Is it possible to travel through five major cities of Central and Eastern Europe in five days by train? Yes, and even quite peacefully! Because we will be travelling by train, sometimes quite slowly. The national carriers on the railways of Central Eastern Europe are not the fastest. But it will be a better experience, no rush! And how can we do it all? We'll use the night trains!
What major cities are we going to see?
The destination of the whole trip is the slightly scruffy and battered but in its own way beautiful Bucharest. Along the way, we stop for half a day in majestic Budapest and within a few hours we'll be greeting our brothers in Bratislava. The other two cities are Vienna, from where we depart, and Prague, which will be the final destination of this rail trip.
So pack your bags and we're ready to go.
We are leaving Vienna, where we spent yesterday and tonight. The first part of the day takes us early in the morning to Bratislava, whose centre with its castle overlooking the city can be walked through in 3 hours between connecting trains, then on to Budapest, which can be reached by ČD train in 2.5 hours from Blava for just a few hundred crowns.
Departure in the early morning hours by train via Marchegg.
We arrive in Budapest around three in the afternoon. Before our 11pm overnight train onwards to Bucharest, we have the luxury of quite a bit of time to explore the vast centre on both sides of the broad river, both Buda and Pest. It can be done on foot, the easy useable metro can be used in the time slot for about 30 crowns as well.
As for sights, just a short walk from Nyugati station, where the ČD trains arrive, is probably Budapest's biggest landmark, the majestic Hungarian Parliament over the banks of the Danube. Not far from it is a small monument to the victims of fascism in Hungary. On the other side of the Danube there is a beautiful view of the whole city from the hill, on which, next to the Budin Castle, a whole complex of historical buildings stands, and some others are being newly built and repaired. The Fishing Bastion and the Matthew's Temple standing next to it are worth mentioning. If time permits, it's nice to go to the castle around sunset, nighttime Budapest is magical, even if it is slightly foggy.
Many restaurants in the city are closed after the kovid (also perhaps due to the economic situation in Hungary), even though maps/Google show they are open. Traditional Hungarian cuisine is unusually difficult to find here for Hungary, not much is needed at Keleti station.
We spent the whole night and most of the day on the night train of the local Romanian CFR railways. The conductor didn't even speak English, they're still not used to foreigners here. We don't speak Romanian, but fortunately we can speak with our hands and feet. And we were helped by a fellow Romanian returning from abroad who spoke German quite well. The comfort of the fairly slow moving train was solidly high, and I guess given that Romania is a large country, overnight trains are quite common. The only unpleasant thing is the excitement of the towers in Curtici/Arad when crossing from Hungary into Romania. Traffic control but it is quick, just show your ID. Hopefully it won't be long now and Romania will be in Schengen too. The rest of the drive across Romania to Bucharest is quiet with many views of the plains and mountains.
We arrive in Bucharest at around 4pm after a relaxing 16 hour train journey from Budapest and can immediately set off to explore a bit of the city, which is slightly scary on arrival at the Nord highway . Buildings are largely broken, scratched, grey, every other glass in the station is broken, piles of rubbish are lying in every corner. But tomorrow will certainly improve our first impression!
It's worth mentioning here that if one is going at the last minute (which is quite normal with my Interrail Global Pass), there may be a problem with the actual reservation for the ticket, which is free on Interrail. So in theory you can buy a reservation for a bed on the overnight train, but unlike Western carriers (where online works very well most of the time), CFR doesn't offer online booking itself. It is not available at Czech small or large stations, nor at the international desk in the capital, for example. The only option is to buy a reservation long in advance (maybe 14 days or more) via the Interrail app, but that's not entirely reliable, plus they send the reservation physically by mail to an address. The reservation itself can then only be gotten in Romania at the counter. But of course that's a bit late if you wanted to come to the reservation...
Anyway, the price of a reservation Budapest - Bucharest is around 500 CZK, the price of the ticket itself is also around 500-1000 CZK, so one trip will cost 1000-1500 CZK. So at the moment, as far as I know, the only thing you can get on the internet at the last minute is a full reservation + ticket.
A whole day for Bukurest!
We start in the very centre of the city at Piata Unirii. First, we will see the small Orthodox church of Curtea Veche on Piata St. Anthony. The Orthodox Church is evident at every turn here, with virtually all the important religious monuments being small, inside dark churches. Next, our steps take us to the statue of Romulus and Remus, donated to Bucharest by Italy, which generally has strong relations with Romania. Just next door is Hanul cu Tei, a tucked-away street full of art galleries and vendors selling painting supplies. In the same block of buildings is also the nicely renovated Carusel Library and Bookstore.
There are many massive buildings downtown, such as the banking CEC Palace near the National History Museum. A short walk from the newly opened Scovergaria Micai bakery selling traditional Romanian delicacies is another Bucharest gem, the Villacrosse Passage. Not far from here one can come across Bucharest's most famous hotel, Hotel Capsa. The Piata Revolutiei has been the site of important demonstrations in the past and the setting of Romanian history, which is why there are several monuments in this square. There are also many museums, galleries, theatres, university buildings and ordinary broken-down tenement houses that are still awaiting their thorough reconstruction. A large part of the city was destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1977 and its traces are still visible in the city today. The river flowing through the city has been reduced to ugly concrete banks. And some of the buildings are truly bizarre, with local builders able to, for example, fit modern architecture onto the foundations of an old ruined house.
West of the centre stands the Parliament Palace, one of the largest office buildings in the world, huge and majestic. Opposite the palace can be found a small church that had to give way to socialist construction, so they moved it along the tracks some distance away, where it currently still stands. A new cathedral is then being built behind the palace, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the People. And it too is stunning, already a landmark in this part of the city before completion.
Let's move to the north of the city. One of the streams runs through the north, creating eye-pleasing lakes and ponds with numerous meanders. Around the lakes are several large parks where the fearful go to relax in nature. Several main paths converge at the victory arch, from where it is a stone's throw to the Park Herastrau. You can enjoy the sunset by looking out over one of the lakes on the Colentina river and walk across the Rose Island for a refreshing beer or two at the Beraria H, which occasionally hosts larger concerts. In the centre, we'll have some traditional Romanian papanasi muffins.
Bucharest has so much to offer! But this afternoon we have to start back to the Czech Republic. So we'll take another overnight train around 4 pm and wake up again in Budapest tomorrow morning.
Arrival very early in the morning around 6 o'clock. So we have time to go for a soak at Szechenyi Baths within walking distance of Keleti station. The spa is in one complex Városliget with a large park and Vajdahunyad Castle, a smaller copy of Korvin Hunyad Castle. Near the spa is also the Museum of Fine Arts and the Millennium Monument in Heroes' Square.
And then it was just a train journey home with Czech Railways. The price of the trip is quite lowcost, the train transport is around 3000 CZK, of which two nights on the train and the rest up to 1000 CZK per night even in Eastern Europe in solid hotels. However, food in Bucharest is not much cheaper than in the Czech Republic, in some restaurants you pay a little more than you would expect for local specialties.
Is it possible to travel through five major cities of Central and Eastern Europe in five days by train? Yes, and even quite peacefully! Because we will be travelling by train, sometimes quite slowly. The national carriers on the railways of Central Eastern Europe are not the fastest. But it will be a better experience, no rush! And how can we do it all? We'll use the night trains!
What major cities are we going to see?
The destination of the whole trip is the slightly scruffy and battered but in its own way beautiful Bucharest. Along the way, we stop for half a day in majestic Budapest and within a few hours we'll be greeting our brothers in Bratislava. The other two cities are Vienna, from where we depart, and Prague, which will be the final destination of this rail trip.
So pack your bags and we're ready to go.
We are leaving Vienna, where we spent yesterday and tonight. The first part of the day takes us early in the morning to Bratislava, whose centre with its castle overlooking the city can be walked through in 3 hours between connecting trains, then on to Budapest, which can be reached by ČD train in 2.5 hours from Blava for just a few hundred crowns.
Departure in the early morning hours by train via Marchegg.
We arrive in Budapest around three in the afternoon. Before our 11pm overnight train onwards to Bucharest, we have the luxury of quite a bit of time to explore the vast centre on both sides of the broad river, both Buda and Pest. It can be done on foot, the easy useable metro can be used in the time slot for about 30 crowns as well.
As for sights, just a short walk from Nyugati station, where the ČD trains arrive, is probably Budapest's biggest landmark, the majestic Hungarian Parliament over the banks of the Danube. Not far from it is a small monument to the victims of fascism in Hungary. On the other side of the Danube there is a beautiful view of the whole city from the hill, on which, next to the Budin Castle, a whole complex of historical buildings stands, and some others are being newly built and repaired. The Fishing Bastion and the Matthew's Temple standing next to it are worth mentioning. If time permits, it's nice to go to the castle around sunset, nighttime Budapest is magical, even if it is slightly foggy.
Many restaurants in the city are closed after the kovid (also perhaps due to the economic situation in Hungary), even though maps/Google show they are open. Traditional Hungarian cuisine is unusually difficult to find here for Hungary, not much is needed at Keleti station.
We spent the whole night and most of the day on the night train of the local Romanian CFR railways. The conductor didn't even speak English, they're still not used to foreigners here. We don't speak Romanian, but fortunately we can speak with our hands and feet. And we were helped by a fellow Romanian returning from abroad who spoke German quite well. The comfort of the fairly slow moving train was solidly high, and I guess given that Romania is a large country, overnight trains are quite common. The only unpleasant thing is the excitement of the towers in Curtici/Arad when crossing from Hungary into Romania. Traffic control but it is quick, just show your ID. Hopefully it won't be long now and Romania will be in Schengen too. The rest of the drive across Romania to Bucharest is quiet with many views of the plains and mountains.
We arrive in Bucharest at around 4pm after a relaxing 16 hour train journey from Budapest and can immediately set off to explore a bit of the city, which is slightly scary on arrival at the Nord highway . Buildings are largely broken, scratched, grey, every other glass in the station is broken, piles of rubbish are lying in every corner. But tomorrow will certainly improve our first impression!
It's worth mentioning here that if one is going at the last minute (which is quite normal with my Interrail Global Pass), there may be a problem with the actual reservation for the ticket, which is free on Interrail. So in theory you can buy a reservation for a bed on the overnight train, but unlike Western carriers (where online works very well most of the time), CFR doesn't offer online booking itself. It is not available at Czech small or large stations, nor at the international desk in the capital, for example. The only option is to buy a reservation long in advance (maybe 14 days or more) via the Interrail app, but that's not entirely reliable, plus they send the reservation physically by mail to an address. The reservation itself can then only be gotten in Romania at the counter. But of course that's a bit late if you wanted to come to the reservation...
Anyway, the price of a reservation Budapest - Bucharest is around 500 CZK, the price of the ticket itself is also around 500-1000 CZK, so one trip will cost 1000-1500 CZK. So at the moment, as far as I know, the only thing you can get on the internet at the last minute is a full reservation + ticket.
A whole day for Bukurest!
We start in the very centre of the city at Piata Unirii. First, we will see the small Orthodox church of Curtea Veche on Piata St. Anthony. The Orthodox Church is evident at every turn here, with virtually all the important religious monuments being small, inside dark churches. Next, our steps take us to the statue of Romulus and Remus, donated to Bucharest by Italy, which generally has strong relations with Romania. Just next door is Hanul cu Tei, a tucked-away street full of art galleries and vendors selling painting supplies. In the same block of buildings is also the nicely renovated Carusel Library and Bookstore.
There are many massive buildings downtown, such as the banking CEC Palace near the National History Museum. A short walk from the newly opened Scovergaria Micai bakery selling traditional Romanian delicacies is another Bucharest gem, the Villacrosse Passage. Not far from here one can come across Bucharest's most famous hotel, Hotel Capsa. The Piata Revolutiei has been the site of important demonstrations in the past and the setting of Romanian history, which is why there are several monuments in this square. There are also many museums, galleries, theatres, university buildings and ordinary broken-down tenement houses that are still awaiting their thorough reconstruction. A large part of the city was destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1977 and its traces are still visible in the city today. The river flowing through the city has been reduced to ugly concrete banks. And some of the buildings are truly bizarre, with local builders able to, for example, fit modern architecture onto the foundations of an old ruined house.
West of the centre stands the Parliament Palace, one of the largest office buildings in the world, huge and majestic. Opposite the palace can be found a small church that had to give way to socialist construction, so they moved it along the tracks some distance away, where it currently still stands. A new cathedral is then being built behind the palace, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the People. And it too is stunning, already a landmark in this part of the city before completion.
Let's move to the north of the city. One of the streams runs through the north, creating eye-pleasing lakes and ponds with numerous meanders. Around the lakes are several large parks where the fearful go to relax in nature. Several main paths converge at the victory arch, from where it is a stone's throw to the Park Herastrau. You can enjoy the sunset by looking out over one of the lakes on the Colentina river and walk across the Rose Island for a refreshing beer or two at the Beraria H, which occasionally hosts larger concerts. In the centre, we'll have some traditional Romanian papanasi muffins.
Bucharest has so much to offer! But this afternoon we have to start back to the Czech Republic. So we'll take another overnight train around 4 pm and wake up again in Budapest tomorrow morning.
Arrival very early in the morning around 6 o'clock. So we have time to go for a soak at Szechenyi Baths within walking distance of Keleti station. The spa is in one complex Városliget with a large park and Vajdahunyad Castle, a smaller copy of Korvin Hunyad Castle. Near the spa is also the Museum of Fine Arts and the Millennium Monument in Heroes' Square.
And then it was just a train journey home with Czech Railways. The price of the trip is quite lowcost, the train transport is around 3000 CZK, of which two nights on the train and the rest up to 1000 CZK per night even in Eastern Europe in solid hotels. However, food in Bucharest is not much cheaper than in the Czech Republic, in some restaurants you pay a little more than you would expect for local specialties.
itinerary by Martin Konhefr
Is it possible to travel through five major cities of Central and Eastern Europe in five days by train? Yes, and even quite peacefully! Because we will be travelling by train, sometimes quite slowly. The national carriers on the railways of Central Eastern Europe are not the fastest. But it will be a better experience, no rush! And how can we do it all? We'll use the night trains!
What major cities are we going to see?
The destination of the whole trip is the slightly scruffy and battered but in its own way beautiful Bucharest. Along the way, we stop for half a day in majestic Budapest and within a few hours we'll be greeting our brothers in Bratislava. The other two cities are Vienna, from where we depart, and Prague, which will be the final destination of this rail trip.
So pack your bags and we're ready to go.
We are leaving Vienna, where we spent yesterday and tonight. The first part of the day takes us early in the morning to Bratislava, whose centre with its castle overlooking the city can be walked through in 3 hours between connecting trains, then on to Budapest, which can be reached by ČD train in 2.5 hours from Blava for just a few hundred crowns.
Departure in the early morning hours by train via Marchegg.
We arrive in Budapest around three in the afternoon. Before our 11pm overnight train onwards to Bucharest, we have the luxury of quite a bit of time to explore the vast centre on both sides of the broad river, both Buda and Pest. It can be done on foot, the easy useable metro can be used in the time slot for about 30 crowns as well.
As for sights, just a short walk from Nyugati station, where the ČD trains arrive, is probably Budapest's biggest landmark, the majestic Hungarian Parliament over the banks of the Danube. Not far from it is a small monument to the victims of fascism in Hungary. On the other side of the Danube there is a beautiful view of the whole city from the hill, on which, next to the Budin Castle, a whole complex of historical buildings stands, and some others are being newly built and repaired. The Fishing Bastion and the Matthew's Temple standing next to it are worth mentioning. If time permits, it's nice to go to the castle around sunset, nighttime Budapest is magical, even if it is slightly foggy.
Many restaurants in the city are closed after the kovid (also perhaps due to the economic situation in Hungary), even though maps/Google show they are open. Traditional Hungarian cuisine is unusually difficult to find here for Hungary, not much is needed at Keleti station.
We spent the whole night and most of the day on the night train of the local Romanian CFR railways. The conductor didn't even speak English, they're still not used to foreigners here. We don't speak Romanian, but fortunately we can speak with our hands and feet. And we were helped by a fellow Romanian returning from abroad who spoke German quite well. The comfort of the fairly slow moving train was solidly high, and I guess given that Romania is a large country, overnight trains are quite common. The only unpleasant thing is the excitement of the towers in Curtici/Arad when crossing from Hungary into Romania. Traffic control but it is quick, just show your ID. Hopefully it won't be long now and Romania will be in Schengen too. The rest of the drive across Romania to Bucharest is quiet with many views of the plains and mountains.
We arrive in Bucharest at around 4pm after a relaxing 16 hour train journey from Budapest and can immediately set off to explore a bit of the city, which is slightly scary on arrival at the Nord highway . Buildings are largely broken, scratched, grey, every other glass in the station is broken, piles of rubbish are lying in every corner. But tomorrow will certainly improve our first impression!
It's worth mentioning here that if one is going at the last minute (which is quite normal with my Interrail Global Pass), there may be a problem with the actual reservation for the ticket, which is free on Interrail. So in theory you can buy a reservation for a bed on the overnight train, but unlike Western carriers (where online works very well most of the time), CFR doesn't offer online booking itself. It is not available at Czech small or large stations, nor at the international desk in the capital, for example. The only option is to buy a reservation long in advance (maybe 14 days or more) via the Interrail app, but that's not entirely reliable, plus they send the reservation physically by mail to an address. The reservation itself can then only be gotten in Romania at the counter. But of course that's a bit late if you wanted to come to the reservation...
Anyway, the price of a reservation Budapest - Bucharest is around 500 CZK, the price of the ticket itself is also around 500-1000 CZK, so one trip will cost 1000-1500 CZK. So at the moment, as far as I know, the only thing you can get on the internet at the last minute is a full reservation + ticket.
A whole day for Bukurest!
We start in the very centre of the city at Piata Unirii. First, we will see the small Orthodox church of Curtea Veche on Piata St. Anthony. The Orthodox Church is evident at every turn here, with virtually all the important religious monuments being small, inside dark churches. Next, our steps take us to the statue of Romulus and Remus, donated to Bucharest by Italy, which generally has strong relations with Romania. Just next door is Hanul cu Tei, a tucked-away street full of art galleries and vendors selling painting supplies. In the same block of buildings is also the nicely renovated Carusel Library and Bookstore.
There are many massive buildings downtown, such as the banking CEC Palace near the National History Museum. A short walk from the newly opened Scovergaria Micai bakery selling traditional Romanian delicacies is another Bucharest gem, the Villacrosse Passage. Not far from here one can come across Bucharest's most famous hotel, Hotel Capsa. The Piata Revolutiei has been the site of important demonstrations in the past and the setting of Romanian history, which is why there are several monuments in this square. There are also many museums, galleries, theatres, university buildings and ordinary broken-down tenement houses that are still awaiting their thorough reconstruction. A large part of the city was destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1977 and its traces are still visible in the city today. The river flowing through the city has been reduced to ugly concrete banks. And some of the buildings are truly bizarre, with local builders able to, for example, fit modern architecture onto the foundations of an old ruined house.
West of the centre stands the Parliament Palace, one of the largest office buildings in the world, huge and majestic. Opposite the palace can be found a small church that had to give way to socialist construction, so they moved it along the tracks some distance away, where it currently still stands. A new cathedral is then being built behind the palace, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the People. And it too is stunning, already a landmark in this part of the city before completion.
Let's move to the north of the city. One of the streams runs through the north, creating eye-pleasing lakes and ponds with numerous meanders. Around the lakes are several large parks where the fearful go to relax in nature. Several main paths converge at the victory arch, from where it is a stone's throw to the Park Herastrau. You can enjoy the sunset by looking out over one of the lakes on the Colentina river and walk across the Rose Island for a refreshing beer or two at the Beraria H, which occasionally hosts larger concerts. In the centre, we'll have some traditional Romanian papanasi muffins.
Bucharest has so much to offer! But this afternoon we have to start back to the Czech Republic. So we'll take another overnight train around 4 pm and wake up again in Budapest tomorrow morning.
Arrival very early in the morning around 6 o'clock. So we have time to go for a soak at Szechenyi Baths within walking distance of Keleti station. The spa is in one complex Városliget with a large park and Vajdahunyad Castle, a smaller copy of Korvin Hunyad Castle. Near the spa is also the Museum of Fine Arts and the Millennium Monument in Heroes' Square.
And then it was just a train journey home with Czech Railways. The price of the trip is quite lowcost, the train transport is around 3000 CZK, of which two nights on the train and the rest up to 1000 CZK per night even in Eastern Europe in solid hotels. However, food in Bucharest is not much cheaper than in the Czech Republic, in some restaurants you pay a little more than you would expect for local specialties.
Is it possible to travel through five major cities of Central and Eastern Europe in five days by train? Yes, and even quite peacefully! Because we will be travelling by train, sometimes quite slowly. The national carriers on the railways of Central Eastern Europe are not the fastest. But it will be a better experience, no rush! And how can we do it all? We'll use the night trains!
What major cities are we going to see?
The destination of the whole trip is the slightly scruffy and battered but in its own way beautiful Bucharest. Along the way, we stop for half a day in majestic Budapest and within a few hours we'll be greeting our brothers in Bratislava. The other two cities are Vienna, from where we depart, and Prague, which will be the final destination of this rail trip.
So pack your bags and we're ready to go.
We are leaving Vienna, where we spent yesterday and tonight. The first part of the day takes us early in the morning to Bratislava, whose centre with its castle overlooking the city can be walked through in 3 hours between connecting trains, then on to Budapest, which can be reached by ČD train in 2.5 hours from Blava for just a few hundred crowns.
Departure in the early morning hours by train via Marchegg.
We arrive in Budapest around three in the afternoon. Before our 11pm overnight train onwards to Bucharest, we have the luxury of quite a bit of time to explore the vast centre on both sides of the broad river, both Buda and Pest. It can be done on foot, the easy useable metro can be used in the time slot for about 30 crowns as well.
As for sights, just a short walk from Nyugati station, where the ČD trains arrive, is probably Budapest's biggest landmark, the majestic Hungarian Parliament over the banks of the Danube. Not far from it is a small monument to the victims of fascism in Hungary. On the other side of the Danube there is a beautiful view of the whole city from the hill, on which, next to the Budin Castle, a whole complex of historical buildings stands, and some others are being newly built and repaired. The Fishing Bastion and the Matthew's Temple standing next to it are worth mentioning. If time permits, it's nice to go to the castle around sunset, nighttime Budapest is magical, even if it is slightly foggy.
Many restaurants in the city are closed after the kovid (also perhaps due to the economic situation in Hungary), even though maps/Google show they are open. Traditional Hungarian cuisine is unusually difficult to find here for Hungary, not much is needed at Keleti station.
We spent the whole night and most of the day on the night train of the local Romanian CFR railways. The conductor didn't even speak English, they're still not used to foreigners here. We don't speak Romanian, but fortunately we can speak with our hands and feet. And we were helped by a fellow Romanian returning from abroad who spoke German quite well. The comfort of the fairly slow moving train was solidly high, and I guess given that Romania is a large country, overnight trains are quite common. The only unpleasant thing is the excitement of the towers in Curtici/Arad when crossing from Hungary into Romania. Traffic control but it is quick, just show your ID. Hopefully it won't be long now and Romania will be in Schengen too. The rest of the drive across Romania to Bucharest is quiet with many views of the plains and mountains.
We arrive in Bucharest at around 4pm after a relaxing 16 hour train journey from Budapest and can immediately set off to explore a bit of the city, which is slightly scary on arrival at the Nord highway . Buildings are largely broken, scratched, grey, every other glass in the station is broken, piles of rubbish are lying in every corner. But tomorrow will certainly improve our first impression!
It's worth mentioning here that if one is going at the last minute (which is quite normal with my Interrail Global Pass), there may be a problem with the actual reservation for the ticket, which is free on Interrail. So in theory you can buy a reservation for a bed on the overnight train, but unlike Western carriers (where online works very well most of the time), CFR doesn't offer online booking itself. It is not available at Czech small or large stations, nor at the international desk in the capital, for example. The only option is to buy a reservation long in advance (maybe 14 days or more) via the Interrail app, but that's not entirely reliable, plus they send the reservation physically by mail to an address. The reservation itself can then only be gotten in Romania at the counter. But of course that's a bit late if you wanted to come to the reservation...
Anyway, the price of a reservation Budapest - Bucharest is around 500 CZK, the price of the ticket itself is also around 500-1000 CZK, so one trip will cost 1000-1500 CZK. So at the moment, as far as I know, the only thing you can get on the internet at the last minute is a full reservation + ticket.
A whole day for Bukurest!
We start in the very centre of the city at Piata Unirii. First, we will see the small Orthodox church of Curtea Veche on Piata St. Anthony. The Orthodox Church is evident at every turn here, with virtually all the important religious monuments being small, inside dark churches. Next, our steps take us to the statue of Romulus and Remus, donated to Bucharest by Italy, which generally has strong relations with Romania. Just next door is Hanul cu Tei, a tucked-away street full of art galleries and vendors selling painting supplies. In the same block of buildings is also the nicely renovated Carusel Library and Bookstore.
There are many massive buildings downtown, such as the banking CEC Palace near the National History Museum. A short walk from the newly opened Scovergaria Micai bakery selling traditional Romanian delicacies is another Bucharest gem, the Villacrosse Passage. Not far from here one can come across Bucharest's most famous hotel, Hotel Capsa. The Piata Revolutiei has been the site of important demonstrations in the past and the setting of Romanian history, which is why there are several monuments in this square. There are also many museums, galleries, theatres, university buildings and ordinary broken-down tenement houses that are still awaiting their thorough reconstruction. A large part of the city was destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1977 and its traces are still visible in the city today. The river flowing through the city has been reduced to ugly concrete banks. And some of the buildings are truly bizarre, with local builders able to, for example, fit modern architecture onto the foundations of an old ruined house.
West of the centre stands the Parliament Palace, one of the largest office buildings in the world, huge and majestic. Opposite the palace can be found a small church that had to give way to socialist construction, so they moved it along the tracks some distance away, where it currently still stands. A new cathedral is then being built behind the palace, the Cathedral of the Salvation of the People. And it too is stunning, already a landmark in this part of the city before completion.
Let's move to the north of the city. One of the streams runs through the north, creating eye-pleasing lakes and ponds with numerous meanders. Around the lakes are several large parks where the fearful go to relax in nature. Several main paths converge at the victory arch, from where it is a stone's throw to the Park Herastrau. You can enjoy the sunset by looking out over one of the lakes on the Colentina river and walk across the Rose Island for a refreshing beer or two at the Beraria H, which occasionally hosts larger concerts. In the centre, we'll have some traditional Romanian papanasi muffins.
Bucharest has so much to offer! But this afternoon we have to start back to the Czech Republic. So we'll take another overnight train around 4 pm and wake up again in Budapest tomorrow morning.
Arrival very early in the morning around 6 o'clock. So we have time to go for a soak at Szechenyi Baths within walking distance of Keleti station. The spa is in one complex Városliget with a large park and Vajdahunyad Castle, a smaller copy of Korvin Hunyad Castle. Near the spa is also the Museum of Fine Arts and the Millennium Monument in Heroes' Square.
And then it was just a train journey home with Czech Railways. The price of the trip is quite lowcost, the train transport is around 3000 CZK, of which two nights on the train and the rest up to 1000 CZK per night even in Eastern Europe in solid hotels. However, food in Bucharest is not much cheaper than in the Czech Republic, in some restaurants you pay a little more than you would expect for local specialties.
