rule” works. For those who don’t know what this is, I’ll briefly tell you that the spitting and pollution of the environment tends to increase, as people unconsciously begin to perceive this as the norm. For example, at a stop littered with cigarette butts, even someone who would otherwise take it to the trash will throw it on the ground.
Here is a good example - there is some old electrical cabinet. The cabinet had not been painted for a long time, it was peeling and covered in dirt. Someone then pried open the doors and tried to rip off the "dangerous voltage" sign, causing the cabinet to look even more dented. And now everyone perceives the closet as a garbage dump - abandoned cigarette butts and cups begin to appear around.
22. Here’s another good example: a car drove into the decorative side of a fountain in the center of the city, breaking the barrier and leaving fragments of the bumper. Nobody cleaned up the garbage, and empty bottles and cigarette butts are already starting to appear around - everyone began to perceive this place as a garbage dump.
23. Here’s another example - an old one phone booth. First, they covered her from head to toe with advertisements, then they broke the glass. Someone threw a couple of bulls and cups, and now the booth has turned into a real garbage dump, where they literally bring bags of garbage. And nearby, crooked scribbles of “tags” began to appear on the wall.
24. What’s interesting is that people don’t litter everywhere, for example the neighborhoods in the center where order and cleanliness are maintained. In such an environment, people often try to carry a bottle or glass to the trash rather than simply throw it on the ground.
25. According to my observations, city residents are not very bothered by this situation with garbage and dirt - they simply do not notice it and perceive it as part of the city background. Even the residents of a prestigious building in the center are not embarrassed by the façade walls covered in spit and graffiti:
26. And the gateway in such a prestigious central house may look like this:
27. And in the center of Bucharest you can see quite a lot of abandoned shops, abandoned for a very long time - judging by the design, this shop has not been open almost since the time of Ceausescu:
28. So, now I need to write about something good. Bucharest has very cool playgrounds - they are often surrounded by fences (to prevent cars from parking there) and are well equipped. In some places in the city there are street parks, which are also quite good:
29. The parks have outdoor exercise equipment and free Wi-Fi - something that Minsk really lacks.
30. There are many benches on the streets where older people can relax:
32. There are also bicycle paths (though there are very few of them) and they only pass along some central streets:
33. Street trading looks like this -
34. In Bucharest, I liked the SIM card vending machines with the Internet:
35. And street book stalls, where books about Dracula side by side with books about the “great conductor” Ceausescu.
36. But in general, Bucharest is dirty, noisy and crowded Southern City, which you don’t want to return to.
One day I learned that Bucharest is called “Little Paris” and immediately decided to check this statement. Bucharest turned out to be huge and only partly similar. It seemed to me that it was similar to many cities and during my walks I discovered elements of Vienna, London, Belgrade, Moscow, Athens, Istanbul and other cities. Formed at the crossroads of Western and Eastern influences, Bucharest has its own unique charm and atmosphere.
Bucharest, as the capital of Romania, and before its unification the center of the Principality of Wallachia, has important historical and political significance. It is in Bucharest, unlike Transylvanian cities, that you can fully experience the Romanian culture and atmosphere. Walking through its streets, you have the chance to touch different eras of Romanian history.
Despite all its architectural charms and historical significance, Bucharest has a bad reputation. I even heard a joke in which a Frenchman, in response to the remark that Bucharest is small, replies: “Thank you, Lord, that this is not big Bucharest.” Many people are wary of traveling to Bucharest, describing it as ugly, dirty and unsafe. In my opinion, they are making a big mistake. The tourist areas are safe, the buildings are being restored, and what some people call ugliness, I would rather call architectural originality.
The name of Bucharest most likely comes from the word “joy”. Bucharest is often called the city of joy or the city of holidays. These names well characterize its spontaneous and lively atmosphere. There is something interesting happening regularly in Bucharest, during a casual walk in the city space you can find street concerts and contemporary art, Bucharest cafes have a unique relaxed atmosphere. The city has its own special rhythm and atmosphere, and if you feel them, you will never want to leave Bucharest.
How to get there
The most convenient and fastest way to get to Bucharest is by plane. There are direct flights from Moscow, as well as a large number of different options with transfers. By bus and train you will have to travel for a very long time and with transfers, and the price of this option is comparable to a flight. The road route, although less than 2000 kilometers, can take an unpredictably long time due to the abundance of borders crossed.
By plane
From Moscow
The Romanian airline TAROM recently canceled its flights to Russia, so the only option for a direct flight from Moscow is offered by Aeroflot. Aeroflot flies every day, departures are in the morning, the flight lasts three hours. If you buy tickets in advance, you can spend 200-250 EUR for a round trip flight.
It can be cheaper with transfers, but there are a lot of transfer options:
- Aegean offers options with connections in Athens and is one of the cheapest options. The duration of transfers on this route varies from one hour to 20 hours. Most cheap option, which I have ever come across costs 130 EUR. In general, prices for such a flight rarely exceed 200 EUR. You can compare them, for example, .
- Pegasus flights with transfers in Istanbul have convenient departure times and long connections (about a day, you can see). Round trip ticket prices start from 150 EUR.
- Austrian Airlines offers short connections and early morning flights on flights connecting in Vienna. Such tickets will cost more, approximately 180 EUR.
- If you don't like short or long transfers, then the best option for you - Lufganza. A flight with a four-hour layover in Munich will also cost 180 EUR.
- The LOT company has an option with an evening flight. You will have to fly through Warsaw, the price will be about 200 EUR.
From Saint-Petersburg
There are no direct flights from St. Petersburg, and options with transfers will cost more than similar options from Moscow.
- The cheapest option for residents of St. Petersburg is company flights Turkish Airlines with a long night layover in Istanbul. The cost of these tickets will be approximately 210 EUR.
- A little more expensive and with a thrill you can fly with AirFrance. The ticket price is about 220 EUR, and the thrill of the trip is added by an hour-long transfer at Charles de Gaulle airport.
- The LOT company offers a flight with long transfers in Warsaw for 230 EUR.
- The most convenient option is with Austrian Airlines with transfers in Vienna. What makes it convenient is the ability to choose from several options for departure times and duration of transfers (travel time from 5 to 26 hours). The cost of such tickets starts from 230 EUR.
How to get from the airport to the city?
Bucharest has two airports. Old airport Banyasa Aurel Vlaicu, located closer to the city, currently accepts only charters and private flights. Main international airport is Henri Coanda Airport, located in the suburban town of Otopeni approximately 16 kilometers north of the center of Bucharest.
You can get to it in several ways:
By train
Once upon a time, Moscow and Bucharest were connected by a direct train, but now to get there by train you will also have to travel with transfers. As in the case of buses, the best option is a transfer in Chisinau. This journey will take almost two days, and its cost for a one-way journey will be approximately 110 EUR.
How to get there from the station
Main railway stations considered to be the northern station Gara de Nord. The monumental building, remarkable in itself, will instantly provide arrivals with an immersive atmosphere. The station is located away from the center. I prefer walking; you can walk at a leisurely pace in 45 minutes to an hour. You can use the metro or buses 123 and 85.
The eastern train station Gara de Est-Obor connects Bucharest with Constanta on the Black Sea coast. It is also located about an hour's walk from the center, but personally I don't like walking to the east. I advise you to use buses 85, 14 or 69.
By bus
Direct bus service from Russian cities Bucharest doesn’t, so the journey will take a long time and involve transfers. Among all the possible ones, a relatively convenient option is to travel from Moscow with a transfer in Chisinau. The journey will take about 40 hours. The ticket price for a round trip will be about 140 EUR. Bucharest is connected to many cities in the region (, Sofia) and Western Europe (mainly German and French). Also, for moving around the country, buses are a good alternative to trains because they travel faster and offer more non-stop options. However, the main and significant difficulty for tourists is the huge number of different bus stations, most of which are quite distant from the center. In addition, the infrastructure of the stations themselves leaves much to be desired.
I have marked on the map the most frequently used stations: Filaret for buses to Chisinau, Eurolines and Rahova for departures to Western European cities, Obor for Black Sea coast. The main rule is to pay attention to where exactly the bus departs from and budget enough time in the schedule to get there, and most importantly, get your bearings on the spot.
By car
The road route from Moscow will be less than 2000 kilometers. Travel time is about a day, you can spend one or two nights. The main difficulty and headache of this route is crossing borders. The logical, at first glance, option through Ukraine and Moldova involves crossing three borders (plus such a phenomenon as Transnistria). Therefore, I would advise going through Belarus or bypassing Moldova. This option will help you avoid not only Moldovan borders, but also the need to buy a Moldovan vignette (although it is inexpensive, only 4 EUR). In Romania itself you should also buy a vignette. It costs 3 EUR and is valid for 7 days. This cannot be done at border checkpoints; of all the options, the most convenient one is to purchase it at Rompetrol, Petrom and OMV gas stations or order it online on this website.
Clue:
Bucharest - the time is now
Hour difference:
Moscow 0
Kazan 0
Samara 1
Ekaterinburg 2
Novosibirsk 4
Vladivostok 7
When is the season? When is the best time to go
The tourist season in Bucharest is from May to September, with its peak in July. In my experience, the most pleasant time to visit is September. Among the advantages are the weather (still warm, no longer hot, not rainy), grape season, the end of the holiday season. Worth visiting Bucharest at Christmas or Easter. At this time the city is beautifully decorated and fairs are held.
Bucharest in summer
In summer the city is full of tourists, and prices, especially for housing, rise. During this period, the city will delight you with warm weather, numerous festivals and outdoor events. However, Bucharest's summer weather is not for everyone: June is rainy, while July and August can be very hot.
Bucharest in autumn
Although September, in my opinion, best time for a trip, in general, autumn can present tourists with surprises with the weather. In October and November the city is already cloudy and gray. The golden foliage gives the city a special charm in autumn. This period is best for walks in numerous parks and Botanical Garden.
Bucharest in spring
In spring, especially in April, the weather is comfortable for walking, and the Easter period, when fairs and folk festivals begin, gives the city a special charm. In May the temperature reaches +20°C, but it often rains in Bucharest this month. The main beauty of spring is the beginning of flowering. Like autumn, spring is a great time for a walk in the parks.
Bucharest in winter
December is a great time to visit Bucharest thanks to the holidays. Romanian Unification Day is celebrated on December 1, and the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on December 25. During this period, Bucharest is unforgettable thanks to the city's decorations and fairs.
In winter, the temperature in the city is slightly below zero, and snow often falls. During this period, the city is especially beautiful and has a fabulous charm, but walking a lot is already problematic. Therefore, in winter it is worth paying more attention to cafes and the museum; besides, the queues at the museum will be shorter than in summer.
Bucharest - weather by month
Clue:
Bucharest - weather by month
Districts. Where is the best place to live?
In Bucharest, you should definitely live in the center (when booking through, he carefully marks this area in blue). No matter how low the price, options outside the center should be considered as a last resort. This is not a question of security, but rather of existential comfort. In the center, Bucharest resembles European cities, it is easy to get used to and adapt to it. However, further away from the center its urban features become apparent, and it is more difficult for visitors to navigate there.
- The exception is Grozăvești district, which is worth staying in if you plan to travel frequently from Bucharest by train, as it is located close to the Gara de Nord station.
- IN zone east of the center You can also find convenient and cheap options. This area has good walking and transport connections to the center.
The center itself can also be divided into zones from the point of view of choosing location.
- The most tourist options are located in Old town(indicated by the letter A): proximity to attractions. abundance of national restaurants, transport accessibility. However, prices in this area are among the highest in the city.
- North of the Old Town(zone B) you can find all the delights of a cultural center. There is good infrastructure, many events take place, but it is quite noisy. Prices are about the same as in the Old Town.
- In the direction of the red arrow prices will fall, but the development will no longer be pleasing to the eye.
- In the direction of the blue arrow begins the embassy district, where it is worth choosing housing for those who love silence more than city noise.
- In the direction of the green arrow, located between historical center and the main station is a quiet, cozy area, which is a good compromise if you want to see both Bucharest and the surrounding cities.
What are the prices for holidays?
Housing
Bucharest especially delights tourists thanks to its low prices. Accommodation in guest houses or apartments will cost 20-30 EUR, hotels on Booking about 40 EUR. Through various services (for example,) you can book an apartment in the center for 30 EUR, and a room for 15-20 EUR. I advise you to pay attention to hostels; they are at the highest level in Bucharest and have good ratings. A private room will cost about 20-25 EUR, and a bed in a dormitory room will cost about 8 EUR.
Nutrition
In Bucharest you can easily find cheap and tasty food. Even in the very center of the city in national restaurants, lunch can cost 10-15 EUR. In the city center you can easily find fast food for every taste (pizza, kebab, Asian cuisine). In local markets, fruits and vegetables are very cheap in season, so you can save a lot by cooking yourself.
Travel and entertainment
There are cheap taxis in Bucharest, if you follow a few rules when using them. simple rules(more about them in the “Taxi” section). Transport, cinema, theaters and other entertainment will also be cheap. Bucharest has some of the cheapest museums in Europe - average cost entrance ticket about 2 EUR. As in other cities, the tourism sector and entertainment are a little more expensive. The cost of excursions, for example, starts from 10 EUR per person for group excursions and 40-50 EUR for individual ones.
Many hotels and hostels offer a free Bucharest City Card, which gives discounts at major museums and some restaurants and shops. Full list discounts can be found at Please note that to activate it you must write your name and start date of use (the card is valid for three days).
Clue:
Cost of food, accommodation, transportation and other things
Currency: Euro, € US Dollar, $ Russian Ruble, Rub Romanian Leu, lei
Main attractions. What to see
I would call Bucharest a matryoshka city. At the core - Old city, a little provincial - the capital of the principality, with rare remains of ancient houses. Earthquakes and historical vicissitudes were not merciful to Bucharest buildings.
Around the Old Town, luxurious buildings in the historicist style open up to the eye. These Bucharest streets represent what Bucharest is called “little Paris”.
The next stage is Bucharest modernist from the time of the united kingdom. After the First World War, all three Romanian principalities (Wallachia, Moldova (not to be confused with the neighboring state!) were finally united. The architecture of Bucharest of that period: austere, modernist and sublimely monumental, persistently demonstrates this political triumph.
Communist Bucharest, represented primarily by the Palace of Parliament, gives the appearance of Bucharest vaguely familiar features. The gigantomania of communist ruler Nicolae Ceausescu is still felt in urban areas.
In order to better understand the city itself and its history, you can take one of the free tours.
Top 5
- Old courtyard of Curtea Veche(Curtea Veche, Strada Franceza 25). Now this place is archaeological site and an open-air museum based on a church-palace complex. This was once a royal residence. Its history dates back to the 14th century, but the key figure in this story is Vlad the Impaler (the prototype of Dracula). By his order, a fortress was built here, which became a residence. It was destroyed more than once by earthquakes and wars, and was also rebuilt. The museum that has emerged on the site provides visitors with an excellent opportunity to learn about Vlad the Impaler as a historical figure, rather than the mythical Dracula.
- Romanian Athenaeum(Ateneul Român, Strada Benjamin Franklin 1-3). This concert hall was built on the initiative of the Ateneum cultural society, which included prominent representatives of Romanian culture and science. The design of the building in the neoclassical style was created in 1888 by the French architect Albert Galleron. Funds for construction were collected by subscription throughout the country.
Music has great importance for Romanian culture. For example, one of the key figures of the Romanian cultural pantheon is the composer and violinist George Enescu. The Philharmonic Orchestra and the International Classical Music Festival are named after him, both institutions are associated with this building. Tickets for a symphony concert cost from 9 to 15 EUR, and for chamber music concerts from 4 to 9 EUR. The program can be viewed at. Despite the acoustic qualities of the hall, I personally find it quite difficult to listen to music in it. All attention is drawn to the luxurious decoration of the hall and the huge fresco that surrounds the hall and depicts key events in Romanian history. 
- Triumphal Arch(Arcul de Triumf, Piața Arcul de Triumf) Triumphal arches in Bucharest were erected several times in the second half of the 19th century in connection with significant events in Romanian history. All of them were temporary; after the First World War, it was decided to build a permanent monument in honor of the unification of all Romanians in 1918. The first arch designed by Petre Antonescu, built between 1921-1922, quickly fell into disrepair due to materials and weather conditions. Then Petre Antonescu created a modified project, the new arch was inaugurated on December 1, 1936. It seems to me that this is the most “Parisian” element of Bucharest; it is not for nothing that Petre Antonescu had a Parisian education. Now the Arc de Triomphe is not only a decoration of the city, but also an important symbolic place (for example, parades are held here).
Revolution square(Piața Revoluției). This square has always had significant political significance; at one time it was also the site of Royal Palace. and the building of the central committee of the Romanian Communist Party. The square now houses important, sometimes controversial, political monuments.
Monument to King Carol the First. This equestrian statue, designed by the famous Croatian architect Ivan Meštrović, appeared on the square in 1930 in honor of King King I, who ruled Romania from 1866 to 1914. During the communist era it was demolished and only recently restored.
Memorialul Renaşterii. Dedicated to the Romanian revolution of 1989. The monument appeared on the square in 2005. Since then it has repeatedly become a victim of vandalism and criticism. Its design has been criticized as too abstract, with locals calling it "the potato of the revolution" or "an olive on a toothpick."
Palace of Parliament(Palatul Parlamentului, Strada Izvor 2-4). One of the largest administrative buildings in the world for Bucharest, both a symbol of the city and an urban disaster. Built on the initiative of Ceausescu, its sheer size is reminiscent of communist times. Thousands of buildings were demolished to clear the area for this large-scale, literally megalomaniac, project. When you read, you are amazed and surprised by all the numbers: the number of architects, the number of materials used.
Visiting is possible daily from 10:00 to 16:00. A ticket to visit the palace itself costs about 6 EUR; you will additionally have to purchase tickets for the observation terrace (3.5 EUR) and the dungeon (2.5 EUR). 
The building also houses the Museum of Contemporary Art (Muzeul Național de Artă Contemporană). It presents a collection of contemporary Romanian and foreign art, the entrance ticket costs 2 EUR. 
Churches and temples. Which ones are worth visiting?
In Bucharest you can also use the services tourist bus Bucharest City Tour. The entire route lasts about an hour, you can get on and off at any of the stops, the interval between buses is about 20 minutes. A ticket, valid for 24 hours, costs about 5.5 EUR for adults, and 2 EUR for children over 7 years old.
Taxi. What features exist
In Bucharest, taxis are very cheap if you follow a few rules. Taxi drivers in Bucharest especially like to make money from tourists.
Trams
There are 23 tram routes in the city, plus one light rail tram line in the west of the city. Trams are being actively modernized. However, at the moment the trams are slow and old, but they are less crowded and crowded.
Metro
At the moment there are only four lines in the Bucharest metro, so it is easy to understand and get directions.
The trains are mostly new and comfortable, which cannot be said about the stations themselves. Especially useful for tourists there will be a line M2 - it connects the north and south, which means the main attractions along this axis. However, it is better not to use it in the morning and evening - during rush hours there is often a crowd here. The metro operates from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Two trips on the metro cost about 1 EUR, a day pass costs 1.7 EUR, and a weekly pass costs 5.4 EUR. In general, the metro in Bucharest is many times more comfortable transport for tourists than ground transport.
Buses and trolleybuses
There are about 85 routes in the city, both urban and suburban. To travel, you need to purchase a travel card, which should be presented to the validator upon entry. Bucharest also has a good network of night buses (every approximately 40 minutes). However, to travel at night, especially if you travel far, I advise you to call a taxi. Trolleybuses mainly connect the west and east of the city. There are 15 lines in total, some of them have new models of trolleybuses and then the journey can be quite comfortable.
Transport rental
The main international car rental companies operate in Bucharest. Most offices are located at the airport or north of the city center. First of all, for rentals in Bucharest I can recommend Avis or Sixt. You can search for offers, for example, . IN large parks(Herastrau and Tineretului) you can rent bicycles. The city also operates the iVelo system. In the parks you can rent a bicycle if you have an ID card. Renting for 1 hour costs 1 EUR, and for the whole day about 4 EUR. They also have bicycle parking lots in the city center, operating under the bike-sharing system. In order to use it you need to register on. There are several bicycle rental points in the city center; on average, renting a bicycle costs about 8 EUR per day.
Parking in Bucharest is divided into municipal and private. Municipal ones charge about 0.30 EUR per hour. Parking is paid from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; at other times, parking is free, but there are no employees at this time, which means the parking lot is not guarded. Private parking lots are twice as expensive, but are equipped with cameras and other security features. You should not leave bags and valuables in the cabin or trunk of a parked car. In my experience, it is better to prefer a covered, 24-hour guarded parking lot.
In general, driving a car in Bucharest, especially during rush hours, is an exhausting experience. The traffic is chaotic, many people break the rules, so you should be very careful.
