Cheap city break Bucharest

When is the best time to go?

May, June, September and October are ideal: pleasantly mild around 18 to 26 degrees, perfect terrace weather and the parks at their best. In July and August it can climb towards 35 degrees and feel stuffy, so it is better to avoid the city then. Winter is cold around freezing, but cheap and atmospheric. If you want the cheapest flights, look at February, March and November: you can sometimes find a return under €100.

The best areas in Bucharest

• Centrul Vechi (Lipscani) The old town is the beating heart full of cafés, terraces, bars and clubs, and survived both the war and communism. Note: from Thursday to Saturday it gets loud, so ask for a quiet room.
• Universitate Central and cultural around University Square, handy as a base for everything.
• Calea Victoriei The elegant boulevard with the Romanian Athenaeum, palaces and museums: chic and stylish.
• Cotroceni A green, residential district with the botanical garden and the Cotroceni Palace, quiet and characterful.
• Floreasca / Herăstrău Upscale and green around the large Herăstrău park with good restaurants. Tip: avoid staying right around Gara de Nord station.

Top 5 things to do in Bucharest

• Palace of Parliament One of the largest administrative buildings in the world, built under Ceaușescu; a guided tour is around 60 lei (€12), bring your passport and it is open 10:00 to 16:00.
• Old town + Curtea Veche The Old Princely Court where Vlad Țepeș (Dracula) once ruled, in the middle of the lively Lipscani quarter.
• Romanian Athenaeum + Calea Victoriei The beautiful round concert hall and the stately boulevard lined with museums and palaces.
• Village Museum (Muzeul Satului) An open-air museum with hundreds of authentic farmhouses from across Romania in Herăstrău park.
• Cișmigiu Gardens The oldest city park, perfect to relax between sights, and close to the Arcul de Triumf.

Flights + transport from the Netherlands

From Eindhoven you fly direct to Bucharest (OTP) daily with Wizz Air in about 2 hours 40, from around €30 one-way. From Schiphol you fly direct several times a day with KLM and Tarom in about 2 hours 45. From Henri Coandă airport the train takes you to Gara de Nord station in 25 minutes for 8.50 lei (around €1.70), or take express bus 100. In the city the metro is fast and very cheap: a ride costs 3 lei (€0.60) and a day pass for bus, tram and metro together is around 17 lei (€3.40).

What does a trip to Bucharest cost?

Hostels from €10 to 15, mid-range hotels €45 to 70, apartments around €55 per night. Bucharest is one of the cheapest capitals in Europe: a hearty dinner with a beer is €10 to 15 and a coffee €2. Budget from €230 per person for 3 days including a direct flight. Insider tip: have a beer at Caru’ cu Bere, a neo-gothic beer hall from 1879 with affordable Romanian classics, and step inside Cărturești Carusel, a free-to-visit bookshop in a gloriously restored 19th-century building in Lipscani.