Bring on Bucharest

The sinister yet striking Palace of the People or Palace of Parliament is a must-visit. Not only is the architecture splendid and the interior sumptuous but the guides are terrific and really help you comprehend the significance of the building in Romania's recent history.

Quick Tips:

Bucharest is a city that needs a bit of planning because its attractions can be spread out - this will save you lots of time and let you cram more into your stay.

Best Way To Get Around:

So much of the centre of Bucharest is pedestrianised which makes it a pleasure to walk around. However the underground system is a lesson for other major cities - clean, punctual, and with security staff riding the trains I felt less vulnerable here than in London or New York - and people worry about their safety in Bucharest!

A two ride travel card is available - buy a few at once so you don't have to queue again later.

The guidebooks often speak highly of this place and in terms of being a bit different it certainly gets noticed. The hotel is an old coaching inn with rooms on two levels, based around a courtyard which - in warmer weather - is an open air cafe/restaurant. Hanul Lui Manuc does have a bit of history but the renovations which look like they were done in the 1970s are now tired and the rooms are poor. The walls in our room were filthy, the carpet old, threadbare and dirty. The bathroom had seen better days, the beds were lumpy and the furniture was dark and dreary. The television reception kept getting interference from the taxi radios, the rest of the time the picture quality was rubbish. We wouldn't have watched it but the rain lashed down all afternoon so we sat in our drab dark room and listened to the taxi drivers. Breakfast is served on the first floor by a woman who gives you a printed sheet with four choices, but gives you what she wants to anyway. Hanul Lui Manuc is overpriced and past its prime. A refurbishment or reduction is needed quickly. Priced at around £35 for a double room in summer 2006 - depends on which member of staff checks you in though.

Haveli is well worth the trip to find it. If you're feeling flush take a taxi, we took the Metro and walked and took a taxi back into town afterwards. The restaurant is newly refurbished and very clean and comfortable, modern in style with classic elegance. If anything it lacks a little in comfort but the excellent food more than makes up for that.

Old hands at Indian cuisine will be amused at the pains the waiting staff take to make sure you know what you're ordering and will ask if you want your food mild, medium or hot - even a madras! Vegggies are well catered for and main dishes like chicken and lamb curry variations come in at around 25 New Romanian Lire. Altogether two adults can expect to pay around fifteen to twenty Pounds Sterling for mains, starters and drinks along with extras like rice and naan bread. The menu is short but there is enough variety; dishes are a mix of traditional and modern takes on standard dishes.

The restaurant has Indian dancers performing twice nightly on Friday and Saturday. The young couple are brilliant but the music is too loud and can be off-putting. Go another night if this is likely to annoy. Food was delicious, service was splendid. I would go tonight if I was there!

What a crime! This place should have been packed and yet it was deathly quiet both times we went in. L'Harmattan is, admittedly, tucked away about two minutes walk from Piata Unirii but its worth the short walk to track it down. Inside it's clean, comfortable and pleasant; the decor is good yet simple - richly painted walls and one or two key items displayed to play on the understated North African theme. The staff are delightful - it's a family affair and you are made to feel very welcome. The menu choices are essentially Morrocan with a few French dishes thrown in too. Staff speak French and English (as well as Romanian of course) and will happily suggest options to help you. I wanted the lamb and quince tagine and the waitress apologized sincerely for the lack of quince (not the season) and asked if pear would be okay - it was, of course! My partner who eats no meat asked if he might have several dishes from the starters to come at the same time as my meal - this was not a problem. My tagine was perfect - the meat was chunky yet so tender and the rich sauce was vibrant without being overpowering. The salads my partner had were delicious - a carrot salad - carrot batons in a barely there but herbal dressing - and a bean salad/dip were the highlight. Other varieties of tagine - chicken and other lamb tagines with different fruits or vegetables were also on the menu as well as other meat dishes. Cous cous is served with all main courses. A classic creme brulee was wonderful and we finished with a pot of refreshing and traditionally North African mint tea. On our second visit we ate elsewhere then pitched up at L'Harmattan for dessert around 11.00; this time I had oranges with cinnamon and we shared a pot of mint tea. The staff didn't mind at all that we weren't there for a full meal. On this trip we were away from home for three months; this stands out as one of the best meals we ate during that time. I can not recommend this restaurant highly enough. The food was exceptionally good and the staff were charming. Our full meal cost about £20 for two people including drinks but we would happily have paid twice that in London.

A truly amazing sight and one that shouldn't be missed. Originally called Palace of the People, now known as Palace of Parliament, this massive building is the legacy of Nicolae Ceausescu, former dictator of Romania killed during the revolution of 1989; for this reason it is also known as the Palace of the Lunatic. It is, behind the Pentagon, the second largest government building in the world. It contains amongst its many materials 3,500 tonnes of crystal, mostly in its several thousand chandeliers and 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze in its monumental doors.

An excellent 45 minute guided tour takes you around the Palace with expert commentary, priced approximately £6 per person. Tours are available in different languages. When Parliament is in recess the Palace is open between 10am and 4pm, when Parliament is sitting opening hours are weekends only. The best way to approach it is via Piata Unirii to get the best vantage point. Nearest Metro is Izvor. A fascinating tour with great guides. Recommended. Don't miss it - it's stunning and educational. And just a little bit crazy!

Situated a stones throw from Piata Unirii, this wonderful museum may get overlooked by tourists which is a great shame. It was founded in 1990 just six weeks after Ceausescu was overthrown and is in a building that was formerly a Communist Party museum. The bulk of the 100,000 plus exhibits is relating to the history of the Romanian peasant and the collection is made up of thousands of full and partial peasant costumes from various parts of the country, agricultural and craftsmen's items showing how industry and farming have developed over the centuries, ceramic items and other households utensils. The items are mostly well labelled in English and Romanian, and there are additional cards as you enter each room which you can pick up and read as you work your way around the exhibits.

In the basement there is an exhibition chock full of quirky busts of Lenin and the like along with impressive and frankly quite intimidating portraits of party leaders. There is also a display relating to worker strikes and collective action. The entrance fee is just a couple of Pounds and well worth it! The curators have made the museum fun and quirky without losing the serious message when this is needed to be put across. My favourite part was a mock up of a rural classroom from the beginning of the last century. The captions were great - and the pretend graffiti was hilarious. The only drawback is that there are so many of the same thing. There are loads of costumes on the ground floor, but yet more upstairs and it becomes a bit repetitive. This might not be great for children unless you are quite selective about what you look at.

An amazing idea - shame it doesn't quite work. Here you'll find a collection of genuine historic buildings moved from their original sites in places all over Romania and rebuilt here in one place. Churches, barns, mills, waterwheels, cottages, and other buildings found in the countryside, from the last few centuries. Only about one third open each day, presumably due to the number of staff and/or volunteers that would be needed to open each property every day. Sadly they don't tell you before you pay your entry fee so I'm warning you now. It seemed that not much thought had gone into deciding what opens on which days so you don't get much variety. There is meant to be a button you press outside the properties for a commentary on the building in several languages but not all the buildings have one and not all those that do are in working order. Some of the buildings contain furnishings and furniture so you can get an even better picture of what life would have been like.

Some of the volunteers carry out crafts while they sit in the buildings and visitors can ask questions - assuming the staff speak your language! This is a great idea but one which needs to be a bit more polished. The setting is superb and the grounds are well kept. However, most of the buildings have steps up to the front door and could be difficult for people with mobility problems and wheelchair users. The museum is also situated on the edge of Lake Herastrau and some of the buildings butt up against the shore - mosquito repellent is a must here in summer! The entrance fee is the equivalent of about £4 Sterling and is reasonable enough. I would advise joining an organised tour to get a good commentary. We didn't and regretted it.