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| Coat: £69, Marks & Spencer. Jumper: £41.30, La Redoute. Watch: £165, Skagen. Belt: £8, Asos. Jeans: £39.99, Gap. Bag: Skagen (buy similar here). Shoes: Isabel Marant (in the sale here). Photographs: Christopher O’Donnell |
There’s something about Eastern Europe – the architecture, the history, the food – that I love. I have wanted to visit Romania’s capital for a while now…we actually wanted to see Transylvania as well but didn’t have enough time this trip. Instead, as I had serious jetlag from a work trip the week before, we decided to stroll the cobbled streets, eat some Eastern European comfort food and experience some culture of the city.
As someone with a thirst for travel but a severe lack of time, a nearby city break is the perfect getaway for me. And, weirdly, I love packing for a short city trip – cosy knits, denim and flats are my swear-by attire, and I love to travel light whilst walking around – a neat cross-body bag does the trick (my poor hubby carries the camera!). These loafers are still a great buy, they smarten up jeans and a crombie coat no end.
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| Watch: £165, Skagen. |
Bucharest itself, is still a little rough around the edges – Budapest has stolen its crown of Paris of the East – and the Romanian capital still has a long way to go in terms of cafe culture and tourism (it’s still very much a stag do location) but it has some real gems, some good coffee shops and art galleries.
We stayed at the Intercontinental hotel, it’s a bit more of a business hotel than our usual taste, but for location, comfy beds and the best service, it was perfect. The concierge service is great and they can organise dinners, tours (of Dracula’s castle in Transylvania) and taxis etc with no qualms.
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| Backpack: £249, Skagen. Bag: Skagen (buy similar here). |
The Old Town is probably the best part of the city to walk around, full of cafes, cobbled streets and historical buildings everywhere you look.
Food-wise, Caru cu Bere is a must for those after decent, homecooked Romanian comfort food with live entertainment – full of tourists and locals alike, it really got us in the mood when we landed. Expect a lot of goulash, meatballs wrapped in cabbage and smoked sausages!
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| Biserica Stavropoleos, an Orthodox monastery from 1724 |
We really enjoyed the Romanian Museum of Art, but photos weren’t allowed inside (except the amazing marble staircase!) – so take it from me that it’s worth visiting. The European art included Monet, Renoir and some amazing Flemish and Dutch masters: Van Cuyp and Breughel.
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| Carturesti, an amazing book store with cafe |
With interesting history (both old and new), cheap flights and super affordable food, we’re plotting where else in Eastern Europe we need to visit…
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| Coat: £69, Marks & Spencer. Jumper: £41.30, La Redoute. Watch: £165, Skagen. Belt: £8, Asos. Jeans: £39.99, Gap. Bag: Skagen (buy similar here). Shoes: Isabel Marant (in the sale here). |
This post was in collaboration with Skagen – minimalist accessories at their best.
Intercontinental Bucharest kindly comped our room but we paid for our flights and all expenses.
Just perfect 🙂
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Your jumper is amazing! I love La Redoute 🙂 I've never been to Eastern Europe but I've been desperate to go for quite some time now. I sympathise with not having much time on your hands, it's great that you've been squeezing in mini breaks! I tend to just watch the time slip through my fingers eek! Time to get booking some breaks 🙂 xxx
Lucy @ La Lingua | Life, Travel, Italy
Thank you! it's so back on my radar! Definitely try Budapest, one of my favourites…I also love Prague (you can do an open top Skoda tour!) and Krakow is pretty cool, too. Luckily, I can always justify a minibreak with a blogpost, so we get work done at the same time (although then we never really have a real break, but it's fun!) xxx
Would recommend Budapest and Ljubljana/Lake Bled combo in Slovenia. Gorgeous!
Love Budapest but definitely been too long…and Ljubljana has always been on my list! x
If you ever around visit Lithuania, it is one of the most beautiful countries 🙂
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Oh really? Not heard much about Lithuania – love a bit of a hidden gem! xx
Jones Bootmaker sell similar loafers to that in case anyone is looking for a high street alternative!! Just be sure to coat them with suede protection spray before wearing as the dye transfers to your feet if they get at all damp…
You should definitely visit Zagreb in December and check out why it was voted the best Christmas fair in Europe in 2016 🙂
Oh wow – didn't even realise Zagreb had a xmas market – sounds amazing! xx
Hi! So you have been to Budapest many times? How comes there are no blog posts about any of your visits? I would love to see!
Only once – but before my blogging days! I went travelling round Europe in 2006 and did a lot of Eastern Europe xx
You should go again, a lot has changed in the last 10 years! 🙂