Bukarest gay nightlife
Our detailed gay guide to Romania to inspire and help you plan your visit to this underrated country in East Europe.
Romania, the homeland for the goths at heart.
After all, the central region of Transylvania is the inspiration for the famous novel “Dracula”. Hands up, who didn’t have a vampire phase? What same-sex attracted teenager didn’t pine after Robert Pattinson in “Twilight”? But despite its cryptic and haunting backdrop, Romania as a whole is delightfully pleasant.
With cities that reflect the medieval villages we see in the history books, locals that are passionate about animation, and streets that are bursting with character and natural scenery, Romania took our breath away and completely surprised us! Not to mention all the many charming old churches, the range of delicious food, and the amiable locals. For us, Romania embodies all that is magical about Eastern Europe.
From the outset, we knew Romania wasn’t the most gay-friendly country that we’ve been to. Yet despite this, we found several queer hangouts in the main big cities, especially in Bucharest. Plus, when we did find these spaces, we found them to b
Exploring LGBT Bucharest, Romania.
Maybe what you need is a full meal instead, and for this Bucharest is well-equipped. To experience the fascinating mix of Mediterranean and Slavic that is Romanian cuisine, tourists chief often to Caru’ Cu Bere (Strada Stavropoleos 5. Tel: + ), touted as Bucharest’s oldest restaurant, and indeed the interior is stunning with its frescoes, stained glass, and vaulted ceilings. Or they’ll inspect out Hanu’ Lui Manuc (Strada Franceză Tel: + ), whose vast courtyard is reason enough to call on, claimed to be the city’s largest. For my money, though, unassuming tiny Vatra (Strada Ion Brezoianu Tel: + ), nearby but not as much on the tourist radar, is the best in town both for service and cuisine (this is confirmed by my ally Andrei, who certainly knows great Romanian food). It’s a beautiful spot, with walls covered in traditional Romanian textiles and shelves holding an array of ceramics. The food is astounding, from a Romanian cheese plate (washed down with Sauvignon Blanc from Romanian winery Serve) to such traditional dishes as sarmale (stuffed cabbage leaves). Dessert? Papanasi (a doughnut-type pastry smothered in sour cream and sour cherries
Jack Kenworthy( Queer Travel Maestro )
Queer travel expert Jack Kenworthy turns + metropolis adventures into your manual for safe, vibrant, and inclusively fabulous global journeys.
Bucharest is a completely refreshing capital city filled with delightful culture, ugly communist architecture, plenty of relaxing – and cheap – spas and a burgeoning dining scene.
Tourism is quickly conclusion Bucharest. However, Gay Bucharest has been slow-coming. The s were marked by plenty of blatant homophobia and general cultural intolerance of gay people across Romania, attitudes which proceed to persist today.
Thankfully, things are slowly changing, though, as Bucharest’s gay scene continues to slowly develop and come out of the shadows – in no small part thanks to the effort of groups like Accept Romania. Don’t expect to find a huge gay scene here like in Gay Tel Aviv or Brussels, but we were surprised to find there are now gay clubs in Romania outside of Bucharest too – Like in Sibiu or Cluj-Napoca (and we have heard rumors of one opening in Timioara this year!
As in much of Eastern Europe, attitudes are slow
Our gay travel guide to the gay scene of Bucharest includes where to stay, where to compete, and lots of invaluable safety tips for LGBTQ travelers to Romania.
Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, is one of Europe's hidden gems. It's a fantastic city to search – safe, with a rich history, many outstanding bars, restaurants, a bustling Old Town, and even a (small) gay scene. This is a enormous deal for an Eastern European country like Romania where LGBTQ rights are sadly lagging behind the rest of Europe.
Bucharest is also very inexpensive compared to other European capitals, and easy to extend with all major budget airlines across Europe. Score!
We used Bucharest as our base to explore Romania – a stunning region, with some impressive mountain scenery in Transylvania in the north and even a beach in the Black Sea at Constantia in the south. Bucharest is located right in the middle of the country with the optimal connections to all other parts of Romania. It's also a super playfulness place to go out, whether in the vibrant nightlife of the Antique Town or to one of the many queer and gay friendly places we set out in this guide.
This is our comprehensive gay guide to Bucharest fr
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