Bucharest has the nickname “Little Paris”, thanks to its reputation for living the high life. These days Bucharest has a reputation for nightlife thanks to the high concentration of bars in the rejuvenated Old Town. If you’re planning to visit Bucharest then check out this Quick Travel Guide to Bucharest.
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Best Things To Do in Bucharest
It’s easy to find interesting places to visit in Bucharest, for the tourist industry is well established these days. Many of the famous Bucharest tourist attractions have a heavy communist influence, since the country was only liberated from communism in 1989. Here are our road-tested best things to do in Bucharest.
Old Town: Dating back to the 15th century, the Bucharest Old Town is bursting with interesting and historic buildings to visit. Nowadays the Old Town doubles as a huge bar and cafe district, and is well known as a party zone. It is also the most popular place for tourists to stay. This is the best place for a Bucharest walking tour.
Palace of the Parliament: The second biggest building on the planet, this gargantuan building is a testament to a previous megalomaniac communist ruler. It’s also the most expensive building on the planet, and there are daily tours through the interior. The Palace of the Parliament is the number one attraction in Bucharest.
Roman Athenaeum: A 19th century concert hall resembling a Roman theatre, this is the most prestigious concert hall in town. The Athenaeum Bucharest is right next to the Revolution Square, making for a great double header.
Village Museum: This is large open air museum which has many examples of traditional Romanian village life. In all there are about 300 buildings depicting villages from all regions of Romania.
Churches of Bucharest: Bucharest has many unique churches to check out, including Stavropoleos Monastery, Church of Saint Anthony, Kretzulescu Church, St. Nicholas Church. It may not sound exciting, however these are some of the more unique place to visit in Bucharest.
Natural History Museum: Located in the Museum precinct of Bucharest, the Natural History Museum was a pleasant surprise for us. It’s a great way to spend about 3 hours with kids, and is just near the Village Museum and nearby Herastrau Park.
Day Trips from Bucharest
Transylvania is a beautiful region of Romania to the North of Bucharest. It is here that you will find many of the best day tours from Bucharest.
Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle): This is an authentic medieval castle built in the 13th century, famous for being the castle described in Bram Stoker’s famous Dracula novel. Bran Castle is a 2 hour drive and makes for a wonderful day trip from Bucharest.
Brasov Historic Town: Brasov is a historic town of some 300,000 people, home to the Black Church, the biggest church in Europe. Just 170km North of Bucharest, beautiful Brasov gives a wonderful insight into medieval life in Romania.
Don’t miss the 13th century Old Town Hall in the medieval town square. Yes they used to publicly humiliate witches in this town square!
Peles Castle: Built in the 19th Century in neo-classical style, Peles Castle looks more like a palace than a castle. This is one of the most famous royal castles in all of Europe, as it was once the most modern castle in Europe.
Where to Stay in Bucharest
Bucharest Old Town is definitely the best place to stay. Bucharest is an inexpensive city, so cost is unlikely to be your limiting factor. There are a few hotels in this area, but apartments are a more popular form of accommodation in the Old Town.
Apartments in Bucharest
We recommend hitting Airbnb to find cheap apartments in Bucharest, there are loads of them to choose from all over the Old Town district. Check out the gorgeous view from the front balcony of our Airbnb apartment on the edge of Old Town.
Mid Priced
If you want the best location for your accomodation in Bucharest Old Town, you can’t go wrong with the Europa Royale Bucharest Hotel. This is a luxurious hotel right in the middle of all the Old Town action.
Affordable Luxury
Bucharest is a great city to try some genuine luxury accommodation at an affordable price. And a wonderful choice is the Grand Hotel Continental, located just a couple of minutes walk from the Northern edge of Old Town.
Shop Around for a Deal
It is well worth shopping around for a great deal on your accommodation in Bucharest, and the Booking Deals finder is a great place to start.
Quick Travel Guide to Bucharest
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