An amazing city

An unusual mixture of Oriental nuance and Western refinement, Bucharest harmoniously mingles its many contrasts: crowded streets and terraces full of life, cavernous international restaurants and intimate cafes, office buildings of steel and glass beside romantic districts of old houses.

Since 1862, when it became Romania’s capital, Bucharest has undergone perpetual change, turning into the center of artistic and cultural life of the country. At the end of the 19th century, and again at the beginning of the 20th century, impressive buildings appeared in the center of Bucharest: works of French architects by Romanian architects trained in France that harmoniously mingled the neo-classical style with the Roccoco style of the French Renaissance. Examples include The CEC (Savings Bank) building, The Military Circle, The Central Post Office, the present National History Museum, The Palace of Justice, and The Cantacuzino Palace.

Additionally the literary and artistic life from the beginning of the 20th century has earned Bucharest the nickname “Little Paris”.
In Bucharest there is no other place to discover the between war atmosphere of “Little Paris” than The Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei). The main thoroughfare of the city and one of the oldest in town, the road crosses the capital from the north up to the Dâmboviţa river. It carries the visitor between graceful buildings finely decorated with gables and arches; high attics and roofs plated with metal scales and sometimes with gorgeous cupolas; and, wide squares that make room for some wonderful edifices such as The Romanian Athenaeum, The Central University Library and The Royal Palace.

The period following the fall of Communism, in 1989, introduced a series of changes in Bucharest. During this time, it sought to strike a balance between the preservation of its historical character the impulse toward expansion and modernization imposed by an extremely dynamic economic life. With a certain surprise you will discover, walking through the city center, the famous Parliament Palace and numerous ultra-modern edifices that rise among the houses dating from the beginning of the 20th century.

A true European metropolis, Bucharest offers numerous theaters with a great variety of performances, stages, and shows; art galleries with painting, photography, sculpture exhibitions; book fairs; hospitable libraries, where you can hide from the street commotion; and tea houses – all such unique attractions that you must live them to understand the essence of this truly unique metropolis.

Walk or not. Bucharest, your own little marathon

TRANSPORT
Bucharest's extensive public transport system is the largest in Romania and the third largest in Europe. It is made up of the Bucharest Metro, as well as a surface transport system run by RATB (Regia Autonomă de Transport Bucureşti), which consists of buses, trams, trolleybuses and light rail. In addition, there is a private minibus system.
The city is served by two airports: Henri Coandă International Airport (formerly Otopeni) and Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (formerly Băneasa). Henri Coandă is the largest airport in Romania and the main hub for the national operator TAROM. It is also connected to several international airports by a wide range of international airlines. The smaller Aurel Vlaicu Airport is used for charter flights and low-cost carriers.

Bucharest is the hub of Romania's national railway network, run by Căile Ferate Române (CFR). The main railway station is Gara de Nord, or North Station, which provides connections to all major cities in Romania as well as international destinations such as Budapest, Sofia, Vienna and Prague. The city also has five ther railway stations run by CFR, which are in the process of being integrated in a commuter railway serving Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov county.

Bucharest in short

BUCHAREST

LOCATION
Bucharest is the capital city and industrial and commercial centre of Romania. It is located in the southeast of the country and lies on the banks of the Dâmboviţa River.

CLIMATE
Bucharest has a continental climate, characterised by hot dry summers and cold winters. Due to its position on the Romanian Plain, the city's winters could get windy, even though some of the winds are mitigated due to urbanisation. Winter temperatures are often below 0 °C (32 °F), even though they rarely drop below −10 °C (14 °F). In summer, the average temperature is approximately 23 °C (73 °F) (the average for July and August), despite the fact that temperatures sometimes reach 35 °C (95 °F) to 40 °C (104 °F) in mid-summer in the city centre. Although average precipitation and humidity during summer is low, there are infrequent yet heavy and often violent storms. During spring and autumn, temperatures vary between 18 °C (64 °F) to 22 °C (72 °F), and precipitation during this time tends to be higher than in summer, with more frequent yet milder periods of rain.

DEMOGRAPHICS
The city's population, according to the 2002 census, is 1,926,334 inhabitants,[12] or 8.9% of the total population of Romania. Additionally, there are about 50,000 people who commute to the city every day, mainly from the surrounding Ilfov county.
Approximately 97% of the population of Bucharest are ethnic Romanians, with the second largest ethnic group being the Roma, which make up 1.4% of the population. Other significant ethnic groups are Hungarians (0.3%), Jews (0.1%), Turks (0,1%) and Germans (0,1%). Some other inhabitants of Bucharest are of Greek, Armenian, Lipovan and Italian descent. The Greeks and the Armenians used to play significant roles in the life of the city at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.
In terms of religion, 96.1% of the population are Romanian Orthodox, 1.2% are Roman Catholic, 0.5% are Muslim and 0.4% are Eastern Rite-Catholic. Despite this, only 24% of the population, of any religion, attend a place of worship once a week or more.