I think we all know this by now, but it bears raising as a reminder. Before you book any trip in this post-COVID era, make sure to check the travel restrictions for your destination. These change often (and sometimes with no warning). If you want to see everything I got up to during my time in Bucharest, check out the Romania highlights on my instagram page.

Destination: Bucharest - so much more than I expected. I think I say something along those lines on every city I visit, but Bucharest was really beyond for me.

Season: I visited in July and the weather was lovely. I had to wear a light sweater on some days.

Number of Days: You need at least a long weekend to fully explore this city and if you decide to take day trips outside of the city, you may want to add on an extra day or two.

Getting there: My flight was from London Stansted airport; the flight duration was about 3hr. 40 mins.

Know before you go: Bucharest is two hours ahead of London (use that to estimate the time difference from your point of origin) and you want to take note of that especially if you are traveling solo and taking a late flight. At the time of this post, Romania does not use the Euro, and very few businesses accept anything other than the local currency - the Romanian Leu (Lei). Complete the foreign exchange before arriving or visit stores that accept credit cards.

Entry Requirement. If you have a travel limiting passport, Romania is a Schengen member country, which means you can access a valid Schengen visa. When applying for a Schengen visa, Pro tip makes sure to request multiple entries - not two entries. Certain Schengen countries have the option for "two entries" on the application, so make sure you select "multiple entries" on your application form.

Accomodation: I stayed in Europa Royale Bucharest located in the center and only about a 20 minute walk to most stops on my itinerary. There was a wonderful cafe across the street that served an incredible cup of Matcha. The hotel was clean, comfortable and had incredible customer service. I would return here if I find myself in Bucharest in the future.

Getting around. I opted for uber service for most of my time in Bucharest and when not taking Uber then I was getting around on foot.

Where to eat. The cafe across from the hotel the Urbanist served the best matcha latte I have ever had. The pastries and desserts here also fantastic. I also really loved the flat white at Origo coffee. At the end of my first day in the city, I found an incredible pizza spot - Paine si vin - this pizza was incredible. Caru’cu bere restaurant is a spot that combine history, architecture and great food. It has been around for over 100 years and serves great meals. Whatever you choose to order here, make sure to finish your meal with an order of papanasi (which is a Romanian dessert) that is excellent. If you need a (very) quick snack, Luca a local patisseries has some quick grab and go options. These three spots were recommended to me but I could not fit them into my itinerary - Weiss beer garden; Artichoke coffee shop; Bemolle cafe and Sip and Sway for cocktails.

Where to explore and What to do in Bucharest. If you can fit it into your schedule, a day trip is a must (check out this post for my Romanian day trip). A very short walk (less than five minutes) from the hotel is the Stavropoleos Church which was built in 1724 by a Greek monk - it is stunning on the exterior. I hear it has even better interior but it was closed to the public when I visited.

While in Bucharest you should visit Therme Bucuresti which is part waterpark; part spa and all round excellent. It is a bit outside the city but they have shuttles that run from stops in Bucharest to the spa every hour; if you miss the shuttle, you can uber from the pick up spot to the location for under 40 Lei at the time of my visit. The entry fee for the spa range from 54 Lei to 144 Lei based on what entry package you choose. You can find detail here. Because I had limited time , I took a two and half hour walking tour of lipscani (old town). I always recommend a walking tour as a great way to see the important stops and because they are often led by locales you can be sure you can getting the very best and most authentic location. While on the tour of old town, keep an eye out for the Church of Saint John New Monastery; Casa de Economii și Consemnațiuni (or CEC palace); Bucharest Russian church; parcul sf gheorghe bucuresti; museum of Bucharest and Macca - Vilacrosse Passage. If you have time, stop by Manuc inn, which one of the oldest operating hotels in the city and it has a great restaurant on site which was recommended to me as a great place of traditional Romanian food and live music. If you search for Bucharest on Instagram, one of the top search results will likely be the Carturesti Carusel - a bookstore in old town with the most beautiful minimalist design - it is possibly the most beautiful bookstore I have visited. The Dimitrie gusto national village museum (or “village museum”) was one of my favorite stops ; it is a great spot to walk around and take in an architectural history of traditional home in Bucharest. I am an architectural nerd so this was a very rewarding stop for me. The entry fee for the village is 20 lei at the date of this post.

During the summer through early fall , a light show is hosted at Union Square (Piața Unirii) called the Water Symphony. The show typically starts between 8 and 9 p.m. depending on the month and runs friday, saturday and sunday; check online while planning your trip as it may be cancelled due to weather. The show is currently suspended in 2021 due to the pandemic.