Romania: Bucharest
Bucharest is one big shopping spree. You can find all of the top UK name brands and a few elite US brands for approximately free. The minimum ATM withdrawal is $3 and the average annual income is under $5,000. Need we say more?
Despite having a currency exchange booth on every corner, Bucharest doesn't seem to pull many tourists. This is good for you because no tourists means no tourist prices. The worst you'll find are at Piazza Umirii, the town center.
The locals typically won't short change you, even though their money has so many zeros ($1 = L32,000) that they could get away with it. The only jackasses we found were taxi drivers and they didn't steal more than a couple dollars. Only ride in cabs with meters (preferably ones where the price is advertised on a sticker), make sure it's set to zero and don't negotiate a price upfront. The standard fare is L4500 - 5000/km (a few pennies), so if your driver's meter is "broken" (highly probable), just estimate how far you drove and round down. Be sure to tip the ones who don't try to rip you off.
Bucharest Things to Do
Supposedly there is more to do in Bucharest than shop, but every local we asked could only name two things:
The People's House (metro Izvor) is the world's second largest administration building that used to be a palace/is still a palace in the world. It's enormous -- too enormous to see the whole thing in a day -- but it's elegant, so when you're tired of shopping you should try.
The Village Museum (bus 331) has a thatched roof and holds Bucharest's history.
You can always just wander and admire the scenery. Bucharest is renowned for its beautiful architecture. For years it's been referred to as the "Paris of the east." The city has seen better days -- right now it's a bit rundown and smells of 16th century piss, but it's still impressive. If money is burning a hole in your pocket, you can pay the tourist agency at the train station $50 for a private tour. Or you could pay eight different taxi drivers half that amount and circle the city's sites a dozen times. Up to you.
Hotels around the train station are not only scary (that says a lot coming from us), but expensive. We found the best deal at the Hotel Muntenia (Str. Academei nr. 19-21 telephone: 314.60.10). $15 for a single, $23 for a double. It's a two km taxi ride from the main train station ($0.30).
