Last year we got to spend four days in the beautiful city of Bucharest - Romania's capital! As it was December, the city had descended into Christmas cheer; the capital had decorations throughout the streets.
Here are our favourite things we did while in Bucharest in winter, whether you're feeling Christmassy or are aligning more with the values of The Grinch.
The Christmas Market
Perhaps my favourite part of our trip was the Christmas Market! It was magical, extremely festive and was free to enter. It was like a smaller version of Winter Wonderland, but with the same charm and cold winter chill.
There were lots of things to do there: an ice rink, a stage with acts, food stalls and of course, mulled wine! I was running around trying the wine from different stalls - it was so delicious and each stall had their own unique twist. You could find stalls selling original Christmas gifts like nutcrackers, big cakes, cheese and ornaments. Also, there were little booths for magic shows and plays. We invested in these little gingerbread men - a cat and a Santa. They tasted different to the usual gingerbread men we eat here; the texture was more soft like a cake.
Moreover, there were a lot of opportunities for photos! At the heart of the market was this giant Christmas tree, brightly lit and covered in decorations. You could see it long before you entered the gate. There were lots of other lighting decor as centrepieces throughout the market too. Festive music played (we heard Queen's Christmas song for the first time ever) and it was a really lovely experience.
The Book Store
I had heard about Bucharest's famous bookstores before we travelled to the city. I love reading and always find bookshops to be the most wondrous of places. There's a chain of bookstores in Bucharest and all the shops are decorated beautifully, especially as it was the Christmas season.
We visited two stores, but the better (and bigger) one was Cărturești Carusel; it looked more like a library than a book vendor. This one took a little longer to find, even though it was two minutes away from our hotel. It's the one you'll see in all the Instagram pictures, with the spiral staircases and endless shelves of books. It is a reader's dream and we browsed the shop for an hour or so. I picked up many different novels, and non-fiction self-help books, but I settled on a beautiful illustrated book called The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World by Haemin Sunim.
The other book store was equally as quaint, and even had a little space for reading. It was a lot better for those who want to browse in a less busy environment. Although, it was a little further out than the other; the place was located right by the station.
The Streets
...(not the band).
If you've got a spare moment or two while you're staying in Bucharest, make sure to take a walk through the streets. The city is lit by beautiful festive lights, and people sell mulled wine and drinks from booths on the side of the road. The city centre also has some fantastic light installations to help you guide your way through the strip.
The Bars
There are plenty of bars for you to indulge in during your stay in Budapest! There's a strip filled with bars and restaurants, including an Irish bar and an English pub if you're feeling homesick.
This cool lighting display will lead you right to the bars! There was even an alternative bar/club called The Drunken Lords, which was crowded and full of lively people jumping around. Cocktails were flowing and rock music was playing! If that's not your kind of thing, there's a more chilled club next door.
The Igloo
I have seen restaurants with tables in igloos in London every year. I have always longed to go, but they are always busy, fully booked or really, really expensive. Therefore, when I saw a bar with optional outside igloo seating, I thought we wouldn't have a chance. However, the woman invited us in, asked if we smoked or not, and moved a couple people around so we could have our own igloo - without us asking for it at all! She was lovely and the service was great! Also, the igloo was heated, so we could finally take off our coats and scarves. I cannot find the name of the bar anywhere, but it was on the corner of the main strip and you won't be able to miss the big structures outside.
Therme
Rivalling the Christmas Market, Therme was an absolute dream. Make sure to invest in the ticket that allows you into all three of the areas - trust me, it's an absolute bargain for what you're about to experience. You can choose how long you'll spend there. I think we paid for all day, but we were so tired after only three hours! We got the free shuttle bus there, but an Uber back to our hotel. The taxi cost next to nothing, so I do recommend it if you want an easy journey. However, the traffic can be quite bad, so make sure to leave earlier if you've got to be somewhere exactly on time.
Depending what way you go into Therme, decides what area you'll visit first. We recommend our route, because it's full of surprises (only, if you didn't know about this place before, like us). Also, you'll need to buy flip flops if you didn't bring a pair of your own.
Firstly, we visited The Palm, where you'll find a swimming pool, a pool bar, jacuzzis, different baths with different minerals, sun loungers and the best part - an outside thermal bath! And yes, you can take your drinks with you! There is an outside too, but it's only open during the summer months.
Next, if you climb the stairs, you'll find Elysium - the spa area. This place was sent by the self-care Gods - it was filled with varied saunas, massage rooms and a relaxing outdoor area. The saunas all had different themes and in one, they were playing a Sir David Attenborough documentary about leopards. I can officially say, I did not want to leave.
Finally (and after being soothed by the best man alive's voice), we headed over to the Galaxy area, and
honestly this place just kept getting better at every turn. This section was a water park with flumes, water rides, a wave pool and a beach. Seriously, can a place get any better than Therme? I heard recently they were bringing one to Manchester, so here's hoping that news is true!
Băneasa Shopping City
Looking for some new garms?! Băneasa has got you covered. It's a huge shopping mall with lots of different shops for you to browse or buy from - clothes, make-up, perfume - the usual things you'd find at the mall. Also, there's a huge food court with loads of different options!
Cișmigiu Gardens
One of the prettiest parks in Bucharest, the gardens contain an ice-rink, light features and a path for a very lovely walk. Your journey will be lit by cute, Christmas lights as you stroll through the park. We went in the evening, so nothing was really open, but we reckon during the day it's thriving!
This photo was taken outside the gardens - it was far too cold to take more photos other than this one! However, the building opposite was even festive too.
The Traditional Restaurants
If you're choosing to visit Bucharest for the food, then you've made an excellent choice. There are lots of traditional restaurants serving Romanian food, like soup, cabbage rolls, stew and pickles!
We visited Vatra Restaurant and they had delicious food and traditional dancers as entertainment. It was lovely and I had the PASTRAV VATRA, which is lake trout covered with corn flakes, and served with white sauce and boiled potatoes.
We visited another restaurant on a different night and it was a lot busier. They managed to find us a table and we had the dishes below - mine was salmon and Ben had chicken! Outside was a beautiful Christmas tree, and they too had dancers and traditional music!
The Escape Room
Ben and I LOVE an escape room, and we try to do one in every city we visit (each time we wonder if finally this will be the one that's real and it'll turn into a horror movie). We love scary ones and LOCKEDup's Jigsaw game did not disappoint - I'm talking real screams and me hiding behind Ben and throwing him into walls in an attempt to escape.
Please check this out if you have time - you will not regret it!
Remember to wrap up warm as temperatures can drop to -2°. Make sure to take thermal clothes, gloves, socks and thick leggings, especially if you're going to go out in the evening.