Districts
Bucharest is divided in 6 official districts (sector, plural sectoare), numbered from 1 to 6, each has its own mayor and council. They are counted clockwise, starting from Piata Unirii. An unofficial district system is in far wider use, as people refer to places by using the neighborhood they are located in (cartier, cartiere). Neighborhoods cover the entirety of the city, both slums and rich suburbs. A neighborhood may cover 200.000 persons (such as Balta Alba) or 1.000 persons (such as Primaverii).
Understand
Bucharest is usually the entry point for most people into Romania. On the other hand, the city itself isn't particularly appealing to all tourists, and it is usually a matter of personal taste whether visitors like it or not. Some people adore it and think it really has a special feel to it, others feel uncomfortable due to the grey Communist-era buildings and lack of charm or tourist attractions. Yet again, others believe the urban myths about crime, homelessness and poverty, even though these are only what they state to be - myths. Bucharest offers some excellent attractions, and increasingly has the sophisticated, trendy and modern edge to it that defines a European capital. If you're in the region, it would be negligent to not visit it, even if just for the curiosity of seeing such a paradoxical city.
Language
The official (and native) language is Romanian. Most educated people born after about 1970 will speak reasonably good English; most educated people born before about 1970 will speak reasonably good French. The Gypsies speak their native Romany, as well as Romanian, and sometimes English. Other than that, you'll find some people who know German and Italian. Beyond that, as in any major city, there will be a smattering of other languages.
Climate
Bucharest has, like most of Romania, 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 28ºC and in winter about 0ºC. It can get really hot and dry during the summer (40ºC) and really cold during the winter (-20ºC). 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, UTC+3 from April to October).
Get in
By air
Connections
Bucharest has reasonable connections with most European capitals and with the largest cities in Romania, but it can be difficult to find a direct flight to Bucharest from outside of Europe. Starting June 2007, Delta Air Lines will open a direct service between Bucharest and New York city ( JFK airport).
Discount air companies have been operating flights to Bucharest since 2004, but it was only in late 2006 - early 2007 that the number of such flights seriously began to grow, so at this point there are low-costs flights to various destinations in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, the UK, Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey.
Airports
Most flights, both international and domestic, land at the Henri Coanda International Airport , located in Otopeni 18 km north of the city downtown. The airport, built in 1968, underwent a massive modernization effort since the late 90's and is set to be further enlarged. It is the main hub for the Romanian flag carrier Tarom and is used by the major international airlines.
The smaller Aurel Vlaicu International Airport was used for commercial flights as early as the 1920's; its present building was finished in 1952. It is located in Băneasa, much closer to the city center than Otopeni and is used primarily by low-cost airlines: BlueAir , WizzAir , SkyEurope , Germanwings , MyAir , Alpieagles .
Unfortunately there are plans to move most discount flights to a new airport to be build over a former military airfield in Alexeni, nearly 70 km east of Bucharest.
City transfer
By bus
There are bus connections between Bucharest and large cities in Europe (especially in Southern Europe) and also to many large and medium sized cities throughout Romania. Bucharest has several bus terminals: Baneasa (for northern bound routes), Obor (east), Filaret (south), Alexandriei (south-west), Militari (west), Grivita (north-west).
The timetables for domestic routes are available here
By train
Bucharest is linked through direct daily trains to all neighboring countries’ capitals (Belgrade, Budapest, Chisinau, Kiev, Sofia) as well as to Wien, Venice, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Moscow and of course to main cities in all of Romania’s 42 counties.
All international trains and most long distance internal trains arrive at Gara de Nord (Northern) station, located quite near of the city center, to which it is linked by subway and several buses, trolley, tramway lines.
Some trains to and from the Black Sea Coast use either Gara de Est-Obor (Eastern) station, or Baneasa station.
The other three smaller stations (Basarab, Progresul and Republica) are used exclusively for local and regional trains.
The timetables for domestic routes are available here
Watch out for the shady private taxi services. There will be drivers offering rides - be extremely wary.
By car
The city’s entrances from the north (the E15 road coming from Brasov), west (the A1 highway from Pitesti), east (the A2 (Sun) highway from Constanta), south (the E20 road from Giurgiu) and the avenues in the city center are very crowded, especially at rush hours. Inside the city there are few parking spaces and some of the secondary streets are in bad condition.
Get around
Bucharest has one of the most extensive systems of public transport in Europe, even though it can sometimes be confusing and crowded.
Metro (Subway)
The metro, which has four lines (M1,M2,M3,M4) and covers the city quite extensively, is usually a good way to get around even though there are surprisingly few stops in the city center, since the system was originally built to transport workers and commuters from outlying quarters 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 traveling to your destination avoiding the traffic jams and crowds that frequently characterize surface transport.
The network is very frequent and fairly comfortable, reliable and easy-to-use.Surprisingly for some, it is by far the safest way to travel through the city.Since 2002, Bucharest Metro has embarked on a comprehensive modernization plan, including the replacement of old trainsets with state-of-the-art Bombardier Transportation trains and the renovation of stations and tracks in collaboration with Alstom.
Line M1 runs west-east,meeting up with the M2 (which runs north-south) at Piata Unirii station.Line M3 runs on different west-east route serving the main train station Gara de Nord.The newest line ,M4, partially opened March 1st 2000, very modern and clean, starts from Gara de Nord and ,when completed, will link it with the airports in the northern part of town.
Maps of the subway can be found on the Metrorex official site.
A midlet for Java enabled mobile phones is also available here.
Buses, trams and trolleybuses
Bucharest has a very complex network of buses, trams and trolleybuses which is, at first glance, fairly confusing to the tourist. This is not because of any inconsistencies within the network, but rather due to the intricate web of hundreds of bus, tram and trolleybus routes found in the city. 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 this city. The vehicles are usually very frequently, although they can also get terribly crowded at peak hours.
Make sure you know the stop you're getting off at - in most trolleybuses and in some modern buses and trams, following stops are announced automatically and displayed on a screen inside the vehicle. However, these displays tend not to be very reliable, pointing to either a wrong stop or not working at all. In addition, the older buses (most commonly found outside the core center) do not have any displays or announcements. If you are uncertain if a stop is the one you want, you can always ask your fellow travelers.
Tickets can be bought from RATB kiosks at a significant amount of stops. Single-use tickets (1,2 lei) are usable on any RATB vehicle, but they must be validated upon entering the vehicle and are valid for a just one ride on one route.Be warned that you cannot buy tickets in the vehicles and if caught by an inspector (controlor) you could be fined with 50 new lei.
It is advisable to buy tickets valid for a day (7 lei) or a week (15 lei) on all surface routes with unlimited rides. The tickets cannot be used on the subway.
The ticketing system has been partially upgraded to use smart-cards, called Activ cards . For the time being these cards are available at a smaller number of kiosks than paper tickets (paper tickets will still be available for a while). Once bought (you will need some ID to do that) the cards can be loaded with various ticketing options, including some that allow usage on both the subway and surface networks. To validate the card after entering a vehicle ( or subway station) hold it still in front of the validating device (an orange box with a small LCD screen) until you hear a short beep.
You can check the 2004 surface transport map here. (Note: Some routes / numbers have changed.)
Light rail
RATB, Bucharest's surface transport operator, recently unveiled a snazzy new light rail network, which they call "light metro", in the western part of Bucharest. The network is modern, fast and clean, although its reach is currently fairly limited. If you're staying in this area, though, it can give you the best of both worlds - the coverage and convenience of the bus network combined with the speed and comfort of the metro network. The light rail is operated by RATB (it uses an improved version of the standard Bucharest tramway as rolling stock), and is also known as Line 41. You can use any standard RATB ticket on the Light Rail.
By taxi
There are a lot of taxi companies in Bucharest and you'll easily find a cab here. But be aware! Don't take any independent cab drivers, but use only the services of big taxi companies. Usually the cars from these companies have the rates displayed on the door. If it doesn't, then it's safe not to take that taxi, as you'll probably be charged a rate five to ten times than usual. And you should insist to start the meter. You can find a list of taxi companies here.
See
Museums
There are also a number of smaller museums, housing private collections, notably the “D. Minovici" Western European Arts Museum located in a beautiful eclectic villa (strada N. Minovici, nr.3) and numerous memorial houses dedicated to various literary, scientifical and political personalities.
Landmarks
Churches and monasteries
Do
Walking / Recreation
- Cismigiu Garden is a lovable small park, the oldest in the city (designed 1845-1860), located in its very center. Has boat rental in summer, ice skating in winter time, a reasonable restaurant and several bars.
- There are several parks around man-made lakes on Colentina River running through the city’s north and east side, the largest of them being Herastrau Park .It houses the Village Museum, an open-air theater, various sports grounds, something like an amusement park and numerous restaurants and clubs. Has boat rental and boat-trips in summer.
- The Botanical Garden, established in 1884 near Cotroceni Palace, displays a variety of plants from all over the world, including an indoor tropical plants exhibition. Small entry fee.
- Carol Park (1906), a quiet oasis not so far from Piata Unirii, has an open-air theater replicating a Roman arena and another construction replicating a medieval fortress. It houses the tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as an infamous mausoleum built for the Communist nomenclature.
- Tineretului Park, just one subway station south from Piata Unirii, has a large multipurpose building (Sala Polivalenta) used for various concerts, sporting events, exhibitions etc., an amusement park for children, boat-rental, several restaurants and bars.
Clubbing
Address of the club: Str. Lanariei 90 (tel : +4021 337 47 88 or mobile +4072 254 85 43)
If too many places like Gossip keep opening up, then Bucharest is going to end up as the club capital of Eastern Europe (if it isn't already). This is currently the city's after hours favourite, where the great and good comes to chill out after shaking its expensive thang at other locations. More and more though it is trying to break into the all-night scene, and has been bringing over big name house and breakbeat DJs in order to do so. Opening hours: 18:00 to 6:00.
Source: inyourpocket.com
Buy
Major brand-name shops and upscale boutiques are concentrated along the main boulevard from Piata Romana to Piata Unirii and on the small streets adjacent to this boulevard, but also on Calea Victoriei, on Calea Dorobantilor (the part between Blvd. Iancu de Hunedoara and Piata Dorobantilor) or on Calea Mosilor's section between Blvd. Carol I and Piata Obor.
In the past years numerous modern shopping centers have sprung up in the city (and even more are in construction), the best known being:
Eat
Sleep
Hotels and hostels
Downtown area
Northern area
Palace of Parliament area
Gara de Nord area
Otopeni area
Apartment rental
Camping
Stay safe
Buses are safe, but use your common sense, and use internal pockets, just to be 100% sure. Other than that, you'll see that Bucharest is a far safer city than it's western european counterparts.
Stray dogs remain a problem in Bucharest, even though their numbers are gradually decreasing due to projects by the City Hall. Rabies vaccinations are not required but recommended. There have been no rabies cases in Bucharest since 1979. Most dogs will not give you a problem unless you go out of your way to pester them. Many dogs have been treated poorly, and thus be extremely wary of them.
Walking around at night is ok. It is very difficult for anyone to get away with violent crime because everything is packed so closely together, any loud noise will attract attention. And this is truly a city that doesn't sleep. You'll find people out and around at all hours in most parts of the city.
Bucharest (Romanian: Bucureşti ) is the capital city and industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River. It was originally known as Dambovita citadel.
By European standards, Bucharest is not an old city, its existence first being referred to by scholars as late as 1459. Since then it has gone through a variety of changes, becoming the state capital of Romania in 1862 and steadily consolidating its position as the centre of the Romanian mass media, culture and arts. Its eclectic architecture is a mix of historical, interbellum, Communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of the "Paris of the East" or "Little Paris" (Micul Paris). Although many buildings and districts in the historic centre were damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes and Nicolae Ceauşescu's program of systematization, much survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom.
According to January 2006 official estimates, Bucharest proper has a population of 1,930,390. The urban area extends beyond the limits of Bucharest proper and has a population of 2.1 million people. Adding the satellite towns around the urban area, the metropolitan area of Bucharest has a population of 2.6 million people.. Bucharest is the 6th largest city in the European Union by population within city limits.
Economically, the city is by far the most prosperous in Romania and is one of the main industrial centres and transportation hubs of Eastern Europe. As the most important city in Romania, Bucharest also has a broad range of educational facilities.
The city proper is administratively known as the Municipality of Bucharest (Municipiul Bucureşti), and has the same administrative level as a county, being further subdivided into six sectors.
Etymology
The tradition connects the founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur who was either a princely person, an outlaw, a fisher or a shepherd according to different legends. But a fact doubtless: the name of Bucur is of a Thracian-Geto-Dacian origin. The name of Bucharest (Bucuresti) remembers the Romanian word "bucurie" (happiness).
The official city name in full is The Municipality of Bucharest (Municipiul Bucuresti). Bucharest has been known in Latin as Bucaresta, in German as Bukarest and in French, Italian and Spanish as Bucarest.
A native or resident of Bucharest is called Bucharester (Bucureştean).
History
:Main article: History of Bucharest
In recent years, due to the growing prominence of the Chinese community in Bucharest, several Chinese cultural events have taken place. The first officially-organised Chinese festival was the Chinese New Year's Eve Festival of February 2005 which took place in Nichita Stănescu Park and was organised by the Bucharest City Hall.
In 2005, Bucharest was the first city in Southeastern Europe to host the international CowParade, which resulted in dozens of decorated cow sculptures being placed at various points across the city.
Since 2005 Bucharest has its own contemporary art biennale, the Bucharest Biennale. The current (2006) issue (curated by Zsolt Pétranyi) will go on until the end of June, the next edition will be in 2008.
The 2000s also saw an increasing visibility of Bucharest gay culture, with the opening of the Queen's Club, the first LGBT club in the city, in 2001, and the launch of the annual Bucharest GayFest in 2004. The city's first gay pride parade was held as part of the 2005 GayFest.
Architecture
Bucharest's architecture is highly eclectic due to the many influences on the city throughout its history. The city centre is a mixture of medieval, neoclassical and art nouveau buildings, as well as 'neo-Romanian' buildings dating from the beginning of the 20th Century and a remarkable collection of modern buildings from the 30s and 40s. Very present as well the mostly-utilitarian Communist-era architecture. The city is lately invaded by contemporary structures such as skyscrapers and office buildings, mainly constructed after 2000.
Historical architecture
Of the city's medieval architecture, most of what survived into modern times was destroyed by the Communists and replaced by high-rise apartment blocks. Still, some historical precincts remain, the most notable of which is the Lipscani area. This precinct contains buildings such as Manuc's Inn and the ruins of the Curtea Veche (the Old Court of the King), and during the Middle Ages was the heart of Bucharest's commercial world. From the 1970s onwards, the area went through urban decline, and many historical buildings fell into disrepair. In 2005, the Lipscani area was entirely pedestrianised and is currently undergoing restoration.
The city centre has also retained architecture from the late 19th century and early 20th century, particularly the interwar period, which is often seen as the "golden age" of Bucharest architecture. During this time, the city grew significantly in size and sought to emulate other large European capitals such as Paris. Much of the architecture of the time belongs to a remarkably strong Modern (rationalist) Architecture current, led by Horia Creanga and Marcel Iancu, which managed to literally change the face of the city. Two notable buildings from this time are the Creţulescu Palace, currently housing cultural institutions including UNESCO's European Centre for Higher Education, and the Cotroceni Palace, the current residence of the Romanian President. Many large-scale constructions such as Gara de Nord, the main railway station, and the National Bank of Romania's headquarters, date from these times. In the 2000s, a wide variety of historic buildings in the city centre underwent restoration. In some residential areas of the city, particularly the high-income northern suburbs, there are many turn-of-the-century villas, most of which were restored after 2000.
Communist architecture
A major part of Bucharest's architecture is made up of buildings constructed during the Communist era replacing the historical architecture with "more efficient" high density apartment blocks - one-fifth of the the city was demolished only for constructing the third largest building in the world: Casa Poporului - Palace of the Parliament. In Nicolae Ceauşescu's project of systematization many new buildings were built in previously-historical areas, which were razed and then built upon from scratch. One of the best examples of this type of architecture is Centrul Civic, a development that replaced a major part of Bucharest's historic city centre with giant utilitarian buildings, mainly with marble or travertine façades, inspired by North Korean architecture. Communist-era architecture can also be found in Bucharest's residential districts, mainly in blocuri, which are high-density apartment blocks that house the majority of the city's population.
Since the fall of Communism in 1989, several Communist-era buildings have been refurbished, modernised and used for other purposes. Perhaps the best example of this is the conversion of several agro-alimentary complexes into shopping malls and commercial centres. These giant circular halls, which were most often known as hunger circuses due to the food shortages experienced in the 1980s, were constructed during the Ceauşescu era to act as produce markets and refectories, although most were left unfinished at the time of the Revolution. Modern shopping malls like Bucharest Mall, Plaza Romania and City Mall emerged on pre-existent structures of former hunger circuses. Another example is the modernisation and conversion of a large utilitarian construction in Centrul Civic into a Marriott Hotel. This process was accelerated after 2000, when the city underwent a property boom, and many Communist-era buildings in the city centre became prime real estate due to thei
