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My worst travel experience ever (apart from having practically everything stolen off me in Liverpool) was the first 12 hours of my trip to Romania. It all began when I arrived at Bucharest Airport as my flight’s luggage was placed on SIX different carousels on TWO different floors and I had to go rushing up and down stairs to try and find my suitcase.
Once found and my rental car settled, my next issue was trying to find the Airbnb apartment I was booked at. According to Google Maps, I was at the right location but it was only after an extremely frustrating time of walking up and down, shaking my head and finally sharing my location with the owner did I realise that I was at the back entrance of the apartment block instead of at the front! Oh, and I forgot to mention that before this, I had to go and collect the keys to the apartment from a hair salon. Obviously, since this was my worst travel nightmare ever, I had been given the wrong name of the salon by the apartment owner! Go figure!
My last traumatic episode was when I was rudely woken up in the middle of the night by an urgent need to go to the bathroom, something that never really happens to me! When done, I felt extremely nauseous and dizzy. As fate would have it, I never made it back to the bedroom and ended up fainting in the landing. I never knew I had lost consciousness, but I when I came to, I found myself sprawled on the landing floor with a broken watch and several bruises to various parts of my body! Thank God, the floor was made of wood and not tiles!
Anyway, the rest of my one-week holiday went well except for the fact that I hadn’t really thought it out properly. It’s ESSENTIAL that you do your homework before visiting anywhere! I had been going through an extremely rough patch in my life and I just wanted to go somewhere, anywhere really, to escape from it all so I didn’t really bother with planning!
My decision fell on Romania solely because flights from my home country Malta were cheap and accommodation in Romania’s capital city Bucharest was just as low-priced. And when the time came, I just flew there without having done any planning at all! Or at least hardly any! BIG mistake!
Anyway, one of my weirdest reasons to go to Bucharest was to visit some beautiful mountains but the closest ones were still a good 2.5 hours away by car! Lack of planning once again!
Another odd reason was to drive to ‘nearby’ Moldova and spend a day there, and in the process, tick another country off my bucket list. Sort of the proverbial killing of two birds with one stone! However, since I had hardly done any planning, I had not checked if the car rental company would allow me to do so. Obviously, they did not, so I ended up not visiting Moldova after all.
I also did not realise how HUGE Bucharest actually is, how bad the roads are and how horrendous the traffic is! Each time I wanted to drive somewhere outside this huge sprawling megalopolis, I spent half my travel time just getting out of the city! Even the so-called ring road was a nightmare as it was only one lane each side and very prone to tailbacks!
Just the same, Bucharest (where I spent most of my week) is still totally worth visiting! Let’s be honest, it’s not the prettiest city in Europe but its culture and history will catch your heart. For those with a passion for architecture, Bucharest is full of treasures. From the charming monasteries and churches through to the rough blocks of flats erected during the Communist regime, the city is bound to make a strong impression.
In the early 20th century, Bucharest came to be known as the “Paris of the east” or “the Little Paris” thanks to its Art Nouveau architecture and grand municipal buildings, often French-designed, especially in the Old Town. Unfortunately, this faded grandeur is now mixed with utilitarian buildings left behind from decades of Communist rule. The town may be less classically beautiful now but the hotch-potch of architecture makes for a unique and evocative aesthetic.
When in 1965 Nicolae Ceausescu came to power, he ordered the demolition of most of the Old Town, making space for his idea of the modern city that Bucharest was supposed to be. The centre got its neoclassicist, Soviet-style architecture with boulevards that were meant to surpass the Champs-Elysees in Paris. But the most spectacular of all was the Palace of the Parliament that until now is the largest civilian building in the world.
Nevertheless, the area of the Old Town still has its cobbled streets and old buildings, and today is one of the most popular areas, hosting some of the best restaurants, bars, and cafés in a small area. Here you will also find beautiful Orthodox churches with elaborate frescoes and dazzling gold iconography inside.
Make sure you at least visit the tiny but lovely Stavropoleos Church, dating from 1724, and the even older Old Court Church, the oldest medieval monument in Bucharest. It’s also lovely roaming around the random streets of the Old Town, which is also home to some beautiful houses, dating back to the 19th century.
You can also enjoy a brew under the gorgeous painted vaults of Caru’ cu Bere, the Old Town’s most famous beer hall. It may be a tourist trap, but it’s hard not to get swept up in the fun of the traditional costume, live music and tankard waving. The restaurant here is known for its version of the Romanian national dish, cabbage rolls stuffed with mincemeat, with a side of polenta.
However, Bucharest is more than just the Old Town and Palace of the Parliament. It’s full of parks and large squares where lots of people hang out. One such place is Unirii Square, one of the largest squares in central Bucharest. It is bisected by Unirii Boulevard, originally built during the Communist era as the Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism, and renamed after the Romanian Revolution.
Public transportation in Bucharest is pretty good, combining buses, trams, and metro. It’s generally quick, cheap, easy to use and even connects with the airport. However, if you’re hiring a car, as I did, or hailing a cab, keep in mind that traffic can be VERY BAD in Bucharest, especially during rush hours, when a normal ride of 30 minutes can easily turn into more than two hours!
An interesting day trip from Bucharest, if you’re more into nature than architecture, is to the mysteriously beautiful Bucegi Mountains. They are by far the most popular mountains in Romania. To reach the top, you take the cable car from Sinaia and go up to 2000 metres above sea level.
It was cloudy when I arrived and I thought I had made the trip for nothing and that I would be wasting my money going up the mountain by cable car. However, luck was on my side when I reached the top as I was above the clouds and in brilliant sunshine! It’s very beautiful and serene with sweeping vistas and very nice rock formations that were shaped by the wind over thousands of years. I highly recommend going there if you have the time!
Another fascinating day trip from Bucharest is to the Slanic Prahova Salt Mine, Europe’s largest salt mine. Impressive by its size, it’s only about 100 kilometres from Bucharest and is a recognised destination for both recreational purposes as well as for the treatment of respiratory diseases. In fact, this mine claims to have the cleanest air on the planet!
If you’re still wondering if Bucharest is a good place to visit my advice is – GO! The city really is great, even if sometimes it takes some effort to find its beauty. I suggest you spend at least a couple of days here and then move on to other attractions or places of interest outside the city if that’s what tickles your fancy. Don’t listen to people telling you it’s not worth visiting Bucharest. They just don’t know what they’re talking about! Travel to Bucharest yourself and see how great it is!
