Romania’s capital has seen an influx of visitors thanks to the hype around Therme Bucharest Spa, but the real gems are in the heart of the city.
When Leeds Bradford Airport added a new route to its slender timetable, my fate was sealed.
In a spontaneous frenzy, I grabbed return flights for under £150 (€178), shoved a few T-shirts into a minuscule bag that only just met Ryanair’s requirements for carry-on luggage, and booked two nights in the first hotel I found that wasn’t owned by an American conglomerate.
With just 48 hours to explore Bucharest, a tight itinerary was essential. So, I trawled through TikTok in search of the most perfect yet compact bucket list, and pinned everything strangers on the internet insisted I must see down on Google Maps.
I’m ashamed to admit I knew next to nothing about the city I was suddenly landing in, except that it had long been somewhat of a base camp for Transylvania: home to the world’s second-most famous vampire before Edward Cullen.
But, Bran Castle and its spooky tales of Dracula is more than 150 km away from the airport – which meant committing to a five hour round trip on what was supposed to be a quick-fire holiday. Could I be bothered? No. Do I have a driving licence? Also no.
After my dreams of seeing a bloodsucking monster were shattered, so was I. I had arrived late (shout out to Ryanair for its sociable flight times), meaning the only thing on my to-do list was order French fries and Diet Coke to my room, and fall asleep to idling engines and car horns.
Fill your boots with brunch and books in the city centre
Brunch the next morning was at Bread and Butter, an extremely Instagrammable cafe filled with one too many houseplants, where I struggled for a table.
If you don’t want to risk waiting, don’t worry. The city is brimming with trendy coffee houses, themed cafes, and breakfast spots that could confidently compete with the likes of London, Bruges, and Milan.
Yes, hotspots like the Van Gogh cafe are a little gimmicky, and if you sit inside you will find yourself in the way of every tourist’s photo, but they’re handy stop-offs for a caffeine fix or light lunch. Plus, even the clear tourist traps didn’t come with an eye-watering cost.
Just around the corner, Cărturești Carusel is perhaps the most elegant-looking bookshop I’ve ever laid eyes on. The English section is only small, but there’s plenty of contemporary titles and a huge range of gifts, stationary, and cute knick knacks.
After fuelling up and grabbing a book, it was time to head away from the bustling high-street and Dracula-themed souvenir shops. I snaked through the cobbled alleys and lesser-visited parts of the city, a heady blend of antique jewellers, fur shops, and cigarette stands surrounding me.
There was a kind of faded Hollywood glamour vibe, I thought: a hybrid of struggling UK seaside resorts mixed with communist-era architecture, stunning 18th century churches and one particular cafe clearly unfazed about any copyright lawsuit from Starbucks.
It felt charming and authentic, and before I knew it I was at my next stop.
Glimpse into Romania’s rich history at the Palace of Parliament
I had booked onto a tour at the Palace of Parliament, inspired by a last minute binge-watch of Joe Lycett’s Travel Man.
Myself and the group of 11am tourists were told to leave any objects that security officers may have an issue with at the meeting point as a “crazy man” had recently brought a knife into the building in response to higher taxes. “They change the rules all the time,” the tour guide warned in between tokes of her cigarette. “Don’t take anything that could be seen as a weapon.”
One lighter down, we hotfooted towards the Palace, which suddenly comes into view after a sharp turn in the street. It’s a slightly intimidating sight, one that instantly casts you in its shadow and makes you feel a little cold. Brutal, but impressive. Magnificent, but jarring.
Construction, which began in 1984 and is still unfinished, was ordered by Nicolas Ceaușescu, the second and last communist leader of Romania. He was overthrown and executed in the 1989 Revolution, but his concrete vision remains and stands exceptionally proud.
It is the world’s second-largest administrative building, pipped only by the Pentagon, and consists of a staggering 550,000 tonnes of cement and more than one million cubic metres of marble.
Entry is exclusively via guided tour and you’ll still only see a glimpse of this giant monolith that boasts more than 3,000 rooms. Its interior is a lot more friendly though, with mint green hallways, crystal chandeliers, pink marble walls and a rolling display of art.
Again, it’s interesting to see echoes of Romania’s past. 100,000 people worked on the Palace, many of whom were subjected to cruel 24 hour shifts three times a week to meet deadlines. Ironically, The Human Rights Hall was included as one of the stops.
Used as a dupe of The Vatican in the film The Nun, the parliamentary building has an opulence comparable to Buckingham Palace or Versailles, but has also opened its rooms up for public conferences, wedding fares, and even live entertainment.
I saw an outlandish catwalk taking place halfway through the tour, which was completely unexpected. Underground, the shock factor continues, with nuclear bunkers and a network of tunnels that have long intrigued both visitors and locals.
It is well worth a visit, even if you’re not a history buff. But, after being hurled fact after fact on how many carpets were laid down (22,000 square metres), how tall the building is (84 metres) and that Ceaușescu was shot dead on Christmas Day, fatigue struck.
A dip in the pool and a steam room session later and I was raring to go.
Surprise yourself with Bucharest’s nightlife and fine dining scene
Bucharest really comes alive at night, in a way I never anticipated. The unassuming shops I had walked past a dozen of times in the light suddenly had queues of men eager to get inside – a neon sign of a naked woman now visible.
The restaurant serving burgers and hot dogs a few hours ago now had women dancing on top of tables and, even more bizarrely, the gelato shop was absolutely rammed.
I opted for a more calming evening after my friend found an opening at a fancy restaurant on the outskirts of town. It was my first tasting menu and I’m not a big foodie, so the concept of forking out £100 (€120) or so on some tiny canapés didn’t really interest me. But, in the spirit of trying something new, I agreed, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I did.
Kaiamo is an ‘experimental’ fine-dining establishment serving up Romanian cuisine. It’s self-described as a ‘manifesto, a symbol of change, a place of contrast’. That all means very little to me. My inner cynic expected a stuffy atmosphere, a lack of food, and an overwhelming sense of judgment for admitting I didn’t eat meat or seafood.
But this couldn’t have been further from the truth. Every staff member greeted us with such enthusiasm and care, and all nine courses blew my mind. The theatrics were on a level I never knew existed – from serviettes that grew after being watered with ginger tea to a seawater oyster that was actually made from mushrooms.
In my opinion, any restaurant that can make bread in a paper bag seem fancy is worthy of a Michelin star.
Most of the cuisine relied on staples during the communist era: vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes which aren’t exactly associated with luxury. But, these cheap veggies were transformed into heavenly mouthfuls that just kept getting better and better.
It was like Bucharest itself, a mixture of its political past still lingering amongst the modernity.
We ate gherkins from the chef’s mum, who comes in every week to pickle vegetables, and for dessert we played a game of backgammon – until realising the pieces were edible.
Chef Radu CM Ionescu-Fehér and his team kept me captivated and indulged for more than three hours, made me laugh, taught me so much about their country’s past, and demonstrated the power of sometimes just saying ‘yes’. If they ever open a restaurant in the UK, my bank balance would be terrified.
Is Bucharest Therme Spa worth the hype?
The second and last day started the same as the one before: a trip to Bread and Butter, a meander around, another coffee, another trinket I didn’t need but had to buy.
I walked a less intriguing route over to Bucharest’s Arcul de Triumf which was a tad anticlimactic (just like the one in Paris, I suppose).
Now, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. The reason I had walked over an hour to effectively see traffic on a roundabout is because it was on the way to Bucharest Therme Spa.
This place was by far the most highly suggested on TikTok, with thousands of social media users plugging it as the only reason to visit Bucharest.
The indoor oasis, which consists of swim-up bars, jacuzzis, palm trees, saunas, and steam rooms has put Bucharest on the map like never before, and one-too-many Brits who post their entire life online told me it was worth flying three hours just to experience this.
It’s a stone’s throw from the airport which makes it very convenient, and the idea of ending a jam-packed 48 hours with a blissful soak and steam felt too good to resist.
Here is where expectations are important, because if you’re looking for a serene kind of pamper day where softly spoken staff come around with hot towelettes and slices of watermelon, you’re heading to the wrong place.
There’s nothing soothing or sensual about Therme Spa, and the fact it’s become so popular means this is likely to get worse. You’re ushered through payment booths like cattle, before being told towels and slippers are mandatory (luckily, you can rent or buy them there).
The pool is nice enough, but unless you’ve managed to find a time slot nobody else has thought of, you’ll likely have to deal with big crowds and a long wait at the bar.
Excess queueing and dozens of sweaty bodies in a sauna isn’t my idea of relaxing. In fact, there’s something quite anxiety-inducing in having a bunch of heads turn and stare while you’re trying to find a free seat. I quickly felt like booking four hours was a waste of money, but with good company the time flew.
The thing is, Therme Spa isn’t necessarily bad and I did actually enjoy myself once I acclimatised to the slight chaos. I sweated out the rich food from last night, inches away from another stranger, dried off under the red light loungers, and had a pretty decent Pad Thai at the Thai restaurant upstairs.
It was then time to say goodbye and head back to the tropical paradise of Leeds.
So, if you’re lucky enough to visit this lovely city, make sure you actually do. And bring your flip flops.
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