WARNING !!!

Romania is an East-European country which starting with 21^st December 1989 through a violent and bloody revolution, came into begin from dictatorship and communism to a new social organization based on democracy and economically principle founded on marketing economy. Step by step, romanian people adapted themselves to the idea of capitalism, they learnt quite easy to value the concept of private property and they started to manifest clearly their initiative in economy founding companies and associations, some of them being present also all over the world.

To slip by the last years, Romania , on the whole, is beyond a doubt a modern country. Made significant steps in to the course of civilization, worth and quality of life, but mostly concerning reorganization of the social-economic large scale chain drove into a slow motion, typical to the past long lasting years of communism. As you probably know, beginning with 1^st January 2007 Romania sided with European Union and this represented an unquestionable assuming of the principals which lead the present modern world.

This doesn’t mean yet that in quality of foreigner at the first visit in this country you will not join the surprises, unintentionally less pleasant, or some things rationally thinking a little hard to understand. And yes, this fact it is most probably a truth striking force if the newcomer is not put on his guard regarding the existence of this first handed situations. Clearly, there are still some differences of civilization and development that all of the countries unstuck from under dictatorship registered in the most invariable way. For all that hardly visible and lessen by the Romanian people desire to get over this “remain standing”, they… continue to exist.  In this way if you come across Romania for the first time, I advice you to carefully treat from now on the following possible problems:

First of all… THE TAXI.  As you probably well know like in most of countries from the wide world, the taxi driver job signifies a relative facile and reasonable solution for the ones who didn’t succeed in life as they whished to do or another ones consider this employment as a go-between stage until getting another job. This way, the people you will meet at the wheel of the cars with the taxi sign, as it seems not always very anxious about their labour, or worse… your opinion or discomfort. In case you add the infernally traffic, mixed with streets and traffic light projected too long ago for just a 3^rd from the cars running in Bucharest (Capital of Romania) today, you just came across the image of the true adventure within a simple taxi drive from a place to another.
The best advice I can give is to pay more attention to the tariff / km, which here MUST (according to the law)  be visible, generally printed on coachwork of the car  (usual on the door) or on the wind screen, as well when you need to take a taxi choose the parking where you can see several cars, try to notice the predominant tariffs, and chose the one that charges less.
Here in Romania we have two types of taxi services. Services performed by taxi companies and the other ones – independent taxi. It is absolute indicated for you to choose the taxi companies, this ones finding themselves under the pressure of competition they charge less (sometimes with 80% less then the independent taxi). In order to remove the possibility of getting in a taxi that can leave you with empty pocket in just few km, you’d rather prefer calling to the taxi companies and never take (especially from the airport or railway station) taxi drivers that assaults you with their offers from the moment they see you. I suppose they have a  kind of  “feeling”…  they always seem to notice the foreigners (by clothes, hearing the language) and you may risk to be a victim.
Never start a dispute with the taxi driver. In case of major scandals they will call their fellow workers and it s not very nice finding yourself surrounded by dubious fellows ready to quarrel with somebody, impossible mission to find justice in the middle of them. Supposing that in the middle of the city you can be protected by the police… well you really are a foreigner.
You should also look on the chronometer (inside the car) that shows to you the tariff / km and charges you money. Lots of taxi drivers adjust their chronometer trough electronic method, having the possibility to charge more then double at once (especially when the drive is nearly over) trough pushing a button that is often confused with the regular ones (button for damage, radio button, etc.)
In case you are content with the drive you had and the driver’s attitude, ask him for his phone number (personal one)…  you never know when you will need him again, and for 5-7 euro more he will certainly come anytime to drive you where you need.

Also take care when you choose the hotel. It is better to ask before if they offer the TV channels you’re watching in your country, if they have internet in the room or just a net-coffee in the lobby, do they have their own restaurant and if so you will prefer it not to be rented in the respective period to who knows what event (in this situation you will have to take your meal in other places). Not every time the stars you see out-front reflect the quality of the services. If you would like to have some intimate fun in your hotel room, it is better to ask if you are allowed to bring someone in your room… Although may seem incredible, some of the hotels will not allow this… From who knows what reasons, some others will impose your “fun” just with the “well-known” of the hotel that most of times appear in the magazines from the hotel, but you will find that in fact they charge too much for what they offer, and the image of the girls you saw in the magazines is far to be truth from the image you have in front of you the minute she knocks at your door.
Not at the last, you will rather prefer to choose from the hotels situated in the center of the city or residential area.  They charge almost the same and the advantages are far incontestable.
From my past experience I will write here the name of a few girl friendly hotels :) . At least I never had problems there at the entrance. So:
- Rin Grand Hotel
- Persepolis Hotel
- Phoenicia Hotel
- Marriott Hotel
- Residence Oliviers Hotel
- Residence Cerisiers Hotel
- Pullman Hotel
- Howard Johnson Hotel
- Best Western Parc
- Comfort Hotels
- Ramada Plaza
- Ramada Nord
- Stil Hotel
- NH Hotel
- Royal Hotel
- Caro Hotel
- Parc Baneasa Hotel
- Class Hotel
- Euro Hotels International (from Bd. Maresal Averescu)
- Unique Hotel

On the link below you'll find the informations you need about Bucharest hotels.

http://www.hoteluri.bucuresti.tourneo.ro/F_New/
 

Before you start to know the city better, don’t look for neighbouring in the areas around the city. There are some neighbourhoods that you will not find very friendly, where, once lost, things are not very gladdening.

Renting an apartment looks like a good choice, but make sure that the images that you find on internet under the name or the short address of the apartment you choose will be the one that you are supposed to rent. Sometimes the people taking care of this kind of business, upload on the internet series of images of some absolutely luxurious apartments but when you are in front of the fact you may receive bad news like the one that just yesterday rented the apartment and was supposed to leave today, made himself comfortable for another 2 weeks and refuses to give the keys of the apartment. But cause they know how to handle this kind of  situations and to resolve your problem, they offer you another apartment, absolutely common… far from the luxury you have seen in the pictures from the promoting website… and surprise... same price (pretty big) or with only few cents cheaper.
So if everything goes well... and you received the apartment you wanted, let the owner know that you don’t want to be disturbed in the morning for cleaning service, getting in the apartment with the second set of keys. In this way you’ll avoid the possibility to be surprised in some embarrassing postures.

Do not consider Romania a country with poor people. This is far to be truth. You can call it a country where some got undeserved riches, the opulence and self-sufficiency are elements that fills the day, you will notice them from the moment you get out from the airport.