I’ll start off with honesty. Never really thought of Romania as a travel destination.
The invitation from the amazing Experience Bucharest team came as a surprise and Bucharest also turned out to be surprising: It has parts that reminded me of Paris and other parts that are a silent yet very clear reminder of the past regime and Soviet Union.
My hotel throughout the stay was in the amazing Athenee Palace Hilton Bucharest right in the heart of Bucharest, in a beautiful old palace with a really interesting history from WWI.
I found a vibrant city full of nightlife, delicious food and nice people. Downtown is filled with great, not so pricey restaurants and bars, the streets were sizzling with music and people.
So yes, you should visit Bucharest and in my opinion also l would also dedicate a few days to explore rural Romania.
My week was compiled of daily tours around Bucharest itself and I would recommend 3 days in the city.
A good way to get to know the city is just taking the Walk About free city tours. It takes you to all the must-see’s of Bucharest, such as the Palace of the Parliament and The Romanian Athenaeum.
I was also lucky enough to visit the rest of Romania with the Authentic Romania team, which turns out to be full of green mountains and beautiful terrains and I would dedicate between 2-3 days to visit the rest of Romania.
We visited Peles Castle and Sinaia, driving through the beautiful Carpathian Mountains all to Brasov city and Bran Castle known as Dracula’s Castle.
There is no doubt I’ll be going back for more travel in Romania – a beautiful destination, full of nature, history, great food and really really great people.
Ella