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Between moody Soviet-themed cocktail bars, rebelliously inventive neo-Romanian restaurants, and the world’s largest administrative building, Bucharest has no shortage of ways to blow your mind.
The bad news is, this is not an easy city to love, or explore. It’s big, busy, and a bit chaotic, and unless you know what you’re doing, or know someone who knows what they’re doing, it’s hard to get the best out of your visit. The good news is, the city’s art scene is flourishing, its cultural agenda is packed with wildly imaginative happenings, and there are a myriad of experiences one can have here.
At the beginning of September, we had three days to spend as we pleased in the Romanian capital and not much research to base our itinerary on. Despite the lack of proper planning, we miraculously managed to fit in plenty of cultural immersion, great food, and hidden gems. Oh, and rivers of spectacular specialty coffee. Because if there’s one thing that’s not hard to stumble upon in Bucharest, it’s a sleek coffee shop.
Here’s a curated guide to where to eat, shop, stay, and explore in Bucharest in 2024.
DON’T MISS
I knew by the distressed solid wood stools and tables outside that this was the kind of place I’d be happy to spend my time in. And I was right. Part coffee shop, part design store, part art gallery, ESHTE is a very, very special place, one that aims to promote Romanian talent and does so in a mindblowingly creative way.
The space itself is stunning – hardwood floors stretch beneath your feet, copper pipes snake across the ceiling, and industrial lights cast a warm glow over a refined mismatch of bespoke and upcycled furniture.
At the top of a winding staircase, a gallery-like loft showcases pieces by Romanian innovative artists and designers – handcrafted ceramics, artisanal candles, one-of-a-kind dresses, and sculptural furniture pieces that could easily belong in a museum. My favorite was the ESHTE perfume, a masculine scent with sweet leather notes designed in-house and inspired by sculptor Constantin Brâncuși’s epic journey on foot from Bucharest to Paris.
Anyway, it’s easy to get lost in the creativity swirling around you and forget that ESHTE is, first and foremost, a café. But once you do remember, you’re in for a treat. The coffee, sourced from local roastery Origo and served in hand-thrown clay mugs, is outstanding. The menu, too, is a love letter to Romania, featuring carefully selected local wines, inventive cocktails like the Rogroni – a twist on the Negroni made with national gin and blueberry liqueur, and a nostalgic cherry loaf that takes me straight back to childhood.
VISIT
The Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Taranului Roman) houses an extensive collection of folk art, textiles, pottery, and wooden artifacts, offering a glimpse into the daily lives of Romanian villagers. Don’t miss the weekend farmers/craft market, where you can have a rich, traditional meal and buy locally-made souvenirs, from handmade jewelry to natural cosmetics, ethnic embroidered blouses, and antiques.
The Romanian Athenaeum is an iconic symbol of Bucharest and one of its most elegant buildings. Beyond its stunning neoclassical facade, you’ll find grand interiors adorned with intricate frescoes and ornate chandeliers. The prestigious George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra performs a series of classical music concerts here from September to May.
Love it or hate it, but the colossal and highly controversial Palace of Parliament, envisioned by former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu as a symbol of communist power, is an unforgettable sight. Not only is it the heaviest and most expensive building in the world, it’s also the second largest by volume. To grasp its sheer magnitude, consider this: the presenters of Top Gear once raced through its vast underground tunnels.
SHOP
Housed in a 19th-century building on a busy street lined with pubs and restaurants in Bucharest’s Old Town, Carturesti is one of the most beautiful bookstores you’ll ever set foot in. With Byzantine-inspired ornate columns, elegantly curved balconies, and a dramatic staircase spiraling five floors up, it’s no wonder most people, locals and visitors alike, come here for the architectural tour alone. Nevertheless, it’s a great place to buy a thoughtful souvenir, be it a Romanian cookbook written in English, a handcrafted treasure, or a clever reading accessory.
COFFEE
If good coffee is indeed a sign of civilization in a city, as they say, then Bucharest is up there with the best. Not only does it boast an outstanding concentration of quality coffee shops (on par with cities like London and Copenhagen), but they’re all unique and beautifully designed.
Perfect Simplu has a great vibe, organizes interesting events, and serves delicious food alongside wonderful brews with beans from carefully selected international roasters.
Two by Two Espresso Bar is particularly stylish and welcoming, with a beautiful terrace outside and a cool vintage shop inside. I had the best cold brew tonic here!
The Brewprint is spectacularly designed. Their unique furniture, curated art pieces, and cozy study nooks draped in design books create a dramatic space to sip a cortado. On selected evenings, they trade coffee for arty cocktails and live DJ sets.
Origo takes coffee seriously. Pioneers on Bucharest’s specialty coffee scene, their beans are carefully selected, expertly roasted, and perfectly extracted. The Lipscani location has a cool, contemporary Japanese vibe and turns into a cocktail bar during the evenings.
Sloane is my favorite roastery in Bucharest. In fact, I like their unique, complex coffees so much, I frequently order them in Spain, where I live. The small, sleek shop on Calea Victoriei is great for people-watching, while the one on Splaiul Independenței – housed alongside the roastery in a handsome red brick house on the shores of Dambovita River – comes with a sunny side garden perfect for summer.
WALK
One of my favorite things to do in Bucharest was walking around Dorobanti, an upscale neighborhood of quiet tree-lined streets and elegant neoclassical mansions. It’s a great area to explore on foot and see Bucharest’s more refined side. Beautifully restored homes that once belonged to the city’s elite now house exclusive boutiques, and there are plenty of refined restaurants, stylish cafés, and leafy parks to find respite in.
On a sunny weekend afternoon, Bucharest’s most famous boulevard, Calea Victoriei, offers the perfect stroll. Lined with grand buildings, shops, cafés, and landmarks like the Romanian Athenaeum, the National Museum of Art, and the iconic CEC Palace, this walk immerses you in the capital’s vibrant social and cultural scene, past and present.
DINNER
I can’t recommend Soro Lume enough. Traditional Romanian cuisine is rich, hearty, and utterly delicious, but sometimes, it can be too much. In this elegantly restrained restaurant, young, talented chef Mihai Toader rewrites the rules with a short a-la-carte menu of reinvented staples cooked either over an open flame or in a wood-fired oven designed by him.
The space is modern with an ethnic twist, tastefully decorated with earthy, natural materials and handcrafted accents that make you want to lounge until late in the evening. The dishes are seasonal and beautifully presented, balancing technique and imagination, passion and poetry. For us Romanians, they’re both new and nostalgic, familiarly smoky but still seductively surprising. If the weather is nice, opt to stay outside, surrounded by vine-draped walls and twinkling strings of lights.
DRINK
Hidden on the second floor of a former printing house, Fix Me A Drink is a quirky botanical bar with a nostalgic socialist vibe and cocktails like no other you’ve ever tried. The place is downright unique; in fact, it’s an experience in its own right.
Everything is made in-house, including their signature cola, and the eclectic decor of hanging plants, metal racks, Persian rugs, video art, and a retro disco ball sets a one-of-a-kind vibe.
The drinks’ names are as unusual as the ingredients that go into them, and each one serves up a witty lesson in Eastern European culture and history. Wash your sins away with Orthodox, a cocktail infused with myrrh extract, or try to decipher Romanians’ complex relationship with sunflower seeds and the low cultural stigma that comes with it by ordering a Sunflower Seeds Lady, made with maraschino, meringue, and roasted sunflower seeds gin.
STAY
We chose Moxy Bucharest Old Town for its playful vibe, attractive rates, and unbeatable location on the edge of the old town, close to bars, shops, and restaurants. Rooms are compact and contemporary, and the vibrant, colorful lobby serves as a social hub with large communal tables, games, a bar, and endless Insta-ready design accents.