Bucharest

[Despairingof]

We’re going 27-30 Dec. So far I’ve booked a trip to Bran Castle ( 🧛‍♀️) and Brasov and dinner at a traditional restaurant (Caru cu Bere.)

We staying near c.. park. Can we do the city by ourselves or is so big I need an organised city tour? Aware it is going to very cold

I am going next week. Bran and Brasov booked but that’s all we have planned so far 😊

Is Bran ans Brasov if the same trip? If not you don't have much time to do other stuff!

Depending on whether the park you mention is Carol or Cișmigiu, you'll see different things. Carol Park is easily walkable from the main sights in town, whereas Cișmigiu is further but a nicer area to stay. You don't need to book a city tour, but there's some good walking tours around that are worth doing, especially the street art, Art Deco Cotroceni, Armenian quarter and free walking tours.

For getting around, the metro is useful if you're near Cișmigiu, depending on where. Buses are easy if you use good maps (no info on bus stops), download the B24 app to pay for them.

I went during the summer a few years back. We were in Bucharest for just two days and could have spent longer. It’s a great city, well worth a visit. We wandered around with a map and found it easy to navigate. I will return for a longer period, there’s so much to see in Romania.

We did get nearly ripped off by a taxi driver though. If you use a taxi keep your wits about you. Also, young children approached us for money in the street and police/security were on them in a flash. They did not treat the children well.

True, don't use yellow taxis! Uber can be ok, or there's a company called Black Cab which is lovely, more expensive but still not dramatically so. They have an app or you can call them.

Yes it’s the same trip for me.

Bucharest to brasov is about a 3hr drive. So the with drive there and back, day in brasov, and bran castle will take 2 days of your three surely?
Or are you planning on doing all of that in one day?

I would book a private tour guide in Bucharest if possible. They can show you all the hidden parts and make sure you see everything if strapped for time

Bran and Brasov are the same day on an organised tour, I think it’s 12 hours. Dinner is a different day. So I have c1.5 days not yet planned.

I did mean Cismigiu park but had a complete memory blank.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g4324155-d9594371-Reviews-Therme_Bucuresti-Balotesti_Ilfov_County_Southern_Romania.html

a friend of mine went here recently. Looks lovely and pretty reasonable.

Therme is nice if you like that sort of thing. There's a free bus goes from near Cișmigiu. Plenty of other things though:
1/2 day: Old Town (Lipscani) and Hanul Manuc, with walking tour maybe?
1/2 day: Peoples Palace tour (book this, and take your passport)
1/2 day: wandering Cotroceni or Aviatorilor/Primavarii for old mansions. If Aviatorilor can do a tour of the Ceaucescu house (Palatul Primavarii).
1/2 day: go to Vacaresti Delta not far from the city centre.

Others: escape rooms, craft beer places, coffee shops, Vlads Palace, Baneasa forest if you want a stroll, National Museum, all the art galleries...

Oh, or many other parks. There will be ice skating in Cismigiu soon. Carol Park eith the eternal flame is impressive. Herestrau is a lovely walk even in the winter.

Yep. Don't do taxis cause they're guaranteed to try to rip you off.

Do uber or bolt instead.

So is there a way of booking the people’s palace without going via Viator or the like. The website didn’t seem to work for me.

sorry, but we booked 3 nights in Bucherest, but really struggled to occupy ourselves. It's very dull.
Cismigui Park is OK, but should take you an hour, max.

Bran and Brasov in one day is going to be a huge trip, there’s often lots of traffic on the one road and they are far apart. If you do the then the next day have a relaxing day, would very much recommend Therme. Then the third day go to old town Bucharest and also the palace.

We did Transylvania, which was beautiful but a long journey. Worth it though.There was a medieval city on the way back we stopped at too.

In the city we ate dumplings and danced in a restaurant that served the most awful plum brandy. Our legs set like concrete but it was great fun.

Ceaușescu‘s palace was very thought provoking. Immense and echoing. It still felt quite oppressive.
The art gallery was a real find. Beautiful old masters with minimal security and virtually empty. Stunning art and a good cafe.
There was a sort of house and farm outdoor museum. With lots of different buildings to explore. We watched a national dance competition there but it would be a nice afternoon without the dancing. It was right next to a big park.
The opera house/ theatre was beautiful.
We also went to discover the Synagogue which was almost hidden in between communist era tower blocks. The volunteers were really helpful, spoke English and helped us understand the history of the Romanian Jews and the countries history through that. We even got invited to stay for a Seder meal - a sort of harvest festival to celebrate Passover.
There was a huge amount to do, if you looked and are open to seeing a country through the everyday. Parts hideously concrete and parts stunning.

@Despairingof you can email [email protected] to reserve tickets.you don't need to book that far ahead, they normally say the day before but I've turned up and booked, had a walk in Izvor Park next door for 20 minutes, then joined a tour straight away. Or ask your hotel to call up for you the day before.

I didn’t much like Bucharest, but fortunately we were only there for a day and night before moving on to Brasov for a week. The Carpathian Mountains are gorgeous - we visited a bear sanctuary, went canyon walking, and climbed through carpets of wild flowers on the hillsides. Bran castle is pretty, and there are attractive churches and palaces to see. Brasov is very quaint and the cable car up to the hilltop has stunning views for miles.

After 3 days (far too long) in the city, we spent 3 weeks travelling round the country by rented car. The standout was the painted monasteries in the North.
The other standout was that the Romanians drive like maniacs. It was very frightening.

Was there a few summers ago - really enjoyed it. Did Bran and Brasov tour. Also Palace of Parliament and Ceaucescu's mansion (summer palace) - both very interesting. And 2 walking tours of the city. A great city for a few days visit.

Thanks everyone- feeling inspired

Sorry to jump in late. I'm going to Braşov in Feb does anyone know if the roads from Bucharest to Braşov run up and down mountains or is it all flat? The weather will be bad I expect and I'm considering cancelling, the thought of perilous bends round mountain roads in winter is making me feel ill, it's bad enough in decent weather.
Also do the customs officers grill you? That's a bit of a worry as well I'll stutter and get all flustered!

Why not take the train? Driving standards in Romania are appalling, and there's a good train between the two places. We did that (then hired a car for 2 weeks - great countryside, but scary driving)

It’s mountainous and not an easy road, especially in winter. I second getting the train.

The train is easy and takes the same amount of time as driving. The road to Brasov is quite easy for the first 90 mins though, then it's 90 mins of quite windy and narrow road, especially through some of the small villages. It's not awful though, and they do clear it quickly if it snows.

And no, customs don't grill you: they probably wont talk to you at all...