Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LIVE MUSIC, THEATER & OPERA
Catch
classical concerts
by, among others, the George Enescu Philharmonic Orches-
tra at the sublime
Romanian Athenaeum
(Str. Benjamin Franklin 1-3;
&
021/
315-8798
); the box office (
&
021/315-6875
) operates Tuesday to Friday noon to
7pm, and before evening shows on Saturday and Sunday (4-7pm), and Sunday mati-
nees (10-11am).
Opera buffs can take in occasional performances at the Opera Român
â
(B-dul
Mihail Kog
â
lniceanu 70-72;
&
021/314-6980
); note that the box office is closed
Monday.
There's
jazz
at several venues around the city; one of the best-known spots is
Green
Hours 22 Jazz Café
(Calea Victoriei 120;
&
021/314-5751;
www.green-hours.ro;
open 24 hr.), which has even spawned its own alternative record label; call beforehand
to check what's on the program.
Major concerts, often by visiting international stars, are usually held at one of the
city's two football stadiums,
Stadionul Dinamo
or
Stadionul National,
while slightly
more intimate events are held at the
Arenele Romane
in Parcul Libert
â$
ii (also called
Parcul Carol I).
To find out what's showing (and whether its in English) at the
Ion Luca Caragiale
National Theater
, visit the box office (B-dul Nicolae B
â
lcescu 2;
&
021/314-
7171;
Mon 10am-4pm, Tues-Sun 10am-7pm). Other theaters worth checking out
are
Teatrul Odeon
(Calea Victoriei 40-42;
&
021/314-7234;
www.teatrul-odeon.
ro);
Teatrul Bulandra
(B-dul. Schitu M
â
gureanu 1;
&
021/314-7546;
www.bulandra.
ro); and Lipscani's
Teatrul du Comedie
(Sf. Dumitru 2;
&
021/315-9137
).
Note that you can buy tickets for most live events by visiting
Bilete Online (Online
Tickets)
at www.bilete.ro.
BARS & CLUBS
Bucharest loves to party, and you'll find a busy watering hole any time, night or day.
Cafes and bars are often interchangeable, adapting to the vicissitudes of the crowd or
the time of day; the same place you visit for an early-morning espresso could turn out
to be your late-night cocktail venue.
Horeca 100%
is published by the Romanian list-
ing group, 24-Fun (www.24fun.ro); it includes an extensive list of bars and clubs.
Club Bamboo
Grab a supermodel under each arm and strike a bourgeois pose;
you'll probably need to drop names to get through the front door, but inside it's an
Vice Advice for Guys
It's 10pm; the sun has just disappeared. You've finished a meal at a classy
restaurant. Venturing onto the sidewalk, you're waiting while your partner
powders her nose. Out of nowhere, a friendly, energetic man, no more than 22
years old, materializes: “Girls? You want girls? Wanna party with young girls?”
Flabbergasted, you decline. “Not tonight? Take my number. Maybe tomorrow.”
Prostitution is rife in Bucharest; the number of erotic clubs tucked between the
churches and monuments is staggering, so it's easy to assume that anything
and everything is up for grabs. Be warned: prostitution is illegal. A system of
bribes allows prostitutes to ply their trade even in top hotels; not surprisingly,
the cops get the largest cut.
