Bucharest - don't overlook it!

Advantages: Lots to see and do, loads of cultural and historical stuff, fairly cheap
Disadvantages: Traffic, lots of concrete

...Since the fall of the "Iron Curtain", several of the eastern European capitals have become popular tourist destinations. Unlike, say, Prague, Tallinn or Budapest, the Romanian capital, Bucharest, has not enjoyed so much interest. There are, perhaps, three reasons that Bucharest has not caught the imagination of travellers in the same way as those cities. The first must be due to the reputation the city has as a dangerous crime-ridden place; certainly, television documentaries showing children living in underground stations and openly sniffing glue on the streets can not have done anything positive for the city's image. Second, Bucharest does not have the well-known "Old Town" other eastern bloc capitals have; it lacks the golden onion domes of Sofia or the fairy tale towers of Tallinn or the romantic castle of Prague. In fact, many...

fizzytom 10.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Bucharest (Romania)

Survival in Bucharest

Advantages: A very different experience, cheap prices, glorious history
Disadvantages: Poverty, re-building, poor road conditions

...After visiting Romania six times I have picked up some survival tips along the way. I hope this advice helps anyone planning to travel to Bucharest (Romania)? After the initial shock of arriving in this new country and not knowing whether the natives are friendly, I started to discover some of the cities best kept secrets. These secrets have made my time here surprising, enjoyable, and unforgettable. Firstly the things you need to know; Romania is in the Eastern European time zone (GMT +2hours). When you arrive in Bucharest do not catch a taxi on the side of the road always order on the phone or ask a receptionist/waiter to order for you, they will probably rip you off if you don't. Never keep your belongings in a place which is easily accessible, there are many pick-pockets here always be overly cautious! You may see outside...

damo1980 26.04.2006 (28.04.2006) · Read review
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Review of Bucharest (Romania)

The Village Museum - Bucharest

Advantages: getting in touch somehow with the peasants' lives in all romanian areas
Disadvantages: none

...especially if you find yourself in Bucharest during the summer, when the city is hot and dusty. Sometimes the museum hosts crafts fairs and folk music and dance festivals. The museum is visited by circa 300,000 people every year both from Romania and from abroad. Walking around the grounds you'll see around 50 cottages, farmsteads, churches, workshops, water mills from all over Romania. If you are on a short visit in Bucharest don't miss this place. It is a good image of the romanien traditional way of life and definitely one of my favorite places in Bucharest!...

darkscout 24.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Village Museum (Muzeul Satului), Bucharest

Cismigiu Gardens, Romania, Bucharest

Advantages: free, easy access, great park for relaxation and for people in love
Disadvantages: not many private places

...Whenever you need a bit of relaxation, or you are a teenager and you feel like you want to escape from everyone and everything....when you need a moment of peace with your boyfriend/girlfriend, one of the best choices to visit in Bucharest are the Cismigiu Gardens. It is a very beautiful place, pretty big and with lots of interesting parts, such as rare flowers, waterfalls, caves, a lake on which you can rent a boat and sit in it and look at the beautiful sky and thank God that you were born. If you love chess, you can be sure that at any time and at any hour you can find at least 30 people playing chess in the area that was meant for them. There is a part in the Cismigiu Gardens in which you think you are up on a mountain... you can hear the waterfall...the stone makes you feel like someone very lucky to be there...all you have to do...

innocent_girl 23.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Cismigiu Gardens, Bucharest

Nice hotel, be aware of transportation issues

Advantages: Nice rooms
Disadvantages: Transportation

...Location: The hotel it's situated in the north part of the Bucharest, which it's the nicest are and, of course, the most expensive. There is a lot of greenery here, lots of parks and lakes. The hotel is situated on the shore of Tei Lake and the vegetation around it really gives it a very nice look. Both airports in Bucharest are in the north part so the hotel it's only 10 minutes away from the Baneasa Airport (used more by low cost companies) and about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the traffic, to the Otopeni Airport (commercial airlines). Very good location, however be aware that public transportation is not handy. To go and come from the hotel you will most likely have to use a taxi, which can be costly at times, depending on the distance. Make sure you ask the reception to call a company cab for you, private taxi are a rip off...

crisella74 13.10.2008 (01.11.2008) · Read review
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Review of Caro Hotel, Bucharest

My Must See Places

Advantages: Very different, low prices, many places of interest
Disadvantages: Confusing Money

...The city of Bucharest maybe behind the times compared to the west but this is what makes Bucharest magical. In Romanian, the word "bucurie" means "joy" and the city has had this name since 1459 after Prince Vlad Tepes changed it from its original name Citadel of Dambovita. Bucharest was officially named the capital of Romania in 1872 gradually becoming the economic and industrial centre. Bucharest greets its visitors with many beautiful areas both modern and historical, from churches decorated with yellow stone angels to peaceful lakes surrounded by parkland. I have comprised a list of my favorite places to visit to help you plan your perfect day out in the city:- The Palace of Parliament (Palatul Parlamentului) is a gigantic building in the middle of the city, probably the most famous in Romania. It was built buy the former...

damo1980 28.04.2006 · Read review
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Review of Bucharest (Romania)

Take full advantage (Updated)

Advantages: Everything in the hotel, especially the gym
Disadvantages: Lift only works with cards

...When I first started writing reviews i did not know a lot about it, so I thought I better go back and update my first ones, especially as this hotel really deserves better than that. Although I live in Bucharest, I stay in hotels here quite often as my husband (which is not Romanian) is being sent to Bucharest on business with accommodation paid and since we love hotels, every time it's like a holiday without having to go anywhere. Marriott hotel, however, it was more my doing. After loving our first stay here, I have joined the Marriott Reward Club, which meant I had a couple of free night vouchers, discount rates on booking and 50% discount on drinks and food. It was a stealer deal and I took advantage of it. Location: The hotel is located at about 10 minutes walking from the city center, in the vicinity of Parliament Palace...

crisella74 13.10.2008 (31.01.2009) · Read review
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Review of JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, Bucharest

Snagov Monastery

Advantages: Only 35km north of Bucharest
Disadvantages: Not much interest for children

...I have visited Romania six times and visited many different places, a very religious country with about 80% of the population Christian Orthodox. One of my adventures was to the Snagov Monastery on a day trip in the middle of the sweltering summer; Romania can get surprisingly hot at this time of year! The Journey; The Monastery is 35km north of Bucharest which took us about 30-45 mins to get there due to the very poor conditions of the roads. Most of the roads on the way to Monastery are asphalt/Tarmac but don't let this fool you into thinking you are in for a leisurely drive! The roads here hardly ever get maintenance because the government auctions the road contracts off to the cheapest bidder, resulting in poorly constructed non resistant roads which inevitably leads to new holes soon reappearing and I mean big holes...

damo1980 10.03.2006 (30.03.2007) · Read review
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Review of Snagov Monastery, Bucharest

A Palace with Promise

Advantages: Helps put Romania in context, an astounding building
Disadvantages: Uncomfortable history, vulgar and ostentatious decor

...Pol Pot, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin?.the twentieth century certainly had its share of unpleasant and tyrannous leaders. Romania?s Nicolae Ceausescu must surely rank near the top of the list - if there were league tables for nastiness then he would likely be in a medal position. Tales of his evil deeds abound but the Romanian capital, Bucharest, is home to the project that embodied his bizarre and frightening ideas - the Palace of the People. In terms of surface area it is the second largest building in the world, in volume the third largest. It is not just its size, though, that makes it astonishing; millions of Leu were poured into the project while Romania received international aid and its people starved. The building was not even completed when Ceausescu was overthrown in December 1989 and nearly two decades later it is still...

fizzytom 24.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Palace of Parliament (Palatul Poporului), Bucharest

Otopeni For Your Thoughts

Advantages: Very clean, nice decor, efficient and small
Disadvantages: Not totally finished, no shops, small

...The Old Otopeni: The first time I visited Otopeni airport in Romania’s capitol of Bucharest, it was dark, dirty, dingy and very small. If I recall correctly, we had to walk the tarmac to get from the plane to the terminal. Crowds of people were milling about trying to get their passports seen to. Since I was with a group, there was someone there to meet us who took our passports and brought them to passport control. I can’t tell you how afraid I was that I’d never see my passport again – this being a scant few years after the fall of Communism in Romania. But we got our passports back after almost 30 minutes of standing about, and were ushered beyond the passport control partition to the baggage claim. Here again, people were pushing and shoving to get a trolley and find their luggage among the heaps that...

TheChocolateLady 30.05.2003 · Read review
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Review of Bucharest - Otopeni International Airport