Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi my husband and I might be moving to Bucharest, he will be travelling all over continental europe but be based in Bucharest. Please can someone answer the following:

1. Is it a safe enough place for me to feel comfortable on my own while he is away?

2. How bad is the stray dog situation I have read so much about? Not keen on dogs so don't want to have to come face to face with them like many people seem to do.

3. Where would be the best place for us to live bearing in mind we would need to be handy for the airport. There are two offices my husband would be working out of one in central Bucharest and the odd few days at the office in Ploiesti

Thanks in advance :)

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hello,

1. As safe as if not safer than most European cities. Random violence is rare - scamming, pickpocketing and pilftering are more of a problem. Take the usual safety precautions you would back home. There are some dodgy areas, but you'd have no reason to be in those areas.

2. I've never had a problem with strays and I walk/bus everywhere on a daily basis. 99% are docile and more afraid of you than them. The aggressive packs are limited more to outer or more deserted areas. You will encounter dogs if you travel around town a lot on foot, but if you're mostly driving/cabbing and shopping in malls and hypermarkets then you'll be ok. If you don't harass them or approach them, you won't have a problem.

If you're afraid of dogs, then it could be more distressing as you'll certainly have to walk past them (usually fat castrated ones sleeping under a bench or something) from time to time.

3. The best place would definitely be in the north of the city, perhaps around Dorobanti, Arcul de Triumf, Primaverii or Herastrau. Firstly it's more upmarket (re. your safety concerns), has shops and restaurants locally, and isn't too far from the centre for your husband's work. Also it's a short drive to the airport from there (10 mins if no traffic) and the road that goes to the airport also continues to Ploiesti (about another 45 mins from the airport). There's also a large park there which is good for walking, jogging, skating and cycling and a short drive away you have a large mall (Baneasa Shopping City) and various other superstores like Ikea.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Thank you so much for replying Azarel, much appreciated.

The areas you mentioned are the areas I had been looking at online.

Not really scared of dogs just wouldn't like them bounding up to me so them being docile and lying underneath benches wouldn't bother me.

Are there plenty pubs/bars? After living in the Middle East for 10 years where all pub life takes place inside 5 star hotels it would be a nice change just being able to walk into a pub on the street to have a wee dram or two ;)

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi,

Those northern aresa are probably the most suitable for your needs. They are, naturally, a little bit on the expensive side, especially if you want a flat in a newer block with its own parking, doorman and so on. Hopefully your hubby's company have provide some allowance for accommodation.

The dogs do annoy a lot of people but the government is making moves to solve the problem, set up pounds, and so on. The fact they want to euthanize ownerless dogs has causes a lot of media/blogosphere option to polarize maybe giving the impression that you either can't take two steps without some wild half-wolf with a foaming mouth slobbering at your ankles, or that they are in fact all harmless fluffy little victims. The reality is, as always, somewhere in the middle: most are harmless and docile, but they do occasionally pack together and cause a nuisance, or in some case attack people and cause more serious harm. Personally, I'm more afraid of the drivers!

Bucharest is full of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants, so no worries there. The council have recently renovated and partly pedestrianised the old town (Lipscani) and practically every building there is now a bar, cafe, or restaurant. I reckon just in that square kilometre alone there must be 50-60 establishments, maybe more, catering for various tastes. Every neighbourhood has plenty of restaurants - sometimes cheapish Romanian places where you can have a meal for about a fiver, or just get a beer or a coffee. Most cuisines are catered for - lots of Chinese places, a few Indians, Italian and quite a lot of Turkish/Middle Eastern (if you're not sick of it yet) and the usual range of fast food places.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Yes we do get a good housing allowance so hopefully get somewhere in nice neighbourhood.

I am well used to crazy drivers here in Middle East so won't be a shock to me seeing how the driving is in Bucharest. Glad to hear there is a decent public transport system.

Wow that's a whole lot of pubs and eateries in that area, should get round a few of them though.

Just waiting to hear in next few days if it is Romania we are moving to as another two countries have been in the equation too :confused:

Thank you for the information

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi,

So sorry to jump on the thread here, my husband and I are considering moving to Bucharest as my parents are living there for work and would like to be close to them so they can help with my two sons.
I have a few questions regarding living costs. Prefer not to ask my mom as she is desperate for us to move there and don't want to get her hopes up if it's not financially viable!
So we would be looking at renting a 3 bed house in the Corbeanca area near the airport, what is the average cost I can expect? Also wanted to find out about the cost of utilities for a house of that size, ie. gas, electricity, council tax.
Any help would be appreciated!

Many thanks.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

hi
you will be fine in Bucharest !
we lived there recently for 19 months and my husband was away almost monday to friday in some other nearby country! the people are very friendly - I never felt unsafe and my neighbours were always very helpful if i got in a jam - you should definitely live somewhere near Banesa as that is where a lot of expats live (we were the other side of town, due to office location) traffic & commute times really need to be taken into account when you find a place.
the biggest problem with the dogs is that i felt so terribly sorry for all of them, although you hear stories of people being bitten they are usually asleep and you do get used to seeing them hanging around.
by the way, Azarel is the most helpful person ever about Bucharest! he should work for the consulate :)))
come and enjoy - its nice and hot in the summer but can be cold in the winter. x

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Looks like Bucharest has been decided on for us to base ourselves and should be coming to Bucharest in next couple of weeks to house hunt and look round.

Sorry shefs I can't give you any information yet but hopefully someone can soon. As the saying goes always listen to what your mum tells you :)

Thanks susiecy good to hear that someone else was happy in Bucharest and its always good to have someone as helpful as Azarel when moving to a new country.

Another couple questions:

Are the road, train, shops signs all in Romanian or do they have a English translation too?

Cinemas - do the films have english subtitles? Please don't tell me they are dubbed :rolleyes:

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi again,

@shefs

Don't really know that area too well as it's a little out of town, but a quick search of some online real estate sites seems to suggest you can get a 3-bed villa from anything between 500 Euro and 1000 Euro. Saw some for ridiculously high prices (like 4500 Euro!) but I think 500-1000 seems to be the going rate.

Here are a couple of links with properties to give you an idea of what you get for those prices:

http://mercador.ro/imobiliare/case-d...=1&q=corbeanca

and

http://www.tocmai.ro/cauta?q=corbean...t=8&jd=26&tz=2

When looking through the ads, look for ones which say they have '3 dormitoare' (3 bedrooms) or at least '4 camere' (4 rooms). When they talk about 'camera' (room) here, they mean bedrooms AND reception rooms, but don't include kitchens, bathrooms, and halls as those are taken as read.

It's harder for me to predict utilities because I live in a flat so a lot of things (water, gas, heating) are divided up between residents according to sie of the flat and number of people living there. With a villa you'd just get a regular consumption-based bill each month. Hopefully someone else who has rented a villa will be along to advise. Also depends on how you heat the house, whether you cook on gas or electricity, how much you cook, how hot you like the house, and so on.

As a very rough guide, I spend on average 20 Euro on electricity per month (lights, PC, fridge, washing machine) but obviously with a family you'll be washing more and might have a dishwasher and stuff like that. My other utilities (gas, water, heating) and come to between 30 Euro and 60 Euro per month, the higher ones being for winter when I'm paying for heating too. Of course, heating your own 3-bedroom villa will be a LOT more than what I spend heating my place so gas could be your biggest bill.

Similarly, council tax can vary depending on location, size of the house, size of the land, utilities supplied by the local council (waste collection, sewage, and so on) and a number of other factors. However, I would say that compared to the UK, it's not likely to be so much as to be a concern. I pay about 20 quid a year for my flat. A house in an 'upmarket' area like Corbeanca will be a lot more, but that might only mean a hundred quid a year or something.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Stop it, you're making me blush :o

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

@RRS803

Most of them are in Romanian, but fortunately it's quite an easy language to get to grips with. Also, a lot of shops use English anyway. The Romanian for 'Pet Shop', for example, is usually....wait for it....'Pet Shop'! Bar is bar, restaurant is restaurant, post office is 'oficiul postal' and so on. You would need Romanian probably (or emphatic use of sign language) to get by in small shops, but while you pick up the basics, there are plenty of supermarkets in every neighbourhood where you don't really need to know the name of anything.

A lot of the restaurants and bars in the old town area have menus in English available, or have a translation (not always a great one though) underneath each item on the menu. Most waiters and waitresses are young students who know English anyway.

And road signs...well, bit trickier, but some are obvious, like 'stop!', others are like in the UK: they don't really have a lot of writing but you need to know what the symbols mean. Anyway, I don't think people particular pay any attention to road signs here!

Transport also isn't such a big problem. For about 10 quid you can get a monthly surface transport pass. First time you get it, you have to go to one of the kiosks with some ID (your passport) and get a plastic card, and for this you might need a Romanian speaker with you. Then you just have to get the card reactivated at any of the kiosks once a month. With the card, you can basically jump on any tram, bus or trolley bus you like. There a similar card for the metro, or you can just buy a 10-trip card for about 3 quid. You don't need to specify where you're getting off, so no problem with communication there. - you just use the card to go through the turnstile, and then you can ride the metro all day - a 'trip' only ends when you leave the metro system again.

Good news on this front too. Cinemas are nearly always in the original language (90% of the time that means English) with Romanian subtitles. Most films/serials on TV are the same - in the original with Romanian subtitles, so if you get a cable subscription, you'll find plenty to watch in English.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Thanks again for another informative post Azarel :)

Sure I will get by on the language front even if it is by some crazy kind of sign language.

Prices for the metro etc seem very reasonable.

Looking forward to my trip over in a couple of weeks even though the cold will be a shock to the system. Hopefully my husband's company will be on the ball and set up some apartment viewings for us as I think we are moving over by 1st March.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

You're welcome RRS. Have a good trip, despite the weather (it's just turned cold and rainy here in Bucharest and snow is forecast for later in the week) and I hope you manage to find suitable digs. Let me know if there's anything else you'll like to know before you come over.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

This is a helpful thread as my wife, I and two dogs are moving to Bucharest in May. I'm wondering how the stray dogs react to pets. We walk the dogs almost daily through our neighborhood and nearby parks. I'm not worried about the strays on my own but how does the dynamic change when you have a dog (or dogs) on lead? Do they tend to approach aggressively or just to say hello or do they raise an eye and go back to sleep under the bench? Probably all three. We plan to live in Sector 1, hoping for a fair selection of rentals that will allow pets. Any advice on managing pets in a city of strays would be appreciated.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

hi
we had our two westies in bucharest.... we lived in sector 6 which i would think is a bit more rural than sector 1 maybe. We had no issue with stray dogs - however we would always try and avoid the strays, the majority of them are huge! we did go to the park in the centre and there were lots of strays as you say sleeping under the trees or benches and showed no interest in our dogs who likewise steered clear (maybe they knew!) in the summer (which is very hot) they are all looking for shade and chilling out and in the winter obviously you don't see many of them wandering around - they huddle waiting/looking for food outside the shops/at the side of the road - please bare in mind the summers are very hot and the winters are very very cold. also in our area there was pesticide sprayed in the fields which made all the dogs on the compound sick - happened each year, (an elderly dog actually died sadly) but hopefully that wouldn't be the case in sector 1. We had a nice vet who spoke excellent english and a fab pet shipping company who couldn't have been more helpful or professional... hope this all helps x

Re: Advice on Bucharest - apartments
 

Hi it looks likely I will be working in Bucharest for almost two years from late March and I could do with some advice on accommodation please. My family will not be travelling with me so I expect I will be looking for a one bedroom apartment but with enough space for a sofa bed for when my wife and 2 boys visit. I need modern, comfortable (but not luxurious) and safe.

Any general advice and tips on best locations (I will be working in central Bucharest), prices, best agents, anything else would be very welcome. I've noted the comments about Baneasa being a good option for Ex Pats so will have a look online at what is available. I'd like easy and regular access to a good gym and opportunities to socialise - not a big drinker but like to watch the football! I won't have a car so good public transport links important.

Hope you can help me out..I have to move quickly!

Regards

Chris

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi Chris,

Baneasa might be a little tricky with regards to transport if you're only using public transport but towards that end of town would probably be good. Which area exactly will you be working in?

If you look at this subway map, http://people.reed.edu/~reyn/bucuresti.gif, and look at the blue line running north-south, I would suggest you take a look at properties in close proximity to either Aviatorilor (neighbourhoods of Dorobanti and Primaverii) or further up around Aurel Vlaicu (Aviatiei neighbourhood). Both areas have plenty of apartment blocks (some good, some bad - you have to visit to work out if it's one you like the look of) and are close enough to town for social purposes. Anyway, taxis are pretty cheap until you get the hang of public transport. There's also a large park (Herastrau) close by where you can jog or cycle (they rent out bikes in summer) or even row. There are shops, cafes, and restaurants in the Dorobanti area, and a short trip on the metro takes you to Unirii and the old town where you'll find plenty of pubs and bars, many of which will show important football matches.

People don't use specific agents much here, they just look for something in the small ads and ring up; sometimes you get the owner, sometimes you get an agent. Ask your company if they have someone who can help you call up and set up a few places to visit when you first arrive. In the meantime, you could start browsing through Mercador and Tocmai (links in an above post) to get a few of prices for various areas, and use StreetView to 'walk the streets' to see if you like the feel of an area.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Azarel, thanks a lot for the reply - from your previous helpful posts I was hoping you would come to my aid!

I will be working near the Parliament buildings, and so I was wondering if there is a choice I need to make here about city centre living and living in a suburb?I will be alone so I am concerned that I will really need plenty to occupy me at evenings and weekends and I hope I will be able to have contact with a network of ex pats without living in their pockets.

I mentioned a decent gym is important to me, so any advice on that is welcome.

Can you offer a guide price for what my budget should be for a comfortable modern 1 bed apartment? I have to speak to my future employer about this later so I want to be sure I don't underestimate. From looking online I was thinking somewhere between 750 and 1000 Euro might be needed to get something bright and modern and close to amenities. Maybe there is a premium to pay if you live in the centre?

On a broader note, I want to take the opportunity to keep myself busy by visiting other parts of Romania and countries close by and across Europe, and this will also be a nice value adding experience for me and my family - any advice you have on that is welcome, like good places or travel advice.

Thanks again,

Regards

Chris

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Bone-idle salad dodger that I am, I have no idea about gym prices and locations. They are rumoured to be pretty plentiful though. There are a few big names and also a lot of small neighbourhood gyms. I've heard there are even those where you only pay for the session rather than for a year in advance. The only major gym I've heard of is 'World Class Fitness' and here's their website: http://www.worldclass.ro/en/ (English version). They have one branch just behind the Parliament building on Calea 13 Septembrie that could be handy for a pre-/post-work.

Regarding where to live, you could go for something in the Unirii area instead of the places I mention in my previous post. From those two areas I mentioned, you could be in Unirii in about 10 minutes by metro, plus however long it takes to walk to/from the metro stations. You should probably allow about 30-40 minus commute assuming both your work and home are relatively close to stations on the blue line. However, if you wanted the option to walk to work, you could opt for something in the Unirii area. There are plenty of reasonably fancy flats close to Piata Unirii and you'd be very close to the downtown area where all the night life is. Naturally you'll be paying more for those, but there's a good chance of finding something with a modern furnished interior.

Here are a couple of links so you can see what your money gets you:

One-bedroom apartments in and around Unirii:
http://mercador.ro/imobiliare/aparta...esti/?q=unirii

One-bedroom apartments around Aviatorilor:
http://mercador.ro/imobiliare/aparta...?q=aviatorilor

As you can see, not a huge difference in price, both areas coming in around the 500 Euro/month mark, so it's more a case of which area you like the look of more.

Most of these will be renovated apartments in regular blocks. If you want something a bit more upmarket, you can find flats in newly-built blocks where you have security guards on the doors, underground parking, and maybe some other facilities. These are perhaps more common a little further out of the centre as they are new builds, but you do occasionally find a few in more central locations.

Romania is great for activities. The countryside, especially in Transylvania, is lovely are there are opportunities for hiking, climbing. cycling, rafting and even horse riding, so if you like outdoor pursuits, I'm sure you an find some groups to join. There's a plenty of cultural and historical sights worth seeing too, and of course, you can jump on a train/plane to places like Budapest, Istanbul, Vienna and Bulgaria pretty easily.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

This is a fantastic help, thanks very much - I think this area looks better for me to start my search in - and the apartments looks like what I was after - a bit more modern and comfortable looking than some I've seen on line.

Many thanks again, and I hope you don't mind me pestering with a few more questions along the way!

Regards

Chris

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

No worries, ask away. Better to be prepared and have a clearer idea of what it's going to be like here.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi just to let you know I have not forgotten about this thread. Our trip to Bucharest was delayed for a couple weeks due to my hubbie travelling. Finally we will be there on Wednesday for 48 hours and have been lined up with quite a few properties to view and looks like they will be in the areas mentioned above.

Lots of great advice Azarel, thanks.

Will post back on my quick two day visit.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi RRS803,

Good to hear things are moving forward. I think your impressions on those areas would be very useful, especially as they're likely to be popular areas for many people coming to town on work assignments. Also any info on agents you've used. I've had my own place here for 8 years now so my knowledge of agents isn't quite up-to-date.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Well that was a hectic 2 days in Bucharest!!!

Loved the Herastrau park and can imagine how beautiful it will look when everything starts grown again. We walked all the way round the lake and ended up for a pitstop at the Hard Rock Cafe.

We looked at apartments in Dorobanti, Herastrau, Primaverii and Floreasca and nearer Baneasa. Final decision still to be made.

Looks like there are some good shopping areas, plenty gyms and lots to do to keep me happy.

Did see a few stray dogs but rather than being scared like I thought I ended up feeling sorry for them.

The driving what can I say :ohmy:

All in all I think we will be fine living in Bucharest and looking forward to the move in a couple weeks.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Yeah, the driving...sadly has the worst record for accidents in Europe at the moment. I don't bother driving in Buch - it's easier to take public transport, which is frequent and cheap, especially if you can use the metro.

Herastrau is a great place for exercising. In the summer you can rent a bike there for next to nothing, and also row on the lake, which I enjoy. I used to walk through there early in the mornings and it's worth experiencing when it's empty apart from the birds and squirrels, especially in spring/early summer.

It's also worth going to Cismigiu park just west of the centre. It's a smaller park and busier, but has a lot of trees and flowers and looks lovely in the spring. It also has a lake for rowing (and ice skating in winter) and is very close to the old town so good for a walk/lunch combination.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi Azarel

I will be sure to check out the Cismigui park.

Another few questions if you don't mind answering them:) Will I be able to buy a pay as you go sim card for my mobile when I arrive or do I have to sign up for a contract with phone? We arrive Saturday and would like to get set up as quick as possible. Which are the best companies to use for good coverage and rates? I presume I will find their shops in the malls? Will be staying at the Pullman hotel so somewhere near there would be good but don't mind having to venture further.

Thanks

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi there,

No problem picking up a pre-paid sim card. No need to go to the mall - lots of little shops dotting around the place sell them. The main two are Vodafone and Orange and both give good coverage. There's also Cosmote, which has grown a lot in recent years. Hard to say which is best on price these days as they have such a plethora of tariffs and plans and so on, comparison is tricky. I have Vodafone, but for no particular reason except that it's the same number I've had for about 8 years. Even with pre-pay you get lots of options for free minutes and stuff like that.

Charging them up is simple too - there are all the shops around, lots of the little kiosks you see also sell credit, you can set up an account online and pay there, and there are even some vending machines.

Vodafone shops: https://www.vodafone.ro/magazine-vodafone/

Orange shops (type 'bucuresti' in the search box):
http://www.orange.ro/shop-locator/#

Those are the official shops, but don't forget you can get charge cards in many many more locations. There are also lots of general phone stores around where you can charge up or probably even by the sim.

Later on, when you're settled, if you'd like to change to a contract you can keep the pre-paid number you've already been using.

All the best.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Thanks much appreciated Azarel.

Will start off with a prepay then get onto a contract once I get settled.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi Azarel - I've now arrived in Bucharest - first day and I have to say I'm impressed so far - a city of contrasts but lots to like - I think I'll enjoy it here!

Its early days but I think now I have got a feel for it my initial view that I might like to stay in the Unirii area was wrong. I am sure that staying close to downtown and the Lipscani/old town area will suit me best - its got a very nice feel about it. Maybe somewhere directly in Lipscani above shops or bars would be ok - or around the cismigiu park area. Any tips on this are welcome, though I will look at the links you sent now I am a bit clearer. Also, now I'm here, any advice on how to connect with the ex pat community from time to time would be good - just knowing how this works and what is on would be helpful for me I think...if there is such organisation..

Thanks again for your help so far..

Regards

Chris

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi - I have another issue I would like advice on please! I think I will need to employ an accountant for filing tax returns here - being paid by a British employer...any advice on reliable, English speaking and good accountants?

Many thanks in anticipation...

Regards

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Hi Chris,

Glad you're enjoying the experience so far!

I'm not sure about renting a place above a shop/bar in Lipscani. The buildings there are quite old, there maybe be issues with other tenants, and perhaps once you settle in the noise from the clubs and streets bars in the summer could get on your nerves. If they sort of thing doesn't bother you, they there's no harm in taking a lot at a few places. If I remember correctly, a couple of buildings in the area were renovated, or were going to be renovated, into decent apartments.

One issue you might be wary of when renting in a smaller block is that if you get a couple of dodgy occupants who refuse to pay the communal bills, you may get a situation where utilities are cut off. For example, there are a couple of people in my block who owe several months in utilities. However, with 50 flats in the block, the cash flow is enough to keep the utilities flowing. However, if it's a smaller block, 4-5 flats say, and a couple of people don't want to pay, then it can get unpleasant. Obviously, if it's one of the newer upmarket builds with slightly higher rents and professional owners/renters, then you're less likely to encounter this.

Don't know about accountants, I've never used one, but you might try contacting Dean at Moorcroft Services. I've never used them, but I've heard they're alright from other people in the past, and they offer accounting services. No idea how their prices are, but if it's just simple employee tax returns then it's probably not much.

For the expat scene, you could try the 'meet-up' websites. There are a couple for Bucharest. I don't know if they are still active, but they used to organise nights out with a mixture of expats from various countries and Romanians. They also have a forum where people look for sports partners or whatever. One guy I remember was trying to set up a regular football match and another was doing badminton. If the sound of leather against willow is your thing, you could join the Transylvanian Cricket Club. Mojo in the old town also used to be a bit of an expat hang-out (it is/was British owned).

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

I Azarel, thanks very much again for the time you've taken and apologies for the delay in responding. My new job has started and kept me occupied! I think I've got a better sense of my bearings now, and I've been able to read back through your previous advice and appreciate it more. Basically, at this point I think your advice about being close to the blue line makes sense for me. I am working at Piazza Victoria and I have realised that if you live downtown, say near Cismigiu park which I thought might be quite nice, then it is not easy to access Piazza Victoria - a longish but pleasant walk - when the sun is shining but not what you would want to do every day. I think also you are right about living in the very centre, say near university square, but maybe around Uniiri would be ok as a downtown option? One complication/requirement for me is that I really want to close to a gym - I've figured there is a world class gym more or less on Piazza Victorie so that is good as I can go after work easy enough and if I live on blue line it should also be ok at weekends.
The other option I have come to is whether in fact I am better looking at Herestrau and the area around the park, which might offer a better quality environment, but still not bad access to downtown. I've got some time at the weekend to explore a bit myself, but any further advice is welcome...

By the way, still enjoying Bucharest - nice place with fantastic restaurants and you certainly cant quibble at the prices!

Thanks again

Regards

Chris

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

You're right, at the moment with lovely spring days and a cooling breeze, a walk from somewhere like Cismigiu up to Victoriei is a pleasant experience, especially as it's a new one for you, but in the more extreme weather conditions it might be less enjoyable. 40 degree sun beating down on you - who wants to turn up at the office already sweaty? Or in the winter when the pavements are covered with several feet of snow? Suddenly it turns into a real shag.

Around Herastrau might be nice. Transport is pretty quick here anyway. I live further out of the centre, near Iancului, but I can still be in the old town in about 30-40 mins, or in Herastrau Park in about the same time.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

I am new to this forum, so hello to everybody!

I have a question about the meet-ups i have read on this forum, has anyone been to any of them? How is it? I am Romanian, and i lived in London a bit, and what i miss most from London is interacting with people from other parts of the world ( and London has a lot to offer from this point of view) but on the other hand i feel a bit awkward to go to these meet-ups because i fear i will be seen as a "Romanian bimbo trying to hook up with a rich foreign guy", when i actually just want to make some friends and brag about my country.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Just thought I would update this thread. We ended up being in the hotel longer than thought due to terms and conditions on our apartment getting sorted out between companies. Finally moved in on Wednesday after our air shipment arrived with the essentials and our main shipment arrives on Monday.

Thankfully most people speak good English. I did my first supermarket food shop which took two hours :thumbdown: even with by translation book!!! Hopefully won't take so long next time.

Husband's registration certificate was done in record time. I still have to do mine as I took a quick trip home to UK while waiting on our lease to get sorted out.

Up and running with wifi 30 minutes after we moved into apartment, very impressed. Still waiting on our satellite receiver box so we just have the basic tv package at the moment. Thank goodness for VPN.

Have rented a car for the meantime until we get settled then will start having a look round the garages.

Loving the weather one day it's sunny and 24 degrees the next it's pouring rain and 8 degrees. Such a nice change to the Middle East sun and hot every day which I have been used to for the last 10 years. All in all everything has went smoothly and we are really enjoying being here in Bucharest and looking forward to being able to venture further out once we get settled.

Re: Advice on Bucharest
 

Sounds like you're settling in nicely! :thumbsup: