Granted, I did spend almost all of my time in Bucharest , so this could have made the difference. I spent 2 days in Brasov and went to see the Bran Castle nothing special at all!!! Brasov was certainly nice, clean, charming, etc. I would recommend Brasov as a rest from Bucharest. Bucharest on the other hand was very big, very spread out which made taking taxis necessary for moving around at night, caotic, dirty and noisy.
I did see dogs on the streets, but nothing to really alarm me. Beggars were also visible, but nothing bothersome. I never felt unsafe walking around and did see a good police presence. I will say that Bucharest has a number of very beautiful buildings. I am not talking about the palaces that they talk about in guide books.
I highly recommend simply walking around down any random block. You will be amazed at the number of majestic buildings and palaces. I really enjoyed this. The city, though, just did not live up to what I expected. These cities are more "western European", whereas in Bucharest I really felt like it was "east Europe ". I could count on one hand the number of people I saw actually with a smile on their face. The words "thank you", "excuse me" I have never seen such bad service in my lifetime.
People could speak a bit of English, but at times this was even a problem. Taxi drivers are the biggest thieves in the world in Bucharest. Always check how much they are charging you per lei before starting. I was consistently overcharged and only when one of my Romanian friends negotiated the rate did I pay 3x less! The food was nothing special. It seemed to lack any real taste. Many times I found it to be very bland. The nightlife was ok at best. I found the clubs to be very "cliq-ish" i.
I was recommended the top clubs like Bonsai and Bamboo. Also I went to Office and Planters. These places are full of beautiful women who know it! I just felt like it was a private party only for them, whereas when I walk into a disco in Warsaw, for example, it feels more like a party with everybody invited. I would also caution people that you will find working girls in these places who are there only to get money out of tourists. They have no shame in telling you upfront how much their time costs I also saw working girls in my 4 star hotel in the lobby and reception did nothing about this.
