17 Best Things to Do in Bucharest, Romania, Bucharest, Romania

When we first went to Bucharest we didn’t know much about Romania. In the UK (and perhaps elsewhere) it’s maybe (unfairly) associated with the Romanian orphanage crisis in the 90’s (Romania has improved its child services and is one of the best in Europe now). We didn’t know what to expect, but found an interesting and beautiful place to visit.

Bucharest is often referred to as the “Little Paris of the East” due to its French architecture and cosmopolitan vibe dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It has a long history, having been inhabited since 500 BC. It’s history and traditional buildings, coupled with it’s Soviet-style architecture and remnants of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist regime, means is an interesting city to visit.

We had a great long-weekend there - there’s lots of things to do in Bucharest, and some great day trips available too.

We spent 4 days in Bucharest, which is enough time to see Bucharest and go on a couple of day trips (we went on a tour to three castles - more details below - and to the Therme Spa). Its quite a small city so you don’t need loads of time - this depends on what you like doing of course.

Bucharest is quite a large city but the majority of the points of interest are in the old town. Because of this we’d recommend staying there or just outside. We stayed in an Airbnb which was very reasonable and right on the edge of the old town. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).