Experience in Bucharest, Romania by Mitrica

What is it like to live in Bucharest? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

As largest academic center in Romania and also capital city of an Eastern European country - member of EU - Bucharest offers both good opportunities to study and a cost of living cheaper than the one provided by western european metropolis. Marked by its communist legacy, the city has nevertheless developed over the last 20 years, becoming the most important economic centre in the country, home to many foreign and local companies, thus providing the highest wage scale at national level. The EU membership has also refined the social and cultural offer, improving the quality of services and bringing the city in the international mainstream entertainment.

The lower cost of living, the dominant share of public tuition, the extended study of foreign languages and the friendly nature of the Bucharesters make the city, in my opinion, a good option for settling in.

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What is the student lifestyle like in Bucharest?

The student enviroment is very vibrant, since Bucharest attracts most of the students from the province. For a newcomer, the city becomes very tempting, There are a lot of Student communities, customized student campus areas as well as many entertaining venues and events for students who generally benefit from special discount almost everywhere, due to their status. The large universities based here offer updated materials and study programmes and the main cultural institutes with offices here come to supplement the tuition.

A foreign student should have no problem adapting and inserting into the community, since english is widely spread as a communicating tool.

Generally the Romanian academic life leaves students enough room for other activities. Fortunately enough, the city is perfectly capable of filling that free time and is providing countless opportunities of getting out from the house.

The student lifestyle is extremely dynamic and colorful here. Try the old city, with its infinite number of cafes, pubs, bars and clubs, where you will enjoy an excellent experience at prices probably smaller than anywhere else in Europe. For a posh experience, try the clubs and the restaurants in the North of the city, especially those near the Tei Lake or near the Kisseleff Avenue. Bucharest is really well known for being a wonderful party place, so do not hesitate to experiment! There are even specialized Pub/Club crawling companies, so chances are that even if you are lonely, you will be able to meet cool people and have fun.

The city is also full of other events and activities to go to (museums, festivals, concerts, sports events) so even if you aren't the party guy, you will find an alternative for hanging out. The lifestyle is fabulous and, from my experience with foreigners, I haven't found yet a person to complain about the city and its atmosphere.

How much does it cost to live in Bucharest?

Services are cheap, transportation is cheap, accommodation is average, food is average.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Bucharest? Is there any advice you can give?

Housing in Bucharest can range from an antiquefilled apartment in a Bucharest building to a bright modern suburban house. Many homes have been renovated to Western standards, and all have double-paned windows. Many new houses have floor tiles throughout with floor heating. Students moving to Bucharest tend to prefer homes in Central part of the town because of the fact that the Universities, are all situated in the area. Accommodation price is average European capitals price.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Bucharest offers a wide variety of international restaurants as well many retail food suppliers. Italian, Asian, Lebanese, Turkish and Mediterranian cuisines are very popular here. As for Romanian food, it is very tasty and highly appreciated by foreigners. Romanian cuisine - which blends oriental and slavic influences - is based on meat and rich garnishes. Personally, I very much like and recommend some traditional romanian dishes such as “Sarmale’’ - minced meat wrapped in cabbage, or Pork stew, as well as traditional sponge cake, for sweets lovers.

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What places would you recommend visiting in Bucharest?

Central Bucharest should definitely become the starting point of any exploration. The People Palace - officialy, the second largest building in the world, designed and started during communist years, The Constitution Square, The Athenaeum, Victoria Avenue, and further to the north The Arch of Triumph - a smaller replica of the french original - are just a few of the attraction spots. The centre has still kept its inter war elegance with french inspired architecture, best displayed on the main boulevards as well as on side streets in the central area. An important part of them are today head quarters of Embassies, Consulates or public Institutions.

Is it good to eat out in Bucharest? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Eating out is by far one of the favourite things to do while in Bucharest. Locals and Foreigners like to go to restaurants, due to the existent variety. Dinning late is a common thing among Romanians so most of the restaurant stay open until 12 am and even 1 on weekends. Prices are good, even in upscale venues. A very popular alternative to restaurants are the fast food chains, and oriental dishes, such as kebap, available in the street almost everywhere in Bucharest.

Is the nightlife good in Bucharest? Where is good to go?

Bucharest has been recently named the new Berlin due to its vibrant nightlife. Both travelers and expats enjoy the amazing clubbing zone, ready for all tastes and budgets. The nightlife generally kicks on Thursday, with bars, pubs and clubs open till very late. Besides clubbing, there are many live concerts and parties to choose from, maling Bucharest a city that never sleeps.

What advice would you give future students heading to Bucharest?

While education is important and for sure, Erasmus students will be interested in attending the courses and go to the faculty, I would advise them to try, as much as possible, to taste the Romanian lifestyle as well. Romanians are amazingly friendly (and they generally speak foreign languages) and there are lots of things to do and see, with relatively small costs.

People should be much more open to the idea of coming and living in Bucharest and interacting with locals. From my experience, pretty much all the foreign students were initially reluctant to this aspect due to the bad things they previously heard about the country and the city. However, despite the initial preconceptions, there are extremely rare the cases when such a student is not falling in love immediately with the atmosphere, the city and the life here and when they are not regretting the moment of departure.

Taking about more practical advice, I would recommend the future students to register in the Facebook groups for foreigners in the city, since they will be provided answers for all their potential questions on living here.

Bucharest is a very safe city and no particular difficulties should arise for any foreigner living here. However, from my experience, I have observed two potential problems that people are encountering from time to time: they are related to currency exchange and taxis.

People should be carefully when choosing a taxi, since there are still some companies that are practicing unjustified prices - normal price is 1, 39 per kilometer and it is displayed on the doors of the cars. They should be looking for cars registered at serious companies, instead of no-name ones (my recommendations would be Speed Taxi, Cobalcescu, Meridian, National, Pelicanul, 2000, Cristaxi, Confort, D'artex or Leone). Especially near the airports and train stations, the most visible taxis are the no name ones, with big prices, so they should search carefully before entering a car (preferably they should make a phone order at one of the above mentioned companies). Also, when entering the car, they should make sure that the driver turns out the meter.

The second problem that might arise is related to the currency exchange offices. Pretty much all the banks locally are providing exchange services into the national currency leu (RON). Generally, you can obtain better exchange rates at the private exchange offices from the major boulevards (they are normally not negotiable, with the exception of really big amounts of money), but it is essential to be attentive, since there are still some offices practicing a hidden fee (commission) as well. So, when choosing a private exchange office instead of a bank, always look after a "Commission 0 (zero) %" sign/post or even better, ask the staff of the office if they are applying such fee.

To conclude, my advice is to leave the misconceptions home and to live as much as possible the Romanian experience. Meet with locals, get out, party, visit Bucharest and the countryside, attend various evens! It is cheap, it is fun, it is safe, it will surely be a wonderful experience!