• Capital City: 2,500,000 inhabitants, the 6th largest
city in Europe
• Language: Romanian- a member of the Latin language group.
Romanian is very close to French, Italian and Spanish languages. As a result
you’ll understand pretty good Romanians if you speak or understand this family
of languages
• The city’s Palace of the Parliament is the second-largest
building in the world.
• Romania Member of EU: Yes (starting with 1st of January 2007)
• Time Zone: GMT +2 hours
•Currency: RON/LEI
• Country Code: 40
• Emergency call: 112
2.Travel
Tips
Tipping is the norm.
The
standard tip is 10%, though you
can choose to tip more or less depending on your experience.
Tipping
in restaurants/bars/clubs is appropriate in Bucharest. Romanian waiters receive
a very small hourly wage because their employers expect that
customers will tip them. There are
many waiters who expect to be tipped just because this is the norm and don’t
understand that tip should be given only in exchange for very good service. Tip
only when the people seem to deserve.
A tip
is not added onto a restaurant/club bill
Try
to tip the taxi drivers, the waiters, the valets at the hotel. Not much but any
tip will make your stay far more pleasant… 10%-20% will do.
Taxi
As
ever, taxis should not be hailed from the rank, but called from a reputable
company. Prices are obliged to be posted on the door and shouldn’t be more than
1.39 – 3.00 lei/km. Make sure the meter is on before setting off and generally
be wary of any other funny business.
Money Exchange
Romanian
currency is LEI/RON. Money should preferably be exchanged at the banks. Exchange
bureaus at the airport should especially be avoided due to their bad rates.
Pickpockets
Sometimes
Pickpockets are a real problem in Bucharest, so take extra precautions. They may
operate in crowded public transportation or near the main tourist attractions.
Smoking
Although
smoking is forbidden by law in public
places, everyone in Bucharest is a smoker.
Prositution
Prostitution
is not legal in Romania, so act accordingly.
Drugs
This is a ‘zero tolerance’ country. Just do not do it! Penalties
are draconian.
Crime and
safety
Bucharest’s crime rate is low in comparison to other European
capital cities, so no particular problems should arise from this point of view.
Beggars are common on main streets
and near the churches, but they are not dangerous.
3. Night
life Party Areas
Where to
go to party?
Thanks to the locals’ never-ending need of going out and
increasing touristic interests, the local party scene has refined and has been
very dynamic over time. Today, Bucharest has reached a new level of
entertainment, with new established touristic areas - Old Town and the
surroundings - or the upscale North District, looking even better and hosting
the big, glamorous clubs, some of them with tradition and refashioned every
year or others newly built from the same need for good entertainment. The best
time to taste the nightlife and the big clubbing is, as expected, the weekend,
mainly starting from Wednesday, and reaching climax on Fridays and Saturdays,
but the first part of the week can also provide good options, in Old Town area.
So, let’s take a closer look at the local nightlife and understand it.
Old Town -
the melting pot of late nights
Old Town is today the most popular, touristic and busy walking
area to party in. Currently, because of the great buzz happening here and the
many places to choose from, everybody thinks of going out in Old Town. The
touristic potential also became obvious and now almost all the pubs provide
info, menus and assistance in English.
The main type of venue in Old Town is the bar or pub with a dance
floor, which serves all purposes: drinking, dancing and socializing. Although
Old Town is a bundle of 10 - 12 streets with only venues, there is nevertheless
a special, mainstream area, where the action takes place. As soon as you enter
Old Town, you will easily recognize it because of the rumor, music, lights,
buzz and packed terraces in the summer. From 9 pm to 5 - 6 am, it looks like an
unstoppable party here, no matter of the season. The entrance is free everywhere, except for
special events or live music venues.
So, in conclusion, Old Town is the place to check first after you
arrive here - it’s fun, cheaper and busy all the time. And, since Old Town is a
walking area in the heart of Bucharest, it is directly connected to the rest of
central boulevards or points of interest, so when you want to crash in bed,
depending on where you accommodation is, you will easily reach it.
The North
- home to the big clubs
Opposed to the Old Town area, popular and easily accessible, the
North is the upscale side of Bucharest, with a more sophisticated look, wider
natural space, a higher local income and more glamorous, elegant and exclusive
venues: either restaurants, lounges or clubs.
The Herastrau Park and Lake -the largest in Bucharest - offer beautiful
lounge terraces right by the lake, ideal for the summer season as well as fun
daytime activities . .
A few of the lounges host outdoor events or parties on weekends
and usually attract a more demanding, corporate type of crowd. Since it lays
off the city center, transport by car is necessary to reach this part of the
city.
One particular attraction for the North, which is indispensable to
Bucharest nightlife are the top clubs, which are built on large and specially
landscaped grounds. They definitely have to be on the weekend trip list of
things to see and do, otherwise you will not fully understand the local party
potential.
Top Clubs
in Bucharest at large
The concept of large dance clubs is not new to Bucharest: it
started in the late 90’s and has developed ever since, based on a constant
demand for quality entertainment and new rising social categories. Today, live testimonials and online feedback
from visitors place the clubs here at the same level with famous Ibiza,
Marbella or Vegas, one clear strength being lower prices for the same or better
level of entertainment.
Concept
The main things which define the top clubs of Bucharest
are: the size - they are really big and spacious
- the interior setup - there are
well defined areas inside the club for VIP or Regular demands - and the show they offer - the large central stages host amazing shows
with talented and very attractive dancers as well as special guests invited.
Bucharest proudly shows now large clubs with tradition as well as
new clubs, recommended as being trendier from one year to the other.
I hope you now have a good understanding of the nightlife scene in
Bucharest. Now you know where to go to get your right type of nightlife here. You’ve
now received the necessary input to make wise nightlife decisions in Bucharest.
If you’re in Bucharest just for a few days, be part of Bucharest
nightlife and make the best trip memories. Enjoy!
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