Welcome to Bucharest

Le petit Paris... with a quirky twist!

Welcome to Bucharest, the capital of Romania and host city of EMAG 2024!

Bucharest is a bustling metropolis, offering a wide variety of experiences, from cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants, to some of the most important Romanian museums, and a schedule full of cultural activities all year round. One thing’s for sure – you will not get bored!

Drawing from its position at the crossroads between Eastern, Western and Balkanik cultures, the city is a unique blend of styles and civilizations that can be noticed everywhere – in the architecture, the language, the food and the local customs. The city’s architectural heritage consists mostly of a large number of Byzantine-style churches, but one can also find a lot of beautiful administrative, commercial and private buildings from the 19th and 20th centuries. Thanks to its rapid development at the beginning of the 20th century, Bucharest was also called “Little Paris”.

Bucharest is home to around 2 million inhabitants and it’s divided into 6 administrative districts (sectoare). Its main boulevards are Calea Victoriei and the Magheru Boulevard.

The city dates back to at least the Middle Ages. It is first mentioned in a 1459 document signed by Vlad the Impaler, the ruler of the principality of Walachia, the southern region of what is now Romania. Since then it has constantly grown and became the capital of the principality in 1659.

After the unification of Walachia and Moldova and the creation the state of Romania in 1859, Bucharest became the capital. During its history it underwent several modernization stages, but the most recent major transformation was during the communist regime, when one of the largest buildings in the world was built – the current Palace of Parliament (then House of the People).

Getting around

Bucharest is a busy city and the traffic can be chaotic most of the times, although less so during the Summer. As a tourist, the best way to travel around the city is by public transport. Bucharest has an extensive network of busses, trams and subway lines that are pretty reliable and cheap. Routes and timetables are available in Google Maps. If you prefer to get around by car, ridesharing apps (Uber and Bolt) are preferable to taxis.

To get to and from the airport, you can either take the bus to the city center (line 100), or the train to the central train station (Gara de Nord). From the train station you can then take the subway to any part of the city.