2020-05-01_Lonely_Planet_Traveller

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BACKTONATURE

TEAR OUT GUIDE

WITH

CONTRIBUTIONS

FROM

MARK

BAKER,

STEVE FALLON

AND

ANITA

ISALSKA.

PHOTOGRAPH:

DOUGLAS

MACKENZIE/ALAMY

BUCHARESTIN

NUMBERS

DATEOFBIRTH

70 BC

SIZE

88

sq miles

POPULATION

2.3million

WEIGHTOFCRYSTAL

CHANDELIERINTHE

PALACEOF

PARLIAMENT

2.5 tonnes

Best of

Bucharest

ESSENTIALS... Budget around £50–£60 for a double room in a mid-range hotel, and £10–£15 for a meal in a good restaurant

Anurbandeltain the

midstof thecity,the

Va ̆ca ̆reti NaturePark

is a surprisingsight.

Plannedto bea dam

duringthecommunist

era,theparkis now

hometo anentire

thrivingecosystem

(parcnaturalvacaresti.ro).

CHORALTEMPLE

StrSfântaVineri9–11

TheChoralTemple,builtin 1857,

is thecity’smainworking

synagogueandis visually

stunninginside.You’llneedyour

passportto enter.A memorial

to thevictimsof theHolocaust

(includingsome400,000

RomanianJews),erectedin

1991,frontsthetemple,whichis

a near-copyof a synagoguein

Viennadestroyedin 1938.

HERASTRAU PARK

herastrauparc.ro

Sprawlingovera largeareanorth

of Piat ̨aVictoriei,this200-hectare

parksurroundinga lakeis

(arguably)Bucharest’snicest

park,withshadedstrollsand

open-aircafés.At nightin

summer,someof thecity’sbest

clubsdecampalongtheshore

hereandtransformtheparkinto

anall-nightparty.Oneof the

mainentrancesto theparkis short

walk from Aviatorilor metro.

STAVROPOLEOSCHURCH

stavrolpoleos.ro

Thistinychurch,whichdates

from1724,willmakea lasting

impression,withits courtyard

filledwithtombstones,anornate

woodeninteriorand carved

woodendoors.

ARTIST

theartist.ro

Locatedin a restored1880svilla

onposhCaleaVictoriei,thisis

topfine-diningin Bucharest

thanksto chefPaulOppenkamp

andhisapproachto modern

cuisine,pepperedwith

Romanianinfluences.Themenu

changeseverythreemonths,

asidefromthenowlegendary

cucumbersorbet.Book ahead.

MAIZE

maize.ro

Winnerof 2018BestChefof the

Yearaward,Maizeis a must-visit

forits ‘newRomaniancuisine’

conceptandits farm-to-table

ingredients.Locatedin in oneof

Bucharest’supmarketdistricts,

it hasanopen-spacelayoutwith

a grillin plainsightanda summer

terrace.GreatforSunday brunch.

MODELIER

StrDuzilor 12

Artisanalburgers,excellent

Frenchfriesandhomemade

lemonadeservedin oversized

carafesarea fewdrawsat this

hipsterish,culture-centre-cum-

restaurantlocatedin a residential

neighbourhoodeastof thecentre.

FABRICADEBEREBUNA

bere-zaganu.ro

RunbythefolksbehindZa ̆ganu,

thepioneersof crabrewingin

Romania,thisbar(locatedonthe

city’s best-known street) shouldn’t

bemissedona drinkingcrawlin

Bucharest.Brewedat Maneciu-

Ungurenisince2013,it oersfive

Za ̆ganubeers:blonde,brown,an

IPA,a Red Ale and Adonis.

FIX

fixmad.com

Bucharest’sfirst‘botanicalbar’

servessomeof thecity’sbest

drinks,creativeconcoctionswith

seasonalingredients.Fabulous

gincocktailsunderquirkynames

area guarantee;there’salso

crabeer.Withthefriendliest

bartendersin townanda cozy,

hipsettingin PalatulUniversul(a

formerprintinghouse),you’llfeel

rightat home.Frequentevents

attracta cool,creativecrowd.

LINEA/CLOSERTO

THEMOON

CaleiaVictoriei 17

At thetopof Victoriadepartment

store,thisis Bucharest’smost

popularrooopbar,displaying

aningeniouscosmicthemeand

oeringpanoramic city views.

POINT

whatsthepoint.ro

Housedin a restoredheritage

building,Pointis a culturalhub

fosteringcontemporaryarts

throughexhibitions,screenings,

artistresidenciesandtheatre

productions,witha lovelygarden

in useduringsummer.There’sa

gourmetkitchenas well as a bar

with mixologists.

Romania’scapitalsometimes

getsa badrap,butin factit’s

dynamic,energeticandlotsof

fun.Allowat leasta fewdays

to takein theverygood

museums,strolltheparksand

hangoutat trendycafés and

drinking gardens.

TheMoorish

Revival-

styleChoral

Temple

Greatchoice

forwarmer

evenings