Bucharest

>>1177503
Hi,

Romanian living abroad here.

The city is fairly safe although be wary of flashing jewellery and money out in public. I would say it's just as safe as any other big western city.
Honestly I would worry more about handling cash near the cash machines rather than any sort of sexual harassment, so being a female doesn't really matter.

However I would avoid taxis. Especially from the airport... take the 780/783 bus (about 8 lei) or the shuttle+train better (£8-12 lei). Taxi drivers have tried to scam me in the past as a Romanian speaker with an accent (although less than half the times I rode) so I would be especially careful as a non-local. They also drive like crazy and don't expect a seatbelt in the backseat.
If you really want to take the taxi from the airport don't pay more than 40 lei to the train station. Use the electronic stall to order a taxi from the arrivals terminal as those are used only by the approved taxis.

Buses are really crowded at times, your best bet is the tube which is the only way I get around whenever visiting there. Traffic on surface is another reason why the tube makes more sense...it's also cheap and reliable (if memory serves right it's roughly 6 lei for a day-pass, maybe someone can correct me).

Going out will cost significantly less than in the West however food in supermarkets is not that much cheaper.

I'm sorry I can't find many good things to say about Bucharest as I really dislike the city, but I don't want to put you off either.
A whole week in there seems a bit too much as I've managed to do it in 2 days.
I would just say that there are nicer place to see in the country, but I guess you already have your plans.

Happy to answer more questions!

>>1177615
Same guy,

Expect the city to deal with the first snowfall in a really poor way, also expect yellow and orange codes for snow if you travel towards the end of the month.

>>1177615
Thank you for your answer!
I will follow your advice and order a taxi from an electronic stall inside the arrivals terminal. Is there anything else I could do to minimize the risk of getting scammed or are these approved taxis reliable enough?
If I had the choice of visiting another Romanian city instead of Bucharest I surely would. However my husband has a business trip there and I'm just tagging along and trying to make the best of it. I'm planning to study some books and films about Romanian history before going there so that I can understand the country and city better and maybe recognize some places while in the city. Please tell me if you know any good books or films for that.
Our hotel is located next to the Parliament Palace which I understand is nowadays a popular tourist attraction (?). I'm planning to walk around as much as possible and use taxis only when absolutely needed. Can you recommend any other places nearby I could walk to from where I stay?
I will be back with more questions later! :)

>>1177728
Those taxis should be reliable although they will charge the maximum fare allowed (3.5 lei/km) Personally I don't bother with them anymore.

The Palace is close to the Old Town where there is a vibrant night life as well as nice quiet restaurants. As for other things, I would probably reccommend you to have a look on Trip Advisor for things to in Bucharest. There are old churches or old buildings in general, parks etc. but different people have different interests.

There are plenty of shopping malls, of which I would recommend AFI Palace, Sun Plaza (it has access directly from the metro) or Bucuresti Mall (Vitan Mall).

Concerning documentaries, I don't really know any focused on Bucharest. There is a "Discover the Real Romania" documentary on youtube but it's of poor quality, maybe you can find it somewhere else...it has some bits and pieces regarding the capital.

The Wild Carpathia series is nice but there's no Bucharest in it as far as I remember, same for this documentary https://youtu.be/ywDHSpVui8o.

I can tell you what not to watch though: anything by "The Budget Savvy Travelers" or the little Bucharest in your pocket video. The first just focuses on the negatives (desu it's just moaning) while the latter is outdated.

I'd love to be more helpful but really everytime I go back there I just avoid the actual city at all costs and go to my home city staight from the airport.

American male here. I absolutely adored Romania and have been back a few time! I think you will enjoy it immensely!!

The only thing I would add to what the other guy said is to also be very wary of Romani (Gypsy) and Romani areas. They will very often do their best to take advantage of foreigners and I experienced them trying to scam me or out right steal from me while another was trying to distract me. In general they do not like confrontation but when in large groups they can be very brazen and aggressive.

I am not trying to worry you at all, just noting you should be on your toes, ah yes also there are many stray dogs in Bucharest. Most keep to themselves and are friendly, but some have been mistreated and can bite so avoid touching them unless you are comfortable with dogs.

Hope that helps a little! Bucuresti is wonderful but if you ever get to travel more of Romania Id say my second favorite place is Iasi in the North East of the country :)

>>1177861
>>1177858
Thank you for your replies!
I will definitely go to the Old Town, it seems like a nice lively place to visit. I'm not much of a night life person but I will check out some restaurants there since I'm always up for a nice meal :D

That Wild Carpathia series looks very interesting to me since I adore mountain villages and countryside in general. Even if there's nothing in it about Bucharest I think I will still watch it since it's only 4 episodes. Who knows, maybe my next trip is to the Carpathian mountains :)

And as for the gypsies that >>1177861 mentioned, I don't have any idea how to distinguish them from crowd. I guess I will just avoid sketchy looking people in general, especially if there's a group of them.
I'm not very scared of stray dogs since I'm quite used to them already where I live.

Once again thank you for your replies and if there are any more tips that come to mind I'm looking forward to hearing them :)

>>1178075
I don't want to sound...err bad in saying this, but they are VERY easy to spot.
In general they have a darker skin tone then Romanians, tend to congregate in groups more, are quick to approach and ask you to buy something (usually not something you would ever want, I had one shove a handful of dead flowers in my hand then tell me"give 10 lei"), and usually do not dress like others in the area. Im trying not to say anything that may come off as offensive but to be very honest they look like the very poor or "low class" of the country. Again do not think all Roma are bad because they most definitely aren't! It will just cause you a great deal less stress to avoid them. Do not flash money, jewelry or any expensive items around either (thats pretty much a general rule for anywhere you visit that you are unfamiliar with.)
Ah, one more thing if you are going to exchange money only go to a bank. Do not do it at the airport (horrible exchange rates) and NEVER get it exchanged from someone claiming they will do it on the street.
One other scam I heard about but never encountered was plain clothes "officers" approaching and asking to see your passport. If that ever does happen (highly unlikely) ask to either walk with them to the police station or to a uniformed officer.

>>1177503
I'm currently in sighisoara and really enjoying autumn in Romania!

Bucharest was nice but I didn't feel like I needed more than three days. It's just another big city.
I took the ratb transit bus (public transport), they're right next to the taxis, way cheaper, and terminate in the city centre so it's obvious when to get off. Urnirii square where the bus ends is only maybe 500m from the parliament building.
The parliament building is amazing and well worth the main tour and roof terrace. Many tourist sites charge you to take photos inside on top of admission price. The interior is palatial on a phenomenal scale, I think paying a little extra for photos is OK given how generally cheap activities and dining is in Romania. Take your passport as its a government building and you won't be allowed to do the tour without it.
From Bucharest you could easily do a day trip on public trains to sinaia, the town in the Carpathians where king Carol 1st built Pele's palace. The scenery change, autumn colours and the palace is awesome. Again pay for the longer tour and the "tax" for photos.
There are some free walking tours of Bucharest which you can probably Google for a days activity. The old town is nice but not very big.