Bucharest
The new Berlin, wildly cheap, wildly cool, with the second-largest building on Earth.
Premium without the price tag.
Bucharest is what Berlin was in 2005, raw, creative, dirt cheap. I stayed at a design boutique in the Old Town for €45 a night, ate a 3-course tasting menu at a top-50 Romania restaurant for €28, and saw the Palace of Parliament (1,100 rooms, Ceaușescu's mad monument) for €5. Old Town is one giant pedestrian bar district where craft beer is €3 and the vibe is electric until 4am. Day trip to Bran Castle (Dracula's, kind of) by bus for €15. Three days, €290 all-in from Thessaloniki (often via Bucharest). Romania is the last great-value secret in Europe.
What to do, where to go.
- 01Palace of Parliament tour (€5, book ahead)
- 02Old Town bar crawl on Lipscani street
- 03Caru' cu Bere, 1899 beer hall
- 04Therme Bucharest, €40 spa city of palms
- 05Day trip to Bran & Brașov by bus
Places most tourists never see.
Cărturești Carusel
A 6-floor white-spiral bookstore in a 19th-c. bank. Free, photogenic, locals love it.
Macca-Vilacrosse Passage
Yellow-glass Belle Époque arcade with shisha bars. Looks like Budapest's ruin pubs, prices half.
Linea Closer to the Moon
Rooftop bar on the top of an old phone exchange. Skyline + €4 cocktails.
Honest numbers, no hidden fees.
- Flights from Thessaloniki€85
- Boutique hotel (3 nights)€135
- Food & drinks€55
- Bran day trip€15
