Gara de Nord
by ardelean
Yea it's a bit rough, but then the area round any main station in any capital city is a bit rough. Take the normal precautions and you'll be OK. The hotel restaurants are a bit naff, except Euro Hotel on Calea Grivitea. The Pub N Gara near the tech college on Galea Givitie is a cheaper choice and does decent Romanian food and the beer is drinkable.
If you want a taxi, don't take it from the station or outside your hotel. Look at the price on the door - should be Lei 1.39 or 1.40 per Km, not 3.99.
The metro is good, simple and cheap, but stops running at 23.00.
Get a licensed taxi from the Airport - not a 'pirate' - it will cost your 65 ron to the gara de nord from Otopeni and about 20 ron from Baneasa. Try not to change money at the railway station or the airport. The exchange rate is 10-20% worse than other places.
I hope that is useful.
The Dimbovita River
by edvin_br
As almost in any big city in Europe, Bucharest also has its own river that in Romanian called "Dimbovita".
This river is not a natural one, it was established at the beginning of the 20th century and lies in 2 parts of the city: one part comes from the west and stops at the huge Unirii square, the secong begins at the other side of the square and continuous to east.
Some of the cities main architectual sights (the Justice Palace, Agricola and Adriatica buidings and more) can be found at the banks of the Dimbovita river. At my last visit to Bucharest (summer 2004) the central part of the river was almost empty of water and very very smelly, especially at the minouts when I passed one of the bridges. Anyway, I have heard that when the level of the water is higher people even use to fish there, im surprised that there are stil fishes in the water...
Packing List
by Romanian_Bat
A backpack, handbag or a suitcase will do it just fine, as all of them are just common among Romanians. Just avoid to take too expensive stuff, as it is not a wise idea to stand up as a foreigner and to tempt people with things they'll never afford to buy. Weather is generally mild in Bucharest, with an average of -5C in January and +30 / +35C in July-August. Sandals, sport shoes, fancy shoes, sleepers, boots, they are all common and therefore take what you wish... The same goes for shorts or Armani suits (even if the latter can turn out to be a cheap copy). There are all sorts of drug stores and hospitals, therefore you have no reason to despair in this respect. Toilet paper and female higiene products are easily accessible in all departments stores or supermarkets, even many kiosks sell them. In Bucharest it is easy to find the right battery or the right film for your camera, but if you plan to go elsewhere in Romania, to avoid the time waste, buy them from Bucharest. Stores like Muzica (on Victoriei Avenue, S from the Royal Palace), Unirea Shopping Centre (Unirea Sq.) or most Kodak / Agfa / Fuji units in the city will help you in this respect. This is difficult thing with Bucharest: the closest camping place lies about 30 km. N of Bucharest, in Snagov Park (on Snagov Lake, deviation to the E from Bucharest - Ploiesti Road)... Otherwise head to teh nearest forest (e.g. Ciolpani, Pasarea, Cernica) and try to camp, but that shall be at your own risk then... Nothing special, apart from the good will and the smile on your face. These are compulsory though ;)
Have a nice trip!
Strada Covaci
by baakie about Food, wine and antiques
Strada Covaci in the old town of Bucharest offers you some nice shops, bars and restaurants.
If you like steaks Tibo's steak house is the place to be. For the wine lovers there is Bruno wine bar. On the first floor of Covaci 6 you find Absintherie Sixtina where you enjoy an nice served glass of absinthe. In the same building on the ground floor is Dinette restaurant located , a great place to have a lunch or dinner. Antiques, books, wine or just a coffee from €10 till €5.000,-
The Smoke'n Blues Street
by Romanian_Bat about Macca - Villacrosse Passage
This is a strange (but not unique) and comfortable concept: the covered street. It has got a French look but definitely an Oriental origin, as it used to host many little shops belonging to different merchants. Nowadays a few of them have turned into little bars and cafes, where the tables fill the whole street in summer and autumn. They have an Egyptian Cafe with narghiles, a Blues Cafe with excellent music (I can finally say that about a place in this city!!!), a Chinese Restaurant on the first floor and even a French Bistro (even though I personally do not vote for that one, too sticky a place)... The atmosphere is right, the crowd is generally great, coffee is fresh and not instant, they have a few Romanian beers to choose from, while at the Blues Cafe they also have a good variety of ice-creams. You are in Bucharest, the Balkans. So, what the hell does "dress code" stand for???
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Classical family restaurant in Bucharest
Cişmigiu Park in winter, Bucharest
Opera Romana, Bucuresti
Mordern Tram at Piata Unirea
