24 hours in Bucharest for solo travellers

Highlights

• Warm up for the day with an espresso and a cheesy pastry in one of Bucharest’s endless bakeries.
• Stretch your legs around the Old Town, ticking off some historical checkboxes (so it’s not all just eating and drinking).
• Head to the outskirts of the city and hit up Europe’s biggest spa, where you can swim, steam, sweat, or just sink cocktails on the ‘Urban Beach’.
• Back to the city for sundowners on one of Bucharest’s many rooftop bars, before dinner and dancing into the early hours.

Safety tip

If you’re flying in from the airport, watch out for taxi scams that pretend you are having to go to another city from where the airport is. Sadly the presence of Uber hasn’t made taxi drivers in the area more professional to compete. I’ve had taxi drivers try to claim the journey is £100+ when I know that is categorically nonsense. They can be threatening in those situations, so I would play it safe and stick with Uber.

Shame really.

Author experience

Fun fact: David’s Great Great Uncle Alexander Zaharia designed two of the most beatiful buildings in the city and was a friend of former King Carol II

We take pride in making sure everything we write is done with personal travel experience. From my own travels there and editor David who is half Romanian himself, you can be sure we have our own unique take to offer.

About Bucharest

‘The New Berlin’, ‘Paris of the East’, or just Bucharest, whatever you want to call it, the capital of Romania is one to watch. Whilst not (yet) as much of a hotspot as cities like Prague and Amsterdam, Romania does have plenty to offer, and the best news is that the prices won’t wipe that holiday smile off your face.

In terms of city breaks, Bucharest is a brilliant choice if you are tight on time. It’s not huge, it doesn’t have a completely overwhelming selection of things to see, and it has a real personality that’s equal parts beauty and brutal soviet style.

From the biggest spa in Europe to the heaviest building in the world, Bucharest doesn’t do things by halves, and neither should your 24-hour itinerary. This list that’s coming up is for those who want an action-packed 24 hours, stuffed with as many sites and food stops as possible.

Editor David’s note: Why I think Bucharest is a great 24 hour stop for a solo traveller pining for some stimulation is that it is so walkable and where it’s not saturated with tourism, the hostels tend to be really friendly. People are open to chatting with others. In the morning, you can build yourself a walking tour for free or book one from your accommodation and experience everything from the King Michael I park, some of the classic historic buildings around the Old Town and be back in time for fun.

One of the legacies of the Soviet era apart from stealing lots of people’s architecturally stunning homes (my family’s included), and knocking them down, is they made some lovely parks. You get a sunny day when you’re over there and you’ve lucked in.

Where to sleep in Bucharest

To have the best chance of seeing and doing everything you want to, you should stay in the Old Town. Picture narrow streets, bars and clubs spreading out onto the pavements at night, and all kinds of architecture, from fancy French examples to brutalist, post-communist buildings.

Bucharest is probably not the first place on most backpackers’ travel hit lists, so hostel choices are slightly limited. But the good news is that you can find a bargain. Even in the peak of summer, you’ll pay around £17 for a bed in a hostel dorm. Or, if you’re not into sharing, Airbnb’s are as cheap as £30-£50 per night, and you’ll get a nice room for that (not a dive that you won’t want to head back to). You don’t see those prices in Paris.

Want some inspo on where to stay? Check out our top picks for solo travellers with a range of budgets.

To and from Bucharest

Bucharest has two main airports, Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) and Băneasa – Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU). If you’re flying in from abroad, you’ll probably land at OTP, which is slightly further out of the city.

Transport from the airport to the city is easy, with Uber/Bolt, taxis, buses and trains on offer. As with most places in Europe (apart from the UK), public transport is shockingly cheap, too. It’ll cost you around 5 Lei (don’t exchange loads of Euros for your trip, Romania uses its own currency) to get to the city from the airport, which takes about 30 minutes… that’s £1 to us Brits. (Or $1.30 to US visitors)

Travel tip

Depending on how trusting you are and how much cash you have on you, you can haggle with rideshare drivers in Bucharest. Once they turn up to collect you, they’ll be keen to ‘cancel’ the trip via Uber and offer you a better cash price, which is usually super cheap. More profit for them and less in Uber’s pocket, which suited me fine.

Budgeting for 24 hours in Bucharest

You’ve probably picked up on this so far, but I’ll spell it out again: Bucharest is very budget-friendly. Especially considering this is a capital city.

Now, that’s not to say you couldn’t get yourself into some trouble if the drinks are flowing and the credit card makes an appearance, but if you’re sensible, you should be pleasantly surprised when Monzo sends your “Here’s how much you spent in Bucharest” summary.

To give you a rough idea…

Accommodation

Let’s say £20, which would get you a bed in the nicest hostel.

Transport

A day pass for all public transport is about £4, you can use buses, trams and the Metro with this pass. Let’s factor in travel to and from the airport by Uber too, which would be about £12 each way (based on what I paid myself in May 2025). Apart from that, the city itself is very walkable, so you probably won’t need to spend much else on transport.

Food and drink

Food and drink are where you will notice a big saving, especially if you’re used to travelling to places like London, Rome, or Paris.

Caru’ cu bere is a Bucharest landmark and a place I’ll touch on a bit more later. For now, I’ll just tell you that a 1-litre stein of beer is under £10, and a main from the ‘chef’s special’ section of the menu is £15-£40. If those prices seem higher than you were expecting, bear in mind that this restaurant is one of the most iconic restaurants in the city. Not just another pub on a street corner.

If food isn’t your thing and you just want to fuel yourself for as little as possible, I’d spend 24 hours eating shawarma (a strangely popular dish in Bucharest), which will set you back a couple of quid each.

Activities/entertainment

Entry to the spa (more on that shortly) is £15, but I’m going to assume you have a few drinks there and double that. You’ll probably also want to get a taxi to and from the spa, which will add around another £20.

Total estimated budget for 24 hours in Bucharest

(Prices established as of 2025)

• £20 accommodation
• £25 transport to and from the airport
• £5 on a coffee and a pastry for breakfast
• £30 for a big lunch
• £50 to go to Therme
• £20 for dinner

That comes in at around £150 total, not including whatever you decide to spend on drinks… I could spend £150 in London within a blink, so to me, that’s a bargain trip.

1 day in Bucharest itinerary

Whether you’re on inter-railing or heading off to the beaches of Constanta, you’ve got one day/one night in the city, and this is how we think you should do it. We have built this 24 hour guide based on what a solo traveller could or would potentially want to do.

Morning

You’ve landed early and you’re hightailing it into the city to drop your bag off and start exploring.

First stop, breakfast and coffee. I don’t know if it’s the French influence or just because who doesn’t love pastries, but bakeries are a big thing in Bucharest, so you need to try one. Go for a ‘Placinta cu Branza’, which is a savoury, cheesy pastry with layers of ricotta or feta, and honey. It’ll keep you going until at least midday.

Once you’re fueled, spend the morning wandering the Old Town and surrounding areas, ticking off some culture vulture sites like:

• Revolution Square: Where Romania’s communist dictator gave his last speech in 1989, before his execution a few days later. Interestingly, his wife (also executed) was hated more.
• The Palace of the Parliament: The heaviest building in the world and the most expensive administrative building ever constructed (thanks to that dictator I just mentioned).
• The Church of the “Stavropoleos” Monastery (an 18th-century church and one of the oldest religious monuments in the city).

Lunch

Travelling for me is almost all about the food, so I’m never skipping a meal when I’m in a new place. Once you’ve walked that Placinta cu Branza off, it’s time for Caru’ cu bere, which is a perfect example of Romanian cuisine.

If you’re wondering what kind of cuisine to expect, I’d say vegetarians beware. Romanian food is big on carbs and meat. That being said, Caru’ cu bere does offer some veggie options, special mention to the Salată de vinete, which is an eggplant dip similar to Baba Ganoush. If you’ve got room for something sweet after, Papanasi (fried doughnuts with cream and fruit) is another must.

Afternoon

Time for a tourist tickbox, Therme Spa, the biggest spa in Europe and a chance for you to wash off the grime of the day so far, ready for a big night out in Bucharest.

Tickets are around 90 lei (£15) for 3 hours, depending on whether you go on a weekday or weekend. If you’re not sure about timings (you can pay to stay longer), I would say that 3 hours is plenty, especially if you’re only in Bucharest for a day.

The spa is split off into different areas, so just be aware of which areas you are entering. You tap your wristband to get through to extra sections (like the steam rooms and UV saunas), and this will be added to your bill at the end. You also tap and go for any drinks, which can get dangerous…

Evening

Once you’ve rolled yourself out of Therme, either because you’re so relaxed or because that wristband took a beating, it’s time to get ready for sundowners.

As with most European cities, rooftop bars are a big vibe in Bucharest, and the perfect place to get warmed up for dinner. A personal favourite is Nomad bar, which has a small outdoor terrace, a big indoor one, some of the strangest toilets I’ve ever seen, and a real, stuffed giraffe.

Drinks are good, and relatively cheap, plus there’s usually a DJ or some live music to foot-tap along to. Food is also good too, if you want some pre-dinner nibbles before the main event.

If you prefer something a little more boujee, you have the riverside bars over at King Michael I Park also known as Herăstrău Park. Maybe Boujee is the wrong word, but it’s a bit less wild and a bit more refined. The area gets very popular around weekend evenings at sunset and table booking can sometimes be needed in advance.

These places are Bucharest’s take on the Belgrade riverboat party scene and can cap off a nice walk around the city seeing traditional historic sites like the Triumphal Arch.

Great for nice views too.

I found myself over at Beraria – https://www.instagram.com/berariah/

Where to eat?

If you fancy something traditional with full classic waiting service in a beautiful location, check out Hanul Berarilor. A dining brand with two locations in the city, one of which occupies a rare remnant of pre communist renaissance style architecture.

Check their socials: https://www.instagram.com/hanuberarilor.restaurant/

Night

Dinner starts late and carries on til the early hours in Romania, so there’s no rush to hit a restaurant. But, once you’re ready to line your stomach, I’d head to Strada Lipscani, which has endless restaurants, tables, and diners spilling out into the street.

It can be a little sensory overload (super loud music, flashing lights, girls dancing in the windows (clothed girls that is), and hosts trying to tempt you to sit down at their place), but you’ve got to see it.

After that, if you’re into late nights, Face Club is the new place to be in Bucharest. This club is OTT in every sense of the word, so don’t expect a quiet night.

Departure morning

Depending on how much sleep you got and what time your flight is, you might have time to squeeze in one more site. Head to Macca-Vilacrosse Passage for a quick caffeine hit, maybe some brunch, and to feel like you stepped back in time to the 1800s. 

Other places to go in Romania

If you’re travelling through Central Europe and have a bit more time to spend in Romania, then I recommend making a beeline for some of the following.

Winter

Go skiing in Brașov, one of the more affordable resorts in Europe, and of course check out the castle of Vlad Dracule in Bran. (Dracula)

• Tours of Dracula’s castle – See options
• Ski trips in Brasov – See options

Summer

Well skiing will be a write off, but hiking in the Translyvanian mountains is an absolute bucket list for many. Add to that, Dracula’s castle is still on the cards and you should get yourself to Constanta beach for some wild day parties. You might even see King Charles III out walking.

Famously the Australian/Canadian/British/Bahamian/Belizean/Kiwi… monarch has a number of holiday homes in Transylvania.

Getting to Constanta from Bucharest takes about 2.5 hours and will set you back around £12 / $16

Check out Omio for booking

Where next?

Bucharest isn’t one of the bigger capital cities in Europe, so after your 24-hour whistle-stop tour, you’ve probably got a decent taste of what this country’s about. Whilst Bucharest isn’t up there with the likes of Prague, Amsterdam and Budapest yet, I think it’s going to get there. So, get in ahead of the curve, whilst the prices are still low, and make the most of this special Eastern European city before it’s overrun with tourism.

If you’re doing a roadtrip, you may appreciate this guide next:

• 3 Week Balkans Itinerary & Roadtrip