Bucharest

Bucharest is the capital of Romania. The city is situated in the south-east side of Romania,on the banks of Dambovita river.

Bucharest dates back from 1459, becoming the capital of Romania in 1862. It is the biggest city in Romania and also the main political, financial, administrative, educational and cultural center in Romania. The city expands on an area of 228 square kilometers in which there live 2.021.000 citizens.

The name given to Bucharest by the Europeans in the past was " The Little Paris", due to its architecture and rich cultural life. Bucharest has old cultural traditions, the first university, Saint Sava, being founded in 1694. Bucharest is also the first European city which received in 1862 public illumination system using kerosene.

What to visit in Bucharest?

In Bucharest there are 45 museums, among which The National Museum of Natural History Grigore Antipa, The National Military Museum, The Village Museum, The National Art Museum, The Museum of Art and History of Bucharest, The Museum of the Romanian Peasant, Cotroceni Museum and many others.

The "old city" is known as Curtea Veche and includes Manuc Inn, the streets: Covaci Gabroveni, Selari, Sepcari and Lipscani- the first handicraft and commercial area of the city, situated in the historical center of Bucharest.

In the central areas of Bucharest you can also go for a walk in two of its oldest parks: Cismigiu (1850)and the Botanical Garden (1884).

There is also a unique building in Europe that must be visited: Casa Poporului (The House of People), which is one of the biggest constructions in the world.

On the other hand, if you are a religious person (and also catholic or orthodox one), you will find many beautiful churches to admire in Bucharest.

Entertainment and Shopping

There are lots of places where you can go shopping or have fun in Bucharest: malls, shopping centers, an endless number of clubs, pubs or coffee shops. You won't get disappointed by Bucharest from this point of view.

Accomodation

There is a wide range of accomodation offers in Bucharest: from cheap hostels to luxurious and very expensive hotels. The prices for one night stay vary from 12 euros to 475 euros/ night(in a decent 5 stars hotel).

What you might not like in Bucharest

The roads- if you consider your car to be really precious, don't bring it to Bucharest. However, there are many options of public means of transport you can choose from while visiting Bucharest.

The poorly maintained old buildings- they might have been wonderful in their glory times, but now they just bring disappointment in the heart of any Romanian citizen crossing the main boulevards in Bucharest center.

 The lack of parking spaces- this is one of the greatest problems of Bucharest citizens. However, be careful where you park your car!

Too much garbage on the streets- Unfortunately, the streets of Bucharest are not as clean and tidy as we wish them to be.

In spite of all these things, Bucharest remains a wonderful destination for one's holiday. Every place in this world has its ups and downs and the Romanian capital is no exception.

My opinion is that if you truly want to know how Bucharest is like, you should visit it and draw your own conclusions.