There are two free weekly guides published in Bucharest featuring all the events of the week, as well as listing the addresses of most restaurants, clubs, pubs, bars, cinemas etc. in the city. One is Şapte Seri (Seven Nights), the other 24-FUN. They have small sections in English available.

Walking / Recreation

• Parks

- Cişmigiu Garden is a lovable small park, the oldest in the city (designed 1845-1860), located in its very center. Has boat rental in summer, ice skating in winter time, a reasonable restaurant and several bars.

- Herăstrău Park (the largest of several parks around man-made lakes on the Colentina River running through the city’s north and east side) houses the Village Museum, an open-air theater, various sports grounds, something like an amusement park and numerous restaurants and clubs. Has boat rental and boat-trips in summer.

- The Botanical Garden, established in 1884 near Cotroceni Palace, displays a variety of plants from all over the world, including an indoor tropical plants exhibition. Small entry fee.

- Carol Park (designed in 1906), a quiet oasis not so far from Piata Unirii, has an open-air theater replicating a Roman arena and another construction replicating a medieval fortress. It houses the tomb of the Unknown Soldier as well as an infamous mausoleum built for the Communist nomenclature.

- Tineretului Park, just one subway station south of Piaţa Unirii, has a large multipurpose building (Sala Polivalenta) used for various concerts, sporting events, exhibitions etc., an amusement park for children, boat-rental, several restaurants and bars.

- Titan Park (also known as IOR Park), a green oasis amongst Communist era high rise apartment buildings in the eastern part of the city (Titan subway station), has a charming wooden church as well as several lake-side clubs.

Clubbing

• Cafe Hazard, Baratiei (coming from Unirii towards Universitate, take your first right after the fornetti store and then your first left.), ☎ 0727700107. 3:00PM-5:00AM. A rock bar, with a great atmosphere open thinking, great beer and great people  edit
• Club A, (near University Square), ☎ +4021 313 55 92, [16]. 6PM - 6AM. The first and oldest club in Bucharest, with nearly 40 years tradition (this means amazingly much for a city where most clubs are less than 5 years old). Since the beginning, it was and remains a student pub and club, with an unpretentious but welcoming atmosphere, good music and low prices.  edit
• Fire Club, (near Lipscani), ☎ +4021-312.70.19, [17]. The most well known rock and metal club in Bucharest. By day a pub and outdoor cafe  edit
• Expirat/OtherSide, Str. Lipscani nr. 5/Str. Brezoianu nr. 4, ☎ +40 73 EXPIRAT (office@expirat.org), [18]. Very lively and popular club, divided in two sections - Expirat, the old club with rock/dance/hiphop music, and its newer offspring, the OtherSide, where DJs spin electronica. Themed nights, very expat-friendly, great cocktails and very reasonable prices.  edit
• Twice, (near Unirii Square). One of the largest clubs in Bucharest, with two separate dance floors and two giant bars  edit;one of the livest clubs in the city,with reasonable priced drinks and usually pretty crowded.
• Planter's, strada Mendeleev 8 (near Piaţa Amzei), ☎ +40723 559 908 (rezervari@plantersclub.ro), [19]. Geared mostly to the ex-pat community and rather expensive  edit
• Bamboo, Str. Ramuri Tei 39 (in Tei Park), ☎ +40722 132 283 (contact@bamboosportingclub.ro), [20]. It's the largest club in Bucharest. Upmarket and expensive.  edit
• The Office, Str. Tache Ionescu 2 (in the Piaţa Romană area), ☎ 4021 211 67 48 (contact@theoffice.ro), [21].  edit
• Queen’s Club, E-4, Str. Mihai Bravu 32, tel. 0722 75 42 93, (office@queensclub.ro), [22]. Like Gay clubs the world over, this place has become tremendously popular with a non-Gay set fed up with the meat market atmosphere at so many of the city’s other locations. That, together with superb music, makes this an essential stop for hedonists of all persuasions. Shake it. It can become quite crowded so watch yourself! price="Entry costs 20.00 lei, but that includes 10.00 lei worth of drinks at the bar." Hours="Open 23:00 - 05:00, Thu 21:00 - 05:00, Sun 20:00 - 05:00. May be closed Mon, Tue, Wed."  edit
• Fratelli, Str. Nicolae Golescu 5, tel. 311 66 76, (office@fratelli.ro), [23].  edit

Important Landmarks

• Parliament Palace - In the center of Bucharest, near Piaţa Unirii (Union Plazza), the tourist can see the world's second largest building (after the US Pentagon), formerly named "Casa Poporului" (People's House). The building, which was built in 1984 by Nicolae Ceauşescu, spans 12 stories, 3100 rooms and covers over 330,000 sq m. 1/9 of Bucharest was reconstructed to accommodate this magnificent massive building and its surroundings. There are 30-45 minute tours every half hour which lead through the building's vast collection of marble rooms and culminates in an impressive view from Nicolae Ceauşescu's balcony. The marble and all the original decorations are 100% from Romania. Tickets cost 15 RON and are free for students (proof required). The tourist entrance is on the north side of the building.

• Old Center - A part of the city's historical heart was not demolished by Nicolae Ceauşescu. The area (stretching approximatively between the Dâmboviţa river to the south, Calea Moşilor to the east and Regina Elisabeta boulevard to the north) today contains an assortment of middle 19th century buildings, ruins of the Wallachian princes' medieval court, churches, bank headquarters, a few hotels, clubs, restaurants and shops. Narrow cobblestoned streets retain the names of the ancient guilds that resided on them. So far too little has been done for the preservation and reconditioning of many historical buildings and streets there, but the area is now in a rehabilitation project set to be finished after 2012.

• Revolution Square (Piaţa Revoluţiei) - Site of part of the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Centrally located, it is not a long walk from the other squares, Gara de Nord, or the Parliament Palace. There is a tall monument in the center of the square in memory of those who died during the revolution.

• The Arc of Triumph (Arcul de Triumf).

Museums

• Village Museum –an original open air museum created in 1934, it currently has around 300 traditional buildings (including churches, workshops, mills etc.) plus furniture, pottery, clothing gathered from villages in every region of the country in an effort to showcase the traditional way of life of the Romanians. Occasionally hosts folkloric and traditional crafts festivals. Şoseaua Kiseleff, nr.28-30

• Museum of the Romanian Peasant –also dedicated to the traditional way of life, it focuses mainly on traditional interior decoration, tools, clothing and artifacts. Again, it sometimes hosts folkloric and traditional crafts festivals. In 1996, it won the European Museum of the Year Award. Şoseaua Kiseleff, nr. 3 [14]

• Art Museum -located in the building of the former Royal Palace, has collections of ancient, modern and contemporary Romanian art as well as exhibitions of rare European art dating as early as the 14th century.Calea Victoriei, nr. 49-53

• National Museum of Contemporary Art [15] Recently opened inside a converted wing of the Palace of the Parliament, in what had been the private apartments of Ceauşescu, the museum features fresh exhibitions from Romania's burgeoning art scene.

• “Curtea Veche” (Old Court) Museum –the ruins of the crown palace of the Wallachian princes, some parts dating as early as the 16th century. It’s around an earlier fortification located in this same place that Bucharest began to develop.Strada Franceză, nr. 25-31

• Cotroceni Palace Museum –has collections of objects that belonged to the former Romanian royal family. Today it is also the residence of the Romanian presidents.Bd. Geniului, nr. 1

• National History Museum -located in a neoclassical late 19th century building, has exhibits documenting the evolution of society on Romania’s territory from the Paleolithic until today, a replica of Trajan’s Column in Rome and a very interesting numismatics collection. It is undergoing some remodeling and only two exhibitions are open to the public as of June 2009. Calea Victoriei, nr. 12

• Bucharest History Museum –situated in the Şuţu Palace, built in 1834, has collections related to the development of Bucharest from a small 14th century fortress into Romania’s capital.Bd. I.C. Brătianu, nr. 2

• Military History Museum –has collections of weapons dating since the prehistoric times and permanent exhibitions dedicated to important military events, including the Romanian revolution of 1989, as well as an outdoor exhibit of relatively modern weaponry, including cannons, tanks, helicopters etc.Strada M. Vulcănescu, nr. 125-127

• Jewish Community History Museum –documenting the life of this community in the region since ancient times and through the Holocaust.Strada Mămulari, nr. 3

• “Grigore Antipa” Natural History Museum –has over 300.000 exhibits illustrating the transformations of Earth and the evolution of species. Şoseaua Kiseleff, nr. 1

• Geology Museum –has a large collection of minerals, rocks and fossils.Şoseaua Kiseleff, nr. 2

• “Dimitrie Leonida” Technology Museum –is set to be relocated in a wing of the Parliament Palace

• Aviation Museum –open-air display of various types of aircraft.Otopeni airport

• Railways Museum–rarely opened.Calea Griviţei, nr. 139B

• Firefighters Museum –likewise.Bd. Ferdinand, nr. 33

There are also a number of smaller museums, housing private collections, notably the “D. Minovici" Western European Arts Museum located in a beautiful eclectic villa (strada N. Minovici, nr.3) and numerous memorial houses dedicated to various literary, scientifical and political personalities.

Churches and monasteries

• Curtea Veche (Old Court) Church –built around 1559, used to be the coronation church of the Wallachian princes.Near Piata Unirii.
• Patriarhiei Church (1658) and Mitropoliei Palace (1708) –the residence of the Orthodox Patriarch, sort of a small Romanian Vatican.Located on the hill overlooking Piata Unirii.

• Stavropoleos Church –built in the early 18th century, has some stunning decorative sculpture and amazing frescoes. A little jewel. In the old center area.
• Colţea Church – (1702) it’s the first church in Bucharest built in the Brancovenesc style. Near Piaţa Universităţii.
• Sfântu Gheorghe Nou (New St. George) Church –dating from the 18th century, houses the tombs of the princes Constantin Brâncoveanu and Ion Mavrocordat. At half way between Piaţa Universităţii and Piaţa Unirii.
• Kretzulescu Church –another interesting example of the Brancovenesc style (1722). On the left side of the National Art Museum.
• Plumbuita Monastery –built in the last half of the 16th century, it once housed the first printing house in the region (1582); today has a religious objects museum and a large park. Relatively far from the city center, on Şoseaua Colentina.

By plane

Connections

Bucharest has reasonable connections with most European capitals and with the largest cities in Romania, but it can be difficult to find a direct flight to Bucharest from outside of Europe or the Middle East. Discount air companies have been operating flights to Bucharest since 2004, but it was only in late 2006 - early 2007 that the number of such flights seriously began to grow, so at this point there are low-costs flights to to various destinations in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey and Austria.

Airports

Most flights, both international and domestic, land at the Henri Coandă International Airport Otopeni, 18 km north of the city downtown. The airport, built in 1968, underwent a massive modernization effort since the late 90's and is set to be further enlarged. It is the main hub for the Romanian flag carrier Tarom [2] and is used by the major international airlines. All concessions inside the airport (shops, cafes, restaurants) are extremely expensive (everything is about twice more expensive than in the city). Avoid exchanging money in the airport, exchange rates are 20-25% worse than what you would find in the city - you are advised to use a credit card at an ATM in the lobby for immediate needs and exchange money downtown. There is a supermarket on the bottom floor (domestic departure) which is a reasonable place to get a snack and/or spend your last few Lei on departure.

The smaller Aurel Vlaicu International Airport Băneasa, about 4-6 km to the city center and is used primarily by business, charter and low-cost airlines: BlueAir [4], WizzAir [5], Germanwings [6].

Note that this airport is amazingly small (only 3 gates), with outdated facilities and becomes extremely crowded especially during the charter season (June-September and December), being built to handle a tenth of the passengers it actually handles. The runway and taxiways have been thoroughly modernized in 2007, and a new terminal building is under construction. Free wi-fi is available (if you can find a place to sit and power-up your laptop, which is no small task). There is an ATM in the departures hall next to the Blueair check in but it's not always working. The exchange office has bad exchange rates. However, if you walk out of the airport and turn left (towards the city center) you will find several ATMs two blocks down the road. You can buy public transport tickets at a counter at the bus stop on the other side of the road that runs outside the airport.

City transfer

• The Henri Coandă Airport is serviced by train, buses and taxis. The train service is called Henri Coandă Expres. Train tickets can be bought inside the airport at CFR ticket counter (as of March 2009, the price of one ticket is 6 lei). The train station is, however, 2 km away from the airport, but there is a shuttle bus that transfers the passengers to it. The shuttle bus transfer IS INCLUDED in the train ticket. Once you reach the train station, there is another 30 minutes until your reach the main train station Gara de Nord. The train station is rather isolated, and is just a single platform, an island of only a few lights in an ocean of darkness. The total duration of the trip, from airport to the Gara de Nord train station is approximately 50 minutes. From the Gara de Nord train station, you can take public transport (Metro and buses) or you can depart by train towards other cities in Romania. The train service is available between 6 AM and 23 PM. Timetable for Henri Coandă Express is avalible here: [7]
• There are just two bus lines to the city, bus 780 which goes to the main train station Gara de Nord and bus 783 which heads to downtown; they run daily (including on weekends and holidays) from 5:15 - 5:30 AM till 11:00PM. A one way trip with any of them costs 3.5 lei, but for the 783 bus the cheapest option available is a two-trips card which costs 7 lei. Tickets and cards can only be purchased from the booth in front of either the Arrivals or Departures terminals and not from from the driver. Remember to validate your ticket on board the bus. The bus is far superior to the train in terms of both time and cost.
• During the night, only taxis are available from Henri Coandă Airport. The only taxi service allowed to offer transfers from the airport is Fly Taxi (the airport has auctioned the service), all others being pirate taxi services. Up until a few years ago, there was a taxi mafia running there during the night, charging €20-30 to get you to Bucharest (when normally the price would be around €10). Sometimes this still happens, therefore, look for the authorized taxi service, do not bargain, demand that the meter be used, and look for the tariff on the meter (for extra-urban trips, current tariffs are around 2-2.2 lei/km (0.6-0.7 €/km) and the distance to any place within the city is 12-20 km). Fly Taxi's rate 3.5 lei/km (2/2009). Remember that for €30 you can get anywhere in the country by bus and train, so think twice before you decide to pay a taxi driver the same for a drive of less than 10 km.
• Situated in Bucharest proper, Aurel Vlaicu airport is more easily accessible, either by taxi or public transport. Taxi fares should be 1.4-1.6 lei/km (0.4-0.5 €/km). Do not bargain, demand that the meter be used, and remember that downtown Bucharest is about 6-10 km away and there is no place in Bucharest further than 20-25 km. Bus lines 131 and 301 connect it with Piaţa Romană in downtown Bucharest and bus line 205 with the Gara de Nord train station. Bus tickets must be purchased in the big booth at the bus terminal, and cannot be bought from the driver.

By bus

There are bus connections between Bucharest and large cities in Europe (especially in Southern Europe) and also to many large and medium sized cities throughout Romania. Bucharest has several bus terminals: Băneasa (for northern bound routes), Obor (east), Filaret (south), Alexandriei (south-west), Militari (west), and Griviţa (north-west).

The timetables for domestic routes are available here: [8].

By train

Bucharest is linked through direct daily trains to all neighboring countries’ capitals (Belgrade, Budapest, Chişinău, Kiev, Sofia), as well as to Wien, Venice, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Moscow and of course to main cities in all of Romania’s 41 counties.

All international trains and most long distance internal trains arrive at Gara de Nord (Northern) station, located quite near of the city center, to which it is linked by subway and several buses, trolley, and tramway lines.

Some trains to and from the Black Sea Coast use either Gara de Est-Obor (Eastern) station, or Băneasa station,as well as the main Gara de Nord station;currently the rute between Bucharest and Constanţa,the main city in the black sea area is undergoing modernisation and you shoud expect long delays so if you can it's best to go by the Gara Obor station because it saves around an hour on your trip.

The other three smaller stations (Basarab, Progresul and Republica) are used exclusively for local and regional trains.

The timetables for domestic routes are available here: [9].

Watch out for the shady private taxi services and avoid taking taxis near the stations. Always look to see if the cab driver starts the meter and allert him by saying "aparatul" (ah-pah-RA-tool) while pointing at the meter. There will be drivers offering rides - be extremely wary.

By car

The city’s entrances from the north (the E60 road coming from Braşov), west (the A1 highway from Piteşti), east (the A2 (Sun) highway from Constanţa), south (the E20 road from Giurgiu) and the avenues in the city center are very crowded, especially at rush hours. Inside the city there are few parking spaces and some of the secondary streets are in bad condition.

Bucharest has one of the most extensive systems of public transport in Europe, even though it can sometimes be confusing and crowded.

Metro (Subway)

The metro, which has four lines (M1, M2, M3, M4) and covers the city quite extensively, is usually a cheap (2.2 lei for 2 trips, 8 lei for 10 trips and 23 lei for a monthly pass) and easy way to get around even though there are surprisingly few stops in the city center, since the system was originally built to transport workers and commuters from outlying neighborhoods through the city to peripheral industrial areas. If you're staying outside the city center, or even if you want to travel within it, the Metro can be a very fast and convenient way of traveling to your destination, avoiding the traffic jams and crowds that frequently characterize surface transport.

The network is arguably frequent and fairly comfortable, reliable and easy-to-use. Surprisingly for some, it is by far the safest way to travel through the city. Since 2002, Bucharest Metro has embarked on a comprehensive modernization plan, including the replacement of old train-sets with state-of-the-art Bombardier Transportation trains and the renovation of stations and tracks in collaboration with Alstom.

Line M1 starts in the eastern part of the city and then goes through the downtown on a circular route, passing by the main train station Gara de Nord and meeting up with the M2 line (which runs north-south) at Piaţa Unirii and Piaţa Victoriei stations. Line M3 links the western and eastern parts of the city. The central section on the M3 between Eroilor - Nicolae Grigorescu is shared with M1 and trains from both lines run in tandem having the terminus displayed at the front of the cab. Line M4 is a short shuttle line starting from Gara de Nord, planned to eventually link the city with its airports.

Maps of the subway can be found on the Metrorex official site [10].

Buses, trams and trolleybuses

Bucharest has a very complex network of buses, trams and trolleybuses which is, at first glance, fairly confusing to the tourist. This is not because of any inconsistencies within the network, but rather due to the intricate web of hundreds of bus, tram and trolleybus routes found in the city. Once you know your way around the network, however, public surface transport can be a very good way of getting around since there is a bus, tram or trolleybus stop virtually everywhere in this city. The vehicles are usually very frequent, although they can also get terribly crowded at peak hours.

Make sure you know the stop you're getting off at - even though in most trolleybuses and in some modern buses and trams, following stops are announced automatically and displayed on a screen inside the vehicle. However, these displays tend to be not very reliable, pointing to either a wrong stop or not working at all. In addition, the older buses (most commonly found outside the core center) do not have any displays or announcements. If you are uncertain if a stop is the one you want, you can always ask your fellow travelers.

The ticketing system uses contact-less smart-cards, called Activ cards [11]. Once bought (you will need some ID to do that) the cards can be loaded with various ticketing options, including some that allow usage on both the subway and surface networks. To validate the card after entering a vehicle (or subway station) hold it still in front of the validating device (an orange box with a small LCD screen) until you hear a short beep. If you do not wish to buy a card, paper tickets valid for one ride on one route are also available (1.3 lei). Be warned that you cannot buy tickets/cards in the vehicles and if caught by an inspector (controlor) you could be fined with 50 lei. Some buses still use the old system of paper ticket, essentially a strip of paper that needs to be validated inside the bus. Be sure to validate your ticket, as enforcers can be very strict, even to visitors unfamiliar with the system.

You can check the 2004 surface transport map here: [12] (note: some routes / numbers have changed). A constantly updated site with detailed route information, schedule and interactive maps, with both English and Romanian interfaces can be found here: [13].

Rent-a-car

Car rental in the Pache Protopopescu Street or Europcar are all at the city and airport. Other local rentals also throughout the city. The average price for a day rental is about 20 EUROS for the cheapest car.

By taxi

There are a lot of taxi companies in Bucharest and you'll easily find a cab here. But be aware! Don't take any independent cab drivers, but use only the services of big taxi companies. Cars from these companies have the rates displayed on the door. Each door used to contain an initial "sitting" fee (between 1.6 to 3 lei), a per km fee (1.4 to 3.6 lei) and per hour fee. However, taxis now display a single number which is both the initial "sitting fee" and the per km fee. The per hour fee is not listed, but should be around ten times the per km fee. Independent have significantly higher fees (up to ten times the average!) If a taxi does not display these prices on the door it is best not to take it and find another, as you'll probably be charged a rate five to ten times higher than usual. Also, it should be noted that some taxis now have a low "nighttime rate" listed in a large font with an expensive daytime rate listed in a small font. So, read carefully and remember that "noapte" means night. And you should insist the driver starts the meter, and pay the sum displayed on it. If you are traveling outside the city limits (say to or from the airport) prices per km and per hour are often doubled, or an extra 10-15 lei is added to the fare. Be wary of taking taxis from places where a lot of tourists pass through, especially from Gara de Nord. Many of these taxis may be operated by con men. Tourists being asked to pay large sums to recover their luggage from the trunk or even muggings after taxi rides are not unheard of.

Major brand-name shops and upscale boutiques are concentrated along the main boulevard from Piaţa Romană to Piaţa Unirii and on the small streets adjacent to this boulevard, but also on Calea Victoriei, on Calea Dorobanţilor (the part between Blvd. Iancu de Hunedoara and Piaţa Dorobanţilor) or on Calea Moşilor's section between Blvd. Carol I and Piaţa Obor.

Shopping Malls

In the past years numerous modern shopping centers have sprung up in the city (and even more are in construction), the best known being:

• Bucharest Mall, Calea Vitan 55-59, tel. 4021 3276700 (fax +40 21 3209209, mailto:office@bucurestimall.com.ro), [24] - the first one to be completed, in 1999.
• Jolie Ville, str. Erou Iancu Nicolae nr. 103 bis, Voluntari, judetul Ilfov, tel. 4021 2068001 (fax 40 21 2068 002, mailto:office@jolieville.ro), [25]
• Plaza Romania, Bd. Timişoara nr. 26, tel. 4021 3195050 (fax 4021 3195051, mailto:office@anchormall.ro), [26]
• Unirea Shopping Center, Piaţa Unirii, tel. 40213030307 (mailto:office@unireashop.ro), [27]
• City Mall, Sos. Olteniţei nr.2, tel. 40(021)3114260 (fax 40(021) 3193521, mailto:office@city-mall.ro), [28]
• Băneasa Shopping City, Sos Bucureşti-Ploieşti nr.42D, tel. 40213057195 [29] - opened in April 2008
• Liberty Center in section 5, opened 31st October 2008

More shopping jalls in Bucharest and its surrounding area are being currently constructed or in the planning stages of being constructed

Book Stores

Book stores with a good supply of English language books are difficult to find in Bucharest but there are a few places mainly situated in the center.

• Cărtureşti, str Arthur Verona nr.13, tel 4021 3173459 (0721518351, 0788758408) [30] - A few blocks south of Piaţa Romană on the east side of Bd. Magheru. The store is set back the street and has a small park in front of it.

• Nautilus [31] is an English language bookstore near the Kiseleff Park, mostly with fantasy and science fiction books.

• Anthony Frost English Bookshop, Calea Victorei, Nr. 45, Sector 1, Bucharest, Romania (The bookstore near the Art Museum. Walk down the right side of the large building just to the left of a very old church. The bookstore is near the back.), ☎ 0040213115138 (vald@librariaengleza.ro). is a recently-opened English language bookstore. Lots of reasonably-priced books and a comics (mostly manga) section.  edit
• Dalles - situated near Piaţa Universităţii (University square)

Also, the biggest chain of libraries in Romania called "Diverta" has in every location a department with English/German/French books.

• Taj Indian Restaurant (Calea 13 Septembrie, 127-131,), Sector 5, Bucureşti (Near Marriott hotel), ☎ 410.18.20, [32]. 12.00 - 24.00. Good Indian restaurant near Marriott hotel. A good place to be for vegetarians specially. There are not too many vegetarian friendly places in Bucharest, a few Indian restaurants and a one or two other vegetarian friendly restaurants. The restaurant in Intercontinental also serve some vegetarian dishes. little pricey.  edit
• POEM Restaurant, Suter Str. 23-25 (in the Carol park area), +40-21-3363377, [33]. Bucharest's most exclusive restaurant, in the famously elegant CPH atmosphere. Excellent international chefs, but very pricey.
• Red Lion Cafe, strada Academiei 1A (in the Universităţii area). Nice atmosphere, budget prices, very good pizza.
• Jariştea, strada George Georgescu 50 - 52 (near the crossroad of Regina Maria Blvd. and Libertăţii Blvd), +40 021 335 33 38 (mailto:stabiliment@jaristea.ro), [34], M-Su 11AM -last customer. Beautiful historically themed restaurant, live traditional music, old Romanian specialties...but always check the bill thoroughly. Reservations are compulsory.
• Burebista (vânătoresc), strada Batiştei 14 (in front of the US embassy, near the National Theater), +40 021 211 89 29 (mailto:restaurant@restaurantburebista.ro), [35]. The hunting orientated place of the Burebista restaurant chain, it has bear, wild boar, venison etc. specialties at relatively affordable prices.
• Cafeanua Actorilor, aka the Actor's Cafe, strada Batişte (located at the National Theater). Attracts a lot of Americans, because of good food, and the U.S. Embassy and Intercontinental are right across the street. The salads, especially the one called "Act II" is a meal all by itself. Service tends to be excruciatingly slow, driving away many locals.
• Chelsea Bistro-Cafe, Str. Joule Michelet nr. 9 (just off B-dul Magheru about halfway between Piaţa Romană and Piaţa Universităţii), ☎ 0788 330 130, 0788 330 129, 317 33 78. Offers many different kinds of pizza and a wide variety of drinks. 14-28 lei/32 cm pizza.  edit
• La Mama (6 outlets around Bucharest, Barbu Văcărescu 3, Delea Veche 51, Episcopiei 9, and Carrefour Orhideea being the largest ones, +40-21-2124086 [36]) - a favorite amongst locals, focusing on traditional Romanian food. Reasonable prices (and the standard by which most locals would grade restaurants).
• Cuptorul cu lemne, B-dul Pache Protopopescu nr. 63, +40-21-2522414 [37], another favorite with locals, having one of the best pizzas in Romania. A nice pizza place with a nice outdoor summer garden and a relaxed atmosphere (the restaurant also houses a caricature club). Low prices. Tends to be very crowded during weekends.
• City Grill, a chain of steak restaurants (7 locations in Bucharest [38]), usually frequented by locals during the lunch break. One of the few places in Bucharest selling natural grape juice (must). Prices slightly higher than average, but with larger portions than average.
• Casa di David, Soseaua Nordului nr. 7-9, Tel. 021/ 232 47 15. Opened in 2005, it is a hangout of the city's nouveau riche. It comes complete with a German car ads at the entrance and an extensive wine list. Food (Italian inspired) and ambience are at best good, but portions are small and prices are far above average for Bucharest. A 3-course meal for two with local wine will set you back over 400 Lei.
• Shark (Turkish restaurant), Strada Buzeşti nr. 35 (just off Piaţa Buzeşti near the McDonald's there), ☎ +4021 312 31 44, 312 31 55, 312 31 66. 11:00AM to 8:00PM. You choose cafeteria-style from the tasty, often spicy Turkish specialties on display, then they are served at your table. The amiable and gracious multilingual host will aid you. No alcohol. 20-40 lei/person.  edit
• Rossetya, 9 Str Dimitrie Bolintineanu, classic style restaurant with prices a bit higher than average, but with a very neat and cultivated atmosphere, outstandingly friendly english-speaking personnel, high food quality.
• silviu's restaurant, 44, Louis Pasteur street (cotroceni), (gabil74@hotmail.com). 11a.m. to 1a.m.. unique location,excellent cuisine,outstanding service,near Bucharest Opera House and Cotroceni Presidential Palace 20-40 euro.  edit

• Becker Brau, Street Turturelelor 11 (near Alba Iulia Square), ☎ +4021 335 56 50. Mo-Fr 11.30AM-midnight, Sa-Su 11.30AM-3AM. German beer and foods. Beer is brewed on the premises, making it one of the few microbreweries in town  edit
• Piranha, Splaiul Independenţei 313 (in Regie, the student campus of Bucharest, next to the Polytechnic University), ☎ +4021 315 91 29. A large pub, with a huge outdoor terrace in the middle of a wooded area, featuring a small collection of exotic animals. One of the few outdoor places where the summer heat is actually bearable. A favorite amongst students, with amazingly low prices (a beer is 2.5 lei, about €0.75). However, quite crowded and sometimes noisy.  edit
• Caru' cu bere, strada Stavropoleos 3-5 (in the Historical Center area, next to the National History Museum), ☎ +4021 313 75 60 (rezervari@carucubere.ro), [39]. The city's best known and oldest pub (opened 1879), a magnificent late 19th century setting - looks more like a museum. Prices are a bit high, service is excellent.  edit
• Bavaria, strada Orhideelor 19 (two bus stops away from Gara de Nord), ☎ +4021 316 64 03, +40748 511 511, [40]. A large pub and club in Regie, with German beer and a mock-German atmosphere. House music and strip club with Playboy and Penthouse parties on weekends.  edit
• La Motoare, (on the roof of the National Theater, Universitate Square), ☎ +40213158508. An outdoor pub on the roof of the National Theater, offering great views over the city. Mostly frequented by university students. Rock music and movies in the evening  edit