Car Hire Bucharest - Mini guide to Bucharest
Bucharest, like so many other cities in Eastern Europe, took a beating during WWII and Soviet Times. Once known the ‘Paris of the East’, this city, still retains some of its Old World flavor despite being ‘frozen in time’ for the past 60 years.
During the 1980s, Nikolai Ceausescu, Romania’s brutal dictator, decreed that the largest building in the world would be constructed in Bucharest. Although it fell short of its goal, (the Pentagon is bigger,) the enormous Palace of Parliament offers daily tours of its 3,100 room interior as well as its ornate exterior.
In central Bucharest the 16th century Old Court Church contains well preserved frescos. Nearby is the George Enescu Museum displaying the musician’s manuscripts and personal belongings. For a bit of the macabre (this is Romania after all), in the western part of the city is the Ghencea Civil Cemetery which contains the ornate final resting place of the Ceausescu family.
For entertainment, the center of the city offers bars, nightclubs, theatres and cinemas. Both the center and the Gara de Nord train station area contain numerous options for accommodation and dining.
Accessible by car from Bucharest are the beautiful Fagaras Mountains. A branch of the legendary Carpathians, they contain numerous mountain lakes and spectacular hiking trails. And what trip to Romania is complete without a journey to Dracula’s Castle? Poienari Castle, just over the border in Wallachia, is regarded as the one time dwelling of the mysterious Vlad Tepes, the real man behind the story of Dracula.
Bucharest offers numerous flights to cities all over Europe, as well as first class rail service connected with the rest of the continent.
