Bucharest is located in the southeast of the country and lies on the banks of the Dambovita River. It was originally known as Dambovita citadel and its eclectic architecture also earned Bucharest the nickname of the "Paris from the East" or "Little Paris".
Bucharest has a diverse and growing cultural scene. Unlike other parts of Romania, such as the Black Sea coast or Transylvania, Bucharest's cultural scene is much more eclectic, without a defined style, and instead incorporates various elements of Romanian and international culture.
Bucharest has a number of landmarks that are identified with it throughout the world. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the Palace of the Parliament which was built in 1980s during the reign of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Currently the largest building in Europe and the second-largest in the world, the Palace houses the Romanian Parliament as well as the National Museum of Contemporary Art.
City of Music. Performing arts are one of the strongest cultural elements of Bucharest and the city has a number of well-renowned facilities and institutions. The most prominent is the neoclassical Romanian Athenaeum founded in 1852 which hosts classical music concerts.
Bucharest by night. The city does not have a central nightlife strip but has many entertainment venues dispersed throughout the city centre. One of the city's best known clubs is the Laptaria Enache and the La Motoare located above (on the rooftop of) the National Theatre as well as Fire Club and Club A. A large concentration of rock clubs can be found in the Lipscani area, the old part of the city, in the vicinity of Piata Urinii. The city also hosts some of the best electronic/house music clubs in Europe such as Bamboo and Krystal Club. During the summer, Zoom Beach Club is an outdoor club on the shore of a lake and has two separate dance floors. The Office is one of the most exclusive clubs in Bucharest and has a long tradition in clubbing.
From the airport
Bus: Route 783 buses leave for Piata Unirii every 30 minutes from 5am-11.30pm Monday-Friday, and from 6am-11pm at weekends. The journey takes about 40 minutes.
Shop
A massive shopping mall, the Liberty Centre. To get there, take trams 23 or 32 three stops from Piata Unirii.
Top Romanian designer Irina Schrotter's showpiece store in the Bucuresti Mall now has a great range of divine, if expensive, children's clothes.
Cool off with a swim in Bucharest's only pool with a view: the InterContinental's 22nd-floor pool and sun terrace are open to the public.
The Old Town, around Strada Lipscani, comes alive in summer with street theatre, performance art, terraces serving tasty mici (spicy local meatballs).
Piata Universitatii, where Romania's Revolution took place in 1989, is set for a facelift, with a vast pedestrian concourse to be built over the busy intersection.
Day trip
Mogosoaia. This magnificient Byzantine palace at 10 kilometers from Bucarest, dating from the Italian and Walachian renaissance, was built by the prince of Walachia, Contantin Brancoveanu, at the end of the 17th centuy. Numerous buildings from this area of splendour were built in this style known as the Brancovan style. In the 1920s, this was the home of Marthe Bibesco one of the most influential women in Romania. Her writings in French earned her the Prize of the Paris Academy and a seat within the Belgian academy. Take tram 20 from Piata Victorei to the end of the line then bus 460.
Mamaia. Do what everyone else does in August and flee to the seaside. Mamaia is Romania's top resort, complete with golden sand and exclusive beach bars. Just over two hours on the Intercity train from Gare de Nord.
Bucharest has a diverse and growing cultural scene. Unlike other parts of Romania, such as the Black Sea coast or Transylvania, Bucharest's cultural scene is much more eclectic, without a defined style, and instead incorporates various elements of Romanian and international culture.
Bucharest has a number of landmarks that are identified with it throughout the world. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the Palace of the Parliament which was built in 1980s during the reign of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Currently the largest building in Europe and the second-largest in the world, the Palace houses the Romanian Parliament as well as the National Museum of Contemporary Art.
City of Music. Performing arts are one of the strongest cultural elements of Bucharest and the city has a number of well-renowned facilities and institutions. The most prominent is the neoclassical Romanian Athenaeum founded in 1852 which hosts classical music concerts.
Bucharest by night. The city does not have a central nightlife strip but has many entertainment venues dispersed throughout the city centre. One of the city's best known clubs is the Laptaria Enache and the La Motoare located above (on the rooftop of) the National Theatre as well as Fire Club and Club A. A large concentration of rock clubs can be found in the Lipscani area, the old part of the city, in the vicinity of Piata Urinii. The city also hosts some of the best electronic/house music clubs in Europe such as Bamboo and Krystal Club. During the summer, Zoom Beach Club is an outdoor club on the shore of a lake and has two separate dance floors. The Office is one of the most exclusive clubs in Bucharest and has a long tradition in clubbing.
From the airport
Bus: Route 783 buses leave for Piata Unirii every 30 minutes from 5am-11.30pm Monday-Friday, and from 6am-11pm at weekends. The journey takes about 40 minutes.
Shop
A massive shopping mall, the Liberty Centre. To get there, take trams 23 or 32 three stops from Piata Unirii.
Top Romanian designer Irina Schrotter's showpiece store in the Bucuresti Mall now has a great range of divine, if expensive, children's clothes.
Cool off with a swim in Bucharest's only pool with a view: the InterContinental's 22nd-floor pool and sun terrace are open to the public.
The Old Town, around Strada Lipscani, comes alive in summer with street theatre, performance art, terraces serving tasty mici (spicy local meatballs).
Piata Universitatii, where Romania's Revolution took place in 1989, is set for a facelift, with a vast pedestrian concourse to be built over the busy intersection.
Day trip
Mogosoaia. This magnificient Byzantine palace at 10 kilometers from Bucarest, dating from the Italian and Walachian renaissance, was built by the prince of Walachia, Contantin Brancoveanu, at the end of the 17th centuy. Numerous buildings from this area of splendour were built in this style known as the Brancovan style. In the 1920s, this was the home of Marthe Bibesco one of the most influential women in Romania. Her writings in French earned her the Prize of the Paris Academy and a seat within the Belgian academy. Take tram 20 from Piata Victorei to the end of the line then bus 460.
Mamaia. Do what everyone else does in August and flee to the seaside. Mamaia is Romania's top resort, complete with golden sand and exclusive beach bars. Just over two hours on the Intercity train from Gare de Nord.
