Romania’s capital has seen an influx of visitors thanks to the hype around Therme Bucharest Spa, but the real gems are in the heart of the city. When Leeds Bradford Airport added a new route to its slender timetable, my fate was sealed. In a spontaneous frenzy, I grabbed return flights for under £150 (€178), shoved a few T-shirts into a minuscule bag that only just met Ryanair’s requirements for carry-on luggage, and booked two nights in the first hotel I found that wasn’t owned by an American conglomerate.
With just 48 hours to explore , a tight itinerary was essential. So, I trawled through TikTok in search of the most perfect yet compact bucket list, and pinned everything strangers on the internet insisted I must see down on Google Maps. I’m ashamed to admit I knew next to nothing about the city I was suddenly landing in, except that it had long been somewhat of a base camp for Transylvania: home to the world’s second-most famous vampire before Edward Cullen.
But, and its spooky tales of Dracula is more than 150 km away from the airport - which meant committing to a five hour round trip on what was supposed to be a quick-fire holiday. Could I be bothered? No. Do I have a driving licence? Also no.
After my dreams of seeing a bloodsucking monster were shattered, so was I. I had arrived late (shout out to Ryanair for its sociable flight times), meaning the only thing on my to-do list was order French fries and Diet Coke to my room, and fall asleep to idling engin.
