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Bucharest

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Bucharest
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Bucharest Travel Guide

  • About Bucharest
At first glance a clashing blend of neoclassical buildings, wide tree-lined boulevards, and brutal post-Stalinist apartment blocks, Bucharest can be a confusing place, but is a city that rewards closer inspection.Filled with grey communist housing estates that were often built around or sometimes on top of the finer bourgeois architectural details, it’s difficult to conceive that this misunderstood city once inspired the nickname ‘Little Paris’. But there are plenty of reminders of a glorious past, and also of a potentially glorious future.The most symbolic building in Romanian culture, and the spiritual landmark of a nation, is the Atheneum. Built in the heart of the city in the 1880s, this magnificent concert hall has seen great politicians and scientists give lectures, had orchestras and musicians from around the world come to perform, and shown exhibitions of great paintings and sculpture by the masters of fine arts.Dig a little deeper and you’ll quickly find more survivors of the communist architectural desecration. There are Byzantine-style chapels and bell-towered mansions, while side streets in the historic centre hide antique shops, characterful bars, and eateries serving French, Italian and Transylvanian food.Elsewhere in the centre are the 15th-century remains of the Old Princely Court, built by Vlad the Impaler. According to local folklore, it was the way he treated his enemies (and prisoners in the dungeons) that gave rise to the legends of Count Dracula.More recent history can be appreciated in Piata Revolutiei, the square at the heart of the 1989 revolution that ended the reign of notorious dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife. Contrasting with this in the ritzy north is sprawling Herastrau Park, which offers boat rides and an open-air museum displaying traditional Romanian homes.Since Romania joined the EU, the sense of a new dynamism has spread all over town, with the younger population revitalising old buildings and bringing new life to the Romanian capital.
  • Bucharest History
Romania’s capital was once the principal city in the country of Wallachia, giving Bucharest a fascinating past that dates back to 70BC when the area was settled by the Geto-Dacian peoples.But its most colourful claim to fame didn’t arrive until the 15th century when the notorious Tepes clan took control of the city itself. This was when Vlad Tepes, better known to posterity as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler, took to his bloodthirsty habit of skewering opponents and Ottoman troops on spikes.Much of Wallachia’s 15th century existence was dominated by ongoing battles with the Imperial forces of Istanbul and by the 17th century, Bucharest itself had fallen. The end of the fighting brought trade to the city, with the result that it was one of the wealthiest cities in Europe by the time it was made capital of modern Romania in 1862.More success was to come and by 1900, Bucharest was home to so many elegant parks and stately palaces, it became known as Little Paris. But the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the rise of the Nazis brought disaster to Bucharest and it suffered badly during WWII when Romania, initially neutral, joined the war on the Axis side. A terrible earthquake in 1940 compounded the damage and by the time the Soviets arrived in 1944, much of the city was gone.Rebuilding under Communist rule was an altogether less elegant affair, with Bucharest falling prey to ugly Stalinist blocks. Some of these crumbled another earthquake hit in 1977, but dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu ensured that the subsequent rebuilding was also done along Communist-inspired lines.In 1989 Romania emerged from Soviet rule, but not before the execution of Ceauşescu and his wife watched by jubilant crowds in Palace Square. Since then, Bucharest has begun reinventing itself with glittering modern temples to lucre joining Stalinist blocks in the city skyline.
  • Did you know?
The first road in Bucharest, Drumul de Lemm, was known as ‘the Wooden Road’. Bucharest got its first bus in 1840, making it a public transport pioneer. The Romanian Parliament building is the second largest of its kind in the world.
  • Weather in Bucharest
Bucharest has a temperate continental climate with four distinct seasons.Spring (April to May) is short and often starts in April, but this is one of the best times to visit Bucharest as temperatures are relatively mild, averaging 17°C (63°F) in May. This season is also chock-a-block with festivals and events, including Rokolectiv electronic music festival and EUROPA fest music festival.Summer (June to August) is peak season, with warm days but also a great deal of rain so pack an umbrella with you. Temperatures often reach 30°C (86°F) in August so do check if the hotel you’re staying has air conditioning.Autumn (September to November) is pleasant. The average high is 25°C (77°F) in September while October is the driest month. Temperatures drop sharply by November though, often lowering to 1°C (34°F) in the evenings.Winter (December to March) is long and snowy. January is the coldest month, with an average high of 2°C (36°F) and temperatures often plummeting to -5°C (23°F).

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