Job Discussion Forums

[johnyarrington]

Hello All,

I am an EFL teacher in Saudi Arabia. I would like to visit Bucharest this summer for about a week-10 days with my wife. Could anyone recommend a reasonable furnished apartment or 3-4 star hotel in Bucharest? I need to have a confirmed reservation before we go, because it is a requirement for my wife's visa. She is Vietnamese.

By the way, do you know anything about the Vietnamese community in Romania? Such as, which section of Bucharest is it located in? Any tips on good restaurants, etc.?

Thank you in advance.

[Bebsi]

Hi Johnny,

Why Bucharest????

PM me.

[Mike_2003]

Hi,

There are a lot of agencies who rent out apartment for the short term, and they are often cheaper than the hotels. Try going to

http://www.entertainmentbucharest.com

for listings of hotels and rental agencies.

I don't know about the Vietnamese community but there's a Vietnamese restaurant close to Foisorul de Foc which I can recommend. I've no idea how authentic it is as I've never been to Vietnam, but it's quite reasonably-price, clean and with good service.

All the best,
Mike

[johnyarrington]

Dear Mike_2003,

Thanks very much for that link. Very reasonable prices, lots of other info I'm interested in. I was checking hotels that cost 70-80 Euros. These that you gave me, on this site, were much more reasonable. I'm looking forward to our visit, and these prices will make getting the visa for my wife easier.

Thanks again.

[Mike_2003]

You're welcome. Hope you have a good trip and let me know if you want to know anything else.

Mike

[Bebsi]

Johnny,

I was going to PM you some info but then decided that maybe an intro to Romania would be of use to others as well.

Yes, you can easily rent a very nice apt with Sat TV, DVD, etc from about 40 euro a night upwards. 40 typically gets you a studio or small one bedrm, 50-55 a large one bedrm or maybe even a two bedrm. The link Mike 2003 gave you is a good one, but if you do a search for apartments+bucharest you will get plenty of ads/links. They are, IMO, much better than hotels, because although Romania is pretty cheap, Bucharest hotels are the notorious exception (along with car-hire). If you decide on a hotel, the Ibis is around 60 euro a room w/o brkfst, and also the Bucharest NH is cheaper at weekends. I don't know what the Parc Great Western is like pricewise, but GWs are generally very good value.

For eating, I would recommend a few places that are especially good. El Bacha is a wonderful Lebanese restnt in the Marriot, and Burrebista just behind the Inter Continental in the centre, is a great place for classic Romanian food, especially game. Also, a lovely little Italian place is La Papi, not far from the Gara du Nord, in Str. Popa Tatu, where food, service, friendliness and prices are the Biz!!. Bit packed at weekends, tho!

There are many others too numerous to mention, but these should get you started! Any taxi will know where they are. Avoid the more hyped-up places, as many try to charge western prices (a complete waste of money in Romania, where so many great cheap places exist). In the ones I mentioned, you can really stuff your faces with 4 courses, wine and a few digestifs for 30 euro. In the more traditional Romanian restaurants (a hit and miss affair as some are a tad greasy!!), you can eat a good feed for two with beer for about half that.

I wouldn't actually stay in Bucharest for a whole week, as it's not exactly Romania's nicest city. 2/3 days is enough. As a single person I'd say, yes, by all means, but if you or your wife fancy a taste of medieval history and great atmosphere, or just wish to relax in beautiful surroundings, Sighisoara in the centre of Transylvania is divine. I would recommend Casa Cu Cerb, a fully renovated medieval hotel in the old square, which is German run. For 50 euro a night you get a massive double room with free mini-bar. I would avoid the hostels, if I were you, as they're very much backpacker oriented. Having a meal with a glass of wine out on the cobblestoned square as evening falls and the medieval shadows lengthen, is truly unforgettable. Vlad Tepes was born next door, BTW!!

Car hire is expensive in Romania as yet, and drivers are not great, but if you've driven in KSA, Romania is child's play! Trains are very cheap, and if you want comfort you can take the Inter City (even first-class is laughably cheap by, say, UK standards).

Closer to Bucharest is the city of Brasov, whose medieval centre is worth checking out. The old square is beautiful, and there are bus tours to places like Bran Castle, the so-called Dracula's castle. Very tacky, IMO, best avoided. For the real Dracula trip, you would need a lot more than a week, as most places associated with the novel and with Vlad Dracula (Tepes) are off the beaten track. However, Brasov is also close to some spectacular scenery, that compares with Switzerland & Austria.

Any specific Qs, PM me, and I will attempt to answer.

Welcome to Romania!

"Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring!" -Bram Stoker, Dracula

[johnyarrington]

Dear Bebsi and Mike_2003,

Thanks again! Very helpful. Now I've lots to do, a better feel, where I want to go, etc......

By any STROKE of luck, do you happen to know if a Vietnamese passport holder can cross over into Hungary for a day or 2??!! I know it's a remote chance, but since you both seem to know Romania so well...... I would ask here in Saudi, but I can't seem to locate the Hungarian Embassy. Actually, I don't think there is one. The Romanian Embassy has given me what I need to know about there, but I can't get any visa info from Hungary. This is a very specific and very important question for me. I don't want any border hassles.

Thank you very much for your helpful posts.

[Mike_2003]

Hi again,

You could try calling the Hungarian Embassy in Riyadh:

00966(1) 454-6707 or 456-8644

Or perhaps the Hungarian Embassy in Vietnam:

(00)-(844) 771-5714 or 771-5715 or 771-5718
After hours: (00)-(84)-(90)-3409660 (from abroad)

I saw a list of countries from which citizens may visit for up to 90 days without a visa and Vietnam wasn't among them, so I think she'll probably need some kind of tourist visa. Just in case you need to go and sort it out before you leave, here's the address of the Hungarian Embassy in Riyadh:

Al Waha District,
Ahmed Al-Touncy Str. 23,
11693, Riyadh
P.O.B. 94014

Good luck!

Mike

[Bebsi]

Johnny,

I would forget Hungary, as you won't have time if you've got just a week. There's more than enough to see in Romania. Indeed, though I live here now, and have been here on and off since 2003, I still haven't seen most of it.

Your Vietnamese wife WILL need a visa to visit an EU member state. Don't know if they are easy to get or not. You can inquire, but why bother?

You don't incidentally, "pop" into Hungary. It is 10 hours fast drive (as fast as the roads will allow) to Budapest from Bucharest, and if hiring a car, you may not be allowed to take it out. Bus and train both take about 13 hours Bucharest-Budapest. Outside of Budapest, there is nothing of note to see in Hungary, at least that I am aware of. City itself (we drove there for a few days at Easter) is visually very nice, but much more expensive than Bucharest and crawling with tourists happy to get ripped off.

Stick with Romania. Do maybe three days in Bucharest, and another three or four in either Brasov or Sighisoara. You won't regret it, believe me.

That's my advice!