Back in May, Angeline and I were invited to attend a blogging and social media conference in Bucharest, Romania. I've always wanted to go to Romania - it's even on my travel bucket list!
So I was invited to attend this new travel conference, and as travel expenses weren't covered, just the hotel and experiences, I asked if I could bring Angeline with me. I used to travel with Angeline all over the place, and we hadn't been on a trip together in over a year! She was unemployed at the time, and it just made perfect sense! They said yes, so off we went to Experience Bucharest!
We had such an amazing time together, exploring this city that was so new and culturally different than anywhere we'd traveled to before, and while I don't know if we'll wind up back in Bucharest itself for a long visit, I can definitely see us (or just me) returning for visit to Romania itself and spending a day or two in Bucharest. It's such an interesting city, with so much history - and you guys know what a history geek I am!
First of all, you're probably wondering WHAT #ExperienceBucharest is all about! It was a travel experience that I applied for as a blogger and social media influencer earlier this year.
The team's announcement was basically:
We invite 100 top bloggers, vloggers, instagrammers, snapchatters, passionate travelers and travel influencers around the world to experience Bucharest and connect with Romanians content creators and tourism professionals.
Angeline and I set off to the airport, where she cried about leaving her fiance and dog, then we flew to Bucharest after a very long, and thankfully uneventful, flight.
There was a welcome reception the first evening there, but we missed it due to our flight arriving a little too late.
On the first full day, we had a nice conference with guest speakers who were influential in their fields, then a rooftop party which was SO MUCH FUN! As Angeline was 19 at the time, and the legal drinking age was 18, she was able to join me and even drank a cocktail of her own...which she immediately decided she didn't like, and switched to water. Not gonna lie, it didn't bother me a bit!
During our time in Bucharest, Angeline and I went on three tours in Bucharest. The first was actually our favorite, where we joined a small group of food and travel bloggers and embarked on a Bohemian exploration through Bucharest.
Find Tours In Bucharest with Romanian Friend Tours!
The Bohemian Bucharest Tour
From the heart of the city to the tastes of the country, th tour takes you on a historical, architectural, and culinary adventure through the many faces (and tastes) of Bucharest! Journey deep into the neighborhoods of La Belle Époque Bucharest, while sampling the traditional peasant foods that define Romanian cuisine.
Explore the neighborhoods and flavors of Bucharest, from the grand old center to the cultural mahallas...
Taste traditional Romanian food, including the best local cheeses, the beloved mici street snack, and a doughnut only found in this part of the country...
Browse through the biggest and liveliest peasant market in Bucharest...
Sample local beers, from craft/microbrews to everyday big-name beers, and brave a shot of homemade Romanian brandy...
This event was organized by Interesting Times, and I have to say that our guide, Elena, was absolutely amazing. Angeline and I ended up being the only two people left by the end of the tour, as our other friends had to leave for other events towards the end. We left that tour feeling like we'd been hanging out with a personal friend by the end of the day, which I mentioned on my review on Trip Advisor.
Apparently, our tour guide Elena saw this and knew exactly who left the review, because she felt the same way! I received this email from her a while after we returned home, along with photos she'd taken of Angeline and I while enjoying a local delicacy.
Our next tour was to the Mogosoaia Summer Palace, which was absolutely beautiful and just a short drive outside the city limits.
Mogosoaia Summer Palace
The gardens were spectacular, so much so that people were picnicking all over the place and posing for photos!
The Mogosoaia Summer Palace was built by Constantin Brancoveanu, one of the most important medieval princes of the XVIII century. Today Mogosoaia Park, is one of the major landmarks near Bucharest. With over 3 centuries of existence, it is one of the most seductive sights for locals and tourists alike. This event was organized by Bucharest Urban Adventures.
We also scheduled our own tour to Transylvania to see the famous Bran Castle, which was something that was on my bucket list for a very long time!
I'll be writing more about each of these tours in the near future, but for now, I want to focus on the overall experience of visiting Bucharest and why you should plan a trip of your own!
5 Reasons Why You Should Experience Bucharest, Romania
The Romanian people are kind and humble. I have traveled to many places around the world where the people aren't necessarily friendly, so I was pleasantly supervised to find that while the Romanian people I encountered weren't overly friendly in general, they weren't RUDE or unfriendly...they were simply reserved. Coming from a busy, crazy city like Miami, it was refreshing to spend time in a city bustling with excitement that wasn't overwhelming. One thing I noticed was that almost everyone I encountered spoke English, which made traveling with Angeline much easier - neither of us speak a second language and it can sometimes be difficult to get around if the locals aren't patient and agreeable.
The architecture is still gorgeous, despite the troubled Romanian history. If you're not very well educated on the Communist past of Romania, I'll give you the short and sweet version of their beautiful, sometimes decaying homes: Communism does not allow most citizens to maintain property of their own land and homes, so there are many homes that were confiscated by the government and lie in a sad state of disrepair.
You see, after Romania became a democratic country, it was almost impossible to trace back the ownership of these homes to the rightful owners, and many are still lying empty while the families try to get them back. It's a long process, and even when the families are able to get them back, the economy isn't exactly flourishing...which means that it can be difficult for the owners to repair the homes due to lack of funds.
This is just one of the many faces of the devastation that Communism left across Eastern Europe.
However, if you are interested in architecture and the history surrounding it, you'll be happy to find many styles in Bucharest!
Romanian food is good and inexpensive. One of the most obvious effects of Communism in any former Communist country has to be their food and drink...Romania proved to be no exception. While there were very nice meals to be had, Angeline and I found for the most part, the food was very simple and VERY inexpensive...which is always nice when traveling on a budget.
Of course we could have gone to a fine dining establishment, but there were plenty of inexpensive cafes and restaurants, as well as inexpensive snacks to enjoy at the local market.
One of the most common snacks in Bucharest is Michi, which is a skinless sausage often served with a dipping sauce. While it wasn't exactly my favorite meal in Bucharest, it was tasty, and I do love to try the local specialties!
Romanian beer is DELICIOUS. Yes, I said it. Romanian beer is quite tasty...who knew that they'd have such great beer? They also have a special cherry brandy (pictured in the Michi photo), but it wasn't quite my thing.
The beer was so tasty that even Angeline enjoyed one - don't worry, she exceeded the legal drinking age in Romania and was allowed to have one!
Bucharest is a central location for seeing much of Europe! Bucharest is a large hub for much of Europe, meaning that you can fly there from many places around the world, have an extended layover, and then hop on a plane to many other destinations. Book a major airline to Bucharest and then hop around using one of Europe's many budget airlines...it's what Angeline and I did! We flew into Bucharest on Turkish airways (while our hotel and two of the tours were complimentary as part of the conference experience, our airfare was not), and then flew Ryan air to Athens once the event was over.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks as I finally catch up and tell you guys all about the traveling I did to Romania, Greece, Croatia, Iceland, Ireland, England, Barcelona and Greece since May this year! It's been a crazy busy few months and now that I am home for a while, I'll be playing a serious game of catch-up on the blog!
romania tours
The picture with "mici" makes me drooling 🙂
Great post! Kudos!