The capital of Romania (Bucureşti in Romanian) is named after its founder, a shepherd called Bucur. It is situated between the Carpathian foothills and the Danube River, on the Wallachian plains. Before WWII, in the 1930s Bucharest was known as 'Paris of the East', but WWII, earthquakes and above all dictator Ceausescu have degenerated much of the original splendor.

A good example of the destruction by Ceausescu, happened in the 1980s. 7000 homes and 15 churches in historic southern Bucharest were bulldozed to make place for a Civic Center. Another example of wasting money that could have been used to raise living standards for the population is the House of the People, a 12-storey building, intended to be the largest building in the world. It was nearly finished when Ceausescu was executed and it now is the second largest building in the world, after the Pentagon. Ceausescu planned to house the president's office, the central committee and all the state ministries in this building. The first democratic government after Ceausescu's execution; the Iliescu government decided in 1994 to house the Parliament and to host international conferences in it. You can visit the building with a guide so you won't get lost in this 1000-room giant.

As a result of all this destruction there is not much of the 'old' left in the capital. In central Bucharest you will find the 16th century Old Court Church though, where beautiful frescoes can be seen. Musician George Enescu has a museum named after him that shows manuscripts and personal belongings of him. The Athenee Palace Hotel was the center of decadence in the early 1900s. A US$50 million facelift at the end of the 20th century turned it into the city's classiest and most expensive hotel. If you want to visit Ceausescu's grave, it is on the Ghencea Civil Cemetery in western Bucharest. Nicolae has quite an ornate grave, decorated with flowers and candles; his wife Elena's grave is sober. Their son Nicu (boss of Transylvania and notorious drunkard and playboy) is buried nearby.

The outskirts of Bucharest are very ugly, as the population was housed in massive gray concrete apartment blocks there. For accommodation you will have to go to the city center where most hostels and hotels are located around the main railway station (Gara de Nord). Restaurants are widely available, and all different price classes and cuisines can be found. All nightlife is also situated in the center; including bars, nightclubs, theatres and cinemas.