Skip to content
MASA
Illuminated Old City signage and string lights glow above a cobblestone street at night, silhouetting passersby.
europe

BucharestTravel Guide

Romania5 stories

Romania's capital is a city of glorious contradictions: Belle Époque palaces and brutalist monuments, leafy parks and a nightlife-fuelled Old Town, all at some of the friendliest prices of any European capital.

Is Bucharest right for you?

When to come

May–June & September–October

Around 31°C by day in August, 3°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

We have a full day here planned hour by hour. Longer stays are covered by subject rather than by route.

Bucharest is inKind to a budgetDeepest in Europe
When to go
January: around 3 degrees by day, -5 at night, 40 millimetres of rain, cold, some precipitation.
February: around 6 degrees by day, -3 at night, 33 millimetres of rain, some rain.
March: around 12 degrees by day, 0 at night, 42 millimetres of rain, some rain.
April: around 19 degrees by day, 5 at night, 50 millimetres of rain, some rain.
May: around 24 degrees by day, 10 at night, 70 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
June: around 28 degrees by day, 14 at night, 83 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
July: around 30 degrees by day, 16 at night, 69 millimetres of rain, some rain.
August: around 31 degrees by day, 15 at night, 49 millimetres of rain, some rain.
September: around 25 degrees by day, 11 at night, 61 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
October: around 18 degrees by day, 6 at night, 61 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
November: around 11 degrees by day, 1 at night, 44 millimetres of rain, some rain.
December: around 4 degrees by day, -3 at night, 47 millimetres of rain, some rain.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

May–June & September–October

Average daily highs, recorded at Bucharest Baneasa.

Where this comes from

Wikipedia 'Bucharest' weather box, 1991-2020 normals

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Bucharestad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Bucharest

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Bucharest

A scalloped stone fountain playing in the middle of Bulevardul Unirii in Bucharest, the vast bulk of the Palace of the Parliament closing the tree-lined vista beyond
01
The List

Bucharest for culture lovers: the art and history worth your time, ranked

Belle Epoque boulevards, communist megalomania and a revolution fought in the central squares: the Bucharest cultural stops that repay the effort, ranked, with the practical detail to string them into two days.

Romania · 12 min
The Grand Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest seen from the empty stalls, an orchestra rehearsing beneath the organ pipes while the gilded dome and its ring of circular stained-glass windows glow overhead.
02
Itineraries

Bucharest from first light to last call: one full day, hour by hour

One well-ordered day along Calea Victoriei, from Ceausescu's palace to a concert under the Athenaeum's dome, with the bookings, costs and calendar traps that decide whether it works.

Romania · 12 min
A street in Bucharest's Old Town on a bright day, a grand columned nineteenth-century stone facade running down one side and cafe awnings and parasols along the other, beneath a blue sky streaked with contrails.
03
Stays

Where to stay in Bucharest: the areas to book, and the ones to walk past

Bucharest is a sprawling city where the wrong base means taxis to everything and the right one puts the whole story on your doorstep — here is the candid map, quarter by quarter.

Romania · 11 min
The glass-and-stone dome of the CEC Palace rising at the end of a cobbled Old Town street in Bucharest, framed by ornate facades and a cast-iron lamppost.
04
Destinations

Bucharest for First-Timers: The Complete Guide

Once dubbed 'Little Paris', Romania's capital mixes Belle Époque elegance, communist-era monuments and one of Europe's liveliest old towns. Here's how to crack it on a first visit.

Romania · 2 min
In pictures

Bucharest, framed

The Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest floodlit at dusk against a violet sky, the Romanian tricolour on its roofline and painted lane markings sweeping across the road in front
Photo: Nicole Baster / Unsplash
The old town of Bucharest, Romania
Photo: Liliana Moraru / Unsplash
Get lost in the Old Town, Bucharest
Photo: David Oliva / Unsplash
Get lost in the Old Town, Bucharest
Photo: Sergey Leont'ev / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Bucharest

See and do

Eat and drink

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for Romania

Money

Romanian leu (RON) — Romania has not adopted the euro and has no target date

Language

Romanian; English is widely spoken in Bucharest and by younger people

Power

Type C/F, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Bucharest's metro, trams and buses take a contactless bank card or phone tapped at the gate or validator; intercity travel is by CFR train or minibus.

Tipping

Around 10% in restaurants, ideally in cash; check whether a service charge has already been added.

Tap water

Bucharest's tap water is treated to EU standards and safe to drink, though ageing building pipes mean many locals still buy bottled.

Driving

Right-hand side; EU/EEA licences are valid as they are, other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit, and a road vignette (rovinietă) is compulsory.

Emergency

112 (all services)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Keep exploring

More of Europe

The gilded central dome and green copper roofs of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia against a blue sky
Sofia
Bulgaria
The Galata Tower rising above the rooftops of Istanbul's Beyoglu district, with a flock of birds circling in warm light
Istanbul
Turkey
A generous platter of charcoal-grilled meats — skewers, chicken wings, sausages and chops — served over flatbread with roasted peppers, potatoes and bowls of dipping sauces.
Belgrade
Serbia
Thessaloniki at dusk from above, the lit city spread along the curve of the Thermaic Gulf under a sky graded from deep teal to burning orange, with distant mountains on the far shore.
Thessaloniki
Greece
A wooden platter of grilled white fish fillets with herbs, salad leaves, slices of bread and a dark dipping sauce, with a glass of beer behind
Kotor
Montenegro
The green dome and columned portico of St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest closing the view down a pedestrian street of ochre apartment blocks, with people walking towards it in soft evening light
Budapest
Hungary
Dubrovnik's medieval sea walls and the round Bokar Fortress curving above a turquoise cove, with the terracotta roofs of the Old Town behind.
Dubrovnik
Croatia
The terracotta rooftops and bell towers of Corfu Old Town, with the Ionian Sea and the mountains of the mainland beyond
Corfu
Greece
The Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, its weathered Doric columns seen from below against a bright sky
Athens
Greece
A whitewashed Cycladic lane draped with bougainvillea, with café tables set out on the flagstones
Mykonos
Greece
The waterfront of Split seen from out on the Adriatic, the palm-lined Riva running along the cream stone facades of the old town with the grey Dalmatian mountains rising behind under a clear blue sky.
Split
Croatia
A white horse-drawn carriage waiting on Krakow's Main Market Square in front of the arcades of the Cloth Hall and the Adam Mickiewicz monument.
Krakow
Poland