Things to do in Bucharest
Bucharest is Little Paris ( as it is sometimes called ) a somewhat faded but still interesting capital city in the Balkans, with many buildings that looked like they were lifted right from Paris. Yes, Bucharest is Little Paris. We took an architectural walking tour led by Cristina Iosep https://unknownbucharest.com/bucharest-architectural-tour-art-deco-modernism/ that proved quite worthwhile. Cristina lived through the end of the Communist era in 1989 and of course, was able to provide some moving personal insights. For those of my readers keeping count, Romania is my 61st country. Please visit Booking.com as I do to address your hotel and other travel needs. Save, save, and save.
FREE CITY WALKING TOUR
Another tour was the Free City Walking Tour which I always recommend. I would Google online to find these tours which are offered in most of the large cities to which we travel. Our guide Elena met us at the beautiful Piata Unirii where in addition you could view the Palace of Parliament which is humungous. I mean this is the second largest administrative building ( after the Pentagon) in the world with over 1,000 rooms This was the over-the-top project of the megalomaniac dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. Next, Elena took us through the busy Old Town area with its numerous restaurants and boutiques. Elena also had some stories about the fall of Communism in Romania.
BUCHAREST FOUNTAIN SHOW A Top Tourist Attraction
This is a spectacular nighttime show featuring lighted fountains shooting up water to great heights together with loud pop music. The show takes place on summer weekend nights which additionally provides a nice respite from Bucharest’s oppressive summer heat. The place is Piata Unirii where there are two metro stations. Also, you have a large crowd to make things quite festive. Check out some other travel options offered by Viator below.
MAIMAIA
To cool down a bit, we took a two-hour train trip to the lovely seaside (Black Sea) resort of Maimaia which is a nice diversion from the 100-degree August temperatures of Bucharest. Mamaia’s weather was in the mid-80s, which moreover was quite refreshing. We stayed at the first-rate Hotel Vega which in addition included a private beach, spacious swimming pool, and excellent dining room.
A WORD FROM STEVE
I hope you have enjoyed my recent posts on Eastern Europe. These are not complete guides but a curated view of different localities.
