BUCHAREST - "PARIS OF THE BALKANS"

Bucuresti (or Bucharest in Anglo-American) is the capital of Romania - and is - when celebrated - called " the Paris of the Balkans". Historically this saying is correct as the city tried to copy Parisian street systems and buildings in the 1920's, even constructing their own Arch of Triumph. However, the happy 20's were followed by more turbulent and fatal times, and the Paris look has faded to be honest. The French impact is still visible though-.

Today, in more everyday terms - Bucharest is at its best charming, and at its worst shocking and disturbing. The gap between the few and very rich and the many and very poor is more visible here than anywhere else in Romania, and old and new buildings are dotted around in a confusing mixture. In the suburbs there are awful Stalinist blocks all over and in the city centre there are well maintained parks and broad avenues. As a visitor in the city centre you will easily find that Bucharest can be beautiful and a nice place to be.

Bucharest has it all, shopping malls, flashy discos, vibrant nightclubs, modern cinemas and a wide range of brilliant restaurants and pubs. International exhibitions, concerts and shows are hold regularly, and there are plenty of museums worth visiting. The most well-known and controversial building is of course the huge Parliament, or the "House of the People "as the Dictator incorrectly named it before he was executed. The Parliament is partly open to the public and a visit to this second or third largest public building in the world is a must.

Bucharest is boiling hot during summer and freezing cold during winter, and the best place to do the city is somewhere in between those periods. Pollution is also a problem on extremely hot and cold days, especially for people with breathing or heart problems. In some places there are herds of stray dogs, but not in any respect as many as you have seen on Western TV. And if not suffering from any disease, they usually leave humans alone busy defending their territory against other hound dogs.

The traffic at daytime in Bucharest is infernal and you may be stuck for hours if you use a private car in the city centre. The best way to get around is by a well working metro. The underground system in Bucharest will take you to the main sights in minutes.

There are plenty to see and do in the Romanian capital. The concert and pop | rock scene is huge and vibrant and a pleasant surprise to foreigners who may think Romania is a bore. Most of the action are listed on the site www.port.ro but if you want to do it the Romanian way you do not plan very much, just walk about until you find a bar or a place of your taste. If there is a good concert coming up, posters on any street corner will notify you.


ARRIVING BY AIR

Your first encounter with Romania is likely to be the Otopeni Henri Coanda Airport just a short ride outside the city centre. Their web site is www.otp-airport.ro This quite small airport is well run, modern and most of the staff is very polite and service-minded. The grumpy and commie-style welcome you used to get there just a few years ago, is gone with the new winds that sometimes hit Romania. In the arrival hall you may still be attacked by corrupt taxi-drivers, but stay clear of them by moving on to the buses and taxis outside the building.

Since spring 2009 there is also an airport express train to and from Otopeni Airport and Gara de Nord. It is a combination of train and bus service in one - and the best way to travel to the airport so far.

ARRIVING BY TRAIN

The main railway station in Bucharest is Gara de Nord and the place has changed into a more pleasant travel point over the last few years.Guards and a small entrance fee to the area did not help much to avoid the feeling that any foreigner was exposed to all kinds of cheaters. Surveilance cameras installed however did. Gara de Nord is today a relatively safe place. A set of new restaurants and bars have also been a successful change. It is also possible to have a private shower in the public bathroom. And you can leave your luggage in a guarded store room.

The information staff is not very helpful apart from the basic selling of tickets. All the info you need, however, is available on the brilliant website

www.cfr.ro | Link | www.infofer.ro

so you may check times and fares well in advance. Buses to and from all over Romania leave from a main bus staion a block away from Gara de Nord: www.autogari.ro

A budget hotel close to the Gara de Nord is cernahotel.ro

READ ON

Above: The Press Building

While other main destinations in Romania have one main touristic website we can recommend, Bucharest strangely enough lacks such a main site. There are plenty of sites around, but they cover only their own field. You may read on here using these good links:

• THE BUCHAREST CITY HALL INFO WEB - the official web site from the city all, easy to find info and has it all basically
• www.bucurestiwww.ro - on what - where and when
• www.bucuresti.ro - a forum site more or less in Romanian

The Village Museum | Bucharest