Bucharest was once described as the Paris of the East, due to its prosperity and rather decadent but at the same time bohemian culture, in the early twentieth century. This once beautiful city, capital of, at the time, the relatively young and freshly united independent country of Romania, has fallen into neglect due to nearly a hundred years of economic hard times, communist, eccentric planning decisions, war and revolution.
Slowly but surely, as Romanian prosperity recovers, this much neglected city is being discovered by a new generation of travellers, and is one of the last major cities in Europe yet to be fully appreciated by the modern tourist. Around every street corner in the central areas, often hidden down side roads between modern concrete blocks and decaying buildings, are many cultural gems.
Development of the Modern City of Bucharest
To visit Bucharest, please remember that the main modern phase of planning of the city went on in the 1970s and 1980s when mass usage of motorcars and mass tourism were not envisaged. Within the city there are very few parking spaces. In very hot days it is necessary to tramp up and down streets, bring some water or juice (or buy from the numerous mini-markets), and remember that in some places there are not many benches to sit down on. You may have to cross through grandiose but somewhat impracticable, squares, negotiating many sets of traffic lights, to reach what on the map appears to be a nearby monument or shop. But the most convenient form of transport is the metro, and if you are there for more than a day, very cheap, if you buy a ten trip ticket, the trains are frequent and cover most places in the central areas. Orientate yourself to metro stations, many of which are large with lots of exits.
Although some of the infrastructure of the city may be irritating to some modern tourists, remember that many large American cities have awful public transport systems at a time that all major cities in Europe and Asia have invested heavily in public transport infrastructure. And many impoverished Indian villages often have better pavements (or sidewalks) than many middle sized US towns. So to enjoy yourself simply slip into the way of life in the city, or in the old adage, “when in Rome do as the Romans do”.
Here are some tips for ten things to do.
Bucharest Museums
1. Near the Piata Victoreie metro station is the superb Museum of Peasant History that traces ordinary Romanian living over the past couple of centuries with hundreds of objects and even reconstructed huts and a church.
2. Going along the street past the Museum of Peasant History and the Triumphal Arch (modelled on the one in Paris) you will reach the excellent Village Museum, which houses an unbelievable number of wooden houses and other buildings reconstructed or transported from villages in Romania, together with their contents.
3. The National Museum of Romanian History is off the Calea Victoria, ten minutes’ walk from University metro station. At the time of writing it is somewhat disappointing. Much of the historic section has been closed for restoration since 2003. There are currently two main exhibits. The first is a replica of Trajan’s column. The second is the Romanian treasury, primarily gold objects. In the treasury we see objects from as far back as the 5th millenium BC, with a largely continuous line between the 5th century BC and 19th century AD, although there is an interesting (historic) paucity of objects between the 5th and 9th century AD. Whereas this exhibit is potentially a superb record of Romanian history there is almost no information on the provenance of the objects, so a casual visitor will miss how these objects relate to the complex and fascinating history of the region.
Notable buildings in Bucharest
4. Visit the Palace of Parliament. This grandiose building is the second largest in area in the world after the Pentagon. Its history is controversial having been started by the former leader Ceausescu, at a time when many Romanians where suffering from food shortages. However it is almost certainly the grandest building of its period in Europe. Book your visit in advance, and bring your passport.
5. Returning to the city centre, a short walk from the Plata Unirii metro station, see the ruins of the Princely Court, inhabited by Vlad Tepes (the “Impaler”, model of Dracula), and the nearby Princely Church, Burcharest’s oldest church.
6. As you walk around the central streets, there are a huge number of small churches. These are mainly Romanian Orthodox, often hidden around unexpected corners. Some are in good condition but some in need of renovation. Remarkably, a few were physically relocated when Ceausescu rebuilt streets around the Palace of Parliament, to save them from destruction.
7. The Atheneum threatre near the Piata Romana metro station, is Bucharest’s first concert hall, and is worth visiting even if you are not going to a concert, ask inside for a small informal tour. There are some interesting paintings tracing Romanian history.
Shopping, souvenirs and food in Bucharest
8. For shopping, go to the modern Unirea shopping centre, near Unirii metro station. In the heat of an intense day, it provides an air conditioned oasis, with ATMs, money exchange, a good food-hall at the top, facilities for purchase of theatre tickets, as well as souvenirs and gifts and many standard shops. Remember that electronic goods can be cheap in Romania, so if you need a new camera or laptop and have worked out about plugs, adapters and power supplies, this may be a good chance.
9. Souvenirs abound as Romania has a significant agrarian population and handcrafts are thriving. There are interesting hand-made ceramics, painted eggs, wooden objects and textiles, many made in villages. Because of the haphazard planning of the city there is no focussed place for purchase for craftwork. However probably the best for artisan crafts is the superb shop attached to the National Peasant Museum. For more packaged tourist souvenirs, try the small shop in the subway at University metro station: you will find some good books there. Finally for a mixture of the small cheap gifts and authentic crafts, go to the Artisan craft shop currently at the 3rd floor of the Unirea shopping centre.
10. Food is excellent if you know where to go. Do not necessarily go to the most expensive restaurant, many places on street corners or self service restaurants serve excellent well prepared food. Soups are particularly characteristic, especially the so called sour soup. Stews and fried meat are also popular. There are also many excellent wines in Romania, being the 6th largest wide producer in the EU, and 11th in the world.
There is much to attract the visitor to Bucharest, before it becomes overwhelmed with tourists, and so long as you understand the culture, will come away with a very positive impression, as this city, deservedly, starts to develop its visitor trade.
Taxi Drivers in Bucharest
There is only one thing that lets this city down. This is not the street dogs that some complain about, they are found in many South European towns, and if you respect them, they respect you, and mingle amicably with society. It is the taxi drivers. Flagging down a taxi or getting into one at a station or airport, without careful control, is rather like walking down a dark alley at night with a bulging wallet in an area known to be inhabited by muggers. Unfortunately the city, and country, and tourist trade, is let down by unscrupulous and probably illegal but unregulated taxi drivers whose charges are sometimes ten or twenty times the regulated fare. Surprisingly the official cost of metered taxis is very modest, but if you do need a taxi and you can’t speak fluent Romanian, make sure it is ordered by a reputable place such as a hotel, and / or it is metered, or there is an agreed fixed charge or you are with a Romanian speaker. If you don’t have heavy luggage and are not in a hurry, walk or use the metro. Follow this simple rule and your visit will be a happy one.
Generally Bucharest is recommended as a developing tourist friendly city that has many surprises around its many corners.
Richard Brereton - Richard has a PhD, MA and BA from Cambridge, is a chartered chemist, Fellow of the Royal Societies of Chemistry, Medicine and Statistics ...
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