Bucharest

Bucharest (Romanian: București) is Romania's capital and largest city. Bucharest has a very interesting mix of old and new: finding a 300-year-old church near a steel-and-glass tower that sits next to a communist-style building is commonplace in Bucharest. Bucharest offers some excellent attractions, and has cultivated a sophisticated, trendy, and modern sensibility that many have come to expect from a European capital.

Understand
Bucharest is the primary entry point into Romania, and the most important industrial and commercial centre of the country. With more than 2.1 million inhabitants in its urban area, Bucharest is one of the largest cities in Southeastern Europe.

Bucharest is a booming city with many large infrastructure projects changing the old face of the city, which used to be known in the past as "The Little Paris".

Bucharest has benefited from an economic boom along with the EU grants that have helped rebuild parts of the city, including the revamped old town. Those who have known Bucharest in the past will be surprised by the changes that are taking place. The largest finished project is the impressive Basarab overpass, which is Europe's widest cable bridge.

Climate
Bucharest, like most of Romania, has a temperate-continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. This region of Romania gets all four seasons, although spring is brief and falls mainly in April. The average high daily temperature in summer is about 29 °C and in winter about 2 °C. It can get really hot and dry during the summer (30 °C) and really cold during the winter (-20 °C), even though temperatures below -12 °C are extremely rare. Best time to visit is April through June, September through October and early December.

Time
Bucharest is in the Eastern European time zone (UTC+2, with a DST of UTC+3 from April to October).

Visitor information

 * Visitor information from Romania Tourism

Talk


The official language is Romanian, a Romance language which claims to be the closest currently-spoken relative to Vulgar Latin, but contains around 20% of loan words from Slavonic languages. Most younger educated people will speak English reasonably well and will likely be proficient in one or more second Romance languages; most educated people born before about 1980 will speak French, Spanish or Italian reasonably well. The Roma people (Gypsies) speak their native Romany, as well as Romanian, and sometimes English as well. Beyond that, as in any major city, there will be a smattering of other languages like Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, Hungarian and German.

By plane
The IATA code corresponds to "all" airports in Bucharest, not a specific one.

Getting there and away:
 * By bus – The Express Bus is usually the best option, as it is inexpensive (50–90 minutes ride) and runs frequently. However, it can get crowded (and it lacks space for luggage) and can get snarled in traffic. The airport bus stop is straight outside Arrivals on the ground floor. Express bus 100 runs to downtown Bucharest from here via Arcul de Triumf and Piața Victoriei to Piața Unirii (bus stop 2, S side of the square). It runs every day, 05:30–21:50 every 15 min and 22:00–05:00 every 30 min.
 * The price is 3 lei as of October 2022. You can pay with your credit/debit card or buy a local travel card from the booth next to the bus stop. There is another booth in Departures, and one at Piaţa Unirii. Scan your card to validate it on boarding (and if there are two or more people travelling using one card, then press button 2 and scan the card again to validate the second ticket or once for every other traveler in your group; example: scan one time > press 2 > scan again for person #2 > again for person #3 > again for person #4 > and so on); these airport buses are a prime target for ticket inspectors. The fine is 80 lei and you will receive a red card, available for all the lines in the city until 23:59 on the day of the issue—no matter the hour being 01:00 in the night or 23:55, it will expire at 23:59. The fine is always as much as a prepaid monthly travel title on all city lines.


 * By train – From early 2021, trains now run in-between largest railway station Gara de Nord and the airport. Tickets can be bought at the airport, onboard or online. Trains runs every 40 minutes and there are both express and local services.
 * By ride hailing – Uber and Bolt are available in Bucharest. Expect to pay 50–100 lei for a transfer from the airport into the city, depending on the traffic congestion or rush hours.
 * By private shuttle – These have fixed prices per vehicle and are a good deal if there is 2 or more of you, or you're heavily laden, or your destination/pick-up is some way from the centre. For anywhere in Bucharest city, reckon to pay for a small car (like a taxi, max 3 passengers), and  for a 7-seater minibus—larger vehicles and coaches are available. They will take you anywhere in Romania, to the Bulgarian beach resorts, and to Moldova. Search online for the main competitors.
 * By taxi – Just wait outside Arrivals. Your first step will be to establish the meter rate, which daytime and early evening should be 1.69–1.79 lei/km. So, that is 35–40 lei total to city centre or old city (as of Sep 2018). At night, the rate will be around 3.50 lei/km—they're sharks if they demand more. You can call a taxi from one of the yellow electronic kiosks after you leave Arrivals. The touch screen will print a slip with the name of the taxi company, the rate, and the licence plate number of the taxi, and call it to the pavement for you. Make sure a meter is used since some of the taxis called by the kiosks will try to fleece you.
 * By rental car – inchirieri auto bucuresti and inchirieri auto otopeni, rent a car bucuresti. There are car hire desks in the Arrival area, but you only need a car if you are touring beyond the city directly.

By bus
Buses are a good option to get to Bucharest if coming from Moldova, Turkey, Greece and to some extent Bulgaria, given the low frequency and speeds of trains between these countries and Romania.

If you're willing to make extremely long bus rides, it's also possible to get to Bucharest from a large number of cities in Western and South-Western Europe; these buses are operated by Eurolines, their local affiliate Atlassib, or Flixbus.



From specific destinations:
 * Sofia – There is a daily bus from Sofia (7 hr travel time, ). It stops and starts near Tineretului subway station (one station away from city center).
 * Varna – One or two buses daily only between late May-early September, 5–6 hr travel time, and tickets around . They usually stop in various squares in downtown.
 * Constanta – Buses every 45 min during the summer and some buses offers WiFi connection. The station is near Gara de Nord at the intersection of Strada Mircea Vulcanescu & Bulevardul Dinicu Golescu.
 * Chișinău – Many companies operate 'rutieras' during the day and larger coaches during the night heading to Bucharest. The fare with one particular company was 225 lei for an 8-9 hr journey with hourly departures in the evening. There was no toilet on the bus but several stops were made by the bus driver. Most companies were in the central bus station behind the Central Market, not the southern bus station as indicated above.

Bucharest also has bus connections to a vast number of other cities in Romania. They're a convenient choice primarily when coming from places from which railways are under repair or too indirect (like Sibiu).

Timetables for most domestic routes and several international ones are available here.

By train
All mainline train services from Bucharest use Gara de Nord station. Direct international trains run from Budapest (two per day, 16 hours), Chișinău (nightly, 12 hours), Istanbul (18 hours, daily direct in summer, winter by connecting trains but no slower), and Vienna (daily, 19 hours). Trains from Sofia take 10 hours, change at Ruse. Trains from Belgrade, Kyiv and Moscow are disrupted long-term, take the bus or fly.

It is worth taking the overnight train from Chișinău for the experience alone. The train is an old Soviet can with homely decor and there are always locals around keen to spend the journey drinking local cognac with some travellers. Around 03:00 the train stops for several hours to change the wheels at the border: Romania uses European standard gauge and Moldova uses the wider Soviet gauge, so expect an orchestra of lumphammers and cusswords of several languages. The train is broken into its separate carriages, hoisted on jacks for the change while you stay aboard, then lumbers on its way.

Main destinations within Romania include Brasov (2–3 hours), Constanta (2 hr), Sibiu (5-6 hr) and Timisoara (9 hr). For Cluj-Napoca, change at Brasov. Timetables for domestic routes are available from CFR (Căile Ferate Române, the national railway company), but only four weeks in advance.





By car
The city’s entrances from the north (the E60 road coming from Braşov and the A3 highway from Ploieşti), west (the A1 highway from Piteşti), east (the A2 highway from Constanţa), south (the E20 road from Giurgiu) and the avenues in the city center are very crowded, especially at rush hours. Right in the city center, just across from the University, thete is a major underground parking place. Although modern and safe, finding the entrance may prove to be a little tricky. An even bigger parking place (with 5 levels) is found near the Unirii Square, behind the Unirii Mall, which is also near the center area and 10 minutes away (by foot) from the old town's center. Driving on some of the secondary streets might prove to be a bit bumpy, due to only relatively good condition of these roads.

By public transport
Bucharest has one of the most extensive systems of public transport in Europe, even though it can sometimes be confusing and crowded.

Ticketing
The easiest option for the tourist is probably using a contactless card. In principle, this should work with any contactless credit or debit card as well as when using a smart phone or smart watch. The contactless option is always present at metro stations, and should be available on most buses (Otokar and Citaro Hybrid) and some trams, nominally lines 1, 10 and 41. The price is 3 lei for any journey lasting less than 90 minutes, no matter how many lines you are switching (just touch the machine with your card once you get into a new bus/trolleybus/tram). If your journey has not ended after 90 minutes (rarely), just touch your card again. If you forgot at what time you paid for the ride, press "1" (on older orange machines) or "i" (on newer yellow machines) > the screen will state "Consultare card" (="Card inspection") > touch your card and keep it there until the machine states "Retrageți cardul" (="Remove the card"). In the meantime, the machine will show your time left since the start of the ride, you credit (if any), your package of rides (if any) and your travel titles (if any, current or expired).

Another option is the Activ card, which costs 3.70 lei at any STB point of sale (including the airport) and can be loaded with pay-as-you-go credit and a variety of passes (daily to monthly). You can read the pay as you go and subscription tariffs online. The Activ card can not be used for the Metro (subway) system.

When entering a vehicle or subway station, you must validate your ticket: hold the card on the orange reader until you hear a short beep, green LED lights up and you can read on the display the message "Călatorie plăcută (Have a nice journey)". If you get a red light and a long beep (validation failed), try again.

One card can be used to pay for more than one person (pay-as-you-go only for the second and subsequent people). In order to validate the card for additional people, press the button "2", and then present the card a second time. In order to check the number of people the card has been validated for, and the remaining balance on the card, press "1" before presenting the card.

By metro
The metro, which has five lines (M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5) and covers the city quite extensively, is usually a cheap and easy way to get around even though there are surprisingly few stops in the city center, since the system was built to transport workers and commuters from outlying neighborhoods through the city to peripheral industrial areas. If you're staying outside the city center, or even if you want to travel within it, the Metro can be a very fast and convenient way of getting around, avoiding the traffic jams and crowds that frequently characterize surface transport. The network is frequent, fairly comfortable, reliable and easy-to-use. Tickets can be purchased from electronic kiosks in the stations that offer instructions in English and other languages. They accept most Romanian banknotes and provide change. 6 lei for a 2-ride ticket, or 25 lei for a 10-ride ticket (as of June 2022).

Line M1 starts in the eastern part of the city and then goes downtown on a circular route, passing by the main train station Gara de Nord and meeting up with the M2 line (which runs north-south) at Piaţa Unirii and Piaţa Victoriei stations. Line M3 links the western and eastern parts of the city. The central section on the M3 between Eroilor - Nicolae Grigorescu is shared with M1 and trains from both lines run in tandem having the terminus displayed at the front of the cab. Line M4 is a short line starting from Gara de Nord 2 going to Lac Straulesti. Even though Gara de Nord and Gara de Nord 2 are in close proximity, transferring between the two is taxed as a separate trip. The only platform to platform link between M4 and M1 is at Basarab station. Line M5 runs from Eroilor 2 (which it shares with lines M1 and M3) to Valea Ialomiței or Râul Doamnei.

Up to date maps of the subway and any changes to the schedule can be found on the Metrorex official site.

By bus, tram or trolleybus
Bucharest has a very complex network of buses, trams and trolleybuses. The intricate web of hundreds of bus, tram and trolleybus routes may be confusing at first. Once you know your way around the network, however, public surface transport can be a very good way of getting around since there is a bus, tram or trolleybus stop virtually everywhere in the city. The vehicles are usually very frequent, although they can still get terribly crowded at peak hours. Route planner is available online.

Make sure you know when to get off—even though in most vehicles the following stops are announced and displayed on a screen, these displays can be unreliable. If you are uncertain if a stop is the one you want, ask your fellow travellers.

Night buses are also available. They run every 30 minutes between 23:30 and 05:00. They all leave from the city center (Piața Unirii) and go out radially in the city.

By car
Car rental is available in the city and at the airport. The average starting price for a day's rental (small car) is about.

By taxi
There are a lot of taxi companies in Bucharest and you'll easily find a cab. But be careful; only use the services of big taxi companies, not small independent taxis (which can charge up to ten times the price). Cars from these companies have the rates displayed on the door; the quoted rate is charged once when the meter starts, and again for every kilometer driven. There is also a time-based hourly rate, which is not listed, but should be around ten times the per-km fee. If a taxi does not display these prices on the door it is best not to take it and find another, as you'll probably be massively overcharged. Some taxis have a low "nighttime rate" listed in a large font with an expensive "daytime rate" listed in a smaller font. So, read carefully and remember that noapte means night. At the beginning of your trip, the driver should start the meter; if they do not, be sure to remind them. If you are travelling outside the city limits (say to or from the airport) prices per km and per hour are often doubled, or an extra 10–15 lei is added to the fare. Be wary of taking taxis from touristy areas. Conmen have been known to demand large sums for passengers to recover their luggage from the trunk or even mug their passengers. However, most taxi drivers are nicer than usual with foreigners, as they expect to keep the change when they get paid at the end of the ride. Smart phone users can download the Clever Taxi app. The app will allow you to choose and summon a taxi to your map location based on vicinity and price.

By ride hailing
Uber and Bolt are available in Bucharest, also in the airport area. At least Uber allows to pay by credit/debit car and cash. There is no shortage of drivers using Uber, and some might view it as safer and easier.

Museums
Theodor Pallady Museum (Muzeul Theodor Pallady). 22, Spătarului Street, phone: +40 21 2114979. May-Sep: W-Su 11:00-19:00, Oct-Apr: W-Su 10:00-18:00.
 * Branch Museums: The Art Collections Museum (Muzeul Colecţiilor de Artă), 111, Calea Victoriei, phone:+40 21 2129641; +40 21 2121749. May-Sep: Sa-W 11:00-19:00; Oct-Apr: Sa-W 10:00-18:00. Huge collection of Romanian artworks, and some wonderful textiles and sculpture from the East. Joint ticket with the National Art Museum for 30 lei.
 * K.H. Zambaccian Museum (Muzeul K. H. Zambaccian). 21A, Muzeul Zambaccian Street, phone:+40 21 2301920. May-Sep: W-Su 11:00-19:00, Oct-Apr: W-Su 10:00-18:00. Collection of Romanian artworks collected by a prominent Armenian businessman. Also has works by Cézanne, Monet, Picasso and Matisse.
 * K.H. Zambaccian Museum (Muzeul K. H. Zambaccian). 21A, Muzeul Zambaccian Street, phone:+40 21 2301920. May-Sep: W-Su 11:00-19:00, Oct-Apr: W-Su 10:00-18:00. Collection of Romanian artworks collected by a prominent Armenian businessman. Also has works by Cézanne, Monet, Picasso and Matisse.

Do
There are two free weekly guides published in Bucharest featuring all the events of the week, as well as listing the addresses of most restaurants, clubs, pubs, bars, cinemas etc. in the city. One is Şapte Seri (Seven nights), the other 24-FUN. They have small sections in English available.

Walking tours

 * A walking tour is a good way to get accustomed with a new city. You can find free guided walking tours of the city centre, this being an option for budget visitors, youth and backpackers. Usually, you have to book the tours, but in the high season there are tours organized every day, rain or sun.
 * There are also paid tours to be found, in this case booking being necessary at all times.
 * Access the free Audio Guide with GPS on smartphone for most relevant tour (17 attractions) on http://IZI.travel (IOS, Android, Windows). Then consider other tours with Audio Guides in Bucharest and surroundings. For example: "Bucharest - Old City Centre" (with 40 included attractions) or related to the nearby protected natural area from Snagov lake and forest.

Cinema
Most films are screened in their original language with Romanian subtitles; some animation features and children's movies are dubbed in Romanian. Cinemas are found in every shopping mall.

Sport

 * Arena Națională (capacity 55,000) hosts international soccer matches plus club side FCSB. It's 5 km east of city centre, take the tram along Basarabia Bvd.
 * FCSB play soccer in Liga 1, the country's top tier. Their home ground is the National Arena.
 * FC Dinamo București also play in Liga 1. They play at Dinamo Stadium (capacity 15,000) 2 km north, with its own Metro and tram station.
 * Rapid București also play in Liga 1. Most games are at Rapid-Giulești Stadium (capacity 14,000) 5 km northwest, but some big matches are at National Arena.

Buy
Major brand-name shops and upscale boutiques are concentrated along the main boulevard from Piaţa Romană to Piaţa Unirii and on the small streets adjacent to this boulevard, but also on Calea Victoriei, on Calea Dorobanţilor (the part between Blvd. Iancu de Hunedoara and Piaţa Dorobanţilor) or on Calea Moşilor's section between Blvd. Carol I and Piaţa Obor.

Shopping malls
In the past years numerous modern shopping centers have sprung up in the city (and even more are in construction), the best known being:

Book stores
Book stores with a good supply of English language books are difficult to find in Bucharest but there are a few places mainly situated in the center.



Mid-range





 * La Mama (6 outlets around Bucharest, Barbu Văcărescu 3, Delea Veche 51, Episcopiei 9, and Carrefour Orhideea being the largest ones, +40 21-2124086) - focusing on traditional Romanian food. Reasonable prices. (updated May 2022)
 * La Mama (6 outlets around Bucharest, Barbu Văcărescu 3, Delea Veche 51, Episcopiei 9, and Carrefour Orhideea being the largest ones, +40 21-2124086) - focusing on traditional Romanian food. Reasonable prices. (updated May 2022)

Drink




Stay safe
The emergency number in Romania is 112.

Bucharest is one of the safest capitals in Europe, far safer than Berlin, London and Rome. Nevertheless, violence is not an uncommon solution, towards locals or towards foreign-looking people (minorities, out of place individuals, etc.) in any club, but particularly those playing ethnic music, especially when drinking and after hours are involved. Avoiding any conflict would reduce your chances to almost zero. The crime rate is low, but a traveler must always be cautious. Violent attacks are very low, but if attacked just yell, "Ajutor!" or "Poliția!"

Transportation
Be incredibly careful as a pedestrian in Bucharest. Some drivers are inconsiderate and do not obey all traffic signals. Never assume a car will stop for you at a crosswalk. This is definitely the biggest hazard in Bucharest, not so much in the daytime, when crowded streets make it impossible to drive cars at high speeds, but, at night, the streets clear out, some illegal races take place with reckless driving on main boulevards.

Buses are safe, but use common sense, and put your things in internal pockets.

Taking taxis from areas frequented by foreign tourists may also pose a threat as some of these taxis may try to make the trip a bit longer than usual, in order to be paid more. Ideally, you should call or ask someone to call you a taxi or order one using apps like Bolt or Uber.

One rule of thumb is to go with older taxi drivers, since they will be more cautious and only try to get a bit extra out of you if they scam you, unlike young drivers who will claim a trip costs 3-5 times as much as it should, may claim the meter does not work, and may try intimidation tactics to make you pay. The company the taxi driver is working at and the prices should be written on the car and the driver's ID card (issued by his employer) should be visible and should contain his photo.

Be very careful of unsolicited offers of help by passers-by, even if they speak good English. In particular if a stranger offers to accompany you to your hostel or hotel in a taxi to show you the way, decline immediately. They are often working in tandem with unlicensed taxi drivers who will attempt to scam you, drop you at incorrect (and remote) locations while demanding exorbitant payment, or who will steal your luggage.

Neighborhoods
Like most other big cities, walking around at night isn't safe in some parts of the city, like Pantelimon, Ferentari, Giulesti, and the Gara de Nord area. If you must travel into these neighbourhoods, it's safer to take a taxi. Gara de Nord in itself is not particularly dangerous, but the surroundings are populated by homeless people and children. Be careful, as many street children use an inhalant drug (equivalent to huffing paint) and may be dangerous. It's best to avoid any contact. If you do wish to give them something, buy food for them, don't give them money.

Ferentari is an empoverished neighbourhood in southern Bucharest and, it's not advisable to walk there at night. For the visitor, there is little of interest there.

The unofficial red light district is Mătăsari, which is also a popular place for clubbers and pubs; you can walk there without any worries because it's always crowded and lively, but avoid talking to strangers there.

Police
Policemen are pretty friendly and the younger ones speak English, so you can ask directions. In the event that you do need to report a crime to the police, proceed to the nearest police station. They will often help you to the best of their ability.

However, if you do get caught in a police raid, do not attempt to bribe your way out of it.

Other
Asian tourists are more likely to be seen as an easy target for dishonest taxi drivers and other criminals. It does not make a difference if you are Asian or look Asian. Some young Asian women may also get a lot of perverted looks from men all around the city: be prepared to be stared at especially if you are travelling alone, though some men will stare no matter what.

Avoid wearing football shirts or scarves of any Bucharest or Romania-based football teams (like FCSB, Dinamo or Rapid), especially on match days. There have been several cases of people being assaulted by opposing team's fanatics.

Stay away from any protests. Often protests take place in Piața Victoriei or Piața Universității.

Stay healthy
Those with allergies may find Bucharest annoying in that it is both hot and very dusty in the summer, with temperatures easily exceeding 30 °C in July and August, so bring whatever you might need to stay comfortable. Please note that during the summer, sun strokes and heat strokes can be very dangerous. Therefore, it is recommended that you have a bottle of water with you, sun glasses and a hat (or equivalent).

Pharmacies are usually open between 09:00 and 18:00, but some will stay open through the night. In Romania, there are relatively few over-the-counter drugs available, but pharmacists are allowed to dispense limited quantities of some prescription drugs (such as pain relief medicine) for what they see as immediate needs. There are 51 public hospitals (of which 13 are designated emergency hospitals, including 2 for pediatric emergencies only) and about 18 private hospitals in Bucharest, along with a considerable number of private clinics, dental practices and a modern ambulance service. The nearest hospital from the city center is Colțea Hospital, located on Ion C. Brătianu Boulevard just near the Colțea Church and about 5 minutes away on foot from the University Square. It is also one of the most modern public hospitals in Bucharest.

Laundry
There is a new laundromat with free Wi-Fi and new equipment. It is centrally located and a nice place to hang around:

Embassies

 * 🇫🇮 Finland
 * 🇪🇸 Spain
 * UK

Connect
As of November 2021, Bucharest has wide 5G coverage with Orange and Vodafone, some zones in the city center and the northern part of the city with 5G from Digi, and several spots in the northern part of the city covered by 5G with Telekom. Wifi is widely available in public places.

Go next

 * The most attractive area of Romania is Transylvania, with its mountains and well-preserved medieval towns. Closest to Bucharest, 160 km north, is Brașov. Beyond it lie Sibiu, Sighisoara, Targu Mures and Cluj Napoca.
 * Constanța, 225 km east, is a beach resort on the Black Sea coast. Frankly it's seen better days.
 * Ski resorts include Sinaia, Poiana Brasov, and Predeal.
 * The scenic road Transfăgărășan is not very far away. On the way you can visit also the cities Curtea de Argeș, Pitești and Ștefănești.
 * A day's journey takes you out of Romania into the neighbouring countries. The star destinations, which you'll want to visit more than once, are Budapest in Hungary and Istanbul in Turkey. Also worth seeing are Belgrade in Serbia, Sofia and Plovdiv in Bulgaria, and Kyiv and Odesa in Ukraine. Chișinău in Moldova doesn't take long to see but you might need to stop-over on the way to Ukraine.