You can best compare Bucharest with Oslo, Norway. Ugly as hell, but a vibe that runs through the city that makes it a must see.

When you land at Otopeni airport you immediately notice that you have entered Eastern Europe and I would not be surprised if you asked me if you are in Russia. However, you are still in the European Union. How ugly the airport looks, you will be surprised how well organized it is. They took some serious measures against taxi drivers who are trying to scam you. This is making it a bit of a hassle to book one, but for that you will pay a normal fare. However, don’t trust this taxi ticket system blindly as some taxi drivers will try it anyway. If you are not sure. Just ask anybody at the airport and they will be more then happy to help you. Yes a lot of people here have an angry look on their face, but trust me they are happy that you are showing interest in their beautiful Romania and are more then happy to help. Maybe you will even end up drinking and eating with a local that same evening!!

This all is the same when you come by Train or by bus. It is dirty and the train station looks like it can collapse any second. Last time I was there it was raining like it was the end of the world, everywhere around me you could see waterfalls coming down through the roof. However, the people are super friendly. O yes, almost everybody speaks English. Taxi: Bucharest is a city with a lot of poor people and with that a lot of small crimes. So just always take a taxi, especially at night time and around the train station Gara du North. When you decide to take a taxi you can take one for 1.39 lei p. km or a ‘luxurious’ one for just over 3 lei. You can see this on the door of the taxi. Just take the 1.39 as they are exactly the same. I have never understood this difference. Please, who knows tell me!!

The thing why you probably all want to go and visit Bucharest is it’s nightlife. Beer is insane cheap and bars don’t close and the clubs are fantastic. If you are on a budget and are looking for legendary nights. Lookout for Club A, this is a student bar with beer for only 4 lei a pint and they even do happy hour! Please don’t hold me responsible for whatever happens there…. Another great budget club is Kulturhaus. If you want to do more fancy, just walk through the Old town and pick any of your likings. You will find great cocktail bars and clubs with people inside who are dressed up to the max. There are also a lot of more arty places if that’s more of your liking. I can guarantee you that any night in the old town will end up being one you will never forget.

Guys now listen up closely. In Romania if you want to impress a girl in a club you need to reserve a table and on that table you need to have a bottle of strong liquor, some Champaign would not hurt your cause. I have learned this lesson from a good friend who lives in Bucharest and yes it worked out as predicted. I as your average guy had the attention you could only dream of as a guy. Let’s be honest, girls if your boy says he is going to Bucharest with its mates I am sure he is not going for the culture. He is going for the famous nightlife with a lot of drinking and Romanian girls are just insanely beautiful and up for a good party as well. O and if your boyfriend was able to fight these girls off, he finds himself in a maze of massage saloons that are all offering happy endings. Guys I know it is tempting when you are drunk and hot girls are literally hanging around your neck in order to drag you in, but just do some research before you go on their situation, that will most likely change your mind. It is a very dark hidden world, but if you can’t resist your mister, please make sure you use a condom as aids is widespread. Without you are simply playing a Russian roulette game.

Regarding accommodation you can best go to www.Booking.com as they have the largest assortment of any type of accommodations and you can trust that everything is sorted out on arrival. However, if you go with a larger group have a look at the great options of the widespread apartment rentals. They are cheap and they are on prime locations. You will need to make an agreement with locals yourself, so this is something for the slightly more adventurous type.

Flight: If you are coming from the US, Expedia has the best prices. A trick is to book a one night hotel stay with it as this entitles you for massive package discounts. Airliners, don’t openly discount their prices, but within a package they do. Especially on Long-haul flights. If you are within Europe have a look at WizzAir from London Luton and Ryanair. Both airliners are budget and WizzAir tops it with even letting you pay a fee for a normal sized cabin baggage. However you can’t resist their prices. Their national Airliner is Tarom and this is totally safe and a well respected airliner. It works together with Dutch KLM, so safety is guaranteed.

Train: Use Deutsche Bahn this is the German national rail website, but they are widely used by all locals in order to book trains as they offer 90% of all train routes in Eastern Europe and actually in entire Europe.

Bus: For domestic travels or to/from Chisinau this is a great if not the best option.  Romania is a large country, so check how long it takes. One time my seat was a beer crate for 6 hours. I suggest the company autogari in order to book your bus journey safely and easy online. However, bus services in Romania are a world on its own, so make sure you are ahead of time at the bus station.