Bucharest: October - November 2011

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BUCHAREST
October - November 2011
Romanian Alcohol
Know your Recas from your Murfatlar and your Ursus from your Silva
Football in Bucharest
In Your Pocket: A cheeky, wellwritten series of guidebooks. The New York Times
Everything you always wanted to know about Steaua, Rapid, Dinamo and Sportul Studentesc
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Old Town/Lipscani In Your Pocket

A 15-page special on Bucharests Old Town
Contents
E S S E N T I A L C I TY G U I D E S
Contents
Basics
8 Everything you wanted to know about Bucharest and Romania, but were afraid to ask 12
Arrival & Transport

Navigating Bucharest
Culture & Events 16 Get your knickers ready ladies, Tom Jones is coming to town Bucharest Football
Know your Rapid from your Steaua 20 24
Finally reopened after a three year refit, the Grigore
Romanian Alcohol
Beer, wine and spirits: we have it all
Calea Victoriei
A walk along Bucharests most historic street
26 29
Antipa Museum of National History - always one of Bucharests best and most popular museums - now looks better than ever. See page 68.
Where to Stay
From palaces of gold to bargain hostels
Restaurants
Where to eat
42 60
Nightlife
Clubs, bars, pubs and the like
Sightseeing
What to see Where to spend your days Parks & Gardens Bucharests green spaces 68 72 73 88
Old Town / Lipscani

The heart and soul of the city
Shopping, Directory & Children

Everything from malls and markets to souvenirs, pharmacies, dentists, playgrounds and private schools
Maps & Street Register

Romanias magnificent new national stadium, the Arena Nationala, which will host next summers Europa League Final. More on football in Bucharest on pages 20-22.
Northern Bucharest Central & Southern Bucharest Street Register & Hotel Map Index
94 96 98
Foreword
We got the opportunity to see Bucharest from above last month; twice in fact. The first time was when we were invited to an event on the top floor of one of the citys tallest buildings. From up there, what strikes you most is what a tiny city this really is. From the chimney of IMGB in the south to Casa Scanteii in the north, it is amazing to think that almost three million people squeeze into such a small space. There can be few cities in Europe with such a high population density as Bucharest. The upside of course is that you are never all that far from where you want to be. At least in theory. That it can often take an hour to travel from one side of the city to the other has far more to do with the appalling traffic than with distance. The second opportunity we got to see Bucharest from above was by taking the Bucharest City Tour. Sitting on top of a double decker bus you really do get to see the city from a different perspective - not least the architecture of Calea Victoriei - and we hope that the city council will operate the service again next summer (the open-top nature of the buses means that they cant operate year-round). From whatever angle you view Bucharest when in town, we do hope you like it. And whatever you think about the city we would love to hear from you: send your thoughts to bucharest@inyourpocket.com. Meantime, enjoy Bucharest.
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Text, photos and maps copyright IYP Romania Srl 1999-2011 unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, except brief extracts for the purpose of its review, without written permission from the copyright owner. The trademark In Your Pocket is used under license from UAB In Your Pocket (Vokieciu 10-15, Vilnius, Lithuania tel. (+370-5) 212 29 76).
E S S E N T I A L C I TY G U I D E S
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Bucharest In Your Pocket
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Cinema: Going to the Movies
Films in Romania are shown in their original language with Romanian subtitles. The exceptions are animated films, which - at the multiplexes - can usually be viewed in the original language (subtitrat) or dubbed into Romanian (dublat). To find out which films are showing, check the individual websites of each cinema, or browse the full programme of the citys cinemas at www.cinema.ro.
Hollywood Multiplex E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59 (Bucuresti Mall), tel. (+4) 021 327 70 20/(+4) 021 327 70 21, www.hmultiplex.ro. The best complex of cinemas in the city, offering ten screens, good popcorn and comfortable seats. Q Tickets 17.40 - 26.50 lei. IMAX/Cinema City B-dul Vasile Milea/B-dul Timisoara, MPolitehnica, tel. (+4) 021 407 00 00, fax (+4) 031 425 75 13, www.aficotroceni.ro. The first IMAX cinema in Romania will open at the end of October as part of the new Cinema CIty complex in the Cotroceni Palace shopping centre. Q Tickets 19-36 lei. P
The Light Cinema Sos. Progresului 151-171 (Liberty Center), tel. (+4) 021 369 97 97/(+4) 021 369 97 40, www.lightcinemas.ro. The only gripe we would have with this 3D cinema (the first to open in Romania) is the creative pricing: tickets never appear to cost what you expect. Q Tickets 15.00 - 33.00 lei.
Crime & Safety
We do not exaggerate when we say that Bucharest is one of the safest capital cities in Europe. Violent crime is rare and almost always carried out exclusively between rival gangs fighting for the control of territory in the citys less-salubrious areas. If you do not go looking for trouble the chances of you getting into any are tiny. While pickpockets are everywhere (you should be particularly careful on crowded buses, and always watch your bag in busy pubs and clubs), petty thieves are by and large a cowardly lot in Romania and will run a mile at the first sign of any resistance. Knife-crime is unheard of, and even women can walk the citys streets alone at night in relative safety. The Romanian police force is also far better and less corrupt than it used to be and keeps a visual presence on the citys streets, especially in busy areas such as Old Town at night. The main police station in Bucharest is on B-dul Lascar Cartagiu (B-4), halfway between Piata Romana and Piata Victoriei. In a nutshell though, do not worry. Of all Bucharests many, many problems, crime really is one of the least of them. Just keep your wits about you, apply common sense and all will be well.
A Word From Bucharests Mayor

I am one of the over two million inhabitants of Bucharest. This is where I was born, and where I grew up. I know both the bright and dark sides of every nook and cranny. I have learned the history of each stone, and experienced romance while wandering in Herastrau Park or admiring the city by night. I have traveled a lot, but I have always come back home with infinite joy in order to discover my Bucharest over and over again. I am sure that there would have been no better place in Romania to build my medical career, with all the professional and academic opportunities that a capital city like Bucharest can offer. Yet I understood that for everything you get in this life you have to give something back. That is why now, as the Mayor of Bucharest, I commit myself to giving the people of this city a place to live in, not just a place to dwell in. Bucharest is Romanias most important cultural, economic, financial and political centre. It generates more than 20 per cent of the countrys GDP and is inhabited by more than 10 per cent of the Romanian population. All major financial, political and executive institutions are based here. As one of 27 European capital, Bucharest is eager to share its cultural heritage with the community and the whole world. I therefore invite you to explore this wonderful city, to discover its mystery and take its pulse: Bucharest is always ready to surprise and impress its guests with its eternal and motley poetry. Sorin Oprescu, Mayor of Bucharest
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When Things Go Wrong
In an emergency call 112. You do not need to use the city code, whether calling from a landline or a mobile. You wll be asked which service you require (Politia/Police, Ambulanta/Ambulance or Pompierii/Firemen). Emergency call centre operators should speak English or French but in our experience they do not always do so. At least make sure you know the name of the street you are calling from. If you get into trouble with the Police, demand to call your embassy. There is a list on page 90. The citys main police station is the brand new building at (B-4) Str. Lascar Cartagiu 22, tel. (+4) 021 212 56 84. The best Casualty Unit (Emergency Room) in the city is at Spitalul de Urgente, (C-3) Calea Floreasca 8, next to Dinamo Stadium. More details in the Health box on page 11. There is a list of Pharmacies on page 91, and an English speaking Dentist on page 89.
Customs Regulations
While Romania joined the European Union (EU) in 2007, which should facilitate the complete, unfettered movement of goods between member countries, United Kingdom customs officers appear not to have noticed. As such you are only permitted to take 200 cheap cigarettes purchased in Romania to the UK with you (we feel obliged to point out, however, that you will be passing through the blue channel on arrival in the UK and the chances of being stopped are almost zero...). If you are travelling elsewhere in the EU, there are no limits on the amount of cigarettes you can bring home from Romania. Alcohol is similarly unrestricted. For those of you travelling outside of the EU when leaving Romania, you should check the import limits on fags and booze with your destination country before travelling. The export of some antiques purchased in Romania (especially old religious icons) is subject to the completion of tedious paperwork, although any reputable antiques store or dealer will be able to take care of this for you. Ask when buying if you are not sure.
Etiquette
In their own homes, Romanians are by and large fabulous hosts. So much so that making friends and getting yourself invited should be top of your list of things to do while in the country! You had better be hungry, because the food never stops coming, on and on, dish after dish. You must bring something: flowers, chocolates or a bottle of good whisky. You will probably be offered local brandy, uica. It will grow on you (see our feature on Romanian alcohol on pages 24-25). Most Romanians love to chat about their country, its politics, problems and history. Dont be surprised if they ask you very direct questions. In all cases, be diplomatic in response.
Left Luggage
There are left luggage facilities at Gara de Nord, but no luggage lockers. You will find the left luggage counter opposite the Wasteels office, a short walk from the platforms. The charge is cursory: 4 lei per small bag per 24 hours, 7 lei for a bigger bag. Note that the office keeps irregular hours (with staff taking breaks seemingly willy-nilly), so always make sure there will be someone on hand to give you back your bag when you want to pick it up. There is not currently any left luggage facility at either Otopeni or Baneasa airport.
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Health
Should you fall ill, the local health service is more than adequate, if not perfect. Hospitals do suffer from a lack of funds, and the frequent handing over of 10 lei notes to everyone from the receptionist to the cleaner is recommended. In an emergency you should call tel. 112 or tel. (+4) 021 9731 for an ambulance. The best state emergency hospital is Spitalul de Urgenta, C-3, Calea Floreasca 8, tel. (+4) 021 599 23 00. If your child becomes ill, you should take him or her to the excellent childrens emergency hospital, found at (B-4), B-dul Iancu de Hunedoara 30-32, tel. (+4) 021 212 93 64/66. A list of 24 hour pharmacies can be found on page 91.
Time & People

Romania is in the Eastern European Time Zone: GMT + 2 hours. When it is 12:00 in Bucharest it is 11:00 in Berlin, 10:00 in London and 05:00 in New York. The population of Romania is 21,700,000, and of Bucharest 2,100,000 (both 2007 estimates).
Taxi Tactics
Bucharests taxi drivers have a refreshingly liberal sense of equal opportunities: basically, when it comes to ripping people off, they view anyone as fair game. Locals, foreigners, young, old, male, female: anyone who steps in the wrong kind of taxi can expect to be well and truly buggered. The important thing to remember when getting into a taxi in this city is that there are two kinds: those which are operated by a tried and trusted taxi company (usually good) and independents (usually bad). The problem is spotting the difference. By and large, trustworthy taxis are easy to spot as they are emblazoned with the name and phone number of the company they are associated with. To counter this, however, the independents have also started to plaster phone numbers over their cars, alongside copy-cat logos that look cunningly like those of decent taxi companies. The best way to avoid being ripped off however is to pay careful attention to the tariffs, displayed on the driver and passenger door of all taxis. There should just now be one single tarif displayed, and anything higher than 1.69 lei per kilometre should start alarm bells ringing. Be extra careful around Gara de Nord, Baneasa Airport, Bucuresti Mall, Piata Universitatii, Piata Unirii and in Old Town, at the National Bank. To avoid any problems, call one of the taxi companies listed below. If you are in a hotel or restaurant, ask your concierge or waiter/waitress to call a taxi for you. If you feel something is a bit suspect in any taxi, note down the drivers number and call his company to report him. Autogeneral 021 9401, Cobalcescu 021 9451, Confort 021 9455, Cristaxi 021 9461, Fly Taxi 021 9440, Leone 021 9425, Mavi 021 9450 Meridian 021 9444, Mondial 021 9423, Speed Taxi 021 9477, Taxi As 021 9435, Taxi Total 021 9424. Most of these companies have at least one operator who speaks English.
Local laws & Police
If you are driving, or are out late at night, it is a good idea to carry at least a photocopy of your passport and driving license. Drinking in public (except in designated areas) leaves you open to a fine, and despite appearances to the contrary, prostitution is illegal. If you are arrested ask to speak to your embassy.
Money
Romanias currency is the leu (plural lei), divided into 100 bani. Notes come in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. These are supplemented by 50, 10 and 5 bani coins. The best place to get your hands on Romanian money is at an ATM. If you really do have to change cash, then please ensure that you do it inside a bank. Credit and debit cards (MasterCard and Visa at least) are accepted almost everywhere. American Express and Diners Club cards are less widely accepted.
Toilets
The only decent public toilets in town are those in the Piata Universitatii underpass (which are free) and those at Gara de Nord (for which you have to pay, 1 leu).
1 = 4.35 lei, 1 = 5.03 lei US$ = 3.22 lei (As of September 30, 2011)
Some trusted taxi companies:
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Arriving in Bucharest
Otopeni (officially Henri Coanda), Bucharests main airport, is 17km north of the city on the DN1. Opened in 1970 but recently extended, it is a spacious, efficient place. After getting off the plane and easing your way through passport control, youll find yourself in the baggage reclaim area. Ignore all of the services on offer here (especially the currency exchange desks: they do not offer decent rates). Instead, grab your luggage (if it fails to arrive go to the small office on the left hand of side of the exit), and then head off through customs to Arrivals. Here there are ATMs, a press shop and a small cafe. To the right is a passage leading to the Departures terminal: the passage is lined with car hire desks and a few shops, including a chemist. You should beware of, and ignore, the taxi drivers who will besiege you as you make your way through Arrivals. Ignore them, even if they have Official Taxi badges. Directly outside you will instead find a line up of shiny, expensive but generally honest taxis. Their cabs will display an Airport sign. We say generally because we have heard of even these taxis charging over the odds. A ride to the city centre with one of these taxis should set you back around 130.00 lei (38). That is about three times the cost of taking a normal Bucharest taxi, from a company such as Cristaxi (tel. 021-9461) or Meridian (tel. 021-9444), but remember that non-airport taxis are not allowed to wait outside the terminal building or in the car park. You can call one, but you will have to go and meet it at the foot of the Arrivals access ramp. Instead, the easiest way to get a cheap taxi is simply to walk through to Departures (turn right as you exit baggage claim) and take a regular taxi as it drops somebody off. You can also get to town by taking bus 783, which stops underneath the arrivals hall, in front of internal arrivals, and leaves for the city centre (stopping at Piata Victoriei, Piata Romana and Piata Universitatii) every 30 minutes from around 05:20 until 23:30. You need to purchase a Multiplu Card before boarding (get it from the little booth which youll find on your right hand side as you exit). A return journey into the city and back costs 7 lei (no singles are available, but there is no time limit on using the return). These cards cannot be bought on board. There is also now a train which, together with a minibus, connects the airport to Gara de Nord. The train departs at irregular and infrequent intervals, however, and takes forever. Timetables and tickets are available from a counter in the Arrivals hall. Look out for the Bilete CFR sign. Baneasa airport is much closer to the city centre than Otopeni. There is an ATM in arrivals. Bus routes 131 and 335 stop outside, both terminating at Piata Romana. A Multiplu Card must be bought before boarding (see Tickets, opposite): there is a kiosk next to the bus stop. Express bus 780 runs direct from Baneasa to Gara de Nord, and a two journey ticket costs 7 lei. Taxis wait outside, but make sure you take one belonging to a trusted company (see Taxis, page 10). The fare to town should be around 35 lei.
Gara de Nord Warning

None of Bucharests reputable hostels send people to Gara de Nord to speculatively meet trains. Anyone who approaches you (and if you have just got off the Budapest train and have a backpack, you will be approached) is trying to scam you: they will try and divert you from your intended destination (often by saying that the place you want to go to is closed) towards another hostel or hotel that they will recommend to you. Just ignore anything they say and wave them away.
By Air
Public transport
Even though the Bucharest public transport network is cheap, extensive and reliable, taking a bus, trolleybus or tram can be a headache due to the amount of people that cram on to the blasted things.
Tickets
Paper tickets are now a thing of the past in Bucharest, so to use a bus, trolleybus or tram you will need to buy a Multiplu Card before climbing aboard, validating it in one of the orange devices located all over the vehicle (watch how others do it first). The cards can be bought from the little kiosks next to major stops, and can be loaded with anything from two to ten journeys (each journey costs 1.30 lei). You can also purchase a day-ticket valid on all the citys buses, trolleybuses and trams. It costs 8 lei. If you are going to be staying a while in Bucharest and plan on using public transport a lot, invest in an Activ Card, a pre-paid electronic card. A bit like a London Transport Oyster card, you can buy Activ cards at most RATB kiosks and load them up with as much credit as you like, recharging them as needed. (The Multiplu card cannot be reloaded with credit). The Activ card itself is free, but on purchase you need to load it with a minimum 25 lei. Unlike the Multiplu cards, Activ Cards can be used on the metro. Ticket inspectors (controlor) are ubiquitous, and if you are caught without a ticket youll pay a fine of 50 lei. Pickpockets are rife on all forms of public transport in Bucharest. On all forms of public transport children under the age of seven travel free. After that age they need a full-price ticket.
Buses & Trolleybuses
Even the most remote corners of Bucharest are served by bus or trolleybus, and most main roads in the city centre benefit from three or four different routes. Most buses are overcrowded, however, and travelling on them is a less than pleasant experience. There is also now a vast night bus network which operates a half-hourly service throughout the night. All night buses depart from Piata Unirii.
A blessing to some and a curse to others, Bucharests trams skirt the city centre, often blocking traffic as they trundle along narrow roads. Unless you are visiting somewhere outside of the city centre it is unlikely that you will use a tram.
Trams
By Train
Metro
Arriving at Gara de Nord If you arrive by train you will arrive at Gara de Nord. It is OK, but has the usual collection of rogues, tramps and thieves to contend with. There are ATMs, shops, kiosks and a McDonalds. To get to town take an honest taxi from outside (beware sharks) or take the metro: you are just two stops away from Piata Victoriei. To get to either of the airports from Gara de Nord, take bus 780.
Bucharests metro was primarily built to ship workers from the vast housing estates of Titan, Berceni and Militari out to the huge industrial plants at Pipera, IMGB, Republica and Industriilor. Thats all very well if you are resident of Titan working at IMGB, but useless to almost everybody else. The city centre is poorly served by the metro and only the north-south M2 line, from Pipera to IMGB, which passes through Piatas Victoriei, Romana and Unirii, and the M1 branch to the Gara de Nord, is likely to be of any use to visitors. Tickets are almost as cheap
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Moving On
Getting from Bucharest to the capitals of neighbouring countries is not as easy, quick or inexpensive as you would expect. Here is a rundown of the fastest and cheapest ways of getting from capital to capital... Tarom flies to Belgrade once a day, and the cost is 221 return. There is also an overnight train, leaving Bucharest at 20:45 and arriving in Belgrade at 08:51 the next day. A space in a six-person cuseta costs approximately 45. For train tickets the best place to go is Wasteels, at Gara de Nord.
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Bucharest - Belgrade
Bucharest - Budapest
There are several flights from Bucharest to Budapest each day, operated by T arom and Malev. Standard return prices start at 192, although both airlines regularly have offers on tickets costing a lot less. There are also two trains connecting the two cities: one leaves at 14:45 (arriving in Budapest at 05:25 the next morning) while the other leaves at 17:45 and arrives at 08:50. The price for a berth in a sleeping wagon is around 90 (one way), while a bed in a cuseta (sharing with up to five others) costs 53. The best place to buy international train tickets in Bucharest is Wasteels, at Gara de Nord.
Bucharest - Chisinau
If bought far enough in advance, return plane tickets to Chisinau with T arom can cost as little as 124. Air Moldova also fly the same route, tickets costing slightly more, around 144 return. However, note that if a single ticket is all you are after, Air Moldova is the cheaper option, a ticket costing as little as 75. The overnight train to Chisinau departs Bucharest at 19:10, and arrives in the Moldovan capital at 08:52 the next morning. Tickets cost from 41 (single).
Bucharest - Kyiv
Getting to Kyiv from Bucharest takes plenty of spare cash or patience. Just one airline flies to Kyiv from Bucharest, Aerosvit, and the price is a monopoly-tastic US$376 return. The train takes a whopping 26 hours and 38 minutes, leaving Bucharest at 06:53 in the morning, arriving in Kyiv at 09:31 the next day. Tickets cost from 63 (single). Flying to Sofia from Bucharest costs around 248, with either T arom or Bulgaria Air. There are two or three flights per day depending on the day of the week. There are two trains per day. A daytime train departs Bucharest at 12:13 and arrives in Sofia at 21:30, while the night train departs Bucharest at 23:22 and arrives in Sofia at 09:22. First-class tickets cost 55 (single). For the night train, sleeping wagon berths cost 99. Much faster (and cheaper) is the daily coach linking Bucharest and Sofia. It leaves the Double T coach stop at the bottom of Calea Victoriei (C-6) each day at 16:00, arriving in Sofia just under seven hours later. Tickets cost 18 single (35 return) and can be bought in advance from the Double T ticket office at Calea Victoriei 2 (next to the coach stop).
Bucharest - Sofia
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Train Schedule
From Bucharest Dep Arr. IC 13:30 01:15 ARAD R 08:45 11:53 BRASOV A 10:50 14:22 BRASOV IC 13:30 16:33 BRASOV R 14:45 17:35 BRASOV R 15:45 18:49 BRASOV R 13:30 22:51 CLUJ-NAPOCA R 08:00 10:54 CONSTANTA R 19:35 22:17 CONSTANTA IC 15:45 18:56 CRAIOVA IC 15:40 19:44 GALATI IC 06:00 12:51 IASI IC 16:55 23:50 IASI IC 13:30 01:52 ORADEA A 18:55 10:36 SATU MARE R 15:45 21:53 SIBIU A 06:25 12:34 SIGHISOARA IC 13:30 22:56 TARGU MURES IC 05:45 14:15 TIMISOARA IC 15:45 00:29 TIMISOARA To Bucharest IC R R R R IC IC R A IC IC IC IC IC A R IC IC IC R 10:35 10:13 12:40 14:25 17:37 19:05 12:39 13:50 20:25 11:38 05:00 05:10 16:28 09:40 16:05 07:20 16:35 12:31 06:00 13:48 22:15 13:10 15:30 17:25 21:10 22:15 22:15 16:28 23:17 14:53 09:09 12:07 23:28 22:15 07:37 13:10 22:15 22:15 14:43 22:32
Schedule verified on September 30th, 2011. The full Romanian railway timetable is online at www.infofer.ro.
as for the trams and busses: they cost either 4 lei (valid for two trips; doua calatorii) or 10 lei (ten trips; zece calatorii) and can be bought from any metro station. You can also buy tickets valid for one day (abonament de o zi), costing 6 lei.
Trains
Given that Romanias roads are so bad, its comforting to know that the countrys railways are equally crap. Having said that, many long years of line upgrades on the Bucharest - Brasov and Bucharest - Constanta routes are now approaching completion, and journey times will soon be back to something approaching 1989 levels: three hours to Brasov, slightly less to Constanta. Should you have to take a train, always try to get an Inter City or a Rapid, as they are the fastest and usually have the most modern rolling stock. Acelerat trains - which stop at more stations - are also generally acceptable. To be avoided at all costs are the ghastly Personal trains, which are slow and use much older rolling stock. Prices on all types of train are relatively cheap, but are rising fast. An Inter City adult single from Bucharest to Brasov costs 66.50 lei. Bucharest is well linked to Budapest by train (there are four per day) but poorly to Belgrade, Sofia, Chisinau and Kyiv. To buy train tickets, visit either the station, the CFR agency we list opposite or buy online at www.cfr.ro/calatori. Your best bet for the purchase of international tickets is Wasteels at the station. In all cases, do not leave buying tickets to the last minute: long queues could mean you miss your train. Tickets cannot be purchased on the train, though in the worst case scenario you can try bribing the guard. Many locals do this habitually.
10-14, tel. (+4) 021 313 26 42, www.cfr.ro. CFRs advance booking office. Reservations for all kinds of trains, from acelerats to sleepers, up to one-hour before the train departs. Q Open 07:30 - 19:30, Sat 08:00 - 12:00. Closed Sun. Wasteels A-4, Gara de Nord, tel. (+4) 021 317 03 70/021 300 27 30, www.triptkts.ro. Advance reservations for all types of trains, national and international. Helpful staff, western currencies accepted. QOpen 08:00 - 19:00, Sat 08:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun. A
Agentia de Voiaj SNCFR B-5, Str. Domnita Anastasia
arriVaL & transPort

Tourist Information
Info Tourist Point A-4, Inside Gara de Nord, tel. (+4) 0371 15 50 63, www.infotourist.ro. Bucharest now has three Tourist Information Offices: at Gara de Nord, Piata Universitate. and Piata Unirii. All are staffed by friendly young locals ready to help as best they can. They are stocked with leaflets, maps, brochures etc. and of course: Bucharest In Your Pocket. Q Open 09:0021:00. Also at Piata Universitatii Underpass, Open 09:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-13:00, Closed Sun and Piata Unirii Metro, Open 09:00-18:00. Bavaria Rent Headoffice: Str. Horia, Closca si Crisan 17, Ilfov, tel. (+4) 0730 33 37 07, (+4) 031 802 22 22, fax (+4) 031 802 22 28, office@bavariarent.ro, www. bavariarent.ro. Also at Baneasa International Airport, tel. (+4) 021 200 62 63, Open 09:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-15:0. Closed Sat; and Otopeni Airport, tel. (+4) 021 201 45 34, (+4) 0730 33 37 05, Open 08:00-02:00, Sat 08:00-20:00. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Budget B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 9, tel. (+4) 021 210 28 67, fax (+4) 021 210 29 95, reservations@budgetro. ro, www.budgetro.ro. Also at (B-3) Calea Dorobanti 5 - 7 (Howard Johnson Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 201 50 89, Open 09:00-17:00. Closed Sat, Sun and Henri Coanda International Airport, tel. (+4) 021 204 16 67, Open 08:00-20:00. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Cars4Rent Str. Drumul Odaii 1D (Hotel Charter), tel. (+4) 0723 34 71 92/(+4) 0730 09 39 85, fax (+4) 021 352 87 16, office@cars4rent.ro, www. cars4rent.ro. Good car rental from the people behind the Hotel Charter, Q Open 24 hrs. Compact Rent-a-Car A-4, B-dul N. Titulescu 1, bl A7,
sc. 1, et. 6, ap. 16, tel. 0744 63 82 92/021 312 98 57, fax 021 312 99 82, office@compact-rentacar.ro, www. compact-rentacar.ro.
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Car rental
B-6, Bd. Natiunile Unite 3, bl. 109, Ground Floor, tel. (+4) 021 335 75 33, fax 021 335 75 32, office@hertz. com.ro, www.hertz.com.ro. Also at Henri Coanda Airport, tel. (+4) 021 201 49 54, fax (+4) 021 021 201 49 55, Robuc51@hertz.com.ro, Open 08:00-20:00; JW Marriott Grand Hotel, tel. (+4) 021 403 29 56, fax (+4) 021 021 403 29 57, Robuc63@hertz.com.ro, Open 08:00-20:00; Athenee Palace Hilton, tel./fax 021 303 37 44, robuc64@hertz.com. ro, Open 08:30-17:30, Closed Sat, Sun; Crowne Plaza, tel. (+4) 021 335 75 33. Avis B-4, Str. Mihail Moxa 9, tel. (+4) 021 9876/(+4) 021 210 43 44, fax (+4) 021 210 69 12, reservations@ avis.ro, www.avis.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 17:30. Closed Sat, Sun. Also at (C-5) InterContinental, tel. (+4) 021 314 18 37, Open 08:00 - 20:00; Henri Coanda International Airport, tel. (+4) 021 204 19 57, Open 07:00 - 02:00; Baneasa Airport, tel. (+4) 021 230 24 82, Open 10:00-22:00.
AAA Autorent Hertz
D-6, Str. Grigore Mora 17, tel. (+4) 021 310 17 97, (+4) 0747 28 06 49, fax (+4) 021 310 17 96, reservations@europcar.com.ro, www.europcar.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00. Also at Otopeni Airport tel. (+4) 0374 00 40 57 and Baneasa Airport tel. (+4) 021 232 01 39. Service also available in Cluj, Constanta, Sibiu, Timisoara. Sixt New Kopel Calea Bucurestilor 201-203, tel. (+4) 021 9400, reservation@sixt.ro, www.sixt.ro.
Europcar
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CULtUre & eVents

Rock & Pop Concerts
of Salvation
09.10 Sunday Romanian Rock Meeting / Pain
Str. Cutitul de Argint 26 (Arenele Romane). A gathering of all that is purely rock is taking place this autumn at Arenele Romane. The display name will be the Swedish progressive metal band Pain of Salvation, whose recently released album Road Salt Two will be promoted heavily. Also listed among the performers are the Finns from Von Hertzen Brothers and local bands White Walls and Goodbye to Gravity. The event will take place in a specially designed, heated tent, so there should be no worries about the weather. Q Concert starts 18:30. Tickets 78 - 125 lei from www.eventim.ro.
21.10 Friday Helene Segara
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). This French singer, of an Italian father and an Armenian mother, managed to impress one of the greatest Italian tenors, Andreea Bocelli, with whom she got the chance to sing the French-Italian version of the song Vivo per lei. Helene also acted in the very well received musical Notre Dame de Paris, in the role of Esmeralda, and on her latest album, Mon pays cest la terre, her songs cover a variety of languages, transmitting this way her message of friendship and equality between nations. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 90 - 250 lei from www.myticket.ro. Calea Plevnei 61 (The Silver Church). Known as Nana, born as Kwame Abrowka, the German rapper is promoting his last album, Stand Up, with a club concert and a limited number of tickets. Seven hundred, to be precise. The songs that made him popular will certainly not be omitted, tunes such as Hes here, Remember the Time, Lonely and Let it rain. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 75 in advance, 90 lei on the day, from www.eventim.ro. B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). When it comes to the most popular blues-rock band from the late 1960s and early 1970s, its never too late to be Ten Years After. Because those years of Woodstock wouldnt have been the same without them, and they should be remembered as the band that was always ten years ahead of the rest. And although tracks like Im going home, Love like a man, Hear me calling and Id love to change the world were written in the spirit of those days, theyll always inspire joy and nostalgia each time theyre played. Q Concert starts 19:00. Tickets 60 - 170 lei from www.vreaubilet.ro.
22.10 Saturday Nana
23.10 Sunday Ten Years After
25.10 Tuesday Pat Metheny Trio
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s will be playing music from his new project Orchestrion. Pat Metheny entered the music scene as a jazz guitarist and composer, but as the years passed he always found a way to add something new to his sound, in a constant search of unique styles. With Orchestrion, he used the latest technology to bring different tones to classic jazz, the genre for which he found his roots in John Leslie Wes Montgomery, best known as the greatest jazz guitarist of all time. This concert will be a delight for all jazz lovers and quality music listeners. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 85 - 350 lei from www.eventim.ro.
03.11 Thursday Elvis Costello
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). Declan Patrick MacManus, known as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter, considered to be the best composer since
CULtUre & eVents
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Bob Dylan and one of the most important musicians after the Beatles. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #80 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He also acted in films like Americathon, No Surrender and Straight to Hell and wrote the soundtracks for Notting Hill,Cold Mountain and The Scarlet Tide. This is his first concert in Bucharest, were hoping it will not be the last. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 70 - 350 lei from www.eventim.ro.
awards in different categories: Best Pop Performance and also Best Jazz Performance. After almost four decades of music, 25 albums, and with Tim Hausser as the only founding member standing out of five, their style has kept evolving, blending original tunes with older pop, jazz and funk. Q Concert starts 19:00. Tickets 85-205 lei from www.myticket. ro, Diverta, Muzica.
05.11 Saturday Lord of the Dance
Venues & Tickets

Arenele Romane Str. Cutitul de Argint 26 (Parcul Ateneul Romn C-5, Str. Franklin 1-3, tel. (+4) 021 315 68 75, www.fge.org.ro.QOpen 12:00 - 19:00,
Carol).
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). Its only been a year since their last visit, but they just couldnt resist the call of the many letters received from Romanian fans. That is why the Irish folklore dancers we all love are back to please us this autumn, with the same Irish charm they used on us last time. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 100 - 250 lei from www.myticket.ro.
11.11 Friday The Manhattan Transfer
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului), tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. Fusion vocal jazz at the very highest level. This is the least we can expect from the Manhattan Transfer on their first visit to Bucharest. The band, founded in the early 1970s in New York, was the first to win two Grammy
Sat 16:00 - 19:00, Sun 10:00 - 11:00, 16:00-19:00. Closed Mon. Casa de Cultura a Studentilor Preoteasa A-5, Calea Plevnei 61, tel. (+4) 021 315 25 42, www. ccs.ro. Diverta E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59 (Bucuresti Mall), www.diverta.net. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Magazin Muzica B-4, Calea Victoriei 41-43, tel. (+4) 021 314 56 08.
Romanian National Opera (Opera Nationala Romana) A-5, B-dul Kogalniceanu 70-72, tel. (+4) 021 314 69 80. Q Box office open 09:00-13:00, Sala Palatului B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28, tel. (+4) 021 315 73 72. Q Box office open Tue-Fri 10:0015:00-19:00.
19:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Sala Polivalenta B-dul Tineretului 1 (Parc Tineretului), tel. (+4) 031 425 78 01. Sala Radio B-5, Str. Berthelot 60-64, tel. (+4) 021 314 77 70/(+4) 021 303 12 97, www.srr.ro.
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CULtUre & eVents

Jon Schaffer is the only original member who has remained, handling nearly all of the songwriting and leading the band. Q Concert starts 19:30. Tickets 75 lei from www.eventim.ro.
30.11 Wednesday Hammerfall
A-2, Sos. Kiseleff 32 (Hard Rock Cafe). Although there can only be one Queen, there are also kings. Of power metal, that is. The Swedes Hammerfall are coming to Bucharest to promote their latest album, Infected, also joined by two other bands: Amaranthe, a power metal/melodic death metal band from Sweden and Denmark, and Death Destruction, composed of ex-members of Hammerfall, Death By April and Ex-Evergrey. Q Concert starts 21:00. Tickets 65 - 75 lei from www.myticket.ro.
Special Events
12.10 Wednesday Dani Lary
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). He may not be Houdini, but his creativity in illusionism has made him popular all over the world. Born in Oran, Algeria, Dany Lary made a passion for magic at the age of eight, when he saw a fascinating trick with pieces of paper. At the age of 14 he was already doing his own show and since then he has became one of the greatest magicians around. He can make pianos fly and people disappear with the speed of light, and in February this year he received the highest recognition of merit: his name written in red letters above Olympia Hall, a promise he once made to his father. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 100 - 250 lei from www.myticket.ro.
16.11 Wednesday Sukhishvili Balkan Tour
13.11 Sunday Jane Birkin
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). Actress, muse and singer Jane Birkin is coming back to the stage after the pause caused by the death of her partner, Serge Gainsbourg. Best known for her role in the movie Blow-up, which won the Palme dOr at the Cannes Festival in 1967, Jane began her music career in 1969 with the song Je taime moi non plus, releasing a few years later her first solo album, Di Doo Dah. Her latest material is the work of twelve composers and contains duets with Bryan Ferry, Francoise Hardy and Beth Gibbons. Q Concert starts at 19:00. Tickets 80 - 250 lei from www.myticket.ro. B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). Goldies never get oldies. In other words, a Tom Jones concert in Bucharest will always be as fresh as the first time we heard Shes a lady, Its not unusual, Green Grass of Home or Delilah. This is a chance to see a living legend, something we should all be grateful to have done at least once during his roller coaster career. Chances are that they will not be needing chairs inside Sala Palatului. At this concert we expect everybody to be on their feet singing and dancing. Q Concert starts at 20:00. Tickets 149.1 - 852 lei from www.eventim.ro.
B-5, Str. Ion Campineanu 28 (Sala Palatului). If you want to be impressed by the best Georgian traditional dancers and acrobats with swords and knives then the Sukhishvili ballet troupe is exactly what youre looking for. Coming from the first Georgian dance professional company, founded in 1945, this troupe has graced numerous stages the world over, from The Metropolitan Opera to The Coliseum and Madison Square Garden, and is easily most acclaimed ballet troupe in the business. After all, theyre the ones responsible for making Georgian dance well known and appreciated world wide. Q Concert starts 20:00. Tickets 50 - 250 lei from www.eventim.ro.
Opera & Ballet

The Romanian National Opera (Opera Romana) is at B-5, B-dul Kogalniceanu 70-72, tel. (+4) 021 314 69 80, www. operanb.ro. It serves up a fairly familiar repertoire of classic operas and ballets. There is usually a performance every night (at 18:30), with child-oriented matinees at 11:30 at weekends. Tickets cost from 5.30 - 63.60 lei, and can be purchased online at www.bilet.ro or from the Operas own box office, open 09:00-13:00, 15:00-19:00.
17.11 Thursday Tom Jones
Adventure Park
tel. (+4) 0755 08 55 55, www.parc-aventura.ro. Set over two and a half acres of forest on the outskirts of Brasov, this place is the answer to your what shall we do with the kids today prayers. There are trees to climb, daredevil swings and slides, tunnels and assault courses. In all there are more than 100 activities and eight different trails (one of which welcomes children as young as four). The turn-off is just before Metro if you are arriving from Bucharest. Q Open 10:00-21:00. Admission (3hrs) adults 37 lei, students 32 lei, children 8-11 27 lei, children 4-7 21 lei.
Parc Aventura Cartier Noua, Zona lac Noua, Brasov,
22.11 Tuesday Iced Earth
A-5, Calea Plevnei 61 (The Silver Church), www.promusicprod.ro/icedearth. Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band from Tampa, Florida, that combines influences from thrash metal, power metal, progressive metal, opera, speed metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Iced Earth has been known to have a volatile and often changing line-up. Founding member, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist
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BUCHarest FootBaLL
If there is any city in Romania which could be called a hotbed of football, then the capital is it. As we write, Bucharest is home to no fewer than four Liga 1 (first division) clubs: Steaua, Dinamo, Rapid and little Sportul Studentesc. It is therefore surprising that no team from Bucharest has won the Romanian league title since 2007. It is even more surprising given that in the 25 years from 1982 to 2006, the league title trophy left the capital just once (in 1992, when it was won by Universitatea Craiova). The current Romanian champions by the way are Otelul Galati - who despite playing their Champions League games in Bucharest - are in fact based hundreds of kilometres away.
While the Romanian national team has a far from impressive international record (a World Cup quarter-final in 1994, lost on penalties to Sweden, remains the national teams best effort), it has given the world some talented players and coaches over the years - the greatest of them being Stefan Kovacs, who led Ajax to two European Cups in 1972 and 1973 - while its clubs, from the end of the 1970s until the fall of communism at least, had a more than decent record in international competition: Steaua Bucharest were the first Eastern European winners of the European Cup, in 1986, beating Barcelona on penalties in Seville. Steaua were not, however, the first Romanian side to do well in Europe. Dinamo Bucharest reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1981, losing over two legs to Liverpool, about to win their third European Cup in five years at a time when English teams dominated the competition. The next season Universitatea Craiova made the quarterfinals of the European Cup, losing to Bayern Munich, while a year later the same team went as far as the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing on away goals to Benfica. It is Steauas European Cup victory in 1986 which remains the greatest achievement of Romanian football internationally, however, although it should be said that in those post-Heysel days there were no English teams to worry about, and the roll-call of teams Steaua had to beat to get to the final is hardly impressive: Honved, Velje, Kuusysi Lahti and Anderlecht. Such is the luck of the draw, however. The final itself was extraordinary. Played in Seville in front of a crowd almost entirely made up of Barcelona fans, Steaua parked the proverbial bus in front of their opponents and played perhaps the least exciting 120 minutes of football seen in a European Cup final. Yet the tactic worked. Having made it to a penalty shoot-out, Steaua goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam then saved all four Barcelona penalties, while Marius Lacatus and Gabriel Balint scored for Steaua. Tens of thousands of supporters greeted the team as they landed at Otopeni, and Nicolae Ceausescu personally handed each member of the Steaua squad an award. Worth noting is that the dictators eldest son, Valentin, had for a number of years been the de facto general manager of the club and can be seen in all the official photos celebrating with the team on the Seville pitch after the final. Still under Valentin Ceausescus patronage, Steaua reached the European Cup final again, in 1989, though
An introduction to Romanian football
BUCHarest FootBaLL
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they were this time soundly thrashed by Arrigo Sacchis revolutionary Milan, but that was to be the swansong of Romanian club football in Europe. Since the 1989 revolution Romanias best players have been free to leave and play for foreign clubs, and local sides - who once had first pick of all the countrys best players - have been left with those unable or unwilling to move abroad, joined of late by hundreds of cheap imports. This has had a dreadful impact on the local game. Many first division matches are now played in front of just a few hundred spectators, with only the big derbies involving Steaua, Rapid and Dinamo attracting decent crowds. Thanks to the quirks of UEFAs coefficient calculations (which place the Champions League and the UEFA Cup/ Europa League on an almost equal footing), Steauas run to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2005 means that Romania has had a direct entrant in the Champions League group stages for the past few seasons. It is telling, however, that no Romanian side has ever made it out of the group phase, and Otelul Galati do not look as though they are about to bother the knock-out stages this year.
Bucharests teams
Though Dinamo and Rapid fans would beg to differ, the biggest Bucharest club (and indeed the biggest and bestsupported in the country) is Steaua. Founded in 1947 as ASA Bucuresti, the sports division of the Romanian army, the club adopted the name Steaua only in the early 1960s. Romanias most successful team, they have won the league championship 23 times (the last in was 2006), as well as the European Cup in 1986. They remain the only Romanian team to win a European trophy. They for decades played at Steaua Stadium (known colloquially as Ghencea) in the southwest of Bucharest, a once fearsome place for visiting teams but which now - much like the team that once played there - is a
rather shabby affair in need of a major overhaul. An ongoing dispute as to who should pay for this (the army - which own the stadium - or the club which used it) currently means that Steaua are leading a nomadic existence. Home matches so far this season have been played in places as diverse as Cluj, Constanta and Pitesti, amongst others. It remains to be seen if they will return to Ghencea. The club - once the pride of the Romanian army of course - is now the plaything of the controversial businessman and politician Gigi Becali, an MEP - amongst other things - who hires and fires coaches at will and has a habit of interfering with team selection. Steaua have had no fewer than 15 different coaches over the past 10 years. Steauas eternal rivals Dinamo were founded at much the same time as Steaua, as the sports club of the Romanian Ministry of the Interior. Dinamo have won the championship 17 times. In the immediate aftermath of the 1989 revolution, there was a half-hearted attempt to abandon the Dinamo name as it had become associated (everywhere in eastern Europe, not merely in Romania) with the secret police (in Romanias case the Securitate). Instead, Unirea Tricolor (the name of a pre-World War II Bucharest team) was briefly adopted; it did not catch on, as neither players nor supporters would have anything to do with it. The idea was quickly, quietly, dropped, and Dinamo continued to be Dinamo. Although now in private hands, the Ministry of the Interior continues to hold a small stake in the club, and owns the land the clubs stadium is built on. The team laughably likes to be known as Cainii rosii (The Red Dogs) possibly the most ridiculous nickname in world football (all the more so seeing as it is self-inflicted). Rapid - as the name suggests - were the team of Bucharests railway workers, and are the oldest of the big three, having been founded in the 1920s by workers at the notorious Grivita railyards in the north west of the city. From the same
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BUCHarest FootBaLL
railyards came Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, Romanias first brutal communist dictator, who led the country from 1948-1965. Yet perversely, for much of the communist period Rapid were (quite deliberately) starved of funds, and spent a number of seasons in the 1970s and 1980s in the second division. Indeed, Sportul Studentesc were for much of the 1980s the third club in the capital. Having won their first league title in 1967, Rapid had to wait until 1999 to win it again. The most celebrated of Bucharest's many other, smaller clubs is Sportul Studentesc, originally the team of Bucharest University. Founded in 1916 they are one of the oldest in the country. During the mid-1980s, when a young Gheorghe Hagi, probably Romanias best ever player, plied his trade here, they were one of the best teams in the country, finishing as runnersup in the league in 1986. Since then they have yo-yoed between the first and second divisions. (Sportul were actually relegated at the end of the 2010-2011 season, but eventually stayed up after Politehnica Timisoara were relegated to the second division for financial irregularities). Juventus Bucuresti have a long (if hardly distinguished) history, a club originally founded in 1924 whose best league position was third in 1936. In 1952 the team was moved by Romanias communist authorities to Ploiesti and renamed Petrolul (the practice of moving teams from one city to another continues in Romania to this day). The current Juventus Bucuresti was founded in 1992, and plays at a small yet neat and tidy stadium in the Colentina district in the northeast of the city. Much of the teams support is local and in this respect they are one of the few teams who can claim to have genuine local support. Steaua, Dinamo and Rapid draw supporters from all over the city. Juventus play in Liga 2, the second division. Just outside the capital, CS Otopeni play in the second division in their modern stadium close to the airport (you can see the main stand to your right as you drive in to the city): their one season in the top flight (2009-2010) ended in relegation. FC Snagov are another side based close to Bucharest, plying their trade in Liga 2. Below Liga 2 (which is itself split into two regional divisions) Romanian football goes a bit Sunday morning pub league, matches being played in front of just a handful of people. While we probably havent done a great job of selling Romanian football to you so far, the fact remains that there will always be a certain type of visitor to a foreign city whose first order of business is to see if there is a football match on he (or she) can go and watch. We know, because we fall into that category. If you do fancy taking in a game while in Bucharest, here is a quick guide to where and when might be best to do so. The best games for atmosphere are the derbies between Steaua and Dinamo, Steaua and Rapid, and Rapid and Dinamo. Getting tickets for these games via official channels can be difficult, however, although finding a tout outside the grounds on match day is easy. As ticket prices are cheap, even paying a tout through the nose will cost far less than you would be used to paying at a stadium at home. If you do manage to get tickets via official channels (and all three main Bucharest clubs have box offices at their grounds) expect to pay from 10 lei to 100 lei for a ticket. Getting tickets for any other Steaua, Rapid or Dinamo home game is easy, and in most cases can be bought on the day, as you go in. At Sportul Studentesc, entry is often free. Though there are idiots from all three groups of supporters who like to think they are reliving the 1980s at English football grounds, real trouble at Romanian football matches is rare, as games are heavily policed and supporters kept well segregated. In fact, supporters are usually more likely to get a wallop from the jendarmes than from opposing fans. At all three stadiums however, always try and sit as close as possible to the Tribuna Oficiala, and dont act like a muppet.
Stadiums & Fixtures

Dates change frequently for the sake of television schedules. The best place to find out who is playing and when, is probably the website of local sports (well, it has some sport alongside the half-naked women) newspaper GSP.ro.
Arena Nationala B-dul Basarabia 37-39, MPiata

Muncii, www.nationalarena.ro. Romanias new national stadium is the most modern in the country. It will host the final of the UEFA Cup/Europa League in 2012, Otelul Galati play their Champions League matches here, while Steaua and Rapid play their Europa League games here. The stadium will also now host Bucharest derbies. October/ November fixtures at the Arena Nationala: 18.10 Otelul - Manchester United; 20.10 Rapid - Legia Warsaw; 24.10 Steaua - Rapid; 3.11 Steaua - Maccabi Haifa; 22.11 Otelul - Basel; 30.11 Rapid - Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Dinamo C-3, Sos. Stefan cel Mare 7-9, MStefan cel Mare, tel. (+4) 021 210 69 74, www.fcdinamo.ro. Dinamo play at Dinamo Stadium, right outside Stefan cel Mare tube station. The stadium, which is below ground level, is known as Groapa - The Pit. With the pitch surrounded by a running track the low stands are a long way from the pitch and even when full there is little atmosphere here.Q Stadium box office: Open 10:00 - 17:00. Official store Open 10:00 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Tickets 10-100 lei. Season tickets 50-600 lei. October/November fixtures at Dinamo: 22.10 Dinamo - FC Brasov; 19.11 Dinamo - Vointa Sibiu. Rapid Calea Giulesti 18, MCrangasi, tel. (+4) 021 318 92 91, www.fcrapid.ro. Rapid play in Giulesti (officially the Valentin Stanescu Stadium), their traditional home close to Gara de Nord, as befitting a club with railway roots. Giulesti is a ground which can host 11,700 but rarely has to. Almost the entire stadium is roofless, and watching football here in bad weather can be miserable. Having said that, for a genuine football fan experience this is probably your best bet in Bucharest. To get to Giulesti, take the metro from Gara de Nord to Crangasi, which is a ten-minute walk away. Q Box office Open 10:00 - 17:00. Fan Shop inside the Stadium, Open 09:00 - 15:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Tickets 10-80 lei. Season tickets 100-150 lei, VIP 1000-2200 lei. October/November fixtures at Rapid: 15.10 Rapid - Dacia Mioveni; 29.10 Rapid - Astra Ploiesti; 19.11 Rapid - Gaz Metan Medias. Sportul Studentesc Str. Larisa 2, MCrangasi, tel. (+4) 021 212 50 59, www.fcsportulstudentesc.ro. Perennially poor, and watched most weeks by just a handful of bored students, its the kind of club that could get under your skin very easily. Find the ground in Regie: the heart of Bucharests studentville. Crangasi metro is a five minute walk from the stadium. Q Box office Open 10:00 - 16:00. Tickets 10-75 lei. October/November fixtures at Sportul: 15.10 Sportul - Targu Mures; 29.10 Sportul - Pandurii; 5.11 Sportul - U Cluj; 26.11 Sportul - Vaslui.
www.steauafc.com. Steauas stadium, once the most modern in Romania, is horribly decrepit by most normal standards. However, Steaua are in dispute with the stadiums owners (the Ministry of Defence) and are not currently playing matches here.Q Box office open 12:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 16:00. Closed Sun. October/November fixtures at Steaua: 24.10 Steaua - Rapid (to be played at the Arena Nationala); 5.11 Steaua - Chiajna (venue to be decided); 26.11 Steaua - FC Brasov (venue to be decided).
Watching football in Bucharest
Steaua B-dul Ghencea 35, tel. (+4) 021 411 46 56,
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roManian aLCoHoL
Cheap and rather good, you should not visit Romania without trying a decent-sized sample of its various forms of booze. Best known internationally for its cheap yet good wine, Romania also offers some decent beer and very strong spirits. The story of the Romanian wine industry is a long and complicated one. In short, it was very good, then the communist regime ruined it through under-investment and over-production, and now, back in private hands, it is improving apace. Almost two per cent of Romanias total agricultural land is given over to vineyards, making Romania one of the worlds top 10 wine producers. As a general rule the best whites are made in the north and in Transylvania, while the countrys best reds are made in the south. There are many exceptions, however. The best known wine making regions in Romania are Dobrogea (reds) and Murfatlar (which makes good reds and decent whites) in the south east, Dealul Mare around Buzau (which makes excellent reds, probably the countrys best, in fact), Tarnava in central Transylvania (whites) and Cotnari (whites) in Moldova. In the west, the deep reds of the Recas vineyards have an increasingly loyal following. While Romania grows international varieties of grape very well, from Sauvignon Blanc to (some extraordinarily good) Merlot, the country also boasts a number of excellent native grapes. The best local varieties are probably the noble, blackcurrant-tinged Feteasca Neagra (red), Feteasca Alba (white), Feteasca Regala (white) and the aromatic, honeylike Tamaioasa Romaneasca (white). Our personal favourites (and we repeat, these are favourites: we are not claiming that they are Romanias best wines) include the Chardonnay and Feteasca Regalabased brut from the Halewood/Prahova Valley winery, the Tamaioasa Romaneasca on the Domeniile Tohani label, and the semi-sweet red Rai de Murfatlar, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Murfatlar. Also worth looking out for is Busuioac de Bohotin, which, while too sweet for many tastes is a unique wine and one of few roses made in Romania. Another somewhat unique Romanian wine is Lacrima lui Ovidiu, a bold, strong, yet sweet and syrupy wine from Murfatlar, made from grapes harvested deliberately late. Other labels which can usually be taken as a sign of quality include Davino from Dealul Mare, Stirbey and Jidvei (especially its Feteasca Regala), Corcova and Domeniul Coroanei. Perhaps our favourite wine, however (at the moment) is the Merlot sold on the Vitis Metamorfosis label, a joint venture between Halewood and Marchesi Antinori. With prices usually reflecting quality, you are advised to spend as much as possible when choosing a Romanian wine. The good news is that you will rarely have to spend much: prices remain relatively low and should stay so given the increasing abundance of great choice. There are some excellent specialist wine shops in Bucharest now (see page 88), including Vinexpert, Arte & Vino, and Boutique de Vin, while Halewood/Prahova Valley has its own store in Bucharest. Grand Cafe Van Gogh has a wine cellar where you can taste and buy fine wines. Of the supermarkets, Real has the best selection of wine, and is in fact perhaps the best place in the city to buy wine. Prices here are usually lower than at the specialist shops.
Romanian Wine
Romanian Beer
Romania has a long, proud history of brewing good beer, and while today there are just 20 breweries in the country (there were more than 120 breweries in 1989), such statistics do not tell the whole story of beer in Romania, which is far from being a sorry one. With large amounts of investment from big
roManian aLCoHoL
foreign brewers the countrys best known beers have been saved from extinction and improved. Fortunately for the visitor, improvements in quality have not increased prices: Romania remains home to one of the cheapest pints of beer in Europe. (We have long suggested that the countrys marketing people use the fact in their international campaigns!) The best known local brands of beer are probably Ursus (which has been brewed since the 1870s - if you ask ten Romanians what the national beer is, it is likely that at least nine will respond Ursus) and Timisoreana (brewed since 1718). Both Ursus and Timisoreana are now owned by SAB Miller, which also produces the smaller brands Cuicas, Azuga and Stejar. Silva and Ciuc (both owned by Heineken), as well as Carlsbergs locally brewed Tuborg are also ubiquitous and very popular, while other notable beers include Interbrews Bergenbier. Unfiltered wheat beers (bere nefiltrata) are very popular in Romania, the best probably being Ciuc's, though you should also keep a look out for Paulaners white beer, found on tap in a number of Bucharest bars and pubs. Also worth trying is the dark, bitter Ursus Black, a very different beer to most local brews. Imported beers are popular amongst young, wealthy urbanites, and you should never have too much trouble finding the major international brands: Heineken, Carlsberg, Peroni, Leffe, Hoegaarden and Stella Artois are all popular in Romania. And while imported beer is usually a couple of lei more expensive than the local stuff, no beer in Romania is likely to cost more than 10-12 lei, even in a club or trendy bar. A pint (or the local equivalent) of local draught (la halba) beer costs from 5-8 lei, often even cheaper. The one exception to the cheap rule is Guinness. Found all over the country (it is very popular amongst Romanians) it is also expensive: pay around 15 lei for a pint. Some of the more exotic beers sold at Bucharests specialist beer pub Beer OClock (see page 81) are also rather expensive, though as some have travelled from obscure parts of the world the price is usually worth it. Do not leave Romania without trying the local firewater, tuica (drink too much on the other hand and you might not be in any fit state to leave). Made with prunes and fermented in wooden casks this strong smelling spirit is lethal yet ubiquitous. Every male in the country has a supply (even if he doesnt drink it) and will insist that his fathers/father-in-laws/uncles etc. is the best. When made from other fruits, tuica is usually called rachiu. In Maramures, tuica is called horinca, but is essentially the same spirit, although many people will insist that the drink should be distilled three times before it can be named horinca. Similar to tuica is palinca, a more refined (it is distilled twice) spirit made usually from a mixture of fruits. Both tuica and palinca have exceptionally high alcohol content. Other local spirits include the less alcoholic afinata, visinata and zmeurata. These are very light pseudo-liqeurs often served as aperitifs or a dessert, or simply as a lighter alternative to tuica when the occassion calls for unu mic (a small drink/shot). These drinks are made by taking small garden fruits (bilberries - afine - for afinata, cherries - visine - for visinata and raspberries - zmeura - for zmeurata) and leaving them to ferment in large glass bottles placed in the sun for two-three months, with lots of sugar added. Other spirits made in Romania include two herbal concoctions from Transylvania, both similar to the Hungarian drink Unicum. Salvator is made in Sumuleu Ciuc and is probably slightly better than Transilvanicum, made in Miercurea Ciuc. Like Unicum theyre a bit of an acquired taste. We should also mention vinars (which translates literally as Burnt Wine). Its not quite cognac, but youd swear it was.
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CaLea ViCtoriei
No street in Bucharest has a history to match that of Calea Victoriei, the citys most famous thoroughfare which runs - much as it has for more than three centuries - from Piata Victoriei in the north of the city all the way down to Piata Natiunilor Unite and the Dambovita river. Lined with fine houses, palaces, churches, hotels, upmarket shops and museums, it remains perhaps the most prestigious address in the city. Calea Victoriei was first opened to traffic - or what passed for traffic in those days - in 1692, originally part of the route from the Old Court (Curtea Veche, see page 75) to Mogosoaia, where Constantin Brancoveanu, that great ruler of these parts who did so much to modernise the country during his long and distinguished reign - had his main palace. The street has had many names over the years, including Ulita Sarindar, Drumul Brasovului and Drumul Mogosoaia - its name until 1878 when it became Calea Victoriei in honour of victories recently won by Romanian armies fighting to preserve the countrys newly won independence from the Ottoman Empire. The street - originally covered with logs, as was the norm in those days - was fully paved by 1825, one of the first in the city (Strada Franceza, in Old Town, closer to the Old Court, was in fact the first). There followed a blossoming of construction as the street became a magnet for wealthy merchants who built homes along its length, keen to be spared the ignominies of the mud streets which persisted elsewhere. Though much has changed since, and not a few majestic buildings have fallen victim to earthquake, war, socialist planning or modernisation, many of the buildings which went up along Calea Victoriei in the first part of the 19th century remain. Orientation: modern Calea Victoriei can be split more or less neatly into two sections: the residential northern part, noted mainly for its fine houses and palaces and the more commercial southern part, packed with hotels, shops, banks, restaurants and cafes. To start a walk of the full length of the street at the northern end (which we recommend, as you can then end up by relaxing in one of the cafes of Old Town), simply take the metro to Piata Victoriei.
Shopping on Calea Victoriei

While the masses head for Bucharests malls, those with oodles of cash head for the upmarket shops on Calea Victoriei.
Piata Victoriei to Calea Grivitei

For all its history, Calea Victoriei does not start well. Piata Victoriei is an awful place, all cars and traffic, smoke and dust. The modernist building on the far side is the Palatul din Piata Victoriei, home today of the Romanian government (though when it was built in the 1930s it was the Foreign Ministry). On the other side of the square is the excellent Grigore Antipa Museum of Natural History, built in 1906 (see page 68). Elsewhere, Piata Victoriei is a socialist nightmare, with its more recently built office blocks barely more attractive than those built before 1989. Heading off from here along Calea Victoriei itself, the first building of any real interest is the Palatul Cantacuzino at No. 141, usually referred to (mistakenly) as the Casa Enescu. The building does house the Romanian Museum of Music (which carries the name of George Enescu, the countrys finest composer) but - contrary to popular belief, Enescu never lived here, although there is a connection. The vaguely baroque, Louis XVI-style building dates from 1898, when it was built for the wealthy politician Gheorghe Cantacuzino. On his death in 1913 the palace became the property of Cantacuzinos eldest son Mihai, who in turn left it to his wife, Maruca, when he died in 1929. Maruca subsequently married Enescu - in 1939 - but they chose to live in a smaller house at the rear of the palace. Crossing Strada Gheorghe Manu, you will come across two gorgeous houses next to each other: the Neo-Classical yet very French Casa Nenciu, was built in the 1830s for a Wallachian princess, the exotically named Cleopatra Trubetkoi. In 1847 Franz Liszt stayed here while on an extended visit to the Bucharest. Next door at No. 192 is the Casa Manu,
Anthony Frost English Bookshop B-4, Calea Victoriei 45, tel. (+4) 021 311 51 38, w w w. librariaengleza.ro.QOpen 10:00 - 19:00, Sun 10:00 - 14:00. A Belstaff B-4, Str. Calea Victoriei 136, tel. (+4) 021 318 95 41, www.belstaff.com. Bags, of the exclusive kind. QOpen 10:00 - 20:00. Closed Sun. PA Cellini C-5, Calea Victoriei 102-108, tel. (+4) 031 432 90 41, www.cellini.ro. High-end watches. QOpen 10:00 - 20:00. Emporio Armani C-5, Calea Victoriei 60-64, tel. (+4) 021 310 81 30, www.emporioarmani.com. QOpen 10:00 - 21:00, Sat 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun. PA Ermenegildo Zegna B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81, tel. (+4) 021 316 89 75, www.zegna.ro. QOpen 10:00 - 21:00, Sat 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun. Gerard Darel B-4, Calea Victoriei 118, www. gerarddarel.com. Q Open 10:00 - 20:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 17:00. Helvetansa B-4, Calea Victoriei 68-70, tel. (+4) 021 226 22 02, www.helvetansa.ro. For Swiss-made watches that you buy once in a lifetime. QOpen 11:00 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 - 16:00. Closed Sun. Also at (C-5) Bdul Balcescu 25, tel. (+4) 021 311 17 08 and (B-4) Calea Victoriei 88, tel. (+4) 021 310 38 00. Humanitas Kretzulescu B-4, Calea Victoriei 45, tel. (+4) 021 313 50 35. Large bookshop. QOpen 10:00 - 21:00, Sat 11:00 - 21:00, Sun 11:00 - 17:00. Gucci C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3, tel. (+4) 0734 45 05 50, www.gucci.com. QOpen 10:00 - 21:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 18:00. PA Hugo Boss B-4, Calea Victoriei 145, tel. (+4) 021 311 88 97, www.hugoboss.com. QOpen 10:00 20:00. Closed Sun. A Max Mara C-5, Calea Victoriei 122A, tel. (+4) 021 316 89 77, www.maxmara.com. Q Open 10:00 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 16:00. Closed Sun. Micri Gold C-5, Calea Victoriei 56, tel. (+4) 021 312 00 57, office@micrigold.ro, www.micrigold.ro.QOpen 10:30 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun. A Pal Zileri C-5, Calea Victoriei 63-81, tel. (+4) 021 312 72 01, www.palzileri.com. QOpen 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun. Romartizana B-4, Calea Victoriei 16-20, tel. (+4) 021 313 14 65, www.romartizana.com.ro. Traditional souvenirs. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Victoria 46 Mall C-5, Calea Victoriei 46, tel. (+4) 021 315 22 93, www.victoria46.ro. QOpen 10:00 21:00, Sat 11:00 - 21:00. Closed Sun. A
Frey Wille
Frey Wille C-5, Calea Victoriei 118, tel. (+4) 031 620 13 54, www.frey-wille.com. Frey Wille boutiques are found in the most exclusive locations around the world, including Bucharests very own street of style and luxury, Calea Victoriei. Expect to find only the finest jewellery and accessories here, and there is a good selection for both men and women. We are big fans of the pens... they are very special indeed. QOpen 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sun. bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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completed in 1843 for the modernising administrator Alecu Florescu, but named for the man who bought it in 1848: the legendary general Gheorghe Manu. The Casa Lens-Vernescu at No. 133 (to give the mansion its full name) is one of the finest on Calea Victoriei, built around 1820 in an eclectic style incorporating many of the architectural trends of the time. For years it was regarded as the most beautiful house in the city, and belonged initially to Filip Lens, a lawyer and politician. On his death in 1852 the house became a residence for military officers, the Ministry of War moving in shortly afterwards. Another politician, Gheorghe Vernescu, bought it from the state in 1886, and had it extensively remodelled over a two-year period from 1887-9. Today the building houses a casino and a restaurant, which is currently being renovated. The house on the south-western corner of the Calea Victoriei/Bulvardul Dacia intersection (opposite the new-ish Golden Tulip hotel) is the Casa Monteoru. One of the oldest on Calea Victoriei it dates from around 1810, although it was almost entirely reconstructed in the 1880s (to designs by Ion Mincu - an architect whose name you come across a lot in Bucharest). The building is distinguished by its uneven character: the ground floor is much smaller than the upper floor, the gorgeous balcony of which is supported by two broad, Corinthian columns. Eclectic both inside and out the building is today one of a number in the city owned by the Romanian Writers Union. Next door is a fine palace, known as the Palat Romanit which hosts the Museum of Art Collections. The central corp was built in 1834, then rebuilt and extended in 1883, when the wings were added. For much of the 19th century the building was home to the Ministry of Finance, becoming an art museum in 1948, when the wealthiest families in Romania were made an offer they couldnt refuse by the communist government, and forced to donate much (in many cases all) of their extensive art collections to the state. Speaking of the state, the elegant, modernist if neglected
linear building opposite, at No. 152, is another Duiliu Marcu design, built from 1936-40 and from 1948-1989 home of the State Planning Committee. Looking every inch a 1930s Italian railway station, the clock on the main tower is a gem.
Commercial Calea Victoriei

It is at the crossroads with Calea Grivitei that you notice a real change in the mood of Calea Victoriei. The road and pavements narrow, and houses, palaces and small parks give way to blocks - many of which are nevertheless elegant if run down - with shops on the ground floor. Yet the first building of real interest on this part of Calea Victoriei will for most people be the little white church set back from the street in a small square on the corner of Str. George Enescu. Known colloquially as the Biserica Alba (White Church), it is officially the Biserica Sf. Nicolae and is one of the oldest in Bucharest, being founded in 1700. The current structure dates from 1827, however (the original was destroyed in an earthquake), with the interior frescoes for which it is famed having been restored a number of times, most recently in 1988. The glass and steel opposite belong to the Radisson Blu hotel, opened in 2008 after a refit of several years had turned the tired, old and often infamous Hotel Bucuresti into the five-star wonder the rich and famous throng to today. The hotels interior courtyard is home - in the right weather - to one of the few outdoor swimming pools in the city. (The original Hotel Bucuresti was built from 1982-4). In what is very much Bucharests Hotel Row, directly across the road from the Radisson is the Athenee Palace Hilton, one of few hotels in the world whose history is so intriguing that books have been written about it (Rosie Waldecks Athenee Palace details the intricate diplomatic discussions
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CaLea ViCtoriei
- official or otherwise - which took place here in the 1930s and 1940s). The hotel opened in 1912 (it was designed by a Frenchman, Teophile Bradeau) and was built on the site of an old inn, the Hanul Gherasi. The Calea Victoriei wing was added in the 1960s, and the hotel was entirely renovated again in 1997 when it became a Hilton property. Most recently the ground floor brasserie was remodelled and reopened as the Cafe Athenee. The Athenee Palace vies for attention on Piata Revolutiei with the Atheneum, the Former Royal Palace, the University Library, the Former Central Committee Building, the Revolution Monument the Cretulescu Church (see box, right) and the new statue of Carol I. In fact, there are two squares here: the area as far as the Carol I statue is Piata George Enescu, with Piata Revolutiei only kicking in beyond that. Most people refer to the whole open space as Piata Revolutiei, however. You should take a look at the building just behind and to the left of the University Library: the modern green office block inside the ruins of an old house. What happened here is simple: the building was all but destroyed during the 1989 revolution (this square saw most of the action: it was from the low balcony of the grey Former Central Committee Building that Nicolae Ceausescu gave his last public speech, before fleeing the next day from the roof in a helicopter). It was taken over by the Architects Union who then created the rather splendid mix of old and new we admire today. The Revolution Monument is a less impressive affair, mocked by locals who call it an olive on a stick. Shops of the classy and expensive kind occupy the ground floor of the buildings that line Calea Victoriei as it closes in again, at least as far as the two hotels - historic both for differing reasons - that greet you at the crossroads with Ion Campaneanu. The Grand Continental Hotel was reopened in 2009 after being almost totally rebuilt. Opposite is the Novotel, whose faux Neo-Classical entrance is an exact replica of that of Bucharests original National Theatre, which stood here from 1852 until it was destroyed in an allied bombing raid in August 1944. Next to the Novotel is the art deco Palatul Telefoanelor (Telephone Palace). Built over three years from 1929-32 to serve as the headquarters of Romanias national telephone company it was the first building in the country to be constructed in the manner of an American skyscraper: concrete reinforced by a steel frame. There are three other hotels on this part of the street: the Majestic, the Capitol and the Casa Capsa - the latter being one of the oldest in the city, dating back to 1886. The cafe on the ground floor was for decades - especially in the 1920s and 1930s - the unofficial home of Romanias best writers, who would wile away their days here. The name refers to the founder of the hotel, Grigore Capsa, who was said to be able to spot a decent writer a mile away. Opposite the Telephone Palace is the Pasajul Victoriei. Built in the 1830s, it was home for a long time to the Bucharests most luxurious brothel. King Carol II was allegedly a regular client. The brothel was closed in 1947, but the goings-on inside (and in the pasaj in general) are immortalized in Ion Matei Caragiales 1929 novel Craii de Curtea Veche. The Cercul Militar was completed in 1912, on the site of a former monastery, the Sarindar. A recently renovated fountain in front of the building preserves the Sarindar name. Opposite is the Hotel Bulevard, built in the 1860s and the first in the city to have running water in the rooms. It was closed in 2005 ahead of a five-star refit that is approaching completion. On the opposite corner, find the little courtyard (next to Pizza Hut) which leads through to one of Bucharests many hidden churches. Dating from 1683 the churchs name is a mouthful: the Biserica Intrarea Maicii Domnului n Biseric (the Church of the Entrance of the Mother of God into Church). The recently restored frescoes are worth popping inside to see. From here Calea Victoriei heads gently downhill towards the river, passing the Bancorex building at No. 15 (now called the Bucharest Financial Plaza) the first modern office block to be built after 1990. Bancorex - a bank set up to absorb and disperse foreign loans and investment in the early 1990s - went bust in 1999, and has become a byword for post-communist corruption. Next door is the far more satisfactory CEC building (the ornate national savings bank, built in 1900) while opposite is the National History Museum (see page 70). The Old Town/Lipscani area lurks behind the History Museum. At the very bottom of the street, facing the river, are the Gloriette Buildings, neither of which is in the best of shape. Designed by local architect Petru Antonescu and completed in 1926, they are worth noting for their design (particularly the belvedere at the top), which was used a blueprint for the apartment buildings which went up in the Civic Centre along Bulevardul Unirii in the 1980s (see box on page 90, and which, it should be said, have weathered no better).
Bucharests Historic Churches

Creulescu Church (Biserica Creulescu)
C-5, Calea Victoriei 47, MUniversitate. Probably the most celebrated historic church in Bucharest. Biserica Creulescu was raised from 1720-2 by Iordache Creulescu and his wife Safta, a daughter of Romanian humanitarian Constantin Brncoveanu. The outstanding paintings on the entrance are original, the work of an unknown artist, while the interior icons were added in 1859 by Gheorghe Tattarescu, widely considered one of Romanias finest ever executor of religious art. Greatly damaged during the fighting of the revolution of December 1989, the church was recently restored to its full glory, and is a must. The bust which stands in front of it, by the way, is of Corneliu Coposu, a leading liberal politician of the 1940s who spent many years imprisoned during the communist period.
churches built in Bucharest during the reign of Constantin Brncoveanu (and he built a few!), the New St. Georges Church was consecrated on June 29th, 1707. It was a wonder of the age, having been designed by an Italian, Vaseleli, and decorated by the great Romanian maestros of the times: the painter Mutu, the carpenter Istrate and the sculptor Caragea. Damaged in a fire in 1847, the church was renovated from 1852-3 by the Spanish architect Villacrosse (who gave his name to the famous passage in Old Town). At the same time, new and outstanding interior murals were added by Marian Popp. Brncoveanu (Romanias renaissance man) is himself allegedly buried under the church, in an unmarked grave.
New St. Georges Church (Biserica Sf. Gheorghe Nou) C-6, Piata Sf. Gheorghe. The largest of the
Patriarchal Cathedral (Patriarhia) C-6/7, Str. Dealul Mitropoliei. Set atop one of the citys few hills, known as Mitropoliei, the Patriarchal Cathedral has been the centrepiece of the Romanian Orthodox faith since the seventeeth century. Built to a design based on the Curtea de Arges, near Pitesti, it has undergone a number of facelifts, but the overwhelming majority of the cathedrals structure is the original, built between 1654 and 1658. The outstanding bell-tower at the entrance was built in 1698, and restored in 1958. Next to the church - and closed to the public - is the Patriarchal Palace, residence of Daniel Ciobotea, the recently elected Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1708. bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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Cream of the Crop
(+4) 021 303 37 77, www.hiltonbucharest.com. Much spoken of in the past tense (this place has a seriously long and legendary history; a home of intrigues and adventure for more than a century) it is less often referred to in the present. This is a deep shame, as to dwell on the past ignores the fact that this is a great, modern hotel. Luxuriously furnished, the immense rooms offer the latest in gadgetry and perhaps the fluffiest bathrobes in Romania. Ask for a room with a view over Piata Revolutiei for best effect. Fine dining on site courtesy of one excellent restaurant and an exemplary brasserie. Q 272 rooms (175 singles/doubles, 96 suites and apartments. Prices from 110-250). POTHAR6UFLG KDCW (+4) 021 569 33 77, www.carolparchotel.ro. Luxurious, certainly, but offering something a bit different to the bigger players, the Carol Park is coquette and secluded: you have to know about this place, as you do not find it by chance. A gorgeous place where the finest things are offered to all who pass through its doors, expect only fine, classic furnishings and very personal service. International stars who value discretion above all else tend to stay here when visiting Bucharest. Q 17 rooms (14 singles/doubles 140-305, 3 apartments 510-530). Prices include breakfast. VAT not included. PTHARULGKW
Athenee Palace Hilton C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3, tel.
Symbol Key
P Air conditioning O Casino T Child friendly R Internet (Standard) F Fitness centre K Restaurant C Swimming pool A Credit cards accepted H Conference facilities U Disabled facilities L Guarded parking G Non-smoking rooms D Sauna W WiFi Internet
M Nearest metro station J Old Town location
Carol Parc Aleea Suter 23-25, tel. (+4) 021 336 33 77/
facilities. With a renowned reputation for individual and friendly service, the hotel can also offer the greenest setting in the capital, surrounded as it is by beautifully maintained grounds. Can also boast a large swimming pool, big, comfortable rooms (and bathrooms to match) and some outstanding drinking and dining options. Q 164 rooms (130 singles/doubles 690-780 lei, 26 suites 840 lei, 8 apartments 990 lei). Prices include Buffet Breakfast. VAT not included. PTHAR UFGKDCW
Epoque B-5, Str. Intrarea Aurora 17C, tel. (+4) 021
Crowne Plaza Bucharest A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1, tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34, www.crowneplaza.com/bucharest. Contemporary and welcoming, the Crowne Plaza Bucharest offers all the reassuring global standards you would expect of the brand, from first class accommodation to world class
312 32 32, www.epoque.ro. Now heres a hotel we have no problem in recommending. Opened during the Autumn of 2010 the Epoque has a number of things going for it, not least its location on the edge of Cismigiu Park: close enough to the heart of the city yet at the same time offering the impression of a retreat. Rooms are large and tastefully furnished, there are plenty of extras (not least a plunge pool), breakfast is good and for what you get, the prices are a steal. Q 45 rooms (16 junior suites 149, 27 executive suites 159-179, 2 apartments 320-420). Extra bed 20. Prices do not include breakfast and VAT. Taxes not included. PTHARUFLGKDCW
(+4) 0372 01 03 00, www.grandhotelcontinental.ro. Making the very best of a wonderful building (which dates from 1886) on chic Calea Victoriei, todays Grand Hotel Continental is the result of more than two years of loving renovation and restoration. Theres marble at every turn, though do not think that modern touches are missing, for they are not. The audio-visual systems in the rooms for example are state of the art. For the great location and for a change from the big chains, its well worth trying out.Q 59 rooms (57 singles/ doubles 300-350, 2 single 280-330 and 6 apartments 600-800). VAT, breakfast and all taxes included. PTHAR6UFLGKDW
Grand Hotel Continental C-5, Calea Victoriei 56, tel.
Howard Johnson Grand Plaza
B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 201 50 00, www.hojoplaza.ro. This is a high-rise hotel in the busy centre of Bucharest, where the sleek, modern exterior is matched by the interiors, all of which carry the signatures of top-name designers. The breakfast is perhaps the best in the city, coming as it does with champagne (for those who enjoy such things in the morning), and the dining opportunities in general are excellent: there is a wonderful Japanese restaurant, Benihana, on site. To really get the best out of this place though, ask for a room on one of the upper floors, for the views over the city. Q 285 rooms (268 singles/doubles 125-150, 15 suites 200, 2 apartments 375). Prices do not include breakfast and VAT. POTHAR6UFLGKDW
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InterContinental
C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 2-4, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20, www.intercontinental.com/ bucharest. Still the tallest hotel in Bucharest (complete with a small swimming pool and terrace on the top floor) the InterContinental was the first major five star hotel to open in Romania, at the beginning of the 1970s. Today it is one of many but remains something of a first choice for journalists and business people, many of whom have been loyal guests for decades. The rooms here all boast big balconies with great views of the city, there is first class dining in the building, and the management is commendably hands-on. Q 257 rooms (236 singles/doubles, 20 junior suites, 1 apartment). Prices from 169-309 (October) and 139-289 (November). Prices include breakfast, but not local taxes (9%). PO THAR6FLGKDCW
JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90, tel. (+4) 021 403 00 00, JWMarriottBucharest.com. To the south of Casa Poporului the JW Marriott occupies something of a palatial building that at first glance probably makes it the most immediately impressive of Bucharests big five star hotels. The scale of the place, and its cavernous interiors, betray the fact that it was built as part of the same grand plan as the Casa Poporului itself. Yet the rooms are homely and well-furnished, providing a welcome contrast to the building. Plenty of good dining options, and home to the biggest swimming pool in the city (we think).Q 401 rooms (379 singles/doubles 800 lei, 22 apartments 1500-5000 lei). Prices do not include breakfast and local taxes. POTHAR6UFLGKDCW Novotel Bucharest City Centre B-4, Calea Victoriei 37B, tel. (+4) 021 308 85 00, www.novotel.com. Few locations are better than this, right on fashionable Calea Victoriei. The entrance is impressive: a replica of the old neoclassical National Theatre which stood on this exact site until the British bombed it to next week during the Second World War. Shiny and new the main part of the hotel is wonderful: rooms are big, with bathrooms particularly impressive. Excellent, lively lobby bar and a big indoor swimming pool are other added benefits of staying here.Q 258 rooms (242singles/ doubles 225-250, 16 suites 275-375). Extra bed on request in the apartment. Prices do not include breakfast, VAT or taxes. POTHAR6UFLGKDCW Pullman Bucharest World Trade Center A-1, P-ta
Montreal 10, tel. (+4) 021 318 30 00, www.pullmanhotels.com. The spacious, luxurious rooms are the main attraction at this high rise in the north of the city, where the bathrooms boast perhaps the deepest bathtubs in the city. There are separate showers, and all in all we think that the square-meterage-per-euro ratio is higher here than anywhere else in Bucharest. A good on-site steak house keeps you well fed, and though there is no pool there is a good fitness centre with sauna and massage available. Q 203 rooms (188 singles/doubles 205-225, 15 suites / apartments 305-800). Prices do not include VAT and breakfast. PO THAR6UFLGKDW 311 90 00, www.radissonblu.com/hotel-bucharest. A gleaming temple of steel and glass amongst the more classical buildings of Calea Victoriei, the Radisson excels in playing the role of futuristic Bucharest hotel of choice. As you walk in the glass bar strikes you as daring and modern, and the rooms themselves are equally avant garde in design. Bathrooms offer both tubs and showers, and there is both an indoor and outdoor pool, so you can swim whatever the weather. Excellent restaurants, especially the sublime Prime
Radisson Blu B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81, tel. (+4) 021
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Steaks and Seafood. Q 718 rooms (385 singles/doubles 500-750 lei, 333 suites/ apartments 730-8500 lei). Prices include breakfast (except single, double and extra bed rates). PJHARUFLGKDCW
Over 150
00, www.angelo-bucharest.com. The hotel closest to Bucharests Otopeni airport. The Angelo is operated by Vienna Hotels, and its bright exterior is matched by the interior: bold colours abound in all the rooms and the common areas. There is high speed Wifi throughout, and a fitness centre complete with sauna. Transport to and from the airport is complimentary. Good buffet breakfast. Q 177 rooms (172 singles/doubles 155-165, 5 apartments 205). Prices include all taxes and breakfast. PTHAR6UFLGKDW
equally impressive and modern. There is Wifi throughout and a host of extras: not least of which is the fantastic breakfast. The on site restaurant is one of the best hotel-based eateries in the city. Q 70 rooms (38 singles/doubles 119-132, 32 suites 153-167). Extra bed 29. Prices include VAT, all taxes and breakfast. PTHARLGK
Angelo Calea Bucurestilor 283, tel. (+4) 021 203 65
Duke C-4, B-dul Dacia 33, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 317 41 86/(+4) 021 317 41 87, www.hotelduke. ro. Now this place is central. A proverbial stones throw from Piata Romana, this modern hotel is squeezed in to a tight spot between two classic Bucharest buildings of the past. Rooms are well-sized, bathrooms have tubs and showers, and theres free and fast Wifi throughout. Beds get high marks for their excellent mattresses. Q 37 rooms (33 singles/doubles 71-91, 4 suites 111-141). Extra bed 20. Prices include VAT and breakfast. PARGKW Golden Tulip Times E-6, B-dul Decebal 19, tel. (+4) 021
316 65 16, www.goldentuliptimes.com. This, people, is a very good hotel where you get a hell of a lot of room for a relatively small amount of money. All come furnished well with terrific beds, big desks and comfy armchairs. Bathrooms are
K+K Elisabeta C-5, Str. Slanic 26, tel. (+4) 021 302 92 80, www.kkhotels.ro. We loved this place for a number of reasons, not least the fact that the huge breakfast buffet stays open until 11:00, meaning late starters can still get breakfast. The hotel is located in a huge, renovated period house just behind Piata Universitatii. The discretion of the location betrays the fact that this is the kind of place you come to if you like old fashioned luxury, good service, and possess exceptional taste. Q 67 rooms (59 singles/doubles 82-149, 8 triples 112-179). Prices include all taxes and breakfast. PTHAR6FGKDW NH Bucharest D-6, B-dul Mircea Voda 21, tel. (+4) 021
300 05 45, www.nh-hotels.com. Not located in the most attractive area of the city, the NH makes up for that by offering a modern, contemporary hotel experience for a fair amount of money: you can usually stay here for far less than the rack
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rates. Expect well sized rooms with plenty of extras and a very good on site restaurant. Good place to stay with children and babies: the staff make a point of making them feel welcome. Q 76 rooms (76 singles/doubles 150). Prices include VAT. Breakfast not included. PTHARUFLGKW
Parliament A-6, Str. Izvor 106, tel. (+4) 021 411 99 90, www.parliament-hotel.ro. So named because it is located behind Romanias parliament building, Casa Poporului, which you can see from almost all of the rooms. This hotel has been around for a decade now and offers a four/five star experience: many of the rooms have jacuzzis in their bathrooms and are packed with luxuries such as the huge, high double beds, which are among the best weve come across in Bucharest. Q 56 rooms (46 doubles 100, 10 suites 170). Extra bed 20. Prices include VAT and breakfast. PHARUGKW
tel. (+4) 021 549 20 00, www.ramadabucharestparc. ro. The Hotel Parc has been around a while, but only came under the Ramada banner a short while ago. A high-rise in a leafy suburb (close to Romexpo and Herastrau park - hence the name) it boasts nice rooms which - while not big - are comfortable and boast brightly coloured dcor and gorgeous, soft cotton sheets on the beds. Great buffet breakfast included in the price. Q 267 rooms (180 singles 139, 79 doubles 159, 8 apartments 210). Prices include breakfast. PHARGKW
all have bathtubs. The hotel boasts a good spa centre (with excellent Turkish bath), big fitness room with loads of equipment and has a good lobby bar. The on-site dining is decent too. Q 232 rooms (164 singles/doubles 75-84, 24 triple and 31 suites upon request, 13 apartments 99.48). Extra bed 10. Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTHARUFLGKDW
Ramada Bucharest Parc A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 3-5,
Ramada Majestic B-4, Calea Victoriei 38-40, tel. (+4) 021 310 27 72, www.ramadamajestic.ro. Standing (dare we say it) majestically on Calea Victoriei, the Majestic has long been one of Bucharests best hotels. It offers very big rooms with glorious bathrooms, a great breakfast and - a real bonus - a swimming pool (albeit a rather small one). In a city in which even some of the five star hotels lack pools, the Majestics makes it well worth that little bit extra cash. Q 111 rooms (85 singles/doubles 240-290, 26 suites and apartments 350-1200). Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTHARUFLGKDCW Ramada Plaza Bucharest B-dul Poligrafiei 3-5, tel. (+4) 021 549 30 00, www.ramadaplazabucharest.ro. Slightly more upmarket than its sister establishment across the road, what you get here is a slightly bigger room than at the Parc, and much bigger bathrooms. The design of the place is nicely futuristic, and we loved the beds which we think are amongst the best in Bucharest. Free Wifi is a bonus, there is a good lobby bar and a decent on site bistro. Good value for the money. Q 298 rooms (293 singles/doubles 159-179, 2 suites 240, 3 apartments 270). Prices include breakfast. PHARUFGKW Scala Bucuresti C-5, Str. C. A. Rosetti 19, tel. (+4) 031
104 11 11/(+4) 031 104 11 13, www.hotelscalabucuresti.ro. As central as they come, this gorgeous conversion of
Ramada Hotel & Suites Bucharest North C-6, Str.
Daniel Danielopolu 44A, tel. (+4) 021 233 50 00, www. ramadanorth.ro. Well named, for it is indeed in the north of the city. It has great rooms - amongst the biggest, on average, in Bucharest - and the bathrooms are tremendous:
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a glorious ancien regime Bucharest house is as fine a place to stay as now exists in the Romanian capital. You will love the grand, classically furnished rooms, which come complete with high ceilings and restored, original wooden flooring. The loft suite, complete with skylights, is a special treat if you can splash the extra cash. Q 11 rooms (11single/double 159199, 1 suite 259). Extra bed upon request. Prices include VAT, all taxes and breakfast. PTHARLGKW
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Z Executive Boutique Hotel C-5, Str. Ion Nistor 4, tel. (+4) 031 140 02 00, www.zhotel.ro. You want central? Well this place is central. In a building on a street hidden a little behind the Sutu Palace this is a great place from which to enjoy the delights of Old Town and indeed the whole of central Bucharest. Rooms are big and modern, tastefully furnished and come with comfortable beds and good bathrooms. Plenty of little luxuries, not least full, free Wifi throughout. The breakfast room is great, and theres an on site bistro with great views of the busy streets outside. Q 21 rooms (21 singles/ doubles 85-125). Extra bed 20. Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. POTARULGKW
Berthelot B-5, Str. General Berthelot 9, tel. (+4) 031 425 58 60, www.hotelberthelot.ro. Smart, modern and dead central. What more could you want? For your money you are getting a good deal here: the rooms are big and well furnished with plenty of mod cons, such as LCD televisions, while the bathrobes in the sumptuous bathrooms are suitably fluffy and the cosmetics a cut above the norm. Q 43 rooms (5 singles 109, 38 doubles 129). Prices include VAT, all taxes and breakfast. PTHARLGKW
56 36, www.thhotels.ro. Central by name, central by nature. Slap, bang on Bucharests version of Broadway (its all relative), amongst cinemas and theatres, the Central was totally renovated last year and is now one of the best (and best value) stays in the city. We like the staff who are always friendly, and who go out of their way to make sure you do not get ripped off by dodgy taxi drivers: such attention to detail is to be applauded. Q 62 rooms (57 doubles 140, 1 suite 170, 4 apartments 180). Extra bed 20. Prices include all taxes and breakfast. PTHAR6UGW
Central B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 13, tel. (+4) 021 315
100-150
Armonia D-4, Calea Mosilor 112, tel. (+4) 021 312 04 77, www.hotelarmonia.ro. Not altogether that inviting from the outside, the Armonia offers terrific (though not all that big) rooms that come complete with what have to be contenders for the best bathrooms in the city prize we often mention but never get round to handing out. In good weather the terrace at the back is a great place to take your breakfast (included in the price of a room). Q 32 rooms (32 singles/ doubles 65-75. Extra bed 10. Prices include VAT, all taxes and breakfast. PHARLGKW
El Greco C-5, Str. Jean Louis Calderon 16, MP-ta Universitatii, tel. (+4) 021 315 81 31/(+4) 021 315 81 41, www.hotelelgreco.ro. Located in the heart of what was, pre-World War II, the most stylish residential area in the city. This is one such villa dating from that period, though it has of course been renovated and refurbished to include a rack of modern luxuries. Fortunately, however, the ambience of the ancien regime has been preserved, making this one of the best villa conversions in the city. Q 20 rooms (18 singles/doubles 95-110, 2 apartments 140). Prices for suites include all taxes, VAT and breakfast for one person. PTHARULGKW
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Opera B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 37, tel. (+4) 021 312 48
55, www.thhotels.ro. You could quite literally throw a stone from the rooms here into Cismigiu Park (though we do not recommend it), and as such we think this is a great place for families with children to stay when visiting the capital. Not cheap, we think that you get value for money, especially given the size of the rooms and the terrific breakfast spread they lay on every morning for guests. Staff happy and smiley too. Q 33 rooms (26 singles/doubles 130-140, 4 suites 150, 3 apartments 170). Prices include all taxes and breakfast. PTHAR6UGKW
that suggest they really care. The wrought iron beds, for example, are fabulous, as is the newly added spa, complete with sauna and jacuzzi. The restaurant is also worth a visit, serving good international cuisine. Q 35 rooms (25 singles/ doubles 90-100, 10 suites/ apartments 110-120). VAT not included. Prices include breakfast. PTHARL GKDW
Residence Arc de Triomphe A-3, Str. Clucerului 19,
tel. (+4) 021 223 19 78/(+4) 0372 15 07 00, www. residencehotels.com.ro. Fantastic hotel in a good area of the capital, offering large, excellent value rooms and super services. There are little touches of class all over the hotel
Residence Domenii Plaza A-2, Str. Al. Constantinescu 33, tel. (+4) 021 224 50 44/(+4) 0372 15 06 00, www. residencehotels.com.ro. A wonderful villa, this place offers real luxury and a quiet, understated atmosphere. Its a classy place for classy people, basically. All the rooms, studios and apartments are bright, big and have stunning bathrooms. It also has a fantastic spa, complete with sauna, steam bath and enormous jacuzzi, perfect for tired business types in need of evening relaxation. The rooftop terrace has fine views of
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what is the citys best residential area, and the food in the restaurant better than most of Bucharests restaurants: it is really that good. Q 33 rooms (15 singles/doubles 90-100, 18 suites/ apartments 110-120). Prices include breakfast. VAT not included. PTHARLGKDW
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Starlight Suite B-4, Str. Grigore Alexandrescu 89-97, tel. (+4) 021 211 34 13, www.starlighthotels.com. At the bustling junction of B-dul Iancu de Hunedoara, and glitzy Calea Dorobantilor is Starlight, the first hotel of its kind in Romania. Every room is a suite, complete with separate living and sleeping areas; some have two bedrooms. All have air conditioning, the latest in home entertainment systems, and kitchenettes complete with microwaves. The fitness centre is free to guests, and a continental breakfast is included in the price. Excellent value for money. Q 78 rooms (71 suites 81, 7 apartments 115). Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTHAR6UFLGKDW Venezia B-5, Str. Pompiliu Eliade 2, tel. (+4) 021 310 68 72, www.thhotels.ro. Expect some unique rooms, some with real character provided by the shape of the building, lovely staff and some thoroughly reasonable prices. Add in speedy internet connections, air conditioning in all rooms and a non-smoking environment, and you have a winner. Q 49 rooms (41 singles/doubles 130-140, 2 suites 150, 5 apartments 170). Extra bed 20. Prices include all taxes and breakfast. PTHAR6UGW
Under 100
Andy A-4, Str. Witing 2, tel. (+4) 021 300 30 50, www. andyhotels.ro. You can see Gara de Nord from your bedroom window if you stay here: you can decide for yourself if thats good or bad. Its a decent hotel, especially compared to those surrounding it, and if you are in two minds as to which station hotel to stay in, make sure you choose this one. It even has a sauna and jacuzzi. Q 49 rooms (48 singles/doubles 3540, 1 triple 50). Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PHAR6FGKDW
C-5, Str. J. L. Calderon 74, tel. (+4) 021 310 56 68, www. hotelmonaco.ro. A nice place on a quiet(ish) street yet still close enough to the city centre to be within walking distance. There is an elegance to the decoration that suggests theyve taken real time and effort over things, and the beds are large, comfortable and covered with crisp yet soft sheets. Wifi, flatscreen TVs, good bathrooms. The kind of place you feel should cost a lot more than it does. Q 8 rooms (2 singles 50, 6 doubles 50-100). Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTALW
Charter Drumul Odaii 1D, Otopeni, tel. (+4) 021 352 87

19/(+4) 021 352 87 21, www.hotelcharter.ro. These must be the biggest hotel rooms in Bucharest, and they cost about 1 per square metre. Close to the airport (on the other side of the road to McDonalds) this place is perfect if you have an early flight, though it is only fair to say that it is a good 30 minutes or so to the city centre. Still, with rooms and services to match anywhere, and at prices as low as these, we doubt anyone will be complaining. Q 23 rooms (17 singles/doubles 35-40, 1 triple 50, 5 suites 55). Extra bed 10. Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTARGKW
Boutique Hotel Monaco
Class Bucharest Str. Garlei 30A, tel. (+4) 037 213 57
00, www.class-hotel.ro. Close to Baneasa Airport what this place lacks in city centre-ness it more than makes up for with comfort. This is to all intents and purposes a five star hotel,
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complete with luxurious bathrooms and perhaps the best indoor swimming pool in the city. Really. If you are looking for a leafier location than the city centre can offer, and a little luxury at a decent price, then its a decent choice. Q 63 rooms (59 doubles/triples 59-79, 4 suites 140). Prices include VAT, all taxes and breakfast. PHARFGKDCW B-4, B-dul Dacia 125, tel./fax (+4) 021 210 39 58, tel. (+4) 0727 59 95 99, www.hoteldan.ro. Smart addition to Bucharests enormously popular three-star scene. The location is central without being noisy, and the rooms themselves are all well-sized and well-equipped. Staff are friendly, befitting a small hotel, and ready to see to your every need. Q 15 rooms (14 singles/doubles 55-62, 1 apartment 70). Extra bed 20. Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTARULGW
space available. The bathrooms for example are not huge but feel far bigger than they are, and all have enough room for bathtubs.Q 83 rooms (76 singles/doubles 85-95, 5 triples 105, 2 suites 115). Prices include VAT,. all taxes and breakfast. PTJARUFLGKW
Dan
Hello Hotels B-4, Calea Grivitei 143, tel. (+4) 0372 12 18 00, www.hellohotels.ro. Two stars never looked so good. For your paltry amount of cash you are getting a lot of hotel room here, complete with flat screen televisions and mattresses thicker than many a five-star. Bathrooms are a bit pokey but they are more than adequate, and as far as value for money goes we think this is one of the best deals in the city. Find the place a short walk from the station. Q 150 rooms (150 doubles 35). Extra bed 10. Prices include VAT and taxes. Breakfast not included. (5 per person). PAR6ULGKW
DoubleTree by Hilton D-7, Str. Nerva Traian 3A, tel.
(+4) 021 200 62 70, doubletree1.hilton.com. A beacon of glass and steel in an area not known for anything except monumental socialist architecture. The hotel is a decent place offering big-ish rooms, with commendably big bathrooms. Happy, multi-lingual staff are a bonus not always found in Bucharests hotels. Good cafes (there are two) to choose from on the ground floor. Q 88 rooms (62 singles/doubles 80-170, 4 triple 105-185, 22 suites and apartments 130-350). Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTHARUFGKDW MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 212 55 58, www.goldentulipbucharest.com. Half-way along Calea Victoriei, a pleasant walk to both Piata Victoriei and Piata Universitatii, the Golden Tulip is a fine hotel that makes great use of the
Golden Tulip Bucharest B-4, Calea Victoriei 166,
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Nord, tel. (+4) 021 300 91 00, www.ibishotels.ro. A hotel for more than 40 years this building (and the whole area) was given a real lift when it became a good old Ibis some several years ago now. Expect a room a bit bigger than standard Ibis size, the usual services, few frills (breakfast costs extra) and all in all a good value stay. The name is not misleading: it is dead opposite the station. Q 250 rooms (234 singles/ doubles 49, 16 apartments 79). Prices include all taxes. Breakfast not included. PHAR6ULGKW
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Ibis Gara de Nord A-4, Calea Grivitei 143, MGara de
Heading to Brasov?
Classic Inn Str. Tibles 7-9, Brasov, tel. (+4) 0372 77 78 89, www.classic-inn.ro. Just about the best new hotel to open in Brasov for some time. Lovely big rooms, classically (yes, really) furnished with proper beds and lush carpets. Rooms are also air-conditioned: not always the case in BV. Nice big restaurant on site, and a proper lobby-bar with cracking bar stools. Find it just past Piata Unirii in the heart of Schei. Q 34 rooms (26 singles/doubles 49-69, 8 suites/ apartments 89-119). Prices include all taxes and breakfast. PHARFLGBKW
is what happens when people with taste renovate buildings in Old Town Bucharest (the gorgeous cafe next door belongs - unsurprisingly - to the same people). Luxurious without overdoing it, expect to find original 1920s wooden floors and period furnishings complimented by up-to-the-minute technology. The hotel celebrated its sixth birthday in January 2011: long may it go on. Q 16 rooms (7 single starting from 78, 9 doubles starting from 90). Extra bed 25. Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTHARGKW 315 16 66/(+4) 0722 33 34 43, www.residencehotels. com.ro. Its a fair distance from the city centre, but the sense of luxury and the get away from it all atmosphere of this exclusive club is more than enough compensation. For a start there is a big pool to enjoy, there are tennis courts, a good breakfast included in the price and even conference rooms. Ideal for a company retreat. Q 6 rooms (6 singles/ doubles 70-80). Prices include breakfast. VAT not included. PTHARLGKCW
Ibis Palatul Parlamentului B-6, Str. Izvor 82-84, tel. (+4) 021 401 10 00, www.ibishotels.ro. If you want a view of Casa Poporului then this is perhaps the best place in Bucharest to come. Other than that it is a fairly standard Ibis hotel, just as you love them from anywhere else on the planet. Not entirely ideally located if you are not driving, it does boast non-smoking rooms and very good staff. Q 161 rooms (154 singles/doubles 49-69, 7 apartments 95). Prices include all taxes. Breakfast not included. PTHAR6ULGKW Minerva B-4, Str. Gheorghe Manu 2-4, MVictoriei, tel. (+4) 021 311 15 55, www.minerva.ro. Having been around so long it is entitled to a gold watch, the Minerva remains a great choice for business people who pay their own bills: you get great service, a good room, a dead-central location yet are only asked for a fraction of what the five-stars charge. The oldest Chinese restaurant in Romania is located on the ground floor. Q 147 rooms (138 singles/doubles 6595, 9 apartments 98-111). Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PHARFGKDW Rembrandt C-5, Str. Smardan 11, tel. (+4) 021 313 93 15, www.rembrandt.ro. Always full (reserve well in advance) you will see why when you arrive. The Rembrandt
Residence Club Palace Str. Odaii 137A, tel. (+4) 021
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A Little Romanian History
Romania BC The Danube basin first becomes recognizable as a genuine state under the leadership of Burebista (82-44BC), whose empire of Geto-Dacians comprehended the fairest parts of western Wallachia, Transylvania and the Banat. The Roman Years The Geto-Dacians are defeated after two campaigns (101-102AD and 105-106AD) by a Roman Empire about to reach its zenith under Emperor Trajan. The Geto-Dacian kingdom becomes the Roman province of Dacia. The Romans are abandon Dacia in 271AD after repeated Goth attacks. The Middle Ages After repeated invasions by Goths, Pechenegs and Cumans,the Magyars emerge as the dominating force in Transylvania at the end of the eleventh century, and the province becomes part of the Hungarian Empire. Many ethnic Romanians withdraw to the Danube basin, where Basarab (c. 1310-1352) creates the principality of Wallachia. Moldavia also becomes an independent principality after Bogdan of Cuhea defeats a Hungarian army during the winter of 1364-1365. The 15th Century Mircea Cel Batran (1368-1418), Vlad Tepes (1430-1476), and Stefan Cel Mare (1457-1504) all fight, on separate occasions, and defeat, the invading armies of the Ottoman Empire. The 16th Century After the death of Stefan Cel Mare (1504), Moldavia and Wallachia are eventually forced to accept Ottoman suzerainty, and when Hungary is defeated by the Turks at the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, Romania finds itself entirely at the behest of the Sublime Porte. In 1600 Mihai Bravu briefly unites the three principalities after defeating the Turks at Calugareni, but the new state survives less than a year. The 17th Century While Transylvania is freed of Ottoman domination by the Hapsburg empire, Turkish repression continues in Wallachia and Moldavia with the installation of Phanariot (Greek) client rule. The 18th Century As the Turkish Empire crumbles throughout the region, so the Russian and Hapsburg Empires fill the void. The Austrians, while not entirely benevolent, do bring Transylvanias provinces economically and politically in to line with the rest of Europe. The 19th Century Russia annexes the region of Bessarabia (eastern Moldavia) in 1812 and keeps hold of it for the next 100 or so years. Moldavia and Wallachia finally achieve complete independence from Ottoman rule after the First Russo-Turkish War in 1829. Revolution grips the country in 1848 with the call to see major economic and social changes. In 1859, Wallachia and Moldavia are unified when Alexandru Ioan Cuza is elected prince of both principalities. At the end of the Second Russo-Turkish War in 1878, Romania is recognised as a bona fide nation by the Great Powers. Prince Karl of Prussia is crowned King Carol of Romania in 1881. The Early 20th Century King Carol dies in 1914 and his nephew, Ferdinand I, becomes King of Romania. Transylvania officially becomes part of Romania on December 1, today celebrated as the countrys national holiday.
Tania-Frankfurt C-6, Str. Selari 5, tel. (+4) 021 319
27 58/(+4) 031 104 20 83, www.taniahotel.ro. This is a cracking little place, in the very heart of Old Town, just a shake or two away from the citys best nightlife. Rooms are good value, bright and airy, and are furnished in a modern, bright and airy style. The best is the split level sky room, with its sky light and raised sleeping area. Theres free internet for guests. Q 13 rooms (11 singles/doubles 49-59, 2apartments 89). Prices include VAT. Breakfast not included. PTJHARGKW 311 49 27/(+4) 021 311 49 28, fax (+4) 021 316 22 81, office@hoteltrianon.ro, www.hoteltrianon.ro. If location really is everything then you cant do much better than this cracking place on Str. Cobalcescu, next to the Ministry
Trianon B-5, Str. Grigore Cobalcescu 9, tel. (+4) 021
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of Defence and opposite Cismigiu Park. The building is a superb Secession renovation on a street that boasts some extraordinary buildings: it is a shame not all are up to this standard. Inside the rooms are simple, tastefully decorated and offer excellent value for money. Bathrooms have either a bath or a shower. Q 26 rooms (24 singles/doubles 85-103, 2 apartments 133). Extra bed 18. Prices include all taxes, VAT and breakfast. PTHAR6UGKW
clucking good atmosphere or being told that the staff are friendly but smelly. Students, whod have them? Q 4 rooms (1 double 12, 3 mixed dorms 8 - 9.5). Prices include all taxes. Breakfast not included. THUNGW
Hostels & Villas

The Funky Chicken B-5, Str. Gen. Berthelot 63, tel.
(+4) 021 312 14 25, fax (+4) 021 610 22 14, funkychickenhostel@hotmail.com, www.funkychickenhostel. com. Offering free cigarettes may appear to be a good idea when the bulk of your clients are penniless students, but it sounds like irresponsibility to us. Anyway, this wacky! crazy! hostel will appeal to the kind of person who enjoys puns like
Vila 11 A-4, Str. Institutul Medico Militar 11, MGara de Nord, tel. (+4) 0722 49 59 00/(+4) 0722 49 59 01, vila11bb@hotmail.com, www.villa11@hostels.com. Located in a lovely 1920s house close to Gara de Nord (turn right as you exit the station, walk one block along Dinicu Golescu and then left onto Strada Vespatian) Vila 11 has a variety of private rooms, dorm facilities and family suites available for backpackers and families of all ages. Friendly and welcoming the owners do a great breakfast (included in the price) and are a wealth of inside info when it comes to getting the best out of Bucharest. Q 12 rooms(4 singles/doubles 22-34, 1 triple 160 lei, 2 multibed dorms 12.50, 1 triple 45, 1 suite 17). Prices include breakfast. 6GW
Short Term Rental

Cert Accommodation B-5, Piata Walter Maracineanu1-3, tel. (+4) 0720 77 27 72, office@cert-accommodation.ro, www.cert-accommodation.ro. A good selection of studios, one, two and three bedroom apartments in and around the city centre. All are reasonably well furnished, and children and babies are welcome: cots can be supplied on request. Q Prices from 37. PALW Professional Realty C-6, Str. George Valentin Bibescu 33, bl, 10/2, sc. A, ap. 6, tel. (+4) 021 232 04 06/(+4) 0745 04 30 43, office@accommodation.com.ro, www. accommodation.com.ro. These people have been offering great apartments in central Bucharest since 1996: they were one of the first players in the market, and are still the best. They have a range of city-centre apartments, from studios to two-bedroomed places, as well as a villa in Baneasa. Whats more, they have someone on call 24 hours for any emergencies, maid service twice a week and offer a variety of other services, from city tours to laundry. Magic. Q Prices from 50-150. VAT not included. A RomVision Travel E-6, B-dul Burebista 1, bl. D15, sc. 4, ap. 133, tel. (+4) 021 322 65 33/(+4) 0723 40 93 96, office@romvision.ro, www.romvision.ro. A wide variety of apartments in the city centre of all types and sizes, from small and simple to big and luxurious, with something for all pockets. The most luxurious have jacuzzis and fireplaces and are a genuine five-star experience. QOpen 09:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 14:00. Prices from 52/ night. VAT not included. bucharest.inyourpocket.com October - November 2011
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American
Champions B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 403 19 17, champions@marriott.com, www.championsrestaurant. ro. Still serving the very best burger in Bucharest (you can choose one or design your own from an endless choice of toppings), a fact undisputed by anyone weve ever met. It is also one of the biggest. In fact, now we think of it, the portions of everything here are enormous: even the childrens servings are very healthy indeed. Besides the burgers you will find a great selection of American pub food, as well as Tex Mex treats and even mici. Famously good cocktails, and more televisions showing sport than you could ever hope for. Find it in the Marriott: up the stairs as you go in and to your right. Q Open 12:00 - 24:00. . PTALGSW 206 62 61, sales@hardrockcafe.ro, www.hardrock. com/bucharest. Wham, Bam, thank you Maam. Americana gone berserk in the very best sense of the word. Nobody can knock this place and it is easy to see why. Feast on top level, upmarket-burger bar and Tex-Mex food, served in huge portions by perky Bond girls who have a smile for everyone. Then sit back with great cocktails and listen to some very good rock and roll supplied by some of Bucharests best live acts. Seriously good. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 01:00. . PALEBSW
Price Guide
(Based on a good meal with wine) Expensive (More than 30 per person) Middling (10-20 per person) Not cheap (20-30 per person) Cheap (Less than 10 per person)
Hard Rock Cafe A-2, Sos. Kiseleff 32, tel. (+4) 021
more, though its location in Dorobanti/Floreasca screams fitze, the place itself is understated and decorated with incredible restraint and good taste. Add in some eclectic live music and you have a winner. QOpen 10:00 - 05:00. . PALESW
Belgian
(+4) 021 311 90 00. Could be the best thing to happen to Bucharest dining for a while. After all, for how long have we pined for a decent Belgian restaurant? Well, Le Bistro is it, serving great big portions of freshly imported mussels and fries (and much else besides) at prices we consider more than reasonable given the quality. See you there. QOpen 08:30 - 01:00. Closed Sun. . PAL
Le Bistro B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Radisson Blu), tel.
Argentinean
tel. (+4) 021 619 07 35/(+4) 0749 03 00 31, office@ lablanca.ro, www.lablanca.ro. In a magnificent villa on Dorobanti, that has been given the million dollar treatment and then some, this is a genuine Argentinean steak house in the sense that the hardware is indeed shipped in from the Pampas. There are all kinds of steaks to enjoy, from striploin to T-Bone to rib-eye. There also have a few non-beefy extras, such as scallops, king prawns and fresh foie gras (which they grill perfectly). Fine wines from around the world and sweet, tasty desserts. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALBSW
British
The Trafalgar Pub C-4, Str. David Emmanuel 4A, tel. (+4)
021 211 31 51, www.trafalgarpub.eu. Popular with all sorts of expats who have a regular rendezvous here, this place is a pub and bistro in one, where you can get a decent meal for little money while enjoying usually decent company. The menu has a few British dishes - we can recommend the Spinach and Stilton Pie - but best of all we like the ciorba de vacuta - one of the best in the city, and the ciolan cu varza - pork knuckle with cabbage and beans. Guinness on draught at a decent price, QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALVBSW
La Blanca C-4, Calea Dorobanti 18, MP-ta Romana,
Asian
The Gang Restaurant & Lounge C-3, Calea Floreasca 111-113, tel. (+4) 0721 51 22 91, club@thegang. ro, www.thegang.ro. Very nice indeed. Though probably more famous as being the top peoples club, The Gang also has a restaurant serving some fabulous Asian/Fusion food prepared by not one but two (count them: you will see them as the kitchen is open, how refreshing) Nepalese chefs. Whats
Chinese
Nan Jing B-4, Str. Gheorghe Manu 2-4, tel. (+4) 021
318 12 85/(+4) 0726 10 34 07, fb@minerva.ro, www. nanjing.ro. Dating back to the 1980s, this little piece of Bucharest foodie history was the first Chinese restaurant in the land. It is still one of the best, as its longevity (no mean feat in a city where good eateries come and go fast) testifies. Prices are reasonable, the setting is good, with a nice covered terrace overlooking busy Bulevardul Lascar Cartagiu. You will
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find the Nan Jing on the ground floor of the Minerva hotel. Q Open 12:00 - 24:00. . PALVBSW 47 47/(+4) 0733 50 07 50, rezervari@orasul-interzis.ro, www.orasul-interzis.ro. Bucharests first upmarket Chinese restaurant combines all the cuisines of that great country and delivers them to your plate with real aplomb. And with due reason. This is the best Chinese food in Romania since, well, just about ever. At least since John Wing left. The menu is adventurous and features all sorts of dishes that place it way above anywhere else in town, such as the sea cucumber and mushroom soup, or the Chinese cabbage, served correctly with dried oysters. To get the best out of this place though round up three friends and go for one of the set menus. Tremendous value. QOpen 12:30 - 24:00. Last food order 23:00. . PALVBSW
Orasul Interzis D-5, Str. Silvestru 3, tel. (+4) 031 425
The Harbour B-4, P-ta Amzei 10-22, tel. (+4) 021 319 72 57/(+4) 0724 38 86 86, www.harbour.ro. A top location, in Piata Amzei, with food to match, as well as friendly and efficient staff. The atmosphere is relaxing, the food better than average, though the real joy of this place is its view to the market. We came here for lunch recently and were stunned by how many foreigners were eating here: it must be one of the most popular tourist and visitor spots in town. QOpen 11:30 - 01:00, Sun 13:00 - 24:00. . PALVEBSW Times (Golden Tulip Times Hotel) E-6, B-dul Decebal 19, MPiata Muncii, tel. (+4) 021 316 65 16, dragos. zamfir@goldentuliptimes.com, www.timesevents.ro. The prawn spring rolls we ate here were just about the crispiest, lightest and tastiest we have come across in Bucharest. We couldnt make better at home (and we tried). There are plenty of other treats on a varied international (with a hint of Romanian) menu here too. This is a real surprise of a restaurant: do not let the hotel location put you off. Note the last kitchen order is at 22:30. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. . PALGBSW
Food & Drink

What do we mean by Food & Drink? Simple: places in which you could just as easily sit down and have a three course meal as you could spend a night on the beer or cocktails. tel. (+4) 021 311 41 77, www.joyces.ro. So much more than an Irish pub, this place more or less has it all, from a cracking location right next to Cismigiu Park to a regular programme of live events. Expect all sorts, from quiz nights to hip DJs spinning the discs until the early hours. And we have yet to mention the food, which like all else is again, a cut above your average Irish pub fare. It is, in fact, perhaps the citys first real attempt at a gastro pub. QOpen 10:00 - 00:30, Fri 10:00 - 02:30, Sat 12:00 - 02:30, Sun 12:00 - 00:30. . PALEBW
French
Boutique du Pain C-5, Str. Academiei 28-30, tel. (+4) 0728 44 33 00, www.boutiquedupain.com. This is in fact more bistro than anything, serving breakfast, lunch and evening meals in fresh, bright surroundings. The selection of morning pastries is the best in the city, with office workers going out of their way to stop here for fresh supplies. For lunch there is a range of sandwiches hard to beat anywhere else, and the small selection of hot meals of an evening - the menu changes daily - are perfect for a casual dinner. Serving great coffee and a magnificent hot chocolate, we (and our kids!) love this place. QOpen 08:30 - 22:00, Sun 08:30 - 20:00. . PABSW October - November 2011
James Joyces Pub B-5, Str. Valter Maracineanu 1-3,
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Jewish Bucharest
As recently as 1937 there were over 100,000 Jews and more than 80 synagogues in Bucharest: today there are around 4,000 Jews and just three working synagogues. Yet though it may be small, the Jewish community is incredibly active in the city, and besides the synagogues has a theatre, a school and a museum. There is also now a Holocaust Memorial - built in 2009 - which has gone a long way towards finally drawing a line under Romanias involvement in the Holocaust. For a thorough account of the Holocaust in Romania, we recommend Radu Ioanids book Holocaust in Romania: The Destruction of Jews & Gypsies by the Antonescu Regime. For a slightly different look at life as a Jew in 1930s and 40s Romania, you can do no better than the brilliant Journal: The Fascist Years, by Mihai Sebastian.
Choral Temple C-6, Str. Sf. Vineri 9-11, tel. (+4)
021 312 21 96. Built in 1857, the red brick temple has a memorial in front of it (visible from the street) that commemorates the Romanian Jews sent to their deaths during the Holocaust. Usually the busiest Bucharest synagogue, it is currently closed for extensive renovation.
Holocaust Memorial B-6, Str. Ion Brezoianu/Str. Ilfov, MEroilor. Unveiled in October 2009, Romanias Holocaust Memorial finally recognises the countrys role in the genocide of Europes Jews. The countrys role in the Holocaust and in the deportation of Jews was ignored by the Communists, and it was minimized by subsequent governments after the collapse of Communism beginning in 1989. Jewish Cemetery (Cimitirul Evreiesc de Rit Sefard) C-7, Calea Serban Vod. Fascinating though
harrowing cemetery, full of monuments to those who died during Romanias pogroms (of which there were many at the turn of the 19th century) and the Holocaust. Beware stray dogs. Q Open from noon to dusk.
(+4) 021 311 08 70. Seperate exhibitions display how the once vibrant Jewish community of Bucharest used to live. Housed in an old synagogue built in 1850, the main display is in fact a sculpture that mourns the 350,000 Romanian Jews sent to their deaths at Auschwitz in 1944 and 1945. QOpen 09:00 - 14:00, Fri 09:00 - 12:00, Sun 09:00 - 13:00. Closed Sat. Admission free.
Jewish History Museum (Muzeul de Istorie a Evreilor din Romania) C-6, Str. Mmulari 3, tel.
The Great Synagogue C-6, Str. Vasile Adamache 11. Bucharests Great Synagogue was built from 1845 -1846 by the Ashkenazi Polish-Jewish community. With an impressive mixture of baroque and rococo architectural styles, the Great Synagogue remains the most important Jewish building in the country. The synagogue hosts an excellent exhibition dedicated to Romanias Jewish martyrs, and to Dr. Moses Rosen, who served as Romanias Chief Rabbi for 30 years until his death in 1994. QOpen 08:30 15:00, Fri, Sun 08:30 - 13:00. Closed Sat. Morning Prayer: Sun-Fri 08:00, Sat 09:30, Evening Prayer: Sun-Fri 19:00. Tova) C-4, Str. Tache Ionescu 9. In a busy side street off Bulevardul Magheru is Bucharests second temple. Q Services take place when Sabbath commences on Friday evenings, as well as on Saturdays at 09:00. Bucharest In Your Pocket Yeshoah Tova Synagogue (Sinagoga Eua
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D-4, Str. Toamnei 101, tel. (+4) 021 201 71 33/(+4) 0746 79 50 29, bistro@escargot.ro, www.escargot. ro. Bucharest foodies: this is the place for you. A little nondescript from the outside, it is a sensational French restaurant where the love and care the chef has for his food oozes onto your plate. Duck that takes 48 hours to prepare, an onion soup of the like weve never eaten in Bucharest, fresh snails, outstanding wines and all served in minimalist surroundings: the food is king here. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PABSW
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Escargot Bistro
French Bakery Le Restaurant C-5, Str. Nicolae Golescu 17, tel. (+4) 021 310 33 02/(+4) 021 310 33 06, info@frenchbakery.ro, www.frenchbakery.ro. It had to happen. A French restaurant that actually delivers the goods time after time yet does so in an atmosphere that begs you to spend more time here. The menu features a number of simple, new-wave French cuisine which - for this city - is very well-priced. The tasty duck dishes stood out for us, as did the desserts and the excellent wine list which - while featuring a great list of French grape - for once acknowledges that the New World can make decent wine too. In short, this place is a mini-revolution on the Bucharest dining scene and worthy of your time. QOpen 12:00 - 24:30. . PABSW Ici et La C-4, Str. Mendeleev 43, tel. (+4) 0731 45 36 08/(+4) 0731 35 26 08, icietla43@yahoo.fr, www. icietla.ro. As regular readers will know we are suckers for an open kitchen, and that is what we have here: sit and watch the chef and owner prepare your gorgeous homemade French meal. They are rather proud of their smoked salmon here (and rightly so) and the wine list features plenty of affordable grape. Top it all off with the magnificent creme brulee. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. Closed Sun. . PAVESW
Fusion
Avalon B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7 (Howard Johnson Grand Plaza), MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 201 50 30, avalon@hojoplaza.ro, www.hojoplaza.ro/ro/avalonrestaurant. At Avalon, the jewel in the HoJos dining crown, knowing diners come to enjoy the flavours and smells of the superb Fusion cuisine. Every time we visit (and we visit as often as we can) we find something new and interesting - and usually inventive - on the menu (which changes regularly) and a good new wine to go with our meal. Q Open 12:00 - 15:00, 19:00 - 23:00. . PALSW Balthazar C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie 2, tel. (+4) 021
212 14 60, www.balthazar.ro. Yes, we know that the now legendary Balthazar is by no means cheap, but the service, tableware, range of food and above all outstanding cooking make it a joy to dine here. And whisper it, but it should be said that if you lay off the imported wines, Balthazar is not all that more expensive than other places not fit to lace its boots. QOpen 12:30 - 24:30. . PALBSW
Mju C-5, Str. Vasile Lascar 29, tel. (+4) 021 313 00 15/(+4) 021 313 00 16, info@mju.ro, www.mju.ro. A very good restaurant. Superior Fusion (and we mean genuine Pan-Asian Fusion here) food in a setting as swish as you could hope for. Sit yourself down on one of the designer chairs and tuck into the divine parfait de foie gras, before feasting on the caramelized duck served with fennel and crispy sage: the mouth waters again as we write the review. Q Open 12:30 24:00. Closed Sun. . PALBS
German
Die Deutsche Kneipe C-3, Str. Stockholm 9, tel. (+4) 021 233 94 62/(+4) 0722 28 45 60, www.diedeutschekneipe.ro. Really, one of our favourite places in Bucharest, now as ever (and it has been around for more than a decade). Serving giant portions of great German sausages (all made on the premises) as well as pork knuckles, kraut and the like, they keep the prices down and their punters very happy. You usually need a reservation at weekends. Good place for a simple pint of German beer too. QOpen 15:00 - 23:30. Closed Sun. . PNB
Loft Lounge C-4, B-dul Iancu de Hunedoara 55-57, tel.
(+4) 0756 38 56 38, viviana@zeroevents.ro, www.loftlounge.ro. It might be too fashionable for some tastes, but the truth is the food is amongst the best in the land, cooked by perhaps the best chef in the land. Its not just us who say so either: ask anybody in the city who knows their food and you get the same reply: its brilliant. Inventive and magnificent food (seafood dominates), cooked to perfection. The squid served with risotto, for example: it sounds so simple yet its a taste sensation. Not cheap of course, but worth the cost. Q Open 12:00 - 17:00, 19:00 - 02:00. Closed Sun. . PALESW
Greek
Santorini E-6, B-dul Decebal 17, MP-ta Muncii, tel. (+4) 021 326 80 98/(+4) 0762 24 99 99, www.restaurantsantorini.ro. Long one of the best ethnic eats in the city, this place was renovated recently by the new management and owners. Santorinis extensive menu - from a new chef - offers a typical selection of Greek and Mediterranean food, with plenty of lamb and fish. Usually busy with a happy crowd of punters it is a great choice for the undecided and for groups. Live music some nights a bonus.QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. . PABSW October - November 2011
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hot - never failing to hit the spot. In fact, we counted no fewer than 10 lamb dishes on the menu, a rare treat in these parts where the raw material is so hard to find. QOpen 13:00 23:00. . PALVS
International
B-2, Str. I. Cantacuzino 8, MAviatorilor, tel. (+4) 021 260 29 60/(+4) 0753 99 93 33, arcaderestaurant@ gmail.com, www.restaurantarcade.ro. Other places may come and go, but this place has been first class for well over eight years now. Every year they come up with new, sharper menus (the current one stars a glorious duck confit that we can seriously recommend) meaning you have no excuse not to go as often as you can afford it. The lovely, high-ceilinged indoor dining room is a joy in which to dine. All round, superb. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. . PALBS
Arcade
Balkan Bistro C-5, Calea Victoriei 56 (Grand Hotel Continental), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0372 01 03 00, info@grandhotelcontinental.ro, www.grandhotelcontinental.ro. Very interesting, and very welcome, indeed. A restaurant brave enough to admit that food in this part of the world is truly Balkan, and that the edges between Serbian, Turkish, Greek, Romanian and Bulgarian food can sometimes be very blurred indeed. You will find a rich range of dishes on offer: all wonderfully presented on the menu in their original language. See you there. Q Open 12:30-15:30, 18:30-22:30. . PALGBW
A-2, Str. Av. Sntescu 1, tel. (+4) 021 224 10 04/(+4) 0745 00 36 60, barka.saffron@gmail.com. We have been coming here since the last century, when there was precious little choice in Bucharest for people wanting something a little different; a little more spicy. Now there is plenty of choice but we still trot up to Barka whenever we can. On our last visit we went for the lamb with spinach in tomato sauce which was as good as we had hoped. The onion bhajis remain Bucharests best. First class cocktail list. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PASW
Barka Saffron
Indian
Haveli D-4, Str. Episcop Radu 3, tel. (+4) 021 211 03
90/(+4) 0721 72 16 40, contact@haveli.ro, www. haveli.ro. Convincingly authentic Indian cuisine served in a brightly decorated villa, where the sauces are by nature toned down for locals but where chef will - with pleasure - spice things up for the more experienced diner. We like the long list of vegetarian dishes, of which the Bhangan Bharta (aubergine with tomato and onion) is a particular favourite. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00, Mon 19:00 - 23:00. . PALVBSW
Karishma D-5, Str. Iancu Capitanu 36, tel. (+4) 021 252 51 57, kitchen@karishma.ro, www.karishma.ro. This place, by warrant of its bits and pieces layout, is perhaps the closest thing you will find to a classic British/Indian curry house in Bucharest. No less than three Indian chefs cook up the treats out back, with the lamb rogan josh - ordered extra
Cafe Theatro B-4, Calea Victoriei 37B (Novotel Bucharest City Centre), tel. (+4) 021 308 85 30, fax (+4) 021 313 11 37, H5558-FB@accor.com, www.novotel. com. So-called because the Novotel stands on the site of Bucharests pre-World War II national Theatre, this is a great new addition to the citys restaurant scene. Expect inventive, exciting new flavours, all served in a warm and most un-hotel like atmosphere. An instant hit. QOpen 06:00 - 23:00. . PTAULGBW
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Chez Marie C-4, Str. Dionisie Lupu 48, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 031 107 20 33/(+4) 0730 34 48 10, office@ chezmarie.ro, www.chezmarie.ro. A wider variety of dishes you are unlikely to find in a Bucharest restaurant, and most of the time everything on the menu is available. We have always stuck with the beef dishes: both the steak with gorgonzola and the beef stroganoff are good efforts, but if you simply want a ceafa de porc with fries, they will rustle that up too. Good drinks list and the place itself is rather nice. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. . PABSW
Hotel Continental), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0372 01 03 00, info@grandhotelcontinental.ro, www.grandhotelcontinental.ro. Oh yes. The fine dining stakes in Bucharest got notched up even further with the appearance of the Grand Continentals showcase dining room, a match for any other in the city. This is the place to come for highly creative nouvelle cuisine, accompanied by a long list of the worlds finest wines (from Romania, France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, North and South America). The setting is to die for, and the staff are knowledgeable about both food and wine and will talk you through everything on the menu. Bucharests gourmands are now indeed spoilt for choice. Q Open 12:30 - 16:00, 19:00-23:00. . PALEGBW
on for four hours, is not long enough to savour everything on offer. Bags of pink sparkling wine too... Q Open 06:30 - 10:30, Sat, Sun 07:00 - 11:00. Sunday Brunch 12:30 - 16:30, 190 lei/pers, children under six free, between 6-12 half price. . PALEGSW
Doncafe Brasserie B-3, Str. Ankara 7, tel. (+4) 0746
Concerto Fine Dining C-5, Calea Victoriei 56 (Grand
22 24 44, doncafe@clicknet.ro, www.doncafe-brasserie. ro. Magnificent place just off Piata Dorobanti. Open early for breakfast (they do a decent English fry and delicious pain chocolat) its busy throughout the day, catering to lunching ladies and business types as well as a trendy crowd in the evenings. Great salads, a good range of homemade pasta (and we mean homemade: it is put together on the premises), a terrific osso bucco and a divine cheese cake are our fave dishes from the menu. You go pick your own. QOpen 08:30 - 24:00. . PALSW
Dacia Felix B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Radisson

BLU), tel. (+4) 021 311 90 00, www.radissonblu.com/ hotel-bucharest. The best thing about this place is that the cracking breakfast (the best in the city), which is open to allcomers: simply turn up before 10:30, pay your money and fill up for the day (we would have liked to have stayed for the day such was the wealth of goodies on offer, but they had to get ready for lunch...). The Dacia-Felix is also the setting for the Radissons excellent Sunday Brunch which, though it goes
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40 41/(+4) 0722 70 25 60, www.restaurantgargantua. ro. Bright and airy place that gloriously lets the light in through its huge windows. Fine food, including a luscious fried brie with onion marmelade, an outstanding chicken and artichoke salad, a couple of duck dishes and good steaks. Prices are more than fair given the location, setting and quality of food. Find it on the corner of Stradas Calderon and Verona. QOpen 09:00 - 01:00. . PALVBSW
Gargantua C-5, Str. J.L. Calderon 69, tel. (+4) 021 211
choose from each day: ask the staff whats good, hand over a pittance and try and bag a seat at one of the tables (there are only three or four). You can take away if there is no space. The kind of place Bucharest needs loads more of. QOpen 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun. . PAVBSW
La Brasserie A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1 (Crowne Plaza), tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34, www.laveranda.ro. Redesigned and reinvented, La Brasserie is now less about fine dining (pop over to The Vineyard for that) and more about good quality, simple food for all the family. The menu is available buffetstyle or a-la-carte, and makes a great choice for families or groups on the run. The wine list remains a work of art and the atmosphere is now cosier than ever. QOpen 06:00 - 24:00. . PAEGSW Le Theatre B-5, Str. George Enescu 2-4, MP-ta Victoriei, tel. (+4) 021 318 28 74, www.letheatre.ro. A bit of food with your jazz? Or a bit of jazz with your food? There is always usually something happening at Le Theatre, and even if there isnt, the food is enough to keep you here for most of the evening. The lamb chops we ate were terrific: pink and tender, and they went down well with a plate of fresh spinach. Great atmosphere, good people, a decent choice for dinner. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00. . PAEBW Omnivores Dilemma B-4, Calea Victoriei 214, tel.
(+4) 021 212 56 66, kitchen@omnivores.ro, www. omnivores.ro. Brilliant! Tiny place serving the best cooked lunch in central Bucharest. There are just a few dishes to
The Vinyard A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1 (Crowne Plaza), tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34, www.laveranda.ro. The feather in the Crowne Plazas cap, this is now the hotels flagship restaurant, a work of great detail where everything is lovingly prepared by Exec Chef Ashlie Dias and his highly experienced team. Based around Mediterranean cuisine you can always expect to find something exotic and a bit different on the daring menu, and a number of the dishes require waiter or audience - thats you, diner -participation. An indulgent treat. QOpen 18:00 - 23:00. Closed Sat, Sun. . PAEGSW Uptown Bar & Grill B-3, Str. Rabat 2, tel. (+4) 021 231 40 77, www.uptown.ro. Uptown indeed. In the wealthiest part of the wealthiest part of the city, the citys wealthiest people come here to eat. The real draw is the enclosed terrace which means you can eat al fresco even when its snowing outside. The food is good, a mix of Italian-esque and modern European dishes, which share a menu with an excellent wine list. Prices not cheap but value for money very high. Make sure you reserve well in advance or turn up with a local celebrity if you want a table on the terrace. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00. . PALBSW
Italian
Aquarium C-4, Str. Alecu Russo 4, tel. (+4) 021 211 28 20, www.restaurantaquarium.ro. Since 1994 its been the same story: good but not extraordinary Italian food and a
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swish, bright interior; both make Aquarium worth a visit. It can be a little showy, with high-powered individuals often choosing to hold court here, but that shouldnt put you off what now has to be classed as a Bucharest legend. Rather expensive. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALEBSW
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Caffe Citta B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Radisson Blu),
tel. (+4) 021 601 34 36/(+4) 021 311 90 00, caffecitta. bucharest@radissonblu.com, www.caffe-citta.ro. Styled as a Northern Italian city centre cafe/bistro the emphasis here is on good, simple, urban food. Try the risotto with saffron, the saltim bocca and the tiramisu: all signature dishes and all done to perfection. The drinks menu is a bit special: go for the apple mojito (as delicious as it sounds) or try any number of great wines, all available by the glass. Keep the kids happy with the freshly made ice cream. QOpen 09:30 - 24:00. . PALGBW
Capricciosa B-dul Ion Ionescu de la Brad 2, tel. (+4)
021 233 06 35/(+4) 0722 22 47 99, capricciosa_restaurant@yahoo.com. A bustling Italian restaurant and pizzeria whose menu is a veritable dictionary of pizza. They even do truffles and, lets face it, you dont see those every day on a menu in Bucharest. Well worth making the journey uptown for both the food and the atmosphere, which demonstrates that top restaurants dont have to be fitze. QOpen 12:00 24:00. . PALBSW
Casa di David B-1, Sos. Nordului 7-9, tel. (+4) 021 232
47 15, contact@casadidavid.ro, www.casadidavid.ro. You can say what you like about this high-class place (and most party people in Bucharest have some kind of opinion), but to us it remains a very nice place to spend the evening, with its big windows and simple furnishings. The food is ristorante Italian, and very good, with enough fish dishes to make it appealing to sea food lovers, and though the big screen TV is annoying: thats the only fault we have. Staff are good and the wine list a cracker. QOpen 12:30 - 23:30. . PALBSW
Bucharest Grand Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 403 19 02, cucina@marriott.com, www.cucinarestaurant.ro. Bright and breezy, Cucina at the JW Marriott is a wonderful Italian restaurant where you can find probably the best (and perhaps only) swordfish steak in the city. The veal cutlets are incredibly expensive but worth every penny, while for a simple reminder of great cooking and intense flavours, the pumpkin and goose liver soup is a masterpiece. No fewer than 19 good Italian reds grace the wine menu. Q Open 12:30 - 14:00, 19:00 - 23:30, Sun 19:00 - 23:30. . PALESW D-4, Str. Marcel Iancu 10, tel. (+4) 0744 52 01 06/(+4) 021 211 14 49, fax (+4) 021 211 14 49, degustibus@ degustibus.ro, www.degustibus.ro. Located in a lovely house (which was built in 1898, neglected for decades then entirely renovated when De Gustibus moved in) this is a good Italian serving a good range of dishes, of which we particularly liked the fantastic crab risotto and the saltimbocca fillet. There is pizza if thats your thing, and the light desserts a good way to end the evening. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Sun 12:00 - 23:00. . PALBSW
Cucina B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott
De Gustibus
Modigliani Pasta/ Carne C-5, Str. Batistei 9 (Hotel InterContinental), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0730 64 48 06, modigliani@interconti.ro. The InterContinentals showpiece restaurant is gem. Boasting top chef Alfonso Salvaggio in the kitchen, the Italian stakes continue to get ratcheted up another notch, and it is all to the benefit of us bucharest.inyourpocket.com October - November 2011
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diners. All the pasta here is made fresh, the steaks are of the finest Argentine beef or Romanian pork, and the wine is a selection of the best the world has to offer. Prices are highish, but reflect quality, and by no means reach the levels of a few other places we could mention. QOpen 18:00 - 24:00. Closed Sun. . PALW
Ristorante Il Calcio A-3, Str. Clucerului 7, tel. (+4) 0729 57 48 02, catalina_r23@yahoo.com, www.trattoriailcalcio.ro. As opposed to T rattoria Il Calcio? Yes. For this is a ristorante, a notch up from trattoria. Expect a more refined menu and surroundings, but the same warm, friendly service and great value (if pricier) food youve come to expect from the Il Calcio boys. This first Il Calcio restaurant is in a lovely house on Strada Clucerului, quickly becoming something of a magnet for great places to eat. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00. . PALEBSW
Hilton), tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77, fax (+4) 021 315 21 21. Its back. After a complete refit Robertos is bigger and better than ever. It now boasts an open kitchen, three distinct dining areas and a private dining room. The food is simple, classical, with the menu boasting the best dishes from a number of Italian regions. The Gualtiero Machesi risotto with gold leaf is amazing, and the baccala with mash sensational. Its not cheap, but prices reflect the high quality. In a nutshell, its worth every penny: this is one of the top five restaurants in the land. Q Open 06:30 - 24:00. . PTAGBSW tel. (+4) 0735 33 30 21, www.trattoriadonvito.ro. They get a lot right here, not least the bean soup that is a meal in itself. Excellent salads, and the seafood-packed signature Don Vito pasta was memorable. There is pizza too, the sweets are delicious and the place itself is decked out well without ever overdoing it. Well worth a look. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00. . PALSW
Robertos C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace
Trattoria Don Vito Ristorante C-4, Str. Mendeleev 1,
Trattoria Il Calcio C-5, Str. Benjamin Franklin 1-3, tel. (+4) 0732 52 81 40, www.trattoriailcalcio.ro. What we have here is the best use of perhaps the best terrace space in the city. As with the original Il Calcio, service can be a bit hit and miss but the good - if not outstanding - Italian food at fantastic prices makes this a good default choice for dinner. Stick to the pizzas, salads, have a little patience and you will love the place. Q Open 12:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 01:00. Also at (C-4) Str. Mendeleev 14, (+4) 0722 13 42 99;(I-4) Str. Delea Veche 36, tel. (+4) 0726 01 03 83; (C-3) Calea Floreasca 118-120, tel (+4) 0728 63 99 06. . PAEGBSW Trattoria Roma D-4, Str. Mihai Eminescu 114-116,
tel. (+4) 021 210 81 57/(+4) 0722 32 37 34, www. trattoria-roma.ro. Brilliant, truly brilliant, and we rarely give praise that high. It might nominally be an Italian but what people come to this place for is the seafood. Huge plates
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of steaming mussels come in at top value, and theres fresh lobster (fresh as in they pick it live out of a fish tank for you fresh) too. Add in decent house wine at giveaway prices, good pasta (a classic aglio, olio is recommended) and you have a winner. The Eminescu location is our favourite place in the city right now, and that from a city guide which is not really meant to have favourites... QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. Also at (B-3) Calea Dorobanti 177, tel. (+4) 021 230 40 83 and (A-6) Str. Dr. Lister 1, tel. (+4) 0766 33 42 24, (+4) 021 441 63 30. . PALS
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Japanese
Grand Plaza), MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 201 50 30. With cracking new menus specially put together for the winter, this is a great time to come and try the vast array of terrific Japanese specialities on offer at Benihana. A staple on the Bucharest dining scene for some years now, it is a tremendous mix of the new, the daring and the traditional. Expert chefs and staff will explain Japanese cuisine to newcomers, and the chances are you will want to come more than once. Great value, and perfect for big groups. Q Open 12:00 15:00, 19:00 - 23:00. . PTAULSW 26 33, www.restaurantmaiko.ro. Its brilliant. Whoever thought a building in the French Village could look as good as this? Put simply people, you need to come and eat here. Fast, efficient waitresses in kimonos greet you as you walk in, and generally make you feel like a star. Theres all kinds of sushi, and full tepanyaki (as in fellas cooking on a hotplate right in front of you). You will want to taste everything, and we can guarantee that one visit will not be enough. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALBSW ping City, groundfloor), tel. (+4) 0758 03 80 05, office@ sushiko.ro, www.sushiko.ro. Two wonderful restaurants. The food is fantastic, and the extensive menu covers every area of Japanese cuisine, from sushi to sashimi. The vibe is casual, the set menus are great value, and there is an Old Town location too. Staff are friendly and helpful, taking time out to explain the finer points of Japanese dining to beginners. Both locations are well worth a visit, and if you cant get there in person, theres home delivery too. QOpen 12:00 - 22:30. Also at (C-6) Str. Stavropoleos 8, tel. (+4) 0758 08 84 00, Open 12:00 - 23:30, Fri, Sat 12:00 - 24:00. . PALVSW
Benihana B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7 (Howard Johnson
Maiko Str. Grigore Gafencu 27-29, tel. (+4) 021 233
Sushi Ko Sos. Bucuresti-Ploiesti 42D (Baneasa Shop-
Lebanese
Chez Toni C-2, Str. Glodeni 3, tel. (+4) 021 242 02
04/(+4) 0740 00 78 78, office@cheztoni.ro, www. cheztoni.ro. Terrific Lebanese food in the leafy, away-fromit-all setting of the Pescariu Tennis and Sports Club. All your Middle Eastern favourites are here, from Antaki, Adana and Beiti kebabs to sujuk (those tangy, spicy little sausages) and simple yet perfectly grilled sea bass (and a ton of other fresh fish). Everything is cooked by the resident Lebanese chef. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALBSW B-5, Str. George Enescu 29, tel. (+4) 0732 98 47 38, office@grenadine.ro, www.grenadine.ro. Taboule, fatoush, sumak and no fewer than seven different kinds of hummus can start things off here, before you head into the meaty part of the menu. The Grenadine mixed grill is a tasty, hefty treat. Good salads, sweet desserts and prices that are far cheaper than the city centre location might otherwise demand. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. . PABSW
Grenadine
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twist. Top wine list and prices are certainly reasonable. Worth the trip. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 03:00. . PALEBSW
Modern European
Cafe Athenee C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hilton), MP-ta Victoriei, tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77, www. hiltonbucharest.com. Joy. The village pub has reopened and is better than ever. First off, you can now see out of the windows: the dreary net curtains of yore have gone. Completely redesigned, it is more open, feels bigger than before, and you can now sit at the bar. The menu has been jigged - a fantastic shepherds pie added - but they have sensibly kept the burger: always one of the best in the city. And there is also now a bites menu of substantial finger food for executive snacking, and a bigger, wider range of beers, wines and cocktails then ever. A winner that shoots and scores yet again. Q Open 08:00-24:00. . PASW Heritage Restaurant C-4, Str. Polona 19, tel. (+4) 021 210 88 50/(+4) 0736 88 68 86, www.heritage-restaurant. eu. There is still something of a mistaken idea amongst Bucharest gourmands that Heritage is a fitze kind of place, frequented by the sunglasses crowd and such like. Let us assure you it is not. It is quite simply one of Bucharests best restaurants, and as such attracts a mixed crowd of people who like fantastic food in a classy atmosphere, be they business partners, or families enjoying a weekend dinner. Prices are not as high as you might think, and given the standard of the food you are guaranteed value for money. Q Open 12:30 - 15:00, 19:00 - 22:00. Closed Mon, Sun. . PALGBW
(Radisson BLU), tel. (+4) 021 311 90 00, www.primerestaurant.ro. Boasting a menu put together by Executive Chef Bernd Kirsch, who has been in charge of the kitchen here since Prime opened more than two years ago, what is perhaps Bucharests best restaurant recently got better. Now serving the finest fillet steak in the world (the Irish Hereford Prime - which we can tell you, as we have eaten it, is amazing), we can also recommend the duet of foie gras with raspberry mousse and caramelized pineapple, the grilled scallops and the lobster bisque. Its genuinely amazing this place, and worth every last penny. Q Open 18:00 - 23:30. . PALG
Prime Steaks & Seafood B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81
57 55/(+4) 0722 20 50 20, restaurant@piccolomondo. ro, www.piccolomondo.ro. Lebanese food that is both filling (with plenty for vegetarians to choose from) and well made. Kebabs are one of the chefs strong points, and are very tasty indeed. After your meal you can enjoy a smoke on a hookah pipe. Always packed so reserve a table. QOpen 11:30 - 24:00. . PAVBSW
Piccolo Mondo A-3, Str. Clucerului 9, tel. (+4) 021 222
Mediterranean
Studio 80 Aleea Privighetorilor 80, tel. (+4) 0749 78 83
46/(+4) 031 437 97 29, office@studio-80.ro. For something a bit different in a location well away from the bustle of the city centre it is worth trying the fare on offer here at Studio 80. A good range of food on offer, from good meats to fish and sea food, and all done with a genuine Mediterranean
Romanian
Bistro Atheneu C-5, Str. Episcopiei 3, tel. (+4) 021 313 49 00, www.bistronet.ro. Also known as the thinking mans La M*ma. If you want very good Romanian food cooked slowly and with great care then this is where to come. There is no menu as such: simply choose one of the delicious specials
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chalked up on a blackboard that the pretty waitresses will bring to your table. There is usually a good ciorba or soup, and more often than not a lamb dish: if they have the lamb stew when you visit, make sure you order it, its great. Reservations usually needed Friday and Saturday nights. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PNGS
and in a city where standards rise only to fall so often, Casa Doina can be considered a paragon of consistency. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. . PAEBS
Corso Brasserie C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 4 (Hotel
Bistro Jaristea B-4, Str. Henri Coanda 5, tel. (+4) 021
650 50 00, www.bistrojaristea.ro. From the people who have long brought you some of the citys finest Romanian food comes this place, a contemporary eatery for friends. Duck breast with sweet cabbage, smoked fish and potato salad, baked carp with garlic and mamaliga are just a few of the great dishes you will find on the menu. Add in a bright, breezy setting, good service, visinata by the glass and you have a terrific new place to eat and spend most of the evening. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALVEBSW 320 32 69/(+4) 0722 66 33 79, www.bucatarasul.ro. Keep it simple and let the food do the talking. This place is a smallish restaurant, painted bright white with colour supplied by some rather fetching art on the walls. And the food of course, which is sublime: Romanian food done well and taken to new levels of inventiveness, a notch above your standard Romanian eatery. The signature dish, the Tigaia Bucatarasul cel Dibaci, is a great mix of meats and vegetables, served in a huge portion with mamaliga. Magnificent. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00, Sat, Sun 14:00 - 22:00. . PALVBSW
InterContinental), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20. Breakfast, lunch or dinner on the boulevard; Magheru, that is. If this place doesnt occupy the best people-watching spot in the whole of the city, then we dont know where does. The menu has gone more local of late: you can now enjoy exemplary sarmale and mamaliga here, as well as a brilliant iahnie de fasole with ciolan (pork knuckle with beans to you and me). Also still home of the best brunch in town, every Sunday at 12:00. Q Open 06:30 - 10:30, 12:00 - 23:00, Sat 06:30 - 11:30, 12:00 - 23:00, Sun 06:30 - 11:00. 12:00 - 23:00. . PTALEBW
La Mama C-3, Str. Barbu Vcrescu 3, tel. (+4) 021
Bucatarasul cel Dibaci C-6, Str. Olteni 3, tel. (+4) 021
212 40 86, www.lamama.ro. Not exactly a Romanian McDonalds - after all, this is hardly fast food - though this is a chain of cheap restaurants which all look the same and all serve the same food. Expect big portions of standard Romanian food - they do good mici and the musaka is usually OK. QOpen 10:00 - 01:00. Also at (I-3) Str. Delea Veche 51, tel. (+4) 021 320 52 13, (+4) 0723 29 28 46; (C-4) Str. Episcopiei 9, tel. (+4) 021 312 97 97, 0721 52 62 62 and many other locations around the city. . PAVBSW
La Taifas B-4, Str. Gheorghe Manu 16, tel. (+4) 021
Casa Doina B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 4, tel. (+4) 021 222 67
17, www.casadoina.ro. Alma mater of Romanian restaurants, an integral part of the citys rich tapestry. This classy place pulls in the cream of Bucharest society, served by charming, splendid waiters in smart dress. The food is superb,
212 77 88, www.bistronet.ro. La Taifas means having a chat and thats exactly what you and your friends will feel like doing at this tres jolie venue. We remain convinced that the original venue behind the Hilton on Str. Episcopiei was better, but the new location is spacier, and hosts more regular musical accompaniments. The food is great, and booking is still essential. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00. . PLEBS
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Locanta Jaristea B-6, Str. George Georgescu 50-52, tel. (+4) 021 335 33 38/(+4) 0721 96 19 36, www. jaristea.ro. This is that rarity in Bucharest (and indeed Romania): an upmarket Romanian restaurant. The surroundings, location, exquisitely decorated dining rooms, service and choice of high quality food will convince you of that. This is one of very few places in Romania where you can enjoy an entire suckling pig (though note that you will need to phone ahead and ask then to start preparing it a day in advance) and sample some of the best vintage wines Romania has ever produced. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. . PALEW
24 80/(+4) 021 211 13 34, www.restaurantnicoresti. ro. Maybe we have been harsh in the past with our reviews of Nicoresti. It is, after all, one of the most celebrated Romanian restaurants in the city, and given that the service - always our biggest problem with the place - has improved no end of late, we suggest you give it a go, for the food has always been very good. The ciolan de porc (pork knuckle) with beans is legendary: ask anyone in the city! QOpen 11:00 - 23:00, Sun 13:00 - 23:00. . PALE sitate, tel. (+4) 031 805 91 99/(+4) 0748 22 02 20, www.rossetya.ro. Romanian food is never going to win any awards for originality, it being a mix of various Balkan cuisines, yet Rossetya tries harder than most to take it to new levels. As such this is as upmarket as you can get, and the beef dishes here are especially good. Try the sote de vacuta aromat cu cognac: tender beef sauteed in cognac with mushrooms and tomatoes. Also worth trying is the iahnie de fasole: a Romanian bean stew that packs something of a kick and proof that Romanian does do vegetarian food. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. . PASW
tate, tel. (+4) 021 315 83 75/(+4) 0721 20 08 00, www. vatra.ro. We have been eating here for years and we cant recommend the place highly enough. You really will have go a long way to find better value Romanian food than this. A brilliant, well-priced restaurant close to Old Town and very close to Cismigiu Park, expect big portions of tasty local dishes. Great ciorbas, terrific mici and a decent pint of beer to wash it all down with. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALBS
Vatra Restaurant B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 19, MUniversi-
Seafood
La Veranda A-1, B-dul Poligrafiei 1 (Crowne Plaza), tel. (+4) 021 224 00 34, www.laveranda.ro. One of three places at the Crowne Plaza. This one is housed inside a glass terrace offering wonderful views of the garden outside: a joy in any weather. It serves deceptively simple yet exquisite fish and sea food as fresh as the day it was caught, and the chef will happily cook to order. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. . PAEBSW Mesogios C-5, Str. J.L. Calderon 49, tel. (+4) 021 313 49 51, (+4) 0727 23 92 39/(+4) 021 317 13 55, www. mesogios.ro. A businessmans dream. While Mesogios certainly doesnt get any cheaper, the high standards here have ensured that it remains packed with happy punters. Getting on for a decade since it opened its dedication to seafood has not waned for one moment. Squid, lobster, prawns of all sizes, mussels, oysters, giant sea bass all usually available. QOpen 12:30 - 23:00. . PALESW Osho Fish B-2, B-dul Primaverii 19-21, tel. (+4) 021 311 88 26, www.osho-restaurant.ro. Expect fine pieces of fresh fish and prime, fresh seafood cooked and prepared simply, with real class and with great care for the natural bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Nicoresti C-5, Str. Maria Rosetti 40, tel. (+4) 021 211
Rossetya C-5, Str. Dimitrie Bolintineanu 9, MUniver-
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flavour of the fish. Prices reflect the high quality of the raw material, so charge it to expenses if you can, for this is a faultless establishment we have grown rather fond of. Get in there. QOpen 10:30 - 23:30, Sat 09:00 - 01:00, Sun 10:30 - 22:30. . PAVBSW
Taverna Pescareasca La Zavat E-5, Str. Popa Nan
16, tel. (+4) 021 252 29 56/(+4) 0766 52 67 91, www. taverna-lazavat.ro. Top little place with more atmosphere in its small toe than most other restaurants have in their entire bodies. Cracking menu of primarily fish and seafood, though there are local Romanian and international favourites too. An exemplary wine list (for all budgets) makes it a super place for vineyard fans: all of Romanias top wineries are represented. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PABS
serving T-bone steaks you would scream for in the dark. There is more than steak on the menu though, such as a top burger and tangy mutton chops, and take note that all the meat is Romanian. We have to admit to being pleasantly surprised about the prices: given the location (this is Beverly Hills, Bucharest) they are more than reasonable considering you get the best of the best. One for the wish list. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00. . PAVBSW
Turkish
Golden Falcon C-5, Str. Hristo Botev 18-20, tel. (+4)
021 314 28 25, golden.falcon@bizcity.ro, www.goldenfalcon.ro. Still the greatest kebab house in the land, and still packing in the punters who come back time and again. There are no menus here: instead the waitresses will parade a trolley-full of meze before you to pick from, before coming round with the kebabs: pick which one you want then send it to be cooked in the open kitchen. We usually always go for the lamb kebabs, but in our experience all of them are well worth trying. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PALVS
Steak Houses
90 (JW Marriott Bucharest Grand), tel. (+4) 021 403 19 03, www.jwsteakhouse.ro. The JW Marriott joins the Bucharest chophouse revolution with the opening of the JW Steakhouse, only the second such signature venue to open in Europe. You can expect a very American steakhouse experience, right down to the Black Angus beef imported from the US. The Tomahawk steak - weighing in at nearly a kilo and costing almost 100 - is the pick of the steaks, but there is much more besides, including broiled lobster and Australian lamb chops.Q Open 06:30 - 11:00, 12:30 - 16:00, 18:30 23:30. . PALSW
JW Steakhouse Bucharest B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie
Urban Contemporary
Restaurant Madame Pogany C-3, Str. Banu Antonache
40-44, tel. (+4) 0744 10 56 13/(+4) 0743 66 17 82, www.madamepogany.ro. Fine, upmarket yet casual restaurant of the new school in Floreasca/Dorobanti. The spacious, modern, well-lit dining room gives you a real sense of grandeur without ever becoming kitsch: a trick few have managed to pull off in Bucharest. There is little point telling you about the food as the menu changes almost daily: what we can say is that whatever you order you are likely to be happy with it. This is a great restaurant. QOpen 09:00 - 24:30, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 04:00, Sun 12:00 - 22:30. . PALEBSW
Osho B-2, B-dul Primaverii 19-21, tel. (+4) 021 568 30
31, (+4) 021 568 30 32, www.osho-restaurant.ro. Biggest, baddest, meanest and downright bestest chophouse in town. Oh yes, this is a butchers shop and restaurant
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CaFs
Antipa Cafe A-3, B-dul Ion Mihalache 1, tel. (+4) 0730 03 01 40. Bucharests best museum (well, a contender for that title, anyway) also has its own cafe. Currently attracts a cool, trendy crowd of young arty types and coffee-break mums, you will love it and want to stay all day: it could just be the most peaceful, relaxing coffee fix destination in the land. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. ALBW Cafe Times E-6, B-dul Decebal 19, tel. (+4) 021 316
65 16, www.timesevents.ro. Free Wifi with your (excellent) coffee and a can-do attitude from the staff who appear to realise that sometimes people are busy, and need their coffee double quick. Not every cafe in Bucharest does realise that... Having said that, this is the kind of laid-back place that you end up spending the whole afternoon in, no matter how busy you are. Q Open 07:30 - 24:00. PALBW
Home Delivery
Fabio Pizza Tel. (+4) 021 311 71 22/(+4) 021
322 07 22, www.fabiopizza.ro. Currently our favourite home-delivery pizza company in Bucharest. Great prices, cheerful delivery chaps and terrific pizza (if you choose the thin and crispy base, baza subtire in Romanian). We are bot so keen on the thick-base version. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00.
Jerrys D- -6, B-dul Octavian Goga 24, tel. (+4) 021
Cafe Verona/Verona Garden C-5, Str. Pictor Arthur Verona 13-15, tel. (+4) 0732 00 30 61/(+4) 0732 00 30 60, www.carturesti.ro. Sublime. The brilliant Carturesti bookshop has long served coffee with its books, and now there is wine; and cocktails too, and even a heated garden and terrace that stays open all year. This is the kind of place you come to in order to meet friends, and then end up staying all day and making new friends. Also puts on events, from book launches to photo and art exhibitions. Its a one-stop cultural centre and something of a second home for many regulars. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00. PABW Caffe & Latte B-5, B-dul Schitu Mgureanu 35, tel. (+4) 021 314 38 34, www.caffelatte.ro. The food, the coffee and the dcor all stay more or less the same - and yet still they come. What does get better here is the cake selection: it seems to improve year after year. The location is great of course, right opposite the nicest park in the city
327 40 40/(+4) 021 425 15 15, www.jerryspizza.ro. Though still delivering good pizza, there is much more to Jerrys than pizza though these days. Hot chicken wings, subs and salads, for a start. Friendly delivery boys in our experience: always worth an extra mark. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. Jerrys at Night Open 23:00 - 04:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 24:00-04:00, tel. (+4) 0722 33 41 41. 021 318 12 85, www.nanjing.ro. Yes! Now thats good news. The Nan Jing now does home delivery. Just head to their website for the full home delivery menu. Q Open 12:00 - 24:00.
Nan Jing B-4, Str. Gheorghe Manu 2-4, tel. (+4)
Orasul Interzis D-5, Str. Silvestru 3, tel. (+4) 0733 50 07 50, www.orasul-interzis.ro. Home delivery arm of the excellent Chinese restaurant of same name. QOpen 12:30 - 24:00. Trenta Pizza Tel. (+4) 021 9645, www.trentapizza.
ro. This is the real deal. Thin, crispy pizzas served piping hot to your door for peanuts. They do the thick-style pizzas too: make sure you ask for baza subtire - thin base. QOpen 11:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 24:00.
Wu Xing Tel. (+4) 021 222 21 26/(+4) 0722 83
03 30, www.wuxing.ro. Professional, if slightly pricey Chinese delivery service. Good option when you cant be bothered to cook or leave the house. You can even order online. And it all comes in funky white boxes. Q Open 10 - 01:00.
Yin-Yang B-3, Str. Putul lui Zamfir 38, tel. (+4) 021 231 41 32, www.yinyangrestaurant.ro. Sometimes delivers the best Chinese food, and sometimes definitely doesnt. Take a shot in the dark, try them (fairly fast service) and you may be hooked. Very affordable and good duck dishes - just check the website for an online menu. Q Open 09:30 - 22:50, Fri, Sat, Sun 09:30 23:20. VS
For details of restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs in Bucharests Old Town (Lipscani), see the feature on pages 73-87.
Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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centre, and the staff are young, friendly and multi-lingual, eager to help out lost tourists. QOpen 08:00 - 22:30, Sun 9:00 - 22:30. PNB
Green Tea D-5, Str. Dr. Burghelea 24, tel. (+4) 021 320 93 96, www.greentea.ro. Magnificent. A gorgeous villa whose many rooms have all been lovingly decorated in a different theme (one is like your favourite Grans front room, another is like a country house) the list of teas available is as long as your arm. Some are very exotic indeed. And yes, besides taking tea here, you can buy just about all of the teas in the shop. QOpen 15:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 23:00. PAVGBSW Readers Cafe B-4, Str. Grigore Alexandrescu 89-97, tel. (+4) 0737 32 33 77, www.readerscafe.ro. This place is one of the great things about the Metropolis Centre, of which the Starlight Suites and Loft restaurant also from part. You will find Readers on the ground floor, a modern, bright and well-lit space where you can read, drink great coffee or eat - far better than you would expect. The breakfast is terrific, the sandwiches tasty and well-filled, the salads big and the pasta light.QOpen 10:00 - 23:00, Sun 10:00 - 04:00. PAEBSW
12, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 211 31 00, www. serendipity-tea.ro. Tea, and lots of it. There are more than 55 types of tea available, including the trademark Serendipity, an aromatic yet fruity green tea with more than a hint of strawberries. A quiet location just off an otherwise busy central street make this a superb choice for long, peaceful afternoons reading a good book with a great cup of tea or two. Oh, and we should point out that the coffee menu is not bad either. QOpen 17:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 23:00. TAGW
Tekaffe B-4, Calea Grivitei 143 (Hello Hotels), tel. (+4) 0372 12 18 00. The in-house cafe at the Hello Hotel is as smart, cheap and good value as the hotel itself. Serves good coffee, pastries and the like, and all with added Wifi. A more than decent meeting place. QOpen 11:00 - 02:00. PALBSW The Livingroom Cafe C-5, B-dul Hristo Botev 3, tel. (+4) 0758 07 08 84, www.thelivingroomcaffe.com. Always been a favourite place of ours, not least because it does look a little like, well, a living room. It is the kind of place that you want to stay all night in, feet up on the sofa watching television and knocking back coffee and cocktails. They also do a great breakfast, and a superb club sandwich. QOpen 09:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 24:00. PLNBSW
0723 44 80 80. Love the name. This place has indeed got soul, and plenty else besides. Warm and quiet coffee house by day, it becomes the perfect aperitivo spot when the sun goes down, then gets really wild as the music gets louder and the hours get shorter. Theres a good internet cafe in the basement. Q Open 24hrs. ARBSW
Tonka Soul Cafe B-4, Str. Biserica Amzei 19, tel. (+4)
Serendipity Tea House C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie
Vintage Cafe C-4, Str. Mendeleev 22, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 310 71 09, www.vintagecafe.ro. Nice, central, cafe which manages to be retro without kitsch and which pulls off the difficult cafe/cocktail combo with aplomb. Serves a seriously good range of coffees, and an exemplary Mojito (something which always wins points with us). Before the rejuvenation of Old Town, this street was set to become the most popular cafe/bar destination in the city: a few more great places like this and it will be just that. QOpen 09:00 24:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 24:00. PAW
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Bars
B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Radisson Blu), tel. (+4) 021 311 90 00, www.bla-lounge.ro. A collection of bars and lounges from the Radisson, popular with an after-work crowd who view it as a decent alternative to the English Bar in the Hilton across the road. Expect contemporary design, great bar food (try the duck blinis) and cracking cocktails. Add in a splendid range of agreeable wines and you have a winner. Q Bl Lounge Bar 08:00 - 02:00, Sat, Sun 08:00-24:00; Light Bl Terrace 09:00 - 02:00, Dark Bl Bar 17:00-02:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 24:00. PALBW
Dark Bl Bar /Light Bl Terrace /Bl Lounge Bar
of you looking for a quiet night out. If, on the other hand, you want to seriously party, then it is a good choice. All sorts of theme nights and parties go on here. It has in the past held bikini nights. Make of that what you will. Q Bar Open 09:00 20:00, Club Open 20:00 - 04:00. PAVEW
Downtown C-4, Str. Mendeleev 32 - 34, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 021 314 86 06, office@downtown.ro, www. downtown.ro. Lively, central and still hugely popular after almost a decade, Downtown is not the kind of place for those
English Bar C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hilton), tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77 ext. 6759. This little corner of the Hilton that will forever be associated with intrigue and spies (it has been around for nearly a century, as long as the hotel) remains today a classy bar serving champagne by the glass and much else besides (including a tremendous pint of Guinness). Packed with business leaders and expats most evenings it is hard not to love it. It is one of our regular haunts. Q Open August 17:00-02:00, September 10:00 02:00. PALW Fourteen C-5, Str. Benjamin Franklin 14, MP-ta Romana, tel. (+4) 0730 47 22 33, www.fourteen.ro. Reopened and better than ever, this English-owned and run bar stroke club is for a more discerning crowd: one fed up with the regular, fitze dominated Bucharest nightlife scene. Expect a very good mix of music (1980s pop and electro and Brit Pop being the staples) and plenty of theme nights. Happy hour every evening from 17:00-19:00, and a popular venue for private parties. QOpen 17:00 - 02:00, Thu, Fri, Sat 17:00 - 03:00. PAE Fratelli C-5, Str. Nicolae Golescu 5, MUniversitate, tel.
(+4) 021 311 66 76/(+4) 0721 85 00 30, office@fratelli. ro, www.fratelli.ro. Calling itself a bar and lounge, there are certainly enough comfy sofas here to qualify it in the lounge category. That is if you can get in of course. Though we can usually blag our way past the fellas on the door, we know people who have been told its full even though they knew it damn well wasnt. Whats more it isnt really a fitze kind of place. It has its Starck furniture and resident posers of course but in general the crowd that makes it in is more business than biznes. Worth trying to get in. Not wearing a cap or trainers will help. QOpen 16:00 - 01:00. PAB
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So where am I exactly?
Bucharest, capital of Romania. Situated in that part of the world which will - to those of a certain age - always be known as Eastern Europe, it would be more accurate to describe Bucharests geographical location as southeastern Europe. Founded, legend has it, in the 14th century, Bucharest is in that part of Romania known as Wallachia, one of the three historic principalities which make up the modern country (the others are Moldavia and Transylvania). Romania as a nation state is relatively new: while Moldavia and Wallachia have been united as a single country since 1859, Romania took on its modern form only on December 1st, 1918, when the Romanians of Transylvania voted to join in the fun. The official population of Bucharest is just over two million people, but as many migrants from the rest of the country do not bother to register as citizens of the capital, the true number is thought to be closer to three million. Bucharest is close to the Danube (just 69 kilometres to the south), which serves as the border between Romania and Bulgaria. The main crossing point is at Giurgiu, linked by a bridge with Ruse, the Bulgarian town on the other side of the river, whose pleasant centre is well worth a day trip if you are at a loose end. Alas you will need a car, as train services between Bucharest and Ruse (and the rest of Bulgaria) are poor. Bucharest is around 240 kilometres from Constanta and the Black Sea coast, but as the A2 motorway only goes as far as Cernavoda, even the maddest of drivers fail to do the trip in much under three hours. Like most trains in Romania, the Bucharest - Constanta service is slow and it takes four and a half hours. To the north of Bucharest is Ploiesti - the centre of Romanias oil industry, and beyond that the Carpathian Mountains, a two hour drive away.
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Intermezzo Piano Bar C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 4 (Hotel InterContinental), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20. Legendary hotel bar in the lobby of the Eenter, which was a den of iniquity and intrigue during the communist period, all spies and journalists, plots and honey traps. Now its merely a very cool place to meet and have a drink in superb surroundings. Another one of the many reasons why the InterContinental is once again a decent place to spend time. QOpen 08:00 - 01:00. PALEW
0730 88 33 77, office@pillow.ro, www.pillow.ro. The odd Ikea coffee table aside (and lets face it, who hasnt got at least half a dozen Ikea coffee tables these days?), Pillow is the kind of place we like to see opening up. It is cool without being pretentious, serves Illy coffee and has a couple of tables that double as beds, hence the name. It is in fact the kind of place where you could happily enjoy an exotic smoke, though as this is Bucharest, not Amsterdam, the smoke will be limited to tangy middle eastern tobaccos taken through a narghilea. QOpen 18:00 - 04:00, Fri, Sat 18:00 - 06:00. PLNB
Pillow Bar & Lounge C-4, Str. Comanita 5, tel. (+4)
Q Pub C-4, Str. Mendeleev 35, tel. (+4) 021 316 80 45, www.q-pub.ro. Busier on weeknights than a lot of other bars in the Piata Amzei area, with an omnipresent DJ playing agreeable enough music. The drinks are affordable enough and the crowd is neutral, often full of groups of men gawping at women and vice versa. QOpen 17:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu. PLE Terminus C-5, Str. George Enescu 5, tel. (+4) 021
318 16 67/(+4) 0730 22 25 55, contact@terminus. ro, www.terminus.ro. Pub/bar on the ground floor, while downstairs there is a basement bar which becomes more
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a nightclub with an industrial feel as the evening wears on. Theres a big bar and getting a drink - once not easy - is now a joy thanks to top staff. The central location right between the Radisson and Hilton guarantees it a steady flow of thirsty visitors. Guinness on tap. QOpen 09:30 - 04:00, Sat, Sun 07:00 - 06:00. PAEBW
Victoria Club C-5, Calea Victoriei 56 (Grand Hotel
Continental), tel. (+4) 0372 01 03 00, www.grandhotelcontinental.ro. Elegant English bar and cigar lounge that - with its gorgeous leather armchairs - immediately reminded us of our favourite bar in Vienna (which shall rename nameless). And thats exactly what weve found ourselves doing here: its a great place to get away from the bustle of the city for a bit, to enjoy the fine selection of English teas (theres good coffee too) and later on one of more than 100 spirits. Oh, and they have a top selection cigars too, we should add. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00. PALGBW
For details of restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs in Bucharests Old Town (Lipscani), see the feature on pages 73-87.
corners for secret tete-a-tetes, you could conduct all sorts of affairs from down here. Not easy to find, the entrance is on the northern side of the National Theatre (opposite the InterContinental). They serve a great pizza. QOpen 09:00 03:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 05:00. PVE B-5, Str. Gen. Berthelot 111, tel. (+4) 0723 11 22 00/ (+4) 0744 36 63 50, www.dreamers.ro. As Spock might say, its Dreamers Jim, but not as we know it. For if you remember the old location as always being a bit cramped (though we have to admit it was not without its charms) then you are in for a nice shock at the new place. Everything you would expect from a pub is here, from football on the television to Guinness in the taps. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 05:00. PENW C-5, Str. Edgar Quinet 9, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 314 18 43. At lunchtime office boys and students mix happily as they tuck into great sandwiches and salads, while in the evening a similarly mixed crowd of good time people enjoys the laid back atmosphere always on offer here. It gets crowded downstairs at weekends, but that just adds to the fun. Recently given a thorough makeover. QOpen 09:00 02:00, Sat, Sun 14:00 - 02:00. PNSW C-5, Str. J.L. Calderon 80, tel. (+4) 021 212 48 86/(+4) 0728 92 06 20, www.lacalderon80.ro. With its wooden interior, inoffensive music and gangs of young people clustered round big tables, La 80 does little to distinguish itself from a swathe of similar establishments. Reasonable food and prices, and, opposite Gradina Icoanei is a nice retreat from more frantic places elsewhere. QOpen 11:00 - 01:00. PALVBW
Yellow Bar C-5, Str. Edgar Quinet 10, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0725 77 80 00. Still popular after all these years, and lets face it: its been around as long as us. This is a great, central place to relax and listen to a few good tunes, unwind and feel nicely cut-off from the street above. Flashy leather/brightly coloured-but-somehow-ambient decor. Top leather sofas perfect for canoodling. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00, Sat, Sun 15:00 - 03:00. PLNSW
Dreamers
Pubs
Cafeneaua Actorilor C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 2,
MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0721 90 08 42, www.cafeneauaactorilor.ro. Eternally popular late night choice of the actors who work in the National Theatre next door, this legendary bar remains a favourite of ours too. Loads of quiet
Edgars Pub
La Calderon 80
Shift C-4, Str. Eremia Grigorescu 17, tel. (+4) 021 211 22 72, info@shiftpub.ro, www.shiftpub.ro. Its doubtful that youve seen anything like this place in Bucharest before. Shift is a Bohemian restaurant/bar/club of some style. It is, in a word, gorgeous, and has been packed since opening day with the hippest and coolest people in the land. Late at night this is the smartest chill-out venue in the city, and we (and just about everybody else) love it. QOpen 12:00 - 03:00. PABSW White Horse B-3, Str. George Clinescu 4A, tel. (+4) 021 231 27 95, office@whitehorse.ro, www.whitehorse. ro. The White Horse has been around so long it should probably consider going out to stud. Or should it? On a recent visit we found it to be in surprisingly good shape, and packed with both locals of the ordinary people variety, as well as group of rowdy expats. There is still good food in the more formal part upstairs, with bar snacks served down, and though we have always loved the square bar. QOpen 11:00 - 01:00. PABSW Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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Irish Pubs
26 78, www.irishpubs.ro. Is there football on? Dubliner. Rugby? Dubliner. Cricket? Dubliner. Its not that there arent now other pubs to go to (there have been for quite some time) but the question is, why would you go anywhere else? All your mates are probably here, both the best steak and kidney pie in town is here, the best Guinness in Bucharest is poured here, and the widest choice of foreign television channels is here. Think about going somewhere else by all means - even talk about it - but then do whats sensible and get yourself here. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PAEBW
Dubliner A-4, B-dul N. Titulescu 18, tel. (+4) 021 260
Vice Advice
Wth more brothels, massage parlours and sex shops per square inch than most places in Eastern Europe, you could be forgiven for thinking Bucharest was the sex capital of the continent. You could also be forgiven for thinking that prostitution was legal: we can assure you of the fact that it certainly isnt, despite any and all appearances. This being Romania however, the law is more a minor obstacle to be overcome than a serious impediment, so you can indeed get away with sin, sin and more sin anytime you like, though discretion remains essential. If you are looking for sins of the flesh, you basically have three options: one legal, one not exactly legal but not exactly illegal either, and one completely illegal. The legal option (and the only option we recommend) is erotic massage at a reputable massage parlour. You will almost certainly not be offered any sexual encounters at these places, but there is still much fun to be had, from simple hand assistance to full body massage from one, two or even three nubile young ladies. Prices start at around 50 though climb higher at the more central, luxurious establishments. The second (and not-always-above-board) option is to simply head for a brothel (surely erotic nightclub? Ed). These establishments advertise themselves in seedy publications as legitimate strip clubs, but act mainly as fronts for whorehouses, usually run by very dodgy, and often quite dangerous businessmen. After sitting yourself down at a table you will be served expensive drinks, before being joined by some very bored and not always attractive young ladies (most of Romanias best-looking prostitutes are allegedly plying their trade in Germany and the Czech Republic). These girls sometimes lap dance for you, and always try to convince you to buy them cocktails (in fact orange juice with an umbrella, usually costing about 15). After half an hour of bored conversation you will be asked if you would like to retreat to a more intimate location, usually a room above, or even in, the night club itself. For an hour of whatever it is you fancy expect to pay a minimum of 100, as well as the obligatory bottle of sparkling wine, which usually costs at least another 50. All this on top of the tab you have already run up of course. But be careful. Not all of these night clubs are worth your time. Indeed, some can allegedly cause you physical harm. One such establishment, allegedly, is Stars Night Club on Strada Ion Campineanu, opposite the Novotel. A recent Romanian newspaper report claimed that a group of American soldiers were recently beaten up here after refusing to pay a bill of 3,000. Approach all night clubs with caution. The third (and entirely illegal) option is to call one of the escorts who advertise in many of the poor quality city guides found around town. These escorts are usually unattractive prostitutes who charge 150 upwards for sex. Bait and switch operations (you order an 18 year-old with large breasts and you get a 48 year-old with large everything) are commonplace, and you should really think twice before calling them.
The Harp C-6, Str. Bibescu Voda 1, MP-ta Unirii, tel.
(+4) 021 335 65 08, www.irishpubs.ro. The other half of the Dubliner. The idea is more or less the same: good food, drinks, service and a friendly crowd, though with less of an emphasis on live British sport (as such it is more popular with locals than expats, who head for the Dubliner). A cavernous place, with two levels, its quaintly decorated with framed old newspaper front pages and pictures, as well as great wallpaper. It thus somehow avoids the soulless synthetic feel of many Oirish pubs abroad. Faultless chicken and mushroom pies. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PAEW
Clubs & Discos

BOA (Beat of Angels) B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 32, tel. (+4)
0736 30 07 00, www.boaclub.ro. From the outside a fairly non-descript building that looks vaguely like a warehouse, but once in, Wow! This is the newest uber-club to open in Bucharest, an enormous place that mixes luxury with great music courtesy of two top local resident DJs. There is plenty of space to dance, plenty of places to chill out and even the
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toilets are spacious and damn well luxurious. You will leave wanting to go back and cursing your luck that it is only open twice a week. Oh, and wear sunglasses, everybody else seems to! QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun. PALE
Club Bamboo D-2, Str. Tuzla 50, tel. (+4) 0726 22 62 66/(+4) 0723 22 62 66, www.bambooclub.ro. Super fitze club where only the best looking and the best dressed stand any chance of getting in. If you can blag your way past the staff you will enter a world where poverty is a dirty word: only the richest Romanians come here, and their dress sense is as good or bad as you can imagine depending on your taste. Music is clubby, friendly house, loud enough to dance to but mellow enough to permit conversation. QOpen 23:00 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun. PALEB Control Club C-5, Str. Academiei 19 (Pasajul Victoriei), tel. (+4) 0733 92 78 61, rezervari@control-club. ro, www.control-club.ro. This place tops our list of clubs for people who do not like clubs. Its big, bigger than most in the city, and the two different zones (one especially for live music) have been laid out well. The music in the evenings is always live, be it a band or DJ, and it is always a pleasing, non-clubby mix of indie hits, a bit of rock and 70s disco. Where else in Bucharest will you see a Joy Division tribute band? Recent improvements in bar efficiency also now mean it does not take all night to get a drink. We love it. Q Open 14:00 - 06:00. PAESW Coyote Cafe B-4, Calea Victoriei 48-50 (Pasajul Victoriei), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 311 34 87/(+4) 0724 01 11 35, office@coyotecafe.ro, www.coyotecafe. ro. Coyote Cafe is a loud, proud live music club and bar which sets new standards for good music and good times. A huge bucharest.inyourpocket.com
warren of a venue (find it in a passage off Calea Victoriei), good rock music - almost always live, and sometimes even provided by the owners - and the right kind of mix of locals, expats and visitors make it a top venue for an outstanding Bucharest night out. Very nice indeed. Q Open 18:00 02:00, Thu 18:00 - 03:00, Fri, Sat 20:00 - 04:00. Closed Mon. PAE
Deja-vu C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 25, MUniversitate,

tel. (+4) 021 311 23 22, www.dejavu-club.ro. A place that goes from strength to strength. Still the best cocktail bar this side of the River Prut, it is now open during the day for food too: you could spend your whole life in here. The draw though remain the participatory cocktails, some of which involve fire, and a few which involve wearing a World War II Russian army helmet. They also serve at least one which involves a young Russian girl squeezing lemon into your mouth with her teeth. QOpen 20:00 - 05:00, Fri, Sat 20:00 - 07:00. Club Open 22:00 - 04:00. PAE
Eleven C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 18, tel. (+4) 0751 11 11 15, www.eleven.com.ro. City-centre club lauding itself as an oasis of luxury. Leather sofas, purple cushions, Svarovski crystal, clever lighting: its that sort of luxury. Music is fairly mainstream, clubby house, provided by a live DJ. There are special events at least once a week, whether its a theme night or a guest DJ shipped in from Italy. Given the luxury angle drink prices are accessible and theres no entrance fee. Try a bit with your dress though. Trainers a no-no. QOpen 23:00 07:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun. PAW Expirat/Other Side B-5, Str. Ion Brezoianu 4/Str. Lipscani 5, tel. (+4) 0733 97 47 28/(+4) 0726 80 41 42, office@expirat.org, www.expirat.org. Two clubs (almost) in one. There are two entrances to the same building (on the
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corner of Brezoianu and Lipscani), both of which are enjoyable venues that are a real hit with young party goers of all backgrounds. For the record Expirat 1 (entrance on Lipscani) is the more mainstream club, popular with a younger crowd, while The Other Side of Expirat (entrance on Brezoianu) is more edgy, funky and simply - in our opinion - better. See you there. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. PEW pretty much the same downstairs (though it depends on the DJ...) Has a live band playing at least once a week, bags of other events and refreshingly says NO to table service: yes, you will have to get your sorry ass to the bar to get a drink. We are fans. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PLEB
Jukebox Club E-6, Str. Turturelelor 11, tel. (+4) 021 322 66 10/(+4) 021 323 70 84, www.clubjukebox.ro. Smashing live music club. Expect good - mainly local but often foreign - live acts most nights of the week, with a reasonably big name performing at least once or twice a month. Good beer, a very good atmosphere and a real favourite of big groups of friends looking for a great night out. You can eat here too: theres a restaurant serving some terrific, bigportioned Romanian food on site. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. PALVEBSW Kristal Glam Club Sos Pipera 48, tel. (+4) 0722 79
51 84, www.clubkristal.ro. Its moved. A bit further out of town than it used to be, it is still the number one venue in the city for top international DJs, who play here before they play anywhere else in Romania. The cavernous interior doesnt have the intimacy or the garish decor of the old place, but the size of the new Kristal, and the concave roof, mean it doesnt feel too claustrophobic even when half the city turns up to dance. QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun. ALE
Rooms C-4, Str. Mendeleev 28-30, tel. (+4) 0730 07 66 67, www.therooms.ro. By day a cafe and lounge, by night a bar and club, Rooms might well want to be the place to be, but presently suffers for not really knowing exactly what it is. Cafe? Bar? Lounge? None of the above. It is a collection of rooms in a grand-ish villa, all decorated individually and expensively, but not all with taste. By night the crowd that throngs here is young: anyone over about 35 will almost certainly feel old here, we know we did. Q Open 09:00 - 03:00. Club Fri, Sat 22:00 - 05:00. PABW
06 06, www.clubshade.ro. Its the newest place in the city and as such its hip, trendy and very cool, though the crowd is older than you might expect: no kiddlywinks here. Besides DJs playing funky sounds there are regular live events, with top local and even foreign bands. Off to a good start it is to be hoped that this place lasts the distance. So many like it have come and gone in the past. Q Open 23:00 - 06:00, Thu (announced events only). Closed Tue, Wed. PAEW
Shade Club C-5, B-dul Magheru 24, tel. (+4) 0731 06
The Gang C-3, Calea Floreasca 111-113, tel. (+4) 0733

97 52 77, club@thegang.ro, www.thegang.ro. You wanna be in my gang? Perhaps the best uber-club in Bucharest. Its the usual mix of luxury and chic (the decor is in fact in very good taste: the mix of colours is well done, and not overthe-top as in so many other places) attracting a cashed-up
55 92, www.kulturhaus.ro. A nakedly non-commercial club that attracts a nakedly (though not naked, except on fetish nights!) non-commercial crowd on two levels offering hard rock, folk rock, new wave, punk and indie upstairs, and
Kulturhaus C-6, Str. Sf. Vineri 4, tel. (+4) 021 313
Casinos
Casino Bucharest C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 4
(InterContinental Hotel), MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0728 83 38 28/(+4) 021 312 26 00, concierge@ casinobucharest.ro, w w w.casinobucharest.ro. QOpen 18:00 - 06:00. PALVK
Grand Casino B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW
Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 403 08 00, marriott@grandcasinoromania.com, www. grandcasinoromania.com. Q Open 24 hrs.
Elisabeta 13, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 313 98 23, www.worldofprincess.com. Q Open 24 hrs. PAL
Havana Princess Casino C-5, B-dul Regina
Palace Casino B-4, Calea Victoriei 133, MVictoriei, tel. (+4) 021 311 97 44/(+4) 0722 66 57 88, office@casinopalace.ro, www.casinopalace.ro. Q Open 24hrs. PALVGK Platinum Casino B-4, Calea Victoriei 63-81, tel.
(+4) 031 710 22 34, (+4) 0720 22 74 66, platinum@ platinumcasino.ro, www.platinumcasino.ro. Q Open 24 hrs. PLK Romana, tel. (+4) 0372 76 34 45, www.queencasino.ro. Q Open 24 hrs. PARULKW
Queen Casino B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 5-7, MP-ta
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crowd of young party people listening to groovy club sounds provided by local and international DJs. There is live music now and again too, as well as a regular selection of theme nights. A taxi ride from the city centre.QOpen 23:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PALEW A-5, Calea Plevnei 61, MIzvor, tel. (+4) 0723 37 90 26/(+4) 021 313 55 92, www.tscarena.ro. Currently the best place to see good local bands. Looking (inside) very much like a, well. silver church (albeit one which has dropped plenty of acid), its a cavernous venue with terrific acoustics and it is this mix of big club/small concert hall that gives it the edge over some other venues. So good is the sound that the biggest local bands are playing here simply for the hell of it. A winner. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. Entrance 20 lei. PAUE
quality of the music is almost always good, and the drinks are amongst the cheapest in the area. Entrance is actually through a small door next to a little car park behind the Senate, rather than on Balcescu as the address suggests. QOpen 17:00 - 08:00. PEW
The Silver Church
Green Hours 22 Club Jazz Caf B-4, Calea Victoriei 120, tel. (+4) 0788 45 24 85, www.greenhours.ro. Legendary, trendy, atmospheric jazz club, where its almost impossible to find a table. Make sure you reserve in advance if you want to sit down. There is live music and other arty stuff - including theatre, comedy, book launches and the like - most evenings. Popular with a crowd that encompasses all ages, from 18-80, its definitely a place you should visit once before leaving Bucharest. Q Open 24hrs. PAEBW
Jazz Clubs
Art Jazz Club C-5, B-dul N. Blcescu 23A, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0731 64 59 18, www.artjazzclub.ro. Sometimes packed and bubbling over, at other times less so but always smoky, Art Jazz Club puts on as many jazz concerts as it can every week (usually three or four). The
Smoking or non-smoking?
Earlier this year, flying in the face of what the rest of the civilised world is up to, Romania actually softened its existing anti-smoking legislation. In fact, to all intents and purposes, there will soon be no more anti-smoking rules in Romania. This really is The Smoking Section of Europe. You see, while smoking will as planned now be theoretically outlawed in all public spaces (thats the headline which they will send to the EU), the owners of those public spaces will now be able to override the law and decide for themselves if a place is to be designated smoking or non-smoking. If a place decides to designate itself as a smoking venue (and lets face it, they almost all will) under the new law it will not even have to have a non-smoking section. As such, in our listings we have only included a non-smoking symbol where a venue is completely non-smoking. (There arent many). Otherwise, assume that venues will allow smoking almost anywhere. While most will - for now - retain at least a token non-smoking section, this can often be just one table in a corner somewhere.
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Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum
B-3, os. Kiseleff 1, tel. (+4) 021 312 88 26, fax (+4) 021 312 88 63, www.antipa.ro. Long before the idea of a major refurbishment had been mooted, we had already become huge fans of the Antipa. From the building (purpose built in 1908) which occupies one of the more discrete parts of Piata Victoriei to the amazing collections of mounted butterflies and pickled snakes, it was the kind of place that we always brought the In Your Pocket kids on a wet weekend: two hours of peace and quiet was always guaranteed as they explored the delightful old place. Then, in the autumn of 2007, the Antipa closed, ostensibly for 18 months while a thorough refurbishment was carried out. In September, the museum finally reopened, a year or so behind schedule. All we can say is that it was well worth the wait. Before the refurbishment the Grigore Antipa was one of the most popular (and best) museums in Romania, attracting more than 350,000 visitors per year. It was dependent, however, on temporary exhibitions to boost visitor numbers, as it was unable to display all of its collection in one go. The well thought-out and thorough refit (the interior is unrecognisable from before) however makes far better use of the magnificent building which houses the museum, which is now able to permanently display far more of its extensive collection. The museum is split over three levels. The basement is dedicated to Romanian fauna, and while it would be impossible to present every species found in the country, the museum has made a very good attempt at doing so. Carefully presented exhibitions show the various geographical regions of Romania, and the animals particular to them. There are boars and bears from the mountains, fish and dolphins from the Black Sea and hundreds of birds from the Danube Delta. There are artificial caves to explore, and all of the exhibits are accompanied by excellent captions - which put everything into perspective - in Romanian and English. The larger displays also have interactive screens to help you identify the animals and find out more about them. The ground floor is given over to animals from around the world (both the living and the extinct: its here you will find the dinosaurs and mammoths) while the upper level is devoted to man and his impact on the planet. Somewhat predictably, the museum has taken a slightly politically correct turn and now feels free to lecture visitors on the harm man is doing to the environment. The entrance fee to the museum is 20 lei for adults, 10 lei for pensioners and 5 lei for children. With the exception of Casa Poporului, the price is more than double that of any other museum in the city. However, if Bucharest (and Romania) wants to have world class museums then a world class entrance fee alas needs to be paid. Besides, is 20 lei really too much? A family of four can come here for 50 lei: thats cheaper than a trip to the cinema. (One gripe would be the fact that if you want to take photos you need to pay an extra 20 lei. While we know that such practices are now common in many museums worldwide, it is quite simply a rip off). Still, small grumbles. Bucharests new look Grigore Antipa is an excellent museum that the city should be proud of, and it is well worthy of your time and money. It is unquestionably an Essential Bucharest sight. QOpen 10:00 - 20:00. Closed Mon. Last admission 19:00. Admission 20 lei, pensioners 10 lei, children 5 lei.
Essential Bucharest
The first port of call for any visitor to Bucharest these days should probably be the Historic Centre, or Old Town. We have a feature on that very part of the city beginning on page 74, written in the from of a walk around the area. Once you have ticked off Old Town, you can head for the sights, museums, churches and buildings we list here. The Peasant and Village Museums should take priority, as well as the Grigore Antipa National History Museum. While still the most famous building in the city and usually top of the agenda for most visitors, Casa Poporului/Palatul Parlamentului tends to be a bit of a let down for most, mainly due to the stilted nature of the compulsory guided tour. Art lovers - especially fans of religious art - should pencil in at least an afternoon at the National Art Museum. Last but not least, half a day at the Bellu Cemetery is a wonderful trip through Romanian literary, artistic, political and architectural history.
Bellu Cemetery (Cimitirul Bellu) Calea Serban Voda 249, MEroii Revolutiei, tel. (+4) 021 636 35 71, www. bellu.ro. Founded in the 1850s, this is Bucharests most historic cemetery, the final resting place of just about every great Romanian academic, scientist, artist, writer, musician and poet you can think of, as well as the odd politician. Each has his or her own plot, usually with an accompanying monument (our favourite is that devoted to the comic actor Toma Caragiu, tragically killed in the Bucharest earthquake of 1977). You could spend half a day here wandering between the gravestones, memorials and statues (the graves are grouped by profession: scientists in one part, actors in another etc). You should also be sure to visit the central chapel (which keeps the same hours as the cemetery itself), built in the 1880s in the style of the cathedral at Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) and Bucharest In Your Pocket
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boasting stunning interior paintings. Next to the cemetery is the Cimitirul Eroilor, where those killed in Bucharest during the 1989 revolution are buried. QOpen 08:00 - 16:00.
George Enescu Museum (Muzeul National George Enescu) B-4, Calea Victoriei 141, tel. (+4) 021 318 14
50, www.georgeenescu.ro. Mistakenly believed to be the great Romanian composer George Enescus former home, this outstanding Secession house was in fact built for landowner George Cantacuzino in 1905, and many older Bucharest residents still refer to it as the Cantacuzino Palace. It became state property in 1955, the year of Enescus death, and a year later opened as a museum dedicated to his life and work. QOpen 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon. Admission 6 lei.
Bucharest. You can even now take a trip into the bowels of the building down below, though again this costs extra. To join one of the tours, you should make reservations a day in advance as parliamentary business means the official opening hours are subject to change. You will also need to bring your passport, driving license or other form of internationally accepted ID.Q Open 10:00 - 16:00. Closed on the 7th and the 8th of October. Admission 25 lei (standard tour), 30 lei (standard and basement), 35 lei (standard and terrace), 45 lei (standard, terrace and basement). All tours include access to the Palaces terrace cafe. An additional fee of 30.00 lei is payable by those with cameras.
Peasant Museum (Muzeul Taranului Roman) B-3,
National Art Museum (MNAR; Muzeul National de Arta) B/C-5, Calea Victoriei 49-53, tel. (+4) 021
313 30 30/(+4) 021 314 81 19, www.mnar.arts.ro. The countrys largest, and most impressive art collection is housed inside the splendid former Royal Palace, first built in 1812 as a private home by the wealthy trader Dinicu Golescu. There are three permanent exhibitions, one on each of the three floors of the main building: Medieval Romanian Art, featuring icons, carved altars, illustrated manuscripts and bibles, and fragments of frescoes; Modern Romanian Art, with all of Romanias greatest 20th century artists well represented, including Theodor Aman, Constantin Brancui, Gheorghe Patracu, and Gheorghe Tattarescu; and European Paintings and Sculpture, which plays host to a fine collection of Old European Masters. Essential.Q Open 10:00-18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 8 lei for The Gallery of European Art, 10 lei for The National Gallery (Treasury included) and 15 lei for combined tickets (both galleries).
os. Kiseleff 3, tel./fax (+4) 021 317 96 60, www. muzeultaranuluiroman.ro. In most peoples opinion, the Peasant Museum is the best museum in Bucharest, and one of the best in the country. Housed in a wonderful red brick building designed by Nicolae Ghica-Budeti, dating from 1912, the museum offers well laid out and presented exhibits which tell you all you need to know about the diverse and fascinating history of life around the country over the past four centuries. There are exhibitions covering all aspects of Romanian peasant life, from hand painted Easter eggs to terracotta pottery, from colourful religious icons to traditional clothing. Replicas of much of what is on display can be bought in the excellent museum shop. There is a Communist iconography exhibition in the basement. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. Admission 8.00 lei.
Village Museum (Muzeul Naional al Satului Dimitrie Gusti) A-2, Sos. Kiseleff 28-30, tel. (+4) 021 317 91
Palatul Parlamentului (Parliament Palace; Casa Poporului) B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 1, intrarea A3,
tel. (+4) 021 311 36 11. What is unquestionably Romanias most famous building, Palatul Parlamentului (known universally as Casa Poporului) was built during the darkest days of the Nicolae Ceausescu regime. Standing 84m above ground level on 12 floors, the building has long been shrouded in mystery, rumour and hyperbole. Originally designed to house almost all the organs of the communist state, it today plays host to the Romanian parliament and a modern, well equipped conference centre, as well as Romanias Museum of Contemporary Art. Much of the building, however, remains unused. The public tour of the building is thoroughly recommended (it is the only way to see the building, in fact) though the commentary consists of little more than a bored guide reeling off endless superlative statistics. Youll see plenty of grand staircases, marble-plated halls and conference rooms, while - if you pay the extra - you may also have the chance to go on the roof, which offers perhaps the best view of central
10, www.muzeul-satului.ro. Outstanding. There are more than 60 original houses, farmsteads, windmills, watermills and churches from all of Romanias historic regions: Transylvania, Oltenia, Dobrogea and Moldavia. Every exhibit has a plaque showing exactly where in Romania it was brought from. Some even now have recorded commentary in four languages (if the stickers are missing, press the second button for English). Most of the houses date from the mid 19th-century, but there are some, such as those from Berbeti, in the heart of Romania - celebrated for their intricately carved entrances - which date from as early as 1775. The highlight of the museum is probably the steep belfry of the wooden Maramure church, complete with exquisite but faded icons. You should also not miss the earth houses of Straja, dug in to the ground and topped with thatched roofs, or the brightly painted dwellings of the Danube Delta. The museum has a great souvenir shop, and a stall selling traditional Romanian sweets and cakes. Children love the museum, and it makes for a perfect family day out.QOpen 09:00 - 19:00, Mon 09:00 - 17:00. Admission 6.00 lei, students/children 1.50 lei.
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Museums
41/(+4) 021 212 96 42. Firstly, a few words about the building. The Casa Romanit was constructed in 1822 as a private residence, before being bought by the state in 1883 to serve as the countrys supreme court. After the communist takeover in the 1940s it was used as a dumping ground for the collections of wealthy Romanians not allowed to retain their art by the regime. There are some fantastic works on show, including paintings by all of Romanias greatest artists, from Nicolae Grigorescu to Theodor Pallady. In terms of artistic importance the collections here are second only to those at the National Museum of Art. Q Open 10:00-18:00. Closed Thu, Fri. Admission 7.00 lei, students/children 3.50 lei.
Art Collection Museum (Muzeul Colectiilor de Art) B-4, Calea Victoriei 111, tel. (+4) 021 212 96
C-5, Calea Victoriei 12, tel. (+4) 021 315 82 07, www. mnir.ro. The beautiful, monumental and simply superb Neoclassical building that houses Romanias National History Museum was constructed from 1894-1900 to the designs of local architect Alexandru Svulescu. It originally served as the headquarters of Pota Roman, the Romanian postal service. When the post office moved away in 1970, the History Museum moved in. The museums exhibitions are spread over 60 display rooms, and include a fine collection of antiquities, including statues brought from a Bronze Age necropolis close to present day Cernavoda. The finest exhibit is the replica of Trajans Column in the central lapidarium. The museum is poor on Romanias recent history. Q Open 09:00-17:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 8 lei, students and children 2 lei.
History Museum (Muzeul National de Istorie)
Communist Iconography Museum B-3, Inside the Peasant Museum. Our favourite part of the Peasant Museum; a small but stunning cellar room featuring a collection of communist-era busts, paintings and nostalgic memorabilia. A painting of Stalin hangs on the same wall as one of the only two public portraits of Ceausescu we have found in Bucharest. Be sure to take a Romanian speaker along to translate the chilling newspaper articles that are stuck on the walls.
31 07/(+4) 021 317 31 06, www.muzeulcotroceni.ro. Constructed from 1888-93 at the behest of Romanias first king, Carol I, Cotroceni Palace has since 1991 been the official residence of the Romanian President. Built on the site of a former monastery (the foundations and cellars of which remain, and form part of the tour of the palace), the palace was designed by a French team of architects, led by Paul Gottereau. The design would form something of a blueprint for Romanian domestic architecture for years to come. It served as the Bucharest residence of the Romanian royal family until 1939. During the communist period it was used as a guest house for visiting heads of state. The part that serves today as the presidents office, and official home, however, was added after the great Bucharest earthquake of 1977, and bears the stamp of local architect Nicolae Vladescu. Part of the palace is open to the public, and can be visited as part of a tour. You will see a number of function rooms, many of which were decorated to the whims of Marie, the English wife of Carols heir, his nephew Crown Prince Ferdinand. You will also be able to view her astonishing art collection. During the construction of the new wing in the 1980s, ruins of the original monastery church were discovered, including part of the original interior frescoes. The church has been partially rebuilt and can be visited. QOpen 09:30 - 17:30. Closed Mon. Admission 12.00 lei, students and children 6.00 lei. Visits and tours (available in Romanian, French and English) are by appointment only. You will need to bring ID to be admitted.
Military Museum (Muzeul Militar National) B-4, Str.
Cotroceni Museum B-dul Geniului 1, tel. (+4) 021 317
Mircea Vulcnescu 125-127, tel. (+4) 021 319 59 04 int. 107. Tucked away on a side street not far from the main railway station, the Military Museum is housed in a former officers college, built in 1885. Popular with older children, the most interesting sections of the museum include a range of military hardware (missiles, helicopters and tanks) as well as an excellent display that focuses on the armys role during the revolution. Not to be missed is the Soyuz-40 capsule in which Dumitru Prunariu became the first - and so far only - Romanian in space, in May 1981. Sadly, no captions anywhere in the museum are in English. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon. Admission 5.00 lei, children, students 2.50 lei.
021 665 73 34, www.minovici.ro. This amazing red brick, mock Tudor house holds the small and dusty renaissance art collection of Dumitru Minovici, who made barrels of lei in the oil business in the 1930s. Inside are fine collections of Belgian tapestries, Dutch furniture, Swiss stained glass, a complete library and Italian paintings from the 16th/17th centuries. To get there, walk north-east from Piaa Presei Libere or take bus No. 301 to the Mioria Fountain. QOpen 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed. Admission 1.50 lei, students and children 0.50 lei.
Minovici Museum of Ancient Western Art (Muzeul de Arta Veche Minovici) Str. Dr. Minovici 3, tel. (+4)
Geology Museum B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 2, tel. (+4) 021 212 89 52, www.geology.ro. Far more than just a collection of old rocks and fossils, Bucharests Geology Museum is one of the citys must sees. First off, there is the museum building itself to admire. Built in 1906 on the orders of King Carol I to house what was then known as the Royal Romanian Geology Society, the building is a splendid example of NeoBrancovenesque architecture, and is far more impressive than its red-brick neighbour, the Peasant Museum. The museums permanent collections are impressive in size and - being logically presented - clarity, with a decent number of English captions. The museum is also one of the most active in the city, playing host to varied and never less than fascinating temporary exhibitions. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Admission 6.00 lei, students and children 3.00 lei. Bucharest In Your Pocket
Calea 13 Septembrie 1, entrance E4 (Palatul Parlamentului), tel. (+4) 021 318 91 37, www.mnac.ro. Making excellent use of the wide open spaces on the Parliament Palace, this vast gallery displays the work of Romanias finest contemporary artists. There are also works on display by international artists, and regular topical exhibitions. Its all mostly installations, clever symbolism and grand gestures as opposed to real talent, but you may enjoy the humour. The museum has a great cafe, and if the weather is good enough its terrace offers fantastic views of the city. QOpen 10:00 18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 5.00 lei. Free entrance for children and artists.
National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC; Muzeul National de Arta Contemporana) B-6,
Technical Museum (Muzeul Tehnic) C-7, Str. Gen. Candiano Popescu 2, tel. (+4) 021 336 93 90. Often unfairly derided as an outdated (if amusingly so) museum of technology, it should be remembered that the machines, tur-
For Jewish Bucharest, see page 42. For the citys most historic churches, see page 26.
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bines, inventions and gadgets on display here are not meant to be cutting edge. At least not in this day and age. They were all, however, cutting edge when they first appeared, with some of the older steam engines dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. The museum is housed in something of a cherished relic itself: the original pavilion built to host the 1906 Romania Fair, a showcase of everything great in and about Romania at the time. QOpen 09:30 - 16:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 3.00 lei, students, children 1.50 lei.
Sibiu
European Capital of Culture in 2009, the Transylvanian city of Sibiu has long been considered one of Romanias best destinations to visit. It is no surprise therefore that some of the biggest names in the hotel business have opened up shop there. A five or six hour drive from Bucharest, Sibiu is served by trains from Bucharest and by plane: Tarom has two flights a day, with prices starting at 45 single.
211 49 79. Theodor Pallady (1871-1953) was an early Cubist artist widely regarded as Romanias most influential 20th century painter. Schooled in Dresden and Paris, Pallady was influenced by the Symbolist environment of the late 19th century, and his paintings before 1916 contain Symbolist motifs, sometimes with echoes of Moreau and Puvis de Chavannes. Alas the small museum that today bears his name has only six of his paintings, a couple of his sketches and assorted other art. The museums saving grace is the house in which it is hosted: the oldest in Bucharest. Originally called the Casa Melik, it was built around 1750 by the rich Armenian Hagi Kevork Nazaretoglu. Q Open 10:00-18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 5.00 lei, students and children 2.50 lei.
Theodor Pallady Museum (Casa Melik, Muzeul Theodor Pallady) D-5, Str. Sptarului 22, tel. (+4) 021
Continental Forum P-ta Unirii 10, tel. (+4) 0372 69
26 92, fax (+4) 0372 69 26 93, reservation.forum. sibiu@continentalhotels.ro, www.continentalhotels. ro. Q 135 rooms (124 singles/doubles 110-125, 11 apartments 200-600). Prices include all taxes and breakfast. PHAR6UFLGKDW
Hilton Sibiu Str. Padurea Dumbrava 1, tel. (+4) 0269 50 56 00, fax (+4) 0269 50 56 39, info.sibiu@ hilton.com, www.sibiu.hilton.com. Q 115 rooms (95 singles/doubles 66 - 169, 20 apartments 131 - 219). Extra bed 20. Prices include breakfast. VAT and taxes not included. PTHAUFLGBKDCW
21 81 00, fax (+4) 0269 21 51 20, reservations. sibiu@ibishotels.ro, www.ibishotels.ro. Q 195 rooms (184 singles/doubles 49, 11 apartments 79). Prices include VAT and taxes. Breakfast not included. PTHAR6ULGBKW
Zambaccian Museum (Muzeul Zambaccian) B-3,
Str. Muzeul Zambaccian 21A, tel. (+4) 021 230 19 20. A chance to see the large collection belonging to the now deceased patron Zambaccian (youll see the requisite portraits) that includes the only Cezanne in Romania, as well as the best of Romanian painters Luchian, Tonitza, and Pallady. Q Open 10:00-18:00. Closed Thu, Fri. Admission 7 lei.
Ibis Sibiu Calea Dumbravii 2-4, tel. (+4) 0269
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BUCHarests ParKs & gardens

Often mistakenly referred to as a park, Cismigiu is actually a large garden, first designed and laid out in 1845 by the German landscape architect Carl Meyer, but not completed until 1860. More than 30,000 trees and plants were brought in from the Romanian mountains, while exotic plants were fetched from the botanical gardens in Vienna. Highlights of the 17 hectare garden include the Roman Garden, laid in the style of ancient Rome, and including busts of Romanias most famous writers, the lake, which can be explored by rowing boat in summer or skated upon during the winter, and Ion Jaleas French Memorial in Carrara marble, which commemorates those French troops killed on Romanian territory during the Great War.
Herstru Park B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 32. Large park in the

Bucharest is blessed with some fantastic parks and public gardens. Indeed, so much has been invested in them in recent years (especially in playgrounds for kids and recreational facilities) that they are quickly becoming one of the citys biggest attractions.
Botanical Gardens (Grdina Botanic) Sos. Cotro-
ceni 32, tel. (+4) 021 410 91 39, www.gradina-botanica. ro. Bucharests Botanical Gardens were founded in 1860 with the significant financial backing of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, at the time the leader of the nascent Romanian state. Completed in 1866 to the designs and instructions of Ulrich Hoffmann, they were originally in the grounds of the Cotroceni Monastery, moving to their present location in 1884. The garden, administratively part of Bucharest Universitys Botanical Institute, today extends over an area of more than 17 hectares, and hosts more than 10,000 species of plants, approximately half of which are cultivated in the impressive glasshouses. Of particular note are the exotic flowers (more than 1000 are on display) and the bizarre Symphytum ottomanum, a plant which can appear to vanish without trace only to reappear up to 50 metres away. Many locals like to take advantage of the bargain entrance fee and use the exterior of the gardens as a park, and thus the place can often be far more full with courting couples than with lovers of more floral delights. Whatever your reasons for going, it's a terrific place to spend an afternoon.QOpen 08:00 - 20:00. Admission 5.00 lei, students and children 2.00 lei.
north of the city, surrounded by the finest residential districts Bucharest has to offer. The most popular of Bucharests parks it extends for 187 hectares from the Arcul de Triumf to the Baneasa bridge, and is centered on the lake with which it shares its name. Home to numerous attractions, including childrens playgrounds, a rather old fashioned fairground, an open-air theatre, gardens, promenades and the central lake (which offers boat trips during the summer), the main entrance, recently tidied up and beautified, is from Piata Charles de Gaulle. You can rent bikes (weather permitting) from La Pedale, close to the entrance. Rental is free but limited to two hours. You will need ID.
Calea Serban Vod, MEroii Revolutiei. So close to the city centre yet so seldom frequented as to be almost forgotten, this large park was laid out by the citys authorities from 1900-6, and designed by the French landscape artist Eduard Redont. It is today dominated by the massive Monument to the Heroes of the Struggle for Freedom and Socialism (it stands 48 metres high) built in 1963 and which until 1990 housed the remains of communist leaders Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej and Petre Groza (it is today empty). The park offers some pleasant walks along tree-lined paths, and good view of central Bucharest from the monument. The open-air Arenele Romane in the west of the park, next to the Observatory of Bucharest Universitys Astronomy Department are a popular venue for concerts. A year or so ago the very existence of the park was threatened by the Romanian Orthodox Church, which wanted to build a cathedral on the site. Vehement local protests halted the project, however.
Carol Park (Parcul Carol I/Parcul Libertii) C-7,
Tineretului Park (Parcul Copiilor) B-dul Tineretului, MTineretului. Tineretului - one stop south of the city centre on the metro - is great. Divided into two parts, the main section (closest to Tineretului metro) offers a few rides for kids, trampolines and dodgems, as well as some fantastic playgrounds and plenty of tree-lined avenues great for long afternoon walks. In the middle of the park is the Sala Polivalenta - a popular venue for concerts, exhibitions and big indoor sporting events - set above a large artificial lake on the shore of which is a great restaurant, Cafeneaua Actorilor de Vara, which serves some of the best mici in the city. Up by Sala Polivalenta you will also find the entrance to Oraselul Copiilor, once a very old fashioned childrens funfair, complete with one of the most decrepit and life-threatening roller coasters known to man, currently being renovated and improved. The best part of Tineretului however is Parcul Vacaresti / Parcul Copiilor, on the corner of B-dul Tineretului and Calea Vacaresti. Vast amounts of money have been spent on this part of the park, and as such you will find the best and biggest childrens playgrounds in the city here. There is also an old steam engine for kids to clamber on, a go-kart track, tennis courts, football pitches and even fitness equipment. Titan/Alexandru Ion Cuza Park Str. Liviu Rebreanu,
MTitan. The twin Titan and Alexandru Ioan Cuza parks, in the unsexy yet perfectly safe neighbourhood of Titan, have been given much love of late and are showing the benefit of millions of euros of investment. Whole terraces have been landscaped, lawns laid, playgrounds built and sports pitches placed at every turn. Look out too for the replica Maramures church on the southern side of the park, on Str. Liviu Rebreanu. A heavy presence of security guards throughout the park (day and night) makes everyone feel safe and ensure that nothing is spoilt. Indeed, if you were on holiday elsewhere youd say to yourself we will never have this kind of park in Bucharest. Well, we have. There are plenty of kiosks serving refreshments, as well as ice cream stands. On weekend evenings there is usually something going at the main bandstand: either a band or childrens entertainers.
Cismigiu Gardens (Grdina Cismigiu) B-5, Between

B-dul Regina Elisabeta, Calea Victoriei, Str. Stirbei Vod and B-dul Schitu Mgureanu. The most central of the citys public gardens, Cismigiu is a haven of lawns, trees, flowers and lakes.
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OLD TOWN
While much of Bucharest has changed beyond recognition over the past two decades, nothing compares to the recent transformation of Old Town/Lipscani, which in the past two years has turned what was very much a no-go area with almost nothing to offer into the Romanian capitals liveliest entertainment district. The area is still something of a work in progress, but its a rewarding place to explore, one of the few areas of the capital that is. You will certainly not want for things to do, to see, or for places to eat, drink and dance.
Old Town: A Brief History

The area of Bucharest described by the Dambovita river to the south, Calea Victoriei to the west, Bulevardul Brtianu to the east and Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta to the north is more or less all thats left of pre-World War II Bucharest. What the war didnt destroy (and it destroyed a fair bit: allied bombing was fierce during the early part of 1944) communism did, most notably in the form of the grandiose Civic Centre project (see box on page 90) that saw almost a fifth of the total area of the city flattened to make way for Bulevardul Unirii and Casa Poporului. That anything survives at all is little short of a miracle. While we at Bucharest In Your Pocket tend to call the area Old Town, many will know it better as Lipscani, with most locals calling it the Centru Istoric (Historic Centre). The area is historic in the main because this is where Bucharest was founded. Kind of. According to legend, Bucur the Shepherd founded the city in the 1300s, when he built a church somewhere on the eastern bank of the Dmbovia river: nobody is sure exactly where this church was (or even if it actually existed). What we do know is that by the first reign of Vlad epe (1459-1462) there was a palace and court (the Palatul Curtea Veche) in the area we today call Old Town, and that the city grew quickly around the palace. By the middle of the 17th century the area was Bucharests merchant district, which it to all intents and purposes remained until the end of World War II, when many of the rightful owners of the houses and businesses which lined the areas streets were arrested by the communist authorities, and their property confiscated and left to rot. The entire area - viewed as being far too bourgeois for communist tastes - was then neglected for decades, with many of the empty buildings being occupied over the years (legally or otherwise) by Gypsies. Many of these Gypsies remain today, and add real character and colour to the area.
Old Towns Sights

The best place to start any exploration of Old Town is at Universitate, at the twin semi-circular buildings opposite the university. The buildings (one is a bank and the other
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houses a casino) were originally built (in 1906) to serve as the headquarters of Romanias largest insurance company. The fenced-off area in front of them will soon be an underground car park. Archaeological finds however - including the remains of inns, houses and shops - brought excavation and building work to a halt for some time. Best then to leave the building work behind you and head into Old Town proper: the first sight that will probably grab your attention (it will be difficult to miss it) is the colourful St. Nicholas (Students) Church. Built in 1905-09 with a 600,000 gold rouble donation from Tsar Alexander II, this orthodox church is topped with seven typically Russian onion domes and crowned with an orthodox cross. The wooden, gold-gilded iconostasis (catapeteasm) is allegedly a copy of the altar in Arhangelsk Cathedral, in Moscows Kremlin. On your right as you exit the church - at the end of the street - is the Neo-Gothic uu Palace, home of the Museum of the History of Bucharest (Muzeul de Istorie al Municipiului Bucureti; Open 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Admission 5.00 lei, students and children 2.50 lei), a rather bland exhibition of neolithic artifacts uncovered from around the city and the region. The palace was built from 1833-4 for the wealthy merchant Costache uu. Old postcards and costumes depict life in the Romanian capital in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Retrace your steps past the Russian Church and you will come to the Czech Cultural Centre (Ceske Centrum), a lively hive of cultural activity which has regular film screenings and exhibitions and (for the brave) Czech language courses. Carry on to the far end of Str. Ion Ghica and you will see in front of you the unmistakably Neo-Classical exterior of the National Bank of Romania (BNR). It stands on the site of one of the most famous buildings in Romania: the Hanul Serban Voda, which from 1678 until 1883 was the home of various things, from a pub, to an inn to a dormitory for a nearby girls school. After two fires gutted the building however, the land was levelled and in 1883 work began on the BNR, completed to the designs of French architects Cassien Bernard and Albert Galleron in 1885. The building boasts a facade with Corinthian columns, and an enormous central banking hall. The passing of time has seen the building become rather hemmed in, but it remains a classic worthy of admiration. On the banks far side (on Str. Lipscani)
look out for the remains of another 17th century inn: visible below street level through hardened glass. Str. Lipscani gets its name from the large number of traders who, in the 18th century, sold wares here brought from Leipzig, which at the time was one of the largest trading posts in Europe. As Str. Lipscani was the main commercial street in the Old Town, it over time lent its name to the whole area. Ironically - its name and history aside - modern Str. Lipscani has little to recommend it, although it does have some exceptional bars, pubs and clubs, and a theatre. It also has some hidden treasure: if you walk through the little alley opposite Str. Selari (an alley now packed with cafes and bars) you will come to Str. Blanari, home to the St. Nicolas Church. The church was built in the 1880s as a private chapel for Romanias first royal couple: Note that the king and queen still have special seats on the left and right of the churchs 18th century icon kept for them should they ever return. The icon itself is said by churchgoers to have magical healing powers. Back on Str. Lipscani, the Hanul cu Tei is a wonderful courtyard (once part of a large inn) which today houses art galleries, antique shops, second-hand book shops, gift and souvenir shops, studios and portrait artists, as well as a lively and bar/restaurant. Retrace your steps to the National Bank, and head for
Old Town Shops

Souvenir Shop C-6, Str. Blnari 5, tel. (+4) 021 310 32 25, shop@souvenir-shop.com.ro, www. souvenir-shop.com.ro. Every thing you would want from a decent souvenir shop - with both Romania and Bucharest branded gifts available - and more besides. We came across the best Dracula T-Shirts weve seen so far here, complete with the slogan Send more tourists, the last ones tasted great. We bought two. QOpen 10:00 - 20:00. Thomas Antiques C-6, Str. Covaci 19 (Lipscani
area), tel. (+4) 0752 44 08 18, (+4) 021 310 43 89, contact@thomas-antiques.ro, www.thomasantiques.ro. By common consent the best antique shop in the city. Stocks everything from furniture and paintings to clocks and decorations, with new pieces being added all the time. Upstairs you can even drink coffee, beer or cocktails in the bar: yep, sit and drink coffee on an antique chair and picture yourself doing the same at home. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 23:45. JA
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Str. Stavropoleos, named for the eponymous church found along its length (Biserica Stavropoleos; Open 08:30 18:00. Services (in Romanian) on Sunday at 09:30, 10:30). The church was built in 1724 at the insistence of a Greek monk, Ioanikie Stratonikeas, and is currently under going some much-needed restoration. It is characterized by its beautiful stone and wood carvings, of which the finest are on the main doors. The courtyard outside (beautiful on a sunny afternoon) has a curious collection of tombstones dating from the 18th century, and you might often see skilled craftsmen working on restoring them. For a beer, coffee, bite to eat or simple jaw dropping experience (the interior is astonishing) head for Caru cu Bere, a beer hall and restaurant dating from 1875. It is on the other side of the road to the church a little further up. Church fans might also want to venture out on to Calea Victoriei. A few steps to the right is the Mother of God Church (Biserica Doamnei) built in the late 17th century on the orders of Princess Maria, wife of Prince Serban Cantacuzino. The church was the first in the city to boast octagonal stone pillars: note the decorative floral motifs of oriental origin at the foot and top of each column. They also decorate the door. The ornate building on the other side of the road is the headquarters of CEC, the national savings bank, while the Neo-Classical giant facing it is the National History Museum. On the far side of the museum is Str. Franceza, another Old Town street now blessed with more restaurants, cafes, bars and such like than you could wish for. About half way along look out for the Sf. Dumitru Church: Sf. Dumitru is the patron saint of Bucharest. On the other side of the church is Bucharests comedy theatre. The busiest street in the Lipscani area is Str. Smardan, home today to any number of bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants. History buffs might like to know that in January
1859 at No. 42 (then the Hotel Concordia), Wallachian deputies elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza as their Prince. As Moldavian deputies had already done likewise a week earlier, the election that took place here created the first unified Romanian state since Mihai Bravus short-lived reign of 1600. There was a plaque marking the spot until recently, yet building work has (we hope temporarily) covered it up. At the bottom of Str. Smardan a narrow walkway allows you to reach the birthplace of Bucharest, the Old Court Palace and Church (Palatul i Biserica Curtea Veche; Open 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon). The Old Court, first built on this site in the second part of the 15th-century by Vlad epe, was considerably extended during the 16th century, by Mircea Ciobanul, and again a century later, this time at the hand of Constantin Brancoveanu, who added a splendid voievodal palace, decorated with marble and icons. The palace was by and large destroyed by a series of fires in the 19th century however, and subsequently neglected. Much of what remains today was uncovered during archaeological digs that took place from 1967-72, when the palace ruins were first opened as a museum. There are fragments of the original 15th century walls, as well as remnants of the voievodal palace throne room, in which most of the relics found on the site are exhibited. Next door to the palace is the Old Court Church, the oldest in Bucharest, dating from 1545. It was enlarged in 1715, during the reign of tefan Cantacuzino, and the frescoes inside, painted by maestros Constantin Lecca and Miu Papa, were added in 1847. The churchs exterior was recently renovated, and it looks better than ever. Opposite is the Hanul lui Manuc. Built in 1808 by an Armenian merchant, it was bought and sold many times throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries before being nationalised in 1949. It remained state property until 2006,
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when Constantin erban Cantacuzino the heir of its last private owner won an epic legal battle (which had lasted the best part of ten years) to recover ownership. Closed a year later ahead of renovation, part of the inn (the restaurant/bar, courtyard and some function rooms) was finally reopened earlier this year. The inns hotel (the Dacia) remains closed but is poised to reopen soon.
Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse
Today packed with cafes - most of which offer hookah pipes and exotic tobaccos - Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse was built in 1891 as a conduit between Calea Victoriei then the busiest street in the city and the National Bank. It is named for a Catalan architect, Xavier Vilacrosse, who from 1840-50 was the chief architect of Bucharest, and Mihalache Macca, son-in-law of the buildings architect, Felix Xenopol. It is covered with an arcade yellow glass roof to allow natural light, also intended to encourage commerce at street level; In other words, this was Bucharests first shopping mall. During the communist period the passage was known by the name Pasajul Bijuteriei (Jewellery Passage) and hosted the citys largest jewellers.
Cafeneaua Carada C-6, Str. Eugeniu Carada 5-7, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 0766 35 86 54/(+4) 021 310 48 20, cafeneaua.carada@ymail.com. Large, impressive new cafe next to Romanias national bank, where the big windows looking out onto one of the citys few busy pedestrian streets are what will have you heading inside. Great coffee and cocktails, it is the perfect meeting place and works well as either coffee house or bar. Add in a gallery (what you see is on sale) and you have the kind of place Bucharest really needs. QOpen 09:30 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 24:00. PJAEBSW
contact@chocolat.com.ro, www.chocolat.com.ro. Hard to pin this place down. Is it a cafe serving chocolate, or a chocolate shop serving a little coffee? In fact, it is neither. It is a brilliant restaurant serving delicious, well priced light meals (soups, pasta, salad) of a French and Italian bent. There is chocolate of course - loads of it - as well as more kinds of gourmet bread than we could possible list. Find it next to Caru cu Bere. QOpen 09:00 - 23:30, Sat, Sun 09:00 - 24:30. Also at (B-3) Str. Radu Beller 13, tel. (+4) 021 230 23 83 and (D-4) Calea Mosilor 217, tel. (+4) 021 211 44 64. PJASW
Chocolat C-5, Calea Victoriei 12A, tel. (+4) 021 314 92 45,
Old Town Cafes

Atelier Cafe
C-6, Str. Selari 7, tel. (+4) 021 318 28 54, office@ateliercafe.ro, www.ateliercafe.ro. Cafe and gallery, where you can enjoy an artistic coffee while browsing some fine contemporary Romanian art from the likes of Ion Silisteanu, Sorin Ilfoveanu and Mihai Cismaru. QOpen 10:30 - 20:00, Sat 10:30 - 16:00. Closed Sun. PJAGW
French Bakery C-6, Str. Smardan 13, tel. (+4) 021 316 10 27, www.frenchbakery.ro. It had to happen. Bucharests smartest chain of bakeries comes to Old Town, complete with its fine selection of sandwiches, delicious tarts and cakes, great coffee and a super, covered (at this time of year) terrace outside on the sexiest part of Old Town. Could be just about the best place in Bucharest for coffee, regardless of the time of day. QOpen 09:30 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 09:30 - 01:00, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. PJAVBSW
C-6, Str. Smardan 9, tel. (+4) 031 107 63 71, info@ vangogh.ro, www.vangogh.ro. Amazing how quickly this place became the default Bucharest meet you there venue. Its genius is that its ideal at every time of day: morning coffee sat in front of one of the long windows or out on the terrace, a business lunch at one of the wooden tables, a meal and a late night at the bar. The food is good - simple and very reasonably priced - and this Dutch owned, friendly cafe is a winner: you will go back more than once. QOpen 08:30 - 24:00, Fri 08:30 - 01:00, Sat 10:00 - 01:00, Sun 10:00 - 24:00. Wine&Art Bar Open 17:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 -24:00. PJABSW
Buen Humor C-6, Str. Smardan 30/7, tel. (+4) 021 313
88 30/(+4) 0744 33 81 43, www.bonhumor.ro. Question: Where are you going to get an asparagus omelette in this city? Answer: At this place. Oh yes, this is a bonny bistro par excellence, where all sorts of tasty tapas await peckish punters. There is also good coffee, fine wine and some of the friendliest regulars in the city. Its one of those places that makes Strada Smardan so great. QOpen 11:00 - 05:00. PJABW
Grand Cafe Van Gogh
021 310 86 44/(+4) 0720 69 23 65. Puts almost every other caf in the area to shame. This tiny little place succeeds in being the perfect Parisian caf without even trying. It does so instead by keeping it simple and offering good coffee, good company, good service and a sense of the good life. The owners are art lovers -as the name suggests - and artistic flair screams at you from every wall. A must. QOpen 16:00 - 02:00. PJB
Cafe des Beaux Arts C-6, Str. Franceza 7, tel. (+4)
Klein Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 11, tel. (+4) 021 313 93 15/(+4) 021 313 93 16, info@rembrandt.ro, www. rembrandt.ro. Small but lively cafe situated on the mezzanine floor of the Rembrandt hotel. Worthy of note for its non-smoking policy and bizarrely comfortable leather chairs. The place bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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however. Other than that, we recommend it, if only because prices are very good for Old Town. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PJABSW
Old Town Restaurants

Alioli Tapas
C-6, Str. Bacani 1, tel. (+4) 021 311 80 27, office@alioli. ro, www.alioli.ro. Order yourself a San Miguel or a pitcher of Sangria and stick your feet up. Great tapas and cocktail bar, frequented by nice people who all come ready to chat. Its a mini-version of the larger restaurant on Strada Popa Tatu, which is also well worth a look. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00. Also at (B-5) Str. Popa Tatu 4, Open 10:00 - 24:00. .
The Barrel British Restaurant C-6, Str. Smardan 27,
MP-ta Unirii, tel. (+4) 0726 41 26 46, office@thebarrel. ro, www.thebarrel.ro. Pub serving food, or restaurant serving drinks? We will go for the former. This good Smardan venue has far more the feel of a pub than anything else, but there is plenty of food on offer. The menu is certainly British inspired, offering fair Fish & Chips, Shepherds Pie and jacket spuds amongst much else. They also have Newcastle Brown and Strongbow on offer, but neither on tap. A Union Jack above the bar reminds you of the British connection. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 04:00. . PJAVEBSW C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 2, MUniversitate, tel. (+4) 021 310 29 78/(+4) 0721 76 55 55, restaurant_bellini@yahoo. com, www.bellini.ro. Packed out with the pre-cinema crowd heading over to Cinema Pro for the latest premiere, Bellini has a great location, and its covered terrace is lovely in most weathers except the very coldest. As with most Italians in this city the food is not really worth writing home about, but is fine, is not overpriced and they make OK pizzas. QOpen 12:00 - 23:00. Open 12:00 - 23:00. Also at Str. Lanariei 5, tel. (+4) 0723 10 01 01. . PJABSW
Bellini
is now also open for outside guests every morning, so they can enjoy a fresh breakfast buffet. Q Open 07:00 - 10:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 11:00, 12:00 - 22:00. PJAGW
Leonidas C-6, Str. Doamnei 27, tel. (+4) 021 314 13 77/(+4) 0723 18 02 68, www.leonidas-mb.ro. What started as (the citys best) choclaterie selling fine Belgian chocolates, pralines and marzipans in a variety of wonderful guises has over the years become far more: it is now a wonderful cafe too, where you can enjoy the caramels and liqeurs and such like in peace and quiet and in the company of fine coffee. You would expect them to serve an exemplary hot chocolate, and they of course do not disappoint. QOpen 10:00 - 21:00, Sat 11:00 - 21:00. Closed Sun. PJAVBSW
310 60 52/(+4) 0720 13 29 94, office@lesbourgeois. ro, www.lesbourgeois.ro. One of the first places to open on Strada Smardan, long before the street became fashionable, the fact that Les Bourgeois remains so popular is testament to its ability to keep coming up with great food, and the fact that it works as both a drinking venue and a restaurant. Two dishes we particularly enjoyed on the latest menu were the risottos: one with chicken and vegetables, the other with mushrooms. For dessert, the pears in red wine and cinnamon sauce is a real autumn treat. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Sat 10:00 - 04:00. PJABSW
Brauhaus C-6, Str. Smardan 41, tel. (+4) 0725 52 30
81, emilia.sparlac@thebarrell.ro. If you like a tasty bit of German sausage (and lets face it, who doesnt?) then this is the place to head for if you are in Old Town. There is much else besides on the menu, however, and if you add in tremendous beer and good prices you have another reason to hail Strada Smardan as the citys top entertainment street. Worth checking out. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 04:00. . PJAVBSW
Les Bourgeois C-6, Str. Smardan 20, tel. (+4) 021
C-6, Str. Stavropoleos 5, tel. (+4) 021 313 75 60, (+4) 0726 28 23 73, carucubere@citygrill.ro, www.carucubere.ro. Should be the first stop on the list of any visitor to Bucharest. Wonderful interiors - painted ceilings, ornate woodwork - make the place an attraction in itself, but do not leave without trying some food. The breakfast is worth getting up early for, the sarmale with mamaliga terrific, and the baked apple a simple, tasty treat. Good beer, good service (now: it never used to be). Q Open 08:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 02:00. . AEBSW
Caru cu Bere
Unique Bistro Cafe C-6, Str. Franceza 13, tel. (+4)
021 311 00 50/(+4) 0721 07 79 25. Coffee, tea (a vast selection) and cocktails on Str. Franceza in Old Town. While many will insist it is at its best in the warmer months when you can sit outside on the terrace, we like it at this time of year, as the interior is cosy. It can be a bit smoky when it gets full,
Charme C-6, Str. Smardan 12, tel. (+4) 021 311 19 22, www.charme.ro. Some of the finest food in Old Town, served in one of the most elegant and classiest locations around. Check out the nice little touches such as high quality bread and olives, the high ceilings and airy atmosphere, then order some fine, light Californian-inspired cuisine. Its a winner from start to finish. QOpen 11:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 11:00 - 01:00. . PJABSW bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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62/(+4) 021 314 24 89, www.citygrill.ro. They call these places your dining room in the city, and given the homely food and cheap prices (the lunchtime deals are just about unbeatable) they might just be right. Dont expect haute cuisine, but do expect big portions of simple Romanian food. We like the carnati de plescoi, tasty smoked sausages made with mutton and pork. Theres a good selection of local beers to choose from too. Q Open 08:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 02:00. Also at (B-2) B-dul Primaverii 3, tel. (+4) 021 233 98 18 and many other locations. . PJABSW
City Grill C-6, Str. Lipscani 12, tel. (+4) 0729 62 62
Embassy Hanul cu Tei C-6, Str. Lipscani 63-65, tel.
(+4) 0733 50 03 03, www.embassy-hanulcutei.ro. Making very good use of the courtyard of Hanul cu Tei, always one of our favourite parts of Lipscani, Embassy is a terrace (in summer) and indoor lounge which serves food and drink to an older, wiser and simply nicer crowd than many other places we could mention in Old Town. Good bistro food, decent cocktails and reasonable prices. For those in the know, this is the sister establishment of the original Embassy on Piata Lahovari. QOpen 10:00 - 03:00. Also at (C-4) P-ta Lahovari 8, Open 10:00-03:00. . JABSW
Crama Domneasca C-6, Str. Selari 13-15, tel. (+4) 0726 32 20 04/(+4) 0722 29 11 95, rezervari@cramadomneasca.com, www.cramadomneasca.com. Right in the heart of Bucharests historic centre, this is Romanian food of indeed historic proportions. You can expect right royal portions of all your Romanian favourites, from spare ribs and mutton to tender pork steaks. The home baked bread is always served warm (if it is not, send it back) and the wine flows copiously as evenings get longer and longer. Its the kind of place where you will be discretely but contentedly loosening your belt before the night is done. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PJAES
34, info@thedivan.ro, www.thedivan.ro. From the Middle Eastern atmosphere and superb decor to the great service, Divan is a lesson in creating a good restaurant. The food is good value Turkish/Middle Eastern, with a couple of Romanian dishes thrown on the menu for the less adventurous. They will even cook you a whole lamb if you give them 24 hours notice. We opted for the less Sultan-like beef and lamb kebabs. Very good they were too. Our only complaint here is that the cheapest bottle of wine costs a whopping 80 lei. QOpen 10:00 - 02:00. . PJABSW
52, contact@gallienus.ro, www.gallienus.ro. We were very excited when this place opened in March, not least to see what they had done with the building: a period piece on Strada Blanari. The result is sublime, a loving recreation of a ristorante with epic dining rooms and a cellar where the original brickwork has been exposed and restored. The food is very good, and you can pick from the extensive menu with confidence. Try the lemon chicken or the fresh (as in made on the premises) bacon and mozarella tortelinni. QOpen 11:00 - 05:00. . PJALBSW
Gallienus C-6, Str. Doamnei 21, tel. (+4) 0732 72 50
Divan C-6, Str. Franceza 46-48, tel. (+4) 021 312 30
Grill N Roses C-6, Str. Smardan 18, tel. (+4) 021 310
39 80, buenhumorcafe@yahoo.com, www.grillnroses.ro. We love the name so we will not hear a word said against this place. Its a rock pub that serves some very good, simple, grill food, including a great Memphis Cheeseburger and very tasty mici (which, at three for 11 lei, are not overpriced). You can even have grilled pineapple or banana for dessert. Well worth a visit. QOpen 10:00 - 04:00. . PABSW
Il Peccato C-6, Str. Franceza 30, tel. (+4) 021 310 90

13/(+4) 0758 10 50 27, contact@ilpeccato.ro, www. ilpeccato.ro. It shouldnt take too long to find this place: it is
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do so, coming up with all sorts of treats, such the as lime and basil sorbet: already a legend amongst Bucharest foodies. Malagamba by the way was a Romanian musician, composer and director who frequented these parts in the 1930s and 40s. QOpen 11:30 - 24:00. . PJAVBSW C-6, Str. Smardan 25, tel. (+4) 021 311 32 29, reservation@oldtownbistro.ro, www.oldtownbistro.ro. A very nice attempt at creating a real French bistro - as big on wine as on it is on food - in the heart of the citys, well, Old Town. A Smardan location will make sure they get tons of passing trade, and given the range and quality of the simple, home cooked food we think it will be a raging success. A number of wines are available by the glass: a very good thing (if rare in Bucharest). QOpen 11:00 - 01:00, Fri 11:00 - 03:00, Sat 12:00 - 03:00, Sun 12:00 - 01:00. . PJABSW the restaurant with a motorbike in a glass display box parked outside. Really. Inside it is a well-decorated and comfortable venue, worthy of your time, serving standard Italian food of the pizza, pasta variety. Has an excellent selection of Italian wines and is a great place to sit and enjoy a decent bottle or two. QOpen 12:00 - 01:00, Mon 16:00 - 01:00. . PJABSW
Old Town Bistro
Orient Express Bar Bistro
Hanul Manuc C-6, Str. Franceza 62-64, tel. (+4) 021 313 14 11, www.hanulluimanuc.ro. Bucharests oldest inn (and one of only two surviving caravanserai in Europe - the other is in Albania) reopens its doors. A new bar has been put in on the ground floor, and the place had been spruced up rather nicely. Sit in the gorgeous courtyard and enjoy a beer or simple Romanian food, or head up to the first floor for decent Lebanese cuisine. QOpen 07:30 - 24:00. . PAEBSW La Bonne Bouche C-6, Str. Franceza 30, tel. (+4) 0731 24 78 76, florin@bistrovin.ro, www.bistrovin.ro. The best little bistro to open in these parts for many a year. Does what it does - simple French bistro food - better than anywhere else in the city. Try the sublime onion soup, calves liver with sage and garlic mash and the lemon meringue pie. Look for the chefs specials too. An open kitchen is always a good sign, and we love the variety of reading material in the toilets. Just a brilliantly simple place. QOpen 12:30 - 23:30, Mon 18:30 - 23:30, Fri, Sat 12:30 - 24:00. Wine Bar open 12:00 - 02:30. . PJALBSW Malagamba C-6, Str. Sf. Dumitru 2, tel. (+4) 021 313 33
89/(+4) 0748 50 25 43, office@malagamba.ro, www. malagamba.ro. What a name, what a place. An Italian (with a twist) restaurant of the old school (in that the food is what counts first and foremost), this Irish-owned eatery next to the Comedy Theatre is terrific. Wanting to stand out from the crowd the team behind it have gone to great lengths to
C-6, Str. Smardan 37, tel. (+4) 0371 34 33 73, www. orientexpressbarbistro.ro. Pub and bistro of not enormous proportions on Smardan. Serves a decent pint, good coffee and mixes its cocktails well, but what most impressed us were the big salads. The photos of the eponymous train (and a map of its original route) on the walls kept son of In Your Pocket happy for an hour. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. . PJABSW
Red Angus Steakhouse C-6, Str. Franceza 56, MP-ta Unirii, tel. (+4) 021 312 03 83, contact@redangus.ro, www.redangus.ro. Does exactly what the name suggests: serves great steaks to customers who like their meat cooked to order. The steaks come from all over the world, from the US to New Zealand, and there is more than just classic steaks (like the Rib-Eye): there are great baby back ribs too, a mag-
Ice Cream
Caffe Gelato C-6, Str. Franceza 46-48, tel. (+4) 0732 00 88 88, www.caffegelatobucuresti.ro. Find it at the bottom of Strada Smardan. QOpen 09:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 24:00. PJB Clate C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 0756 09 71 98, clatecontact@gmail.com, www.clate.net. Best ice cream in town, and more besides: pancakes, juice and the like. QOpen 12:30 - 01:00. PNSW Bucharest In Your Pocket bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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nificent burger, and the desserts - if you still have room after a big meaty feast - are well worth trying, not least the lemon merengue pie. And they have a childrens menu. Admirable. QOpen 12:00 - 24:00. . PJAVBSW C-6, Str. Francez 44, tel. (+4) 021 317 10 87/(+4) 0747 11 10 00, rezervare@stgeorge.ro, www.stgeorge. ro. This has long been one of our favourite restaurants, a place that had the vision to open up a good year or two before Old Town became fashionable. The food is excellent, authentic Hungarian cuisine, featuring a wealth great dishes - try the mutton stew with dumplings - and a wine list that offers the very best Hungarys vineyards have to offer. Cracking open a bottle of Tokaji Aszu is the perfect way to end an evening here. Live music is provided by a happy, table wandering troupe every night. QOpen 10:00 - 23:00. . PJAEBSW
St. George
every chair and table is different, and which has something of a What communist Britain might have looked like-chic about it. The price of beer is good, and they serve a variety of wines by the glass. Brilliantly simple it is anti-fitze Bucharest at its best and as a result you can expect to see us here often. QOpen 10:00 - 05:00. PJABSW 23 33 35, office@beeroclock.ro, www.beeroclock.ro. This little pub in Pasajul Villacrosse has probably the biggest selection bottled beers in the city: so it is aptly named. With brews from all over the world you could drink a different beer every night for a month and not try the same one twice. Whats more, besides the beer they also have the appropriate glass in which to serve it: great attention to details. Tiny, with only a few places to sit, its worth reserving if you want to be sure of a seat. Note: there is now a much bigger Beer OClock on Strada Gabroveni further down in Old Town. We prefer the tiny original. QOpen 16:00 - 02:00. Also at (C-6) Str. Gabroveni 4. Open 17:00 - 02:00. PJABW
Beer OClock C-6, Pasajul Vilacrosse, tel. (+4) 0767
Sindbad C-6, Str. Lipscani 19, tel. (+4) 021 317 77

88, www.restaurantsindbad.ro. Lebanese restaurant in Old Town serving what might just be the best lentil soup in Bucharest. Fabulous fresh bread too (made on site) and a decent range of mutton dishes as main courses. Theres both an exterior and interior terrace, and the decor is vaguely Middle Eastern without over-doing it. We liked the comfy chairs. QOpen 11:00 - 01:30. . PJABSW
Cantina Sport Bar C-6, Str. Franceza 52, tel. (+4) 0733
Old Town Bars

Atelier Mecanic C-6, Str. Covaci 12, tel. (+4) 0726 76 76 11, atelier.mecanic@yahoo.com. You will like it the minute you walk in the door. Perhaps even before that. Old Town has needed something a bit different for a while, and this place is it. A modernist, minimalist bar/cafe where bucharest.inyourpocket.com
11 04 64, www.cantinasportbar.ro. On the southern tip of Old Town, where Strada Selari meets the river embankment, this enormous sports bar is a bright and breezy place to watch the match and get your hands on some decent grub. Decent pizza costs very little, but most popular of all appears to be the pui la rotisor, served up with copious amounts of beer. We like the bar stools too. QOpen 08:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 08:00 - 04:00. PJALBSW
Colorteca C-6, Str. Lipscani 43, tel. (+4) 0751 26 82 45, colorteca@ymail.com. Super little bar in a narrow Lipscani passage that it is home to a surprisingly large number of speakeasies. This one could well be our favourite, October - November 2011
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and its worth checking out: if only to show off to someone just how well you know Bucharest and its backstreets. QOpen 13:00 - 01:00. PJNBW
Klein Bar & Bistro C-6, Str. Smardan 11, tel. (+4)
021 313 93 15, www.rembrandt.ro. Bar and bistro inside the Rembrandt hotel. Its a great place to enjoy a drink with friends, and the location at the edge of Bucharests newlyformed pedestrian zone makes it a favourite for those looking for something just a little more restful. Good bistro food too, and like the hotel itself, everything comes at very reasonable prices. QOpen 07:00 - 02:00. PJALG
Pals C-6, Str. Smardan 21, tel. (+4) 0727 24 36 40/
(+4) 0724 89 97 72. Another little place on Str. Smardan, serving reasonably priced drinks and simple Romanian food at prices a little more expensive than you might expect. Loads of televisions just about everywhere should make it popular for football and such like, while smokers get banished upstairs: that gets them an extra mark in our book. Q Open 10:00 - 02:00. PJNB
Revenge C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 0722 33 12 26, www.revenge.ro. It is the music that we like best about this pub and club in the heart of the Lipscani area. A mix of everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, it hardly matters that you might not like whats playing: you will not have to wait long to hear an old favourite. Add in a casually-dressed, non-fitze crowd and you have a winner. QOpen 17:00 - 07:00, Fri, Sat 17:00 - 08:30. PJNB Shakespeare C-6, Str. Blanari 21, tel. (+4) 021 311
19 92/(+4) 0723 88 63 71, shakespearbar@yahoo. com, www.shakespearebar.ro. A cracking pub on Strada Blanari, right opposite the big church, where from day one they appear to have got it right. A bit spacier and a bit more comfortable than your average Lipscani venue, expect to find comfy sofas in the windows, strange but rather fetching art on the walls and decent staff who know how to pull a decent beer. The crowd tends to be studenty during the day, getting a bit smarter and sophisticated as the evening wears on. We like it. QOpen 11:00 - 04:00. PJABW
not least because of the colourful decor, very late opening hours and cheerful bar staff. usually a good crowd in sipping pre-club drinks, although - like us - many tend to stay here the whole evening. Its that kind of place. QOpen 15:00 05:00. PJNW C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 0733 10 22 88, rezervari. deko@gmail.com, www.dekocafe.ro. Up a rather tricky flight of stairs inside a house at the bottom end of Strada Smardan, Cafe Deko is a comedy club that features live stand-up (almost always in Romania, of course) most nights of the week. Entrance is usually a pittance, and the friendly crowd usually stays behind after the show for a chat and a beer or two. If you have one too many make sure you mind those stairs on the way down. QOpen 18:00 - 02:00. Closed Mon. PJNW C-6, Str. Blanari 9, tel. (+4) 021 335 02 22/(+4) 0735 88 29 09, office@dharmabar.ro, www.dharmabar.ro. Great little place in Old Town, one of the most attractive venues in the area. Inside there are two levels: tables and chairs up, comfy red sofas downstairs. Serves a great range of cocktails, a number of which are non-alcoholic. Good staff and a young crowd of nice people make the atmosphere more than pleasant. Well worth a visit. QOpen 09:00 01:00. PJBW
Deko Cafe
Old Town Pubs

Arcade Cafe C-6, Str. Smardan 30, tel. (+4) 0727 25 70 22, (+4) 0722 77 76 74/(+4) 021 314 50 66, nycos2008@yahoo.com, www.arcadecafe.ro. One more reason to hail Strada Smardan as the new Messiah of nightlife destinations. This little place is a cool mix of cafe, DJ bar and deadly serious club, though the music is always at the right volume and never stifles conversation. Basically there are two parts to this place: upstairs is the cafe (serving hot milk: our kids liked it!) and downstairs is the club. The cafe is open from (around) 10am. QOpen 10:00 - 03:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 05:00. PJAEBW Bathory Pub C-6, Str. Gabroveni 55, tel. (+4) 0747 06 21 06. Lively if smallish pub and lounge type place in a cracking new building (admire the design before going in) on Strada Gabroveni. Comfy chairs and sofas to sit on and decent sounds to listen to as you drink your beer or cocktail. QOpen 10:00 - 03:00. PABW
C-6, Str. Covaci 3, tel. (+4) 021 312 05 52/(+4) 0722 80 01 86, boma@bomapub.ro, www.bomapub.ro. Beer and very good pizza (and fair bit else besides) in a rather nice setting on Strada Covaci, which, with the recent opening of a few other decent places is quickly becoming the new Lipscani
Dharma
Interbelic C-6, Str. Selari 1, tel. (+4) 0722 10 01 93,
www.interbelic.ro. A cosy little speakeasy in a well-hidden location (find it in the alleyway which links Str. Blanari to Str. Lipscani) and the perfect place to conduct all sorts of secret business, affairs and anything else that springs to mind. Drinks and coffees are reasonably priced, the staff are friendly
Boma Pub
oLd town
Late Night Food
Bun de tot Str. Franceza 52, tel. (+4) 0733 11
04 64, www.citygrill.ro. The name means good for everything and everything is what they have here, from kebabs (which are OK) to hot dogs, burgers and the like. Find it on the corner of Selari and the river at the bottom of Old Town: its open 24 hours. Q Open 24 hrs.
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Caruta Self C-6, Corner of Smardan/Lipscani. Why
didnt we think of this first? A stall selling top snack food at cracking prices on the corner of the most popular nightlife streets in town. Sausages, soups, steaks, fries and the like get served up in quick time by the top staff for a neverending gaggle of clubbers. Q Open 24 hrs.
Chicken Staff C-6, Str. Smardan 31. KFC on the ground floor of Unirea closes at 23:00, so instead get yourself here for your late night/early morning fried chicken fix. Q Open 11:00 - 05:00. Divan Express C-6, Str. Selari 19, tel. (+4) 021 310
15 62, info@divanexpress.ro, www.divanexpress.ro. Probably the best of the kebab joints that have sprung up to serve the Old Town clubbing crowd. Serving much the same delicious food as over at the main Divan restaurant only at cheaper prices, this take-away is very much the one to beat. The queues speak for themselves. Q Open 24 hrs.
Dristor Kebap C-6, Str. Franceza 17, tel. (+4) 021 315 55 40, lipscani@dristorkebap.com, www. dristorkebap.ro. Legendary chain of kebab shops, which began in Dristor but has now spread city wide, even in to Old Town. Q Open 24 hrs. Also at B-dul Camil Ressu 1, Calea Vacaresti 391, B-dul Marasesti 42 and B-dul Timisoara 26.
13 13 95, office@lapainerie.ro, www.lapainerie.ro. Very much the thinking mans fast food outlet. Superior take-away sandwiches and the like served in decent surroundings, and open until late on Friday and Saturday nights. Q Open 09:00 - 22:00, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 01:00, Sun 09:00 - 24:00. Also at B-dul Mihai Bravu 107-119, tel. (+4) 0755 13 13 96.
street-to-be. Boma is a sweet little place, decked out with wood and boasting perhaps the comfiest chairs of any pub in the city. Drinks are well priced and service comes with a smile. An excellent place for a livener or two. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. JAVBSW
La Painerie C-6, Str. Smardan 43, tel. (+4) 0755
Bordellos C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 0748 88 10
McDonalds C-6, P-ta Unirii 1 (Unirea Shopping Centre), www.mcdonalds.ro. The good news is McDonalds has finally brought breakfast to Romania, so that much sought-after Sausage and Egg McMuffin can now be yours at most central Bucharest McDonalds outlets. But only until 10:00, alas. We do wish they would serve them all day. Q Open 07:00-24:00, Fri, Sat 07:00-01:00. McDrive at (A-4) Str. Dr. Felix 8-10, (E-6) Sos. Mihai Bravu 307, Sos. Pierre de Coubertine 3-5, (C-3) Str. Barbu Vacarescu 146-158 and Str. Brasov 23A all open 24hrs. Thema Food Boutique C-6, Calea Victoriei 21-23, tel. (+4) 0762 21 16 62, tfbvenus@thema.com.ro, www.thema.ro. While - in closing at 19:00 - it doesnt really count as late-night food, you should make an effort to get here as they are serving the best, home-made burgers in the land. They are well priced, cooked to order and taste sensational. We just wish they would stay open longer! QOpen 09:00 - 19:00, Sat 09:00 - 13:00. Closed Sun. bucharest.inyourpocket.com
85/(+4) 021 317 90 99, info@bordellos.ro, www.bordellos.ro. Always plenty going on here. From quiz nights to live music, this is a great pub, complete with excellent bar food, Heineken, Murphys and Paulaner on tap and Sky Sports on four screens. Great food: tapas in the pub (the ribs are just about the best weve ever had in Bucharest) and more sophisticated fare in the restaurant bit. Why Bordellos? Read the drinks menu and you will find out why. You cant miss this place by the way: just look for the tarts in their underwear beckoning you in. No wonder it is always full. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00, Thu, Fri 12:00 - 05:00, Sat 14:00 - 05:00, Sun 14:00 - 02:00. PJAEBSW
Curtea Berarilor C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 021
313 75 32, www.curteaberarilor.com. Once upon a time the whole of the Curtea Sticlarilor was given over to artisans - especially glassmakers, from whence the name. Now only a few survive and no less than four bars have opened here. This one has given itself the rather cheeky name Curtea Berarilor (Brewers Courtyard), though there is no brewing done on the site. Instead make do with plenty of on-tap pints, of which the default option is Timisoreana. QOpen 13:00 - 01:00, Fri, Sat 13:00 - 03:00, Sun 12:00 - 24:00. PJASW tel. (+4) 021 311 22 67, events@elephantpub.ro, www. elephantpub.ro. Live music pub and club that launches itself into direct competition with the more established Mojo next door. Besides the music there are plenty of screens for watch-
Elephant Pub & Live Music C-6, Str. Gabroveni 16,
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Team Pub C-6, Str. Lipscani 36, tel. (+4) 0760 32 34
17/(+4) 0723 72 94 29, teampub@yahoo.com, www. teampub.ro. Decent enough pub on the corner of Lipscani and Selari, with good proper bar stools and a decent range of beers. Efficient waitresses in red tops serve the customers well. Its popular too: first time we came here (just after they had opened) it was empty: now (especially on a Friday or Saturday night) you can barely get through the door for revelers. QOpen 12:00 - 02:00. PJAW
C-6, Str. Lipscani 56, tel. (+4) 0726 13 08 59, contact@ thelegacy.ro, www.thelegacy.ro. One of our favourite places to open on Strada Lipscani this year. Much bigger than it looks from the outside, The Legacy is a lively pub that serves good Romanian food, unfiltered beer on draught, good cocktails and hosts lively events, parties and such like, from karaoke to theme nights. Attracts a decent crowd of young(ish) locals, and it is not in any way fitze. No sunglasses required. QOpen 10:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 02:00. PJABW
The Legacy
Trinity College C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 0747 50
75 07, contact@trinitycollegepub.ro, www.trinitycollegepub.ro. Upmarket burgers, tapas and the like served in an all-American atmosphere to an (almost) all-Romanian crowd. Good ribs, good pizza, good cocktails and Leffe on draught. Stays open late, and at weekends often has DJs on duty to make sure the music is good. QOpen 11:00 - 03:00. PJASW
Old Town Irish Pubs

ing sports and the like, the beer is well priced and the crowd a very casually dressed mix of rockers in leather and rollers in jeans. Make of it what you will. Q Open 15:00 - 02:00. PJENBW
Arthur Irish Pub
Le Drakkar Pub et Creperie C-6, Str. Franceza 6, MP-ta Unirii, tel. (+4) 021 312 40 13, www.ledrakkar. ro. Cafe and creperie on Strada Franceza, boasting staff who are friendly despite being rushed off their feet. Specialises in gallettes: those thin French pizzas that make a really nice change from the Italian version. Bravo Le Drakkar for bringing them to Bucharest. Occasional live music too. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00. PJAEBSW Oktoberfest C-6, Str. Selari 9 -11, tel. (+4) 0724 33 32 33, oktoberfestpub@yahoo.com, www.oktoberfest-pub. ro. Another pub opens its doors in the old inn at Selari 9-11, doing its darn best to make Old Town/Lipscani a decent place to spend some time. You will find the crowd more local than foreign, never a bad thing, and they try to make something happen every night, whether its football on the television or impromptu drinking competitions. Students of all nationalities will feel right at home. Now also offers Oktoberfest 2 upstairs. Q Open 24hrs. PJNB
C-6, Str. Lipscani 45, tel. (+4) 0729 37 77 74, office@ oldcity-lipscani.ro, www.oldcity-lipscani.ro. Good pub on Lipscani with a huge beer garden out the back. Serves very good cocktails (a sweet as you like mojito went down very well with Mrs. In Your Pocket) and some pub grub that is far better than you would assume. The burger was great: try it with the roast potatoes in fresh rosemary for something a bit different. A big screen shows football and the like. QOpen 10:00 - 05:00. PJALEBW
C-6, Str. Gabroveni 20, tel. (+4) 0736 85 84 30. Another Irish pub in Old Town. Looks like a huge advert for Guinness, with black-stuff branding all over the place, complete with portraits of old Arthur Guinness himself. Needless to say they serve a faultless pint, the bar (and sufficient bar stools) are the business and in winter we think it will be a real winner. QOpen 09:00 - 02:00, Fri, Sat 09:00 - 04:00. PABSW
Charlatans C-5, B-dul Regina Elisabeta 11-13, tel. (+4) 0721 10 44 51, www.charlatans.ro. Its officially now raining Irish pubs in Bucharest. Another of the genre is found opposite Bucharests main university building, where once was a cafe. It looks very much like the other Irish pubs which have recently opened up, and in our book its biggest asset is the wonderfully long bar (the down side of which is the fact that the pub is not the widest in town). It has a decent food menu and the pub grub is not bad at all: what is a fair crack at fish and chips certainly warrants a mention. QOpen 09:00 01:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 01:00. PJABSW OHaras C-6, Str. Franceza 13, tel. (+4) 0724 23 95 77. Amazingly, this place has already been around for two years. (Feels like only yesterday that it opened). Expect a decent pint of Guinness, live Irish music and a grand welcome from some fine staff make this very much the thinking mans Irish pub in Bucharest. The Strada Franceza location is a bonus. QOpen 15:00 - 24:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 16:00 - 02:00. PJENBW Oscars C-6, Str. Covaci 19, tel. (+4) 021 310 32 61. Wow, its like a new place. Forget what you read or thought of this place before and get there immediately. Its a big Irish pub showing all the right sports on television and serving an exemplary pint of Guinness and a top chicken pie. There is also karaoke, live music and hands-on management. There bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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is a great courtyard and sublime raised seating area, and now that theyve finished repaving Strada Covaci you can get here without getting your shoes dirty. QOpen 11:00 - 02:00. PJABSW 03 36/(+4) 0749 99 63 77, www.bucharest-irishpub.ro. Big, well located and quite frankly cracking pub in Lipscani. Looking every inch just like a proper Irish boozer, its a real pub all right with decent grub, Guinness and Kilkenny on tap, and more than efficient staff. Shiny and new its a brilliant addition to the area and is already as popular as any of the citys other pubs. QOpen 11:00 - 02:00. PJABSW as well as all sorts of events during the week, from theme nights to theatre. QOpen 10:30 - 05:00, Fri 10:30 - 06:00, Sat 21:00 - 06:00, Sun 17:00 - 05:00. PJENW
St. Patrick C-6, Str. Smardan 23-25, tel. (+4) 021 313
Freddo C-6, Str. Smardan 24, tel. (+4) 0722 37 33 36,

rezervari@freddo.ro, www.freddo.ro. The biggest, boldest place on Strada Smardan. Smart too: when it started raining we were about to run for cover only for the roof to be extended, keeping us all dry. Impressive. During the winter it is fully enclosed. Now get there and enjoy sound cocktails, pizza and decent salads: and note you can enjoy it all at proper, big wooden tables. You might want to reserve at the weekends: this place is damn popular. QOpen 10:00 - 05:00. JENBW
The Gin Factory C-6, Str. Lipscani 37, tel. (+4) 021 311 38 36, www.theginfactory.ro. Enormous and gorgeous, this is an Irish pub well worth taking a drink in, not least for its very nice booths and break-out areas perfect for private chats and the like. The big bar is well-manned and it never takes long to get a drink regardless of how busy it is, and even though its newish its already busy most nights. Theres a DJ on-site spinning tunes of all sorts after about 8pm, and though the Guinness is only by the bottle, they do have Ursus Black, so we can live with that. QOpen 15:00 - 03:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 05:00. PJAEBSW
Old Town Clubs & Discos

Club A C-6, Str. Blnari 14, tel. (+4) 021 313 55 92,
office@cluba.ro, www.cluba.ro. Selling the cheapest Red Bull vodka in the world, this place is a legend. If you want a local, unpretentious, up-for-a-laugh studenty crowd getting down to classic songs that you wont have heard for ages, this is the one place in town you can be guaranteed to find it, every night of the week. Live music on most weekend nights,
La Muse C-6, Str Lipscani 53, tel. (+4) 0734 00 02 36/ (+4) 0745 02 42 17, lamuse@lamuse.ro, www.lamuse. ro. Last time we popped in we met up with almost everyone we know in Bucharest. Thats the kind of place this is: on the surface it looks posh and flash and out-of-your-league (the lady at the entrance clutches a clipboard as though her life depends on it) but it is in fact a down-to-earth, come-as-youare venue playing dance floor hits from across the decades to a crowd a bit older than elsewhere, which can afford the prices of the drinks. We love it. QOpen 10:00 - 04:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 06:00. PJAEBW Mojo C-6, Str. Gabroveni 14, MPiata Unirii, tel. (+4) 0760 26 34 96, www.mojomusic.ro. Three level extravaganza of a venue. On the ground floor is the pub, upstairs is the most popular karaoke venue in the land, while downstairs in the cavernous cellar there is live music, and then some. In a nutshell, this place sets the standard for nights out in Old Town. The beer is a decent price, the crowd a mix of ages and nationalities and the manager is a top bloke who makes a
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point of being nice to his customers. When ace local bands are not playing, the resident Mojo band usually is. Also now puts on regular quiz nights and live British stand-up comedy, and has Sky Sports HD.QOpen 20:00 - 05:00. PJAEW
Octopus Lounge & Club
C-6, Str. Selari 9-11, tel. (+4) 0722 33 12 26, www.octopusclub.ro. New-ish party venue in Curtea Sticlarilor, with DJs every night of the week, and sexy young dancers shaking their backsides at weekends. Cocktails and beer a decent price. Music is a mix of things, depending on whos DJing, but expect fairly new sounds and the occasional club classic. QOpen 17:00 - 06:00, Fri, Sat 17:00 - 08:30. AEW
Rococo Club & Lounge C-6, Str. Blanari 1, tel. (+4) 0754 01 88 88, www.clubrococo.ro. By day a lounge, by evening a trendy club. And a good one at that, although it might be a bit fitze for some. Certainly attracts a wealthy crowd and the decor is what could be termed luxurious, but the fact that it is packed out almost every night speaks volumes. A more than decent cocktail list but no draught beer. Music is a mixed bag of fairly mainstream club sounds with some local tunes also making an appearance, but it depends on who is DJ-ing. Good local live acts too some nights. Now also has a restaurant. QOpen 09:00 - 05:00. PJENBW The Vault C-6, Str. Lipscani 29-33, tel. (+4) 0723 19 99 77, www.clubvault.ro. Smooth. Smooth people, smooth vibes and smooth cocktails. We love the (long) nights we spend in this place, not least because you never know what to expect on the music front: it could be a night of pop, a night of disco classics, a night of indie beats or a night of up-to-the-minute clubby sounds. We suggest you take a chance and delve inside. Chances are you will enjoy yourself. Q Open 22:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Wed, Sun. PJAEW True Club C-6, Splaiul Independentei (corner with Str. Selari), tel. (+4) 0727 48 80 87/(+4) 0721 95 97 25, www.trueclub.ro. In that wonderful location once known as Temple (on the corner of Strada Selari and Splaiul Independentei) is True Club, an exclusively live music venue well worthy of your time (its owned and run by two legends of the Bucharest nightlife scene, who have a track record of delivering the goods). When the resident covers band or top local act isnt performing you will find karaoke, and the sheer variety of themed nights and parties usually means that there is always something here for everyone. Drinks are a decent price and there are plenty of them to choose from. QOpen 19:00 - 06:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Sun. PJAEW October - November 2011
68 12 02/(+4) 0727 06 20 01, office@opiumstage.ro, www.opiumstage.ro. Interesting, very interesting. A cellar in one of Bucharests grand old passages has been transformed into a lounge/club, complete with kitsch decor and leather sofas. What makes it work is that theyve left the original brick work exposed, leaving you with the sense that all that kitsch is pure irony. Prices are decent for the location and the cocktail list tremendous. Now all they need is a regular crowd and theyll have a great place on their hands. QOpen 21:00 - 05:00. PJNBW C-6, Str. Soarelui 9, tel. (+4) 0737 31 35 85, pureclub@ rocketmail.com. Nice. A warren of a venue tucked away in a quiet little part of Old Town. Loads of different little rooms all with a slightly different vibe, though all it appears with comfy white sofas to crash on when you are done dancing to the top DJs who spin the happening sounds here. Drinks are a decent price and bar staff super efficient. QOpen 22:00 - 05:00. Closed Mon, Tue, Sun. PAW
Opium Stage B-4, Calea Victoriei 16 - 20, tel. (+4) 0720
Pure Club
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Shopping in Bucharest
Bucharests main shopping areas are the malls and commercial centres listed below, as well as historical Calea Victoriei, home to the most luxurious shops in the city (see pages 26-29). Little Str. Ion Campineanu, between Balcescu and Calea Victoriei, is also becoming a funky little place to shop, with lots of boutiques and delicatessens. The Peasant and Village museums (see page 69) are good places to pick up Romanian handicrafts and souvenirs, as well as the Old Town souvenir shop listed on page 74. Debenhams is the biggest pull, but hundreds of other brands also help to bring the punters in. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00.
Sun Plaza Calea Vacaresti 391, tel. (+4) 021 386 06 00, www.sunplaza.ro. Newest and dare we say sunniest mall in Bucharest. It is also the only mall in the city right outside a metro station: in this case, Piata Sudului, just three stops from Piata Unirii. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Food Court Open 10:00 - 23:00, Fri, Sat 10:00 - 24:00. PA Unirea Shopping Centre C-6, Piata Unirii 1, www.
unireashop.ro. Once a showpiece of Socialism, this huge department store is now the best mall in the centre of the city. There are fashion stores on the first and second floors while the electronics and household appliance shops on floors three and four are also worth a visit. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00.
Markets
Piata Obor E-4, Piata Obor, MObor. Bucharests biggest
and perhaps most famous market. Colourful, huge, and always lively, it is not what it once was: where once you could buy almost anything, it is now a strictly meat, dairy produce, fruit and vegetable market. Watch your wallet. QOpen 06:00 - 20:00.
Bookshops
Anthony Frost English Bookshop B-4, Calea Victoriei 45, tel. (+4) 021 311 51 38, www.librariaengleza. ro. Stocks a good range of fiction, an exceptional range of non-fiction, plenty of childrens books, and a decent selection of books about Romania and Bucharest. A splendid place to spend time (and money!). QOpen 10:00 - 19:00, Sun 10:00 - 14:00. A
Targul Vitan-Barzesti Sos. Vitan-Barzesti/Splaiul

Unirii. An astonishing place. Every Sunday morning this huge piece of wasteland becomes Sodom and Gomorrah. From allegedly stolen mobile phones and fake Ralph Lauren shirts to cheap, sandpaper-rough toilet paper, everything can be found here, all prices negotiable. Next door is an enormous second-hand car market. Bus 123 will get you here. Be brave. Q Open 08:00-16:00. Closed Mon-Sat.
Shopping centres
Baneasa Shopping City os. Bucureti-Ploieti 42D,
tel. (+4) 021 305 71 95, www.baneasashoppingcity.ro. This place was the first real mega-mall in Bucharest.Q Open 10:00 - 22:00, Restaurants Open 10:00 -23:00. 327 67 00, www.bucurestimall.com.ro. Recently extended in a major redevelopment, this is now a real shopping centre, with plenty of stores you can actually spend money in.
Crturesti C-5, Str. Pictor Arthur Verona 13-15, tel. (+4) 021 317 34 59, www.carturesti.ro. Marvellous bookshop, gallery and small cafe, with good selection of English books. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Also at (C-5) Str. Edgar Quinet 9, tel. (+4) 021 311 06 46, Open 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 11:00 - 18:00, Closed Sun. Humanitas Kretzulescu B-4, Calea Victoriei 45, tel. (+4) 021 313 50 35, www.librariilehumanitas.ro. Large bookshop (right next to Anthony Frost, above) selling a vast range of both Romanian and foreign language books. A good place to hunt for souvenir, coffee-table books.QOpen 10:00 - 21:00, Sat 11:00 - 21:00, Sun 11:00 - 17:00. Sala Dalles C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 18, tel. (+4)
021 315 52 60, www.carti-anticariat.ro. The biggest international bookshop in Bucharest, with more than 10,000 titles to choose from. If you want to read local literature, this is as good a place as any to find local authors in translation. QOpen 09:00 - 20:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
Bucuresti Mall E-7, Calea Vitan 55-59, tel. (+4) 021
Specialist Wine Stores

Residence), tel. (+4) 021 231 52 63/(+4) 0748 08 48 79, office@artevino.ro, www.artevino.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 19:00. Closed Sun.
Arte & Vino C-7, B-dul Mreti 2B (Carol Parc
Local Souvenirs
See also the Old Town Souvenir Shop and Thomas Antiques (both listed on page 74).
The Winery Outlet Sos. Mihai Bravu 132, tel. (+4) 021 252 10 32/(+4) 0757 84 68 74, magazin1. bucuresti@halewood.com.ro, www.halewood.com. ro. QOpen 09:30 - 21:30, Sun 09:30 - 14:30.
9, tel. (+4) 031 107 63 71, info@vangogh.ro, www.vangogh.ro. QOpen 17:00 - 24:00, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 24:00.
Muzeul Taranului Roman (Peasant Museum)

B-3, os. Kiseleff 3, MPiata Victoriei, tel. (+4) 021 317 96 61. The shop at the Peasant Museum has an outstanding selection of souvenirs and gifts. Of particular note are the traditional peasant clothes, as well as the icons and naive art. Not cheap, but its all good quality stuff. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Mon. A
Van Gogh Wine Bar & Shop C-6, Str. Smardan
Vinexpert D-6, B-dul Octavian Goga 24, tel. (+4) 021 327 49 74/(+4) 021 405 27 72, sales@evinoteca.ro, www.evinoteca.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00. Closed Sun. Also at (C-6) Unirea Shopping Center (P-a Unirii 1), Open 10:00 - 22:00 and (C-6) Cocor (B-dul I.C. Bratianu 29-33), Open 09:00 -21:00. Bucharest In Your Pocket
Romartizana B-4, Calea Victoriei 16-20, tel. (+4) 021 313 14 65. Good place to buy some traditional souvenirs. QOpen 10:00 - 18:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Also at P-ta Montreal 10 (World Trade Plaza) tel. (+4) 021 319 12 16. bucharest.inyourpocket.com
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QOpen 08:00 - 20:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Also at (B-5) Str.
George Enescu 12 tel. (+4) 021 316 58 76, (A-3) Str. Clucerului 55 tel. (+4) 021 222 92 26 and many other locations.
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Dentists
Asclepimed A-6, Str. Grigore Romniceanu 12, tel. (+4) 031 421 24 73, (+4) 0722 71 77 89, fax (+4) 031 421 24 74, office@asclepimed.ro, www.asclepimed.ro. Much more than just a dentist: this is facial aesthetics; surgical and non-surgical. QOpen 10:00 - 14:00, Mon, Wed 16:00 - 19:00. Closed Sat, Sun. PA
D-6, Str. Ionescu Gion 4, tel./fax (+4) 021 320 01 51, www.germandentist.ro. Probably the best dentist in the city. Whats more, you can bring the kids too, as they now have special rooms equipped just for them. Q Open 10:00 - 19:00. Closed Sat, Sun. For emergencies (24hrs) tel. (+4) 0744 49 91 99. Also at (B-2) Calea Dorobantilor 208, tel. (+4) 021 231 88 56. PTA Dent-A-America B-3, Str. Varsovia 4, tel. (+4) 021 230 26 08/(+4) 021 230 28 26, fax (+4) 021 230 28 27, receptie@dent-a-americainc.ro, www.dent-a-americainc. ro. QOpen 08:00 - 19:00, Sat 08:00 - 12:00. Closed Sun. Denta G D-5, B-dul Carol I 37, tel. (+4) 021 313 87 14/ (+4) 031 805 99 97, fax (+4) 021 313 33 06, office@ dentag.ro, www.dentag.ro. Dental Standard E-5, Str. Fluierului 17D, tel. (+4) 0726 42 94 72, office@dentalstandard.ro, www.dentalstandard.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Velvet Medical C-6, Str. Sf. Vineri 29 (Bectro Center), tel. (+4) 021 317 39 97/(+4) 0722 45 30 12, www.velvetdental.ro. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00, Sat 09:00 - 15:00. Closed Sun.
B.B. Clinic - German Dentist
Clinics & Hospitals

23 00, fax (+4) 021 599 22 57, spital@urgentafloreasca. ro, www.urgentafloreasca.ro. If youre squashed by a tram or fall victim to a dodgy sausage, youll be in good hands here in what is the best state-run hospital in Romania. Efficient, clean, and well-run.Q Open 24hrs. Medsana A-6, Str. Dr. Nanu Muscel 12, tel. (+4) 021 408 78 00, fax (+4) 021 402 80 76, www.medsana.ro. Another welcome addition to the privately-run medical sector. QOpen 07:00 - 21:00, Sat 08:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun. Also at (B-2) B-dul Primaverii 9, tel. (+4) 021 408 78 00. Unirea Medical Center C-6, B-dul Unirii 57, bl. E4, tel. (+4) 021 327 11 88/(+4) 021 9268, www.cmu.ro.
Emergency Clinic Hospital (Spitalul de Urgenta Floreasca) C-3, Calea Floreasca 8, tel. (+4) 021 599
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Dry cleaners
021 211 44 13, www.immaculate.ro. The best drycleaners in town offers free collection and delivery. QOpen 07:30 - 20:30, Sat 09:00 - 17:00. Closed Sun.
Immaculate Cleaners C-4, Str. Polona 76, tel. (+4)
98 71.
Russia B-3, Sos. Pavel Kiseleff 6, tel. (+4) 021 222 31 70. Serbia B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 34, tel. (+4) 021 211 Slovakia C-5, Str. Otetari 1, tel. (+4) 021 300 61 00. Spain B-3, Aleea Alexandru 43, tel. (+4) 021 318 10 80. Sweden B-3, Sos. Kiseleff 43, tel. (+4) 021 406 71 00. Switzerland B-4, Str. Grigore Alexandrescu 16-20, tel.
Foreign representations
Austria C-4, Str. Dumbrava Rosie 7, tel. (+4) 021 201 Belgium D-4, B-dul Dacia 58, tel. (+4) 021 210 29 69. Bulgaria B-3, Str. Rabat 5, tel. (+4) 021 230 21 50. Canada A-3, Str. Tuberozelor 1-3, tel. (+4) 021 307 Chile B-4, Calea Griviei 24, et. 4, tel. (+4) 021 312
72 39. 04 57. 56 12.
50 00.
(+4) 021 206 16 00. Syria B-4, B-dul Lascr Catargiu 50, tel. (+4) 021 319 24 67. Turkey B-3, Calea Dorobantilor 72, tel. (+4) 021 206 37 00. UK & Northern Ireland C-4, Str. Jules Michelet 24, tel. (+4) 021 201 72 00. USA B-dul Liviu Librescu 4-5, tel. (+4) 021 200 33 00.
China B-1, Sos. Nordului 2, tel. (+4) 021 232 17 32. Croatia D-5, Str. Dr. Burghelea 1, tel. (+4) 021 313
303 92 30. Denmark D-5, Str. Dr. Burghelea 3, tel. (+4) 021 300 08 00. Egypt D-4, B-dul Dacia 67, tel. (+4) 021 211 09 38. European Union Delegation C-5, Str. Vasile Lascr 31, tel. (+4) 021 203 54 00. Finland B-3, Str. Atena 2bis, tel. (+4) 021 230 75 04. France B-4, Str. Biserica Amzei 13-15, tel. (+4) 021 303 10 00. Germany B-3, Cpt. Av. Gh. Demetriade 6-8, tel. (+4) 021 202 98 30. Greece E-5, Str. Pache Protopopescu 1-3, tel. (+4) 021 209 41 73. Hungary C-4, Str. Prof. Dr. Dimitrie Gerota 63-65, tel. (+4) 031 620 43 00. Ireland B-4, Str. Buzesti 50-52, et. 3, tel. (+4) 021 310 21 61. Israel C-7, B-dul Dimitrie Cantemir 1, tronson 2+3, bl. B2, et. 5, tel. (+4) 021 318 94 17. Italy B-4, Str. Henri Coanda 9, tel. (+4) 021 305 21 00. Lebanon B-3, Str. Andrei Muresanu 16, tel. (+4) 021 230 81 75. Macedonia D-4, Str. Mihai Eminescu 144, tel. (+4) 021 210 08 80. Moldova B-3, Aleea Alexandru 40, tel. (+4) 021 230 04 74. Netherlands B-3, Str. Aleea Alexandru 20, tel. (+4) 021 208 60 30. Norway B-3, Str. Atena 18, tel. (+4) 021 306 98 00. Philippines A-6, Str. Carol Davilla 105-107, et. 5, ap. 10-11, tel. (+4) 021 319 82 52. Poland B-3, Aleea Alexandru 23, tel. (+4) 021 308 22 00. Portugal B-3, Str. Paris 55, tel. (+4) 021 230 41 36.
For a full list of foreign embassies and representations in Bucharest, visit inyourpocket.com.
Czech Republic C-5, Str. Ion Ghica 11, tel. (+4) 021
Centru Civic (Civic Centre)

B/C/D/E-6, B-dul Unirii, P-ta Unirii. Of all the atrocities commited on Romanian territory in the name of socialism, few rank as monstrous as the destruction of an entire district of the capital to make way for the Centru Civic, or Civic Centre, in English. But that is what happened in 1980s Bucharest, as the entire Uranus district (and much else) was completely razed to the ground, with little regard for the people living there, or for the historical importance of the buildings destroyed. For example, the centrepiece of the Civic Centre, Casa Poporului (see page 69), stands on the site of the Republicii sports stadium, a wonderful art deco construction built in the 1930s. A tiny part of terracing remains in the park to the north of the Casa Poporului. Apart from the stadium, numerous churches, houses, hospitals and even a monastery were demolished to make way for Casa Poporului, Piata Unirii and for the five kilometre-long Bulevardul Unirii, which stand today as little more than monuments to madness. The northern end of Bulevardul Unirii (the original name of which was Bulevardul Victoria Socialismului - Victory of Socialism Boulevard) has become a bit of a ghost town, while Casa Poporului is now the site of the Romanian parliament, and is the citys most popular attraction.
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WiFi W
Bucharest is now dotted with hundreds of Wifi hotspots, and the vast majority are free. It is rare in fact that you will come across a venue which does not have Wifi. Usually, all you will need is a password (divulged as you order something) though many venues in Old Town dont even bother: you can simply sit down and start surfing away. In our listings, we have used the Wifi symbol W to denote all venues which have Wifi.
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Old Town Conference Suites

Van Gogh Spaces C-6, Str. Smardan 9, tel. (+4) 021 313 93 15, www.vangogh.ro. More than a mere conference suite, the spaces on the upper floors of the buildings above the Van Gogh Cafe are multi-purpose suites available for standard conferences, but also featuring a number of instant offices.Q PJW
Key cuts
El Chei C-5, Str. Coltei 6, tel. (+4) 021 311 14 18/(+4)
0722 20 51 10, www.elchei.ro. Call the (+4) 0722 20 51 10 number of you get locked out of your apartment late at night. QOpen 08:00 - 20:00, Sat 08:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun.
Opticians
Optiblu C-5, B-dul Nicolae Blcescu 7, tel. (+4) 021 305 73 15, www.optiblu.ro. Sensiblu - the chemists - now also offers an optician in some of its outlets. QOpen 09:00 - 21:00. Closed Sun. Optiplaza B-dul Timisoara 26 (Plaza Romania), tel. (+4) 0372 71 10 00, plaza@optiplaza.ro, www.optiplaza.ro. QOpen 10:00 - 22:00. Also at (E-7) Bucuresti Mall, Baneasa Shopping City and many other locations.
Pharmacies
Help Net A-3, B-dul Unirii 27, www.helpnet.ro. Q Open Sensiblu C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 7, www.sensiblu. com. QOpen 24hrs. Also at (B-3) Str. Radu Beller 6, tel. (+4)
021 233 89 61, and many other locations. 24hrs. Also at (B-3) Str. Av. Radu Beller 8, and many other locations around the city.
Removals & Storage

AGS Worldwide Movers B-dul Basarabia 256 (Faur
Industrial Park, entrance from B-dul 1 Decembrie 1918), tel. (+4) 021 345 06 66. Euro Mini Storage B-dul Theodor Pallady 42 J, tel. (+4) 031 100 18 88, www.euroministorage.com.
bucharest.inyourpocket.com October - November 2011
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Bucharest With Children

Bucharest is not the greatest city in the world to visit with children. The major problem is that the vast majority of the citys museums with a couple of honourable and notable exceptions - are dull, offer no interactivity and little to captivate little minds. The exceptions are the outstanding Village Museum (see page 69), which children love, as they can scurry around the houses, explore and generally be kids without worrying too much about grump security guards telling them off. The confectionary stand at the entrance selling tasty Romanian sweets helps too. The Peasant Museum (see page 69) will please older children, especially those who know a little Romanian history (and note that the Clubul Taranului, around the back of the museum, has puppet shows most weekend mornings at 10:30am and 12pm), while the Geology Museum (see page 71) across the road is a must for families: it is one of only two museums in Bucharest that puts on exhibitions specifically for kids. The other is the excellent Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum, see page 68. The Circus Globus (C-3, Parcul Circului) has performances most weekends (morning, afternoon and evening) and is always a hit with kids. You will find details of its performances at the website circulglobus.ro. Bucharests Zoo on Aleea Priveghetorilor (turn left at the Police Academy) is better than it has been for years, if still not perhaps offering the range of animals you would expect to find in Europes better zoos. They do have a fine collection of exotic birds, and it is a good half-day out for kids. Entrance costs 13 lei for adults, 6.50 lei for kids. The zoo is open daily from 09:00-17:00. And then of course there are the parks. See our Bucharest Parks and Gardens feature on page 72 for a full guide. An excellent indoor playground can be found at Funland Romania: a cracking place to take the kids on days when it rains. Featuring the biggest indoor playground we have seen (30 lei, kids can stay all day), bowling, arcade games and plenty of space for Mums and Dads to relax and have coffee in, it is a weekend-must. Find it on the fourth floor of Unirea Shopping Centre in (C-6) Piata Unirii. For a swim there is Daimon, a sports club in Parcul Tineretului, busy with the fitze crowd at weekends but good during the week. There are also pools open to the public at the InterContinental and Ramada Majestic hotels, as well as at the World Class Health Clubs. For more on Swimming in Bucharest see the box on page 93, opposite. Aventura Parc is an outdoor adventure playground in a forest setting north of the capital on the road to Targoviste (see the website aventuraparc.ro) but it does not compare with the one in Brasov, which is far better. See the box on page 16.
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Schools in Bucharest
For Mums and Dads who live here in Bucharest, the good news is that the city has some outstanding schools: both state and private. Indeed, there are a handful of state schools in Bucharest (both primary and secondary) which regularly meet an outstanding academic level, even if their facilities are somewhat lacking (few state schools have sports fields and such like). There are huge differences between state schools however, and competition for places at the best is tough. There is also of course the fact that unless your kids can speak Romanian, the state system will be practically closed to them. Fortunately, the private sector has jumped in to fill this breach, and there are now a number of excellent private sector schools in Bucharest offering a high level of education to children of all nationalities (and not just expats: many wealthy Romanians choose to send their children to these private schools). We provide a list of the best private schools below. All boast outstanding academic records and modern facilities, native English speaking teachers, and a vast range of extra-curricular activities.
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International Schools
American International School Sos. Pipera-Tunari
196, Comuna Voluntari, tel. (+4) 021 204 43 00/ (+4) 021 204 43 01, fax (+4) 021 204 43 03, office@ aisb.ro, www.aisb.ro.
British School of Bucharest Erou Iancu Nicolae 42, tel. (+4) 021 267 89 19/(+4) 0728 13 34 33, fax (+4) 021 267 89 69, office@britishschool.ro, www.britishschool.ro. Bucharest Christian Academy D-7, Str. Vasile
Voiculescu 26, tel. (+4) 021 323 58 87/(+4) 021 323 54 08, director@bcaromania.org, www.bcaromania.org.
Swimming Pools & Health Clubs

Daimon Sport Club D-8, Parcul Tineretului (Opposite
Sala Polivalenta), MTineretului, tel. (+4) 021 330 50 71, www.daimonsportclub.ro. Tennis club, with a great indoor swimming pool. QOpen 06:00 - 24:00. Pool costs 40 lei per person, children under twelve 25 lei. Sauna included.
International British School E-5, Str. Agricultori

21-23, tel. (+4) 021 253 16 98, fax (+4) 021 253 16 97, office@ibsb.ro, www.ibsb.ro.
tel. (+4) 021 380 35 35/(+4) 021 380 36 36, fax (+4) 021 380 38 38, office@inspe.ro, www.insb.ro. Catelu 1R, tel. (+4) 021 306 95 30, fax (+4) 021 306 95 34, info@isb.ro, www.isb.ro.
International School for Primary Education (INS) Str. Petre Aurelian 72, Green Lake Residence,
Hilton Health Club C-5, Str. Episcopiei 1-3 (Athenee Palace Hilton), tel. (+4) 021 303 37 77. Indoor pool, sauna, weight room, and a host of top facilities. Call for membership prices.QOpen 06:30 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 21:00. Intercontinental C-5, B-dul Nicolae Balcescu 4, tel. (+4) 021 310 20 20. Probably the smallest swimming pool in Romania on top of what for years was the tallest building (22 floors). Q Open 06:00 - 22:00. Adult day entrance 85 lei, children 35 lei; Under fives free. Call for membership prices. World Class Health Academy B-6, Calea 13 Septembrie 90 (JW Marriott), tel. (+4) 021 403 09 00, www.worldclass.ro. Massive fitness centres all over the city with gyms, pools, squash courts and aerobics facilities. Call for details of special membership packages. Day tickets available. QOpen 06:00 - 23:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 21:00. Also at (B-5) Calea Victoriei 63-81 (Centre Ville Hotel), tel. (+4) 021 313 11 04; Jolie Ville Galleria (Pipera) Str. Erou Iancu Nicolae 103 bis, tel. (+4) 021 269 01 60; Calea Dudesti 188 (InCity Residences), tel. (+4) 031 432 86 00; B-dul Timisoara 26 (Plaza Romania), tel. (+4) 021 318 36 81; Str. Fabrica de Glucoza 9-11 (Upground), tel. (+4) 0729 618 700.
International School of Bucharest Sos. Gara
Japanese School in Bucharest A-2, Str. Alexan-
dru Constantinescu 61, tel. (+4) 021 222 19 85, fax (+4) 021 222 19 86, jpsbucharest@gmail.com, www.jpschool.ro.
Lauder-Reut C-6, Str. Iuliu Barasch 15, tel. (+4) 021 320 15 38, fax (+4) 021 320 15 75, lauder_reut@ yahoo.com, www.lauder-reut.ro. Mark Twain International School Str. Erou Iancu Nicolae 25B, tel. (+4) 021 267 89 12/(+4) 0724 00 09 00, fax (+4) 021 267 89 85, contact@marktwainschool.ro, www.marktwainschool.ro. bucharest.inyourpocket.com
Northern Bucharest
Central & Southern Bucharest
98
street register & HoteL MaP indeX

13 Septembrie, Calea B6 21 Decembrie 1989, Piata C5 Academiei, Str. C5 Alecsandri Vasile, Str. B4 Alexandrescu Grigore, Intr. C4 Alexandrescu Grigore, Str. B4 Aman Theodor, Str. B5 Amman, Str. C3 Amzei, Intr. B4 Apolodor, Str. B6 Argentina, Str. B3 Arghezi Tudor, Str. C5 Atelierului, Str. A4 Atena, Str. B3 Balaban Emil, Str. C4 Balcescu Nicolae, Bd. C5 Baniei, Str. C6 Banului, Str. B5 Baratiei, Str. C6 Batistei, Str. C5 Berna, Str. B3 Berthelot H. M., G-ral., Str. B5 Berzei, Str. A4 Biserica Amzei, Str. B4 Biserica Enei, Str. C5 Bitolia, Intr. B3 Blanari, Str. C6 Blanc Louis, Arh., Str. B3 Blanduziei, Str. C5 Bogdan Ion, Prof., Str. C4 Botez Eugen, Cmdr., Str. C3 Bratianu I.c., Bd. C6 Brazilia, Str. B3 Brebu, Str. E3 Brezoianu Ion, Str. B5 Brutus M.i., Str. B6 Bruxelles, Str. B3 Budisteanu Constantin, G-ral, Str. B5 Buiestrului, Str. C3 Buzesti, Intr. B4 Buzesti, Piata A4 Buzesti, Str. B4 Buzoiani Iani, Str. C2 Buzoianu Ion, Lt.col., Intr. C6 Caderea Bastiliei, Intr. B4 Caderea Bastiliei, Str. B4 Caderon Jean Louis, Str. C5 Calin Ion, Erou, Str. C4 Cameliei, Str. A4 Carada Eugeniu, Str. C6 Caragea Ioan Voda, Str. C4 Caragiale I.l., Str. C5 Caragiale I.l.,intr. C5 Carol I, Bd. D5 Catargiu Lascar, Bd. B4 Cavafii Vechi, Str. C6 Cazzavillan Luigi, Str. B5 Cernat Alexandru, G-ral, Str. A4 Cioranu Mihai, Str. A6 Clucerului, Str. A3 Clunet, Dr., Str. A6 Coanda Constantin, G-ral., Str. B4 Coanda Henri, Str. B4 Cobalcescu Grigore, Prof., Str. B5 Coltei, Str. C5 Constantin Daniel, Str. B4 Constitutiei, Piata B6 Conta Vasile, Str. C5 Coposu Corneliu, Bd. C6 Coposu Corneliu, Piata D6 Cornescu, Str. C3 Cotiturii, Str. A5 Covaci, Str. C6 Crisana, Str. A5 Crisului, Str. C6 Cronicarilor, Str. C3 Cuza Alexandru Ioan, Bd. A4 Dacia, Bd. D4 Dascalu Nicolae, Serg., Intr. B4 David Emmanuel, Str. C4 Davila Carol, Dr., Str A6 Dealul Mitropoliei, Alee C6 Demetriade Gheorghe, Cpt. av., Str B3 Dianei, Str. C5 Doamna Oltea, Str. C3 Dona Nicolae, G-ral, Str. B5 Dorobanti, Calea B3 Dorobanti, Piata B3 Dragalina Ion, G-ral., Str. B6 Drobeta, Str. C4 Duca Gheorghe, Bd. A4 Dumbrava Rosie, Str. C4 Eforie, Str. C5 Eftimiu Victor, Intr. B5 Elie Radu, Str. B5 Eminescu Mihai, Intr. C4 Eminescu Mihai, Str. D4 Enescu George, Piata B5 Enescu George, Str. B5 Episcopiei, Str. C5 Eroii Sanitari, Bd. A5 Eroilor, Bd. A5 Eroilor, Piata A6 Felix Iacob, Dr., Str. A4 Filipescu Nicolae, Str. C5 Finlanda, Str. B3 Floreasca, Cale C3 Florescu Ion, G-ral, Str. C5 Franceza, Str. C6 Frumoasa, Intr. B4 Frumoasa, Str. B4 Furtuna Stefan, Intr. A5 Gabroveni, Str. C6 Gara De Nord, Piata A4 Gara De Nord, Str. A4 Georgescu George, Str. B6 Ghica Ion, Str. C5 Golescu Dinicu, Bd. A4 Golescu Nicolae, Str. C5 Greceanu Paul, Str. C4 Grigorescu Eremia, G-ral, Str. C4 Grivitei, Cale B4 Gusti Dimitrie, Str. A5 Gutenberg, Str. B5 Haga, Str. B3 Hagi Moscu Maria, Str. A3 Halelor, Str. C6 Haret Spiru, Str. B5 Hasdeu Iulia, Intr. B4 Hasdeu Iulia, Str. B4 Horatiu, Str. B4 Hristo Botev, Bd. C5 Iancu De Hunedoara, Bd. B4 Icoanei, Str. C4 Ilfov, Str. B6 Iorga Nicolae, Intr. B4 Iorga Nicolae, Str. B4 Iosif O. Eugen, Dr., Str. A6 Iulian Stefan, Str. A3 Izvor, Str. A6 Justitiei, Str. B6 Kiseleff P Bd. .d., B3 Kogalniceanu Mihail, Bd B5 Kogalniceanu Mihail, Piata B5 Lacatusului, Str. C2 Lacul Tei, Bd. D3 Lahovari Alexandru, Piata C4 Lantului, Str. A6 Lascar Vasile, Str. C5 Lazar Gheorghe, Str. B5 Lebedei, Str. A3 Libertatii, Bd. B6 Libertatii, Piata B7 Lipova, Str. A5 Lipscani, Str. C6 Lisabona, Str. B3 Lister, Dr., Str. A6 Londra, Str. B3 Lupu Dionisie, Str. C5 Luterana, Str. B5 Macedoniei, Str. A5 Magheru Gheorghe, Bd C5 Magiresti, Str. A4 Maltopol, Str. A4 Mamulari, Str. C6 Manolescu Grigore, Str. A3 Manu Gheorghe, G-ral, Str. B4 Maracineanu Walter, Piata B5 Masaryk Thomas, Str. C5 Mendeleev D.i., Str. C4 Mexic, Str. B3 Michelet Julles, Str. C4 Micle Veronica, Str. A4 Mihai Voda, Str. B6 Mihalache Ion, Bd. A3 Mihnea Voda, Str. C6 Mille Constantin, Str. B5 Millo Matei, Str. B5 Mincu Ion, Arh., Str. B3 Mirinescu Mihail, Dr., Str. A6 Miron Costin, Str. A4 Mitropolit Antim Ivireanul, Str. B6 Monetariei, Str. B3 Mosilor, Cale D4 Moxa Mihail, Str. B4 Muresanu Andrei, Poet, Str. B3 Musatescu Tudor, Piata B5 Natiunile Unite, Bd. B6 Natiunile Unite, Piata B6 Neculce Ion, Str. A3 Negri Costache, Str. A6 Negruzzi Iacob, Str. A4 Negulescu Stefan, Str. C3 Occidentului, Str. B4 Oslo, Str. B3 Ostasilor, Str. B5 Otetari,str. C5 Paris, Str. B3 Parvan Vasile, Str. B5 Pasteur Louis, Dr., Str. A6 Patriarhiei, Str. C6 Petrescu Camil, Intr. C4 Philippide Alexandru, Str. C4 Piata Amzei, Str. B4 Pitar Mos, Str. C5 Poenaru Bordea, Str. B6 Poiana Narciselor, Str. B5 Politie, Str. B6 Polizu Gheorghe, Str. A4 Polona, Str. C4 Poni Petru, Str. A4 Popa Tatu, Str. B5 Popescu-gopo Ion, Str. A6 Povernei, Str. B4 Praga, Str. B3 Praporgescu David, G-ral., Str. C5 Pretorienilor, Str. A6 Putul Cu Plopi, Str. B5 Putul Lui Zamfir, Str. B3 Quinet Edgar, Str. C5 Quito, Piata B3 Rabat, Str. B3 Radu Voda, Str. C6 Ramniceanu Naum, Str. C3 Regina Elisabeta, Bd. C5 Regina Maria, Bd. C6 Revolutiei, Piata B5 Rigas, Intr. B5 Roma, Intr. B3 Roma, Str. B3 Romana, Piata B4 Rosetti C.a., Piata C5 Rosetti C.a., Str. C5 Rosetti Maria, Str. C5 Rossini Gioachino, Str. C3 Saligny Anghel, Ing., Str. B5 Sapientei, Str. B6 Sarandy Frosa, Str. A3 Scarlatescu, Str. A3 Schitul Magureanu, Bd. B5 Scoala Floreasca, Str. C3 Scoalei, Str. C5 Selari, Intr. C6 Selari, Str. C6 Sepcari, Str. C6 Sevastopol, Intr. B4 Sevastopol, Str. B4 Sfanta Vineri, Str. C6 Sfantul Constantin, Str. B5 Sfantul Elefterie, Str. A6 Sfintii Apostoli, Str. B6 Sfintii Voievozi, Piata B4 Sfintii Voievozi, Str. B4 Slanic, Str. C5 Slatineanu Ion, Str. C4 Slavesti, Str. C4 Smardan, Str. C6 Sofia, Str. B3 Stahi Constantin, Str. B5 Staicovici Nicolae, Dr., Str. A6 Stavropoleos, Str. C6 Stefan Cel Mare, Sosea D4 Stirbei Voda, Intr. B5 Stirbei Voda, Str. B5 Tirana, Str. B3 Titulescu Nicolae, Sosea A4 Tokio, Str. B3 Tomescu Toma, Dr., Intr. B4 Transilvaniei, Str. B5 Tudor Stefan, Intr. C3 Tunari, Str. C4 Unirii, Bd. C6 Unirii, Piata C6 Universitatii, Piata C5 Vacarescu Barbu, Str. C3 Venezuela, Str. B3 Verona Arthur, Pictor, Str. C5 Victoriei, Calea B4 Victoriei, Piata B4 Visarion I.c., Str. B4 Vladoianu Barbu, G-ral, Str. A3 Vlaicu Aurel, Str. C4 Vulcanescu Mircea, Str. B4 Washington, Str. B3 Witting, Str. A4 Xenopol Alexandru, Str. C4 Zalomit Z. Ion. Str. B5 Zola Emile, Str. B3 INDEX TO HOTEL NUMBERS ON MAP H1 Helvetia H2 Casa Victor H3 Picollo Mondo H4 Hello Hotels H5 Andys H6 Moxa H7 Starlight H8 Duke H9 Golden Tulip H10 Residence Arcul de Trimf H11 Hotel Dan H12 JW Marriott H13 Parliament H14 Ibis Parlament H15 Volo H16 Berthelot H17 Centre Ville H18 Opera H19 Palace H20 Central H21 Carol Parc H22 Hilton H23 Novotel H24 Capitol H25 Grand Continental H26 Lido (closed) H27 Ambasador H28 Radisson Blu H29 Rembrandt H30 Tania H31 Relax Comfort Suites H32 Intercontinental H33 K+K Elisabeta H34 Horoscop H35 Tempo Hotel H36 Royal H37 International Bucharest H38 Hotel Confort Traian H39 Double Tree by Hilton H40 Ramada Majestic H41 Ibis Gara De Nord H42 Suter Inn H43 NH Bucharest H44 Howard Johnson H45 Scala H46 Trianon H47 Epoque H48 Z Boutique H49 Bruxelles H50 Boutique Hotel Monaco H51 Minerva

Bucharest: October - November 2011

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Hotels Restaurants Cafs Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps

N73 - 12.00 lei

Old Town/Lipscani In Your Pocket

Arrival & Transport

Old Town / Lipscani

Shopping, Directory & Children

Maps & Street Register

October - November 2011

The World of In Your Pocket

Bucharest In Your Pocket

Crime & Safety

A Word From Bucharests Mayor

Bucharest In Your Pocket

October - November 2011

Time & People

Local laws & Police

Some trusted taxi companies:

arriVaL & transPort

Gara de Nord Warning

Buses & Trolleybuses

Bucharest In Your Pocket

arriVaL & transPort

October - November 2011

arriVaL & transPort

Agentia de Voiaj SNCFR B-5, Str. Domnita Anastasia

Bucharest In Your Pocket

arriVaL & transPort

AAA Autorent Hertz

October - November 2011

CULtUre & eVents

21.10 Friday Helene Segara

22.10 Saturday Nana

23.10 Sunday Ten Years After

25.10 Tuesday Pat Metheny Trio

03.11 Thursday Elvis Costello

Bucharest In Your Pocket

CULtUre & eVents

05.11 Saturday Lord of the Dance

Venues & Tickets

11.11 Friday The Manhattan Transfer

October - November 2011

CULtUre & eVents

30.11 Wednesday Hammerfall

12.10 Wednesday Dani Lary

16.11 Wednesday Sukhishvili Balkan Tour

13.11 Sunday Jane Birkin

Opera & Ballet

17.11 Thursday Tom Jones

Parc Aventura Cartier Noua, Zona lac Noua, Brasov,

22.11 Tuesday Iced Earth

Bucharest In Your Pocket

An introduction to Romanian football

Bucharest In Your Pocket

October - November 2011

Stadiums & Fixtures

Arena Nationala B-dul Basarabia 37-39, MPiata

Watching football in Bucharest

Steaua B-dul Ghencea 35, tel. (+4) 021 411 46 56,

Bucharest In Your Pocket

Bucharest In Your Pocket

October - November 2011

Shopping on Calea Victoriei

Piata Victoriei to Calea Grivitei