*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, street walks, street tips, safety concerns, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
Bucharest
Overview:
Bucharest has been nicknamed “The Paris of the East,” but while being somewhat misleading, there’s actually a lot to love about Romania’s capital the more you get to know it. Unlike Paris, it’s not one of the prettiest cities, with a feeling of neglect and communist past in its atmosphere and architecture, but there’s interest in its edge. Beneath that old exterior, you’ll find a young, dynamic vibrancy to the city mixed with history. It’s recently become one of the EU’s more popular cities for expats for a reason, there’s more going on than first meets the eye. So, while it might not overwhelm you with beauty and interest for street photography at first, with some time and effort, you’ll find Bucharest’s unique character for your camera.
So here’s a Street Photography guide so you can be ready to capture all that Bucharest has to offer before you arrive!
Map:
- Old City (Lipscani)
- Obor Market
- Gare du Nord
- Calea Moșilor
- Union Square area
Top 5 Street Spots:
1. Old City (Lipscani)
Bucharest’s Old City (Lipscani) is most of what’s left from pre-WWII Bucharest, when much of the city was destroyed. The Old City was put through extensive renovation since, making it feel nice, but not as authentically old, in my opinion. For many tourists, this area will be their favorite, though. A charming, compact old town filled with restaurants, bars and shops. It’s a nice place to spend some time with family and friends, while enjoying all the places to go in a small area, which also makes it a top spot for nightlife. As far as street photography goes, though, I can’t say it rivals many other Old Cities. It’s not very big and minus a few sites and typical older atmosphere, there’s not much to see compared to other Old Cities, especially anything you haven’t probably seen already. In my opinion, it’s more of a hot spot for fun, which does make it good for activity. So, for some guaranteed life mixed with a different atmosphere in Bucharest, you still have to make your way here with your camera. Its location was my favorite part, as it is right in the middle of other nearby spots to shoot too.
2. Obor Market
Obor is the name of a main square and metro station in Bucharest, and also home to one of the oldest and largest markets in the city. For 300 years it was the largest market in the city, covering 16 blocks and selling everything you can imagine, but has since been downsized to include a park and some more modern buildings. Still, there’s plenty of authentic old-style market left to explore with your camera, and its central location makes it a perfect spot for guaranteed activity. Produce dominates much of the market, which provides color, but you’ll find other goods for sale. Within the city, Obor is probably your best spot for market life for street photography. It’s big, still feels old, and has plenty of foot traffic in the area. Plus, it’s by a prime metro station to get you there and take you elsewhere.
3. Gare du Nord
Street photographer and friend Gabi ben Avraham recommended Bucharest’s main train station for street photography from his last visit to the city. After going, I can see why he did, especially with his personal photographic style. There’s great light and shadow at Gare de Nord, some of the best in the city. The train platforms are all outside so the sunlight comes down beautifully, especially the last few hours of the day. Also, the train station attracts plenty of activity and characters. There’s a mix of people taking the train, but also locals just hanging out. The variety of life makes it interesting. I ended up coming here many times to finish the day because of the light and because the main metro station here is perfect for taking you back home when done. You can spend hours walking up and down the different platforms and exploring the rest of the station, inside and out.
4. Calea Moșilor
Calea Moșilor is a historic street that runs from Obor to Piata Sf. Gheorghe. The section northeast of Bulevardul Carol up to Obor has two lanes and is more of a major road lined with communist-era apartment buildings, but is less interesting in my opinion. The section southwest of Bulevardul Carol down to Piata Sf. Gheorghe, on the other hand, is only one lane, but passes through old houses built in the 19th century and makes for an interesting area for street photography. While a little edgy and run down, it’s filled with character and older local atmosphere to explore. I spent a good amount of time walking this area called Moșilor with my camera, while making sure to always stop at Piata Sf. Gheorghe. There’s a small park here with a church, but the tram stop in front is where the best activity is. While only being across the street from the touristy Lipscani, the atmosphere here is far from touristy. You’re likely to capture some characters and interesting scenes if you spend enough time here. And it’s location makes a perfect jump-off spot to Lipscani, Piața Unirii or any of other active areas in the center.
5. Union Square area
Sitting in the heart of Bucharest, Union Square is one of the largest squares in the city. Its location makes it a major hub for transportation and foot traffic, making it one of the busiest areas in the city. While the square and park do have an impressively large fountain, much of the activity and interest for street photography is usually found in the streets around it. The communist era Unirii Boulevard is a main street in the city and other streets are lined with shopping, food and foot traffic. You also have the nearby river walkway and busy Piața Unirii station for more interest to explore with your camera. Stopping here puts you in the middle of it all in Bucharest and can make for a good point to start while venturing to more street photography spots, like Lipscani.
Sample Street Walk:
For a full day of Street Photography, covering some of the best spots, you can follow this sample street walk for Bucharest:
- Start your morning walking around the Obor Market (2) before taking metro line M1 from Obor station to Piața Unirii station (5)
- Explore around Union Square (5) with your camera before heading north up to the Old City (Lipscani) (1)
- Spend some time exploring this old town and then head east to Piata Sf. Gheorghe and throughout Calea Moșilor (4)
- Finish your day of street photography over at Gare du Nord (3) along the platforms to catch the great late daylight
Things I’ll Remember Most about Bucharest:
A Mix of Old & New, Neglect & Vibrance
Bucharest has been called “The Paris of the East” in the past, but once you see it, you might wonder why. There is an interesting mix of architecture here, but there’s also a strong presence of its communist past mixed with a little neglect. Many of the old buildings are crumbling or abandoned in parts of the city and there’s an abundance of soviet style apartment blocks. I wouldn’t call it the prettiest city, but you can feel a lot of its history while walking the streets. Mixed into this old feeling, there’s a completely different energy that also comes from the city. While the atmosphere looks old, the vibe is young and new. There’s a younger, hipster vibe that fills the city with cafes, restaurants, bars and places to go. Bucharest is one of the largest and cheapest capital cities in the EU, which has helped it become a popular place for young EU expats to relocate for jobs, cheap living and fun. For this crowd, there’s endless places to go and things to do, many hidden into that old exterior. The outside doesn’t always match the inside, which feels especially true in Bucharest. The more time you stay here, the more you find out you like about it. As for street photography, it can be the same. First impressions might be disappointing for some, but with time you can find that energy and mix of character and life.
Trollies
When I picture Bucharest, I can’t help, but visualize their trollies. Bucharest has an elaborate system of them throughout the city and while slow, they can be surprisingly convenient. And they’re slow because they’re old, which is part of their charm. There are a few cities that are known for their trollies, like Lisbon and San Francisco, but Bucharest is the city where I really use them too, which makes them stick out in my memory even more. For street photography, they can provide “Bucharest” backgrounds, but get up close and the old trolley windows can frame even more interest.
3 Non-Street Photography Things To Do in Bucharest:
- Eat: Sarmale, Tochitură, Mămăligă and Gogosi
- Drink: Tuica and Palinca
- Visit: Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum and National Museum of Contemporary Art
Street Safety Score: 8
*As always, no place is completely safe! So when I talk about safety, I’m speaking in general comparison to other places. Always take precaution, be smart, observe your surroundings and trust your instincts anywhere you go!
Bucharest is one of the safer major cities in Europe. Some places are safer than others, but generally speaking, you should feel safe exploring the city freely. While parts might look a little shabby, dangers are minimal for a city this size. Petty theft can be something to look out for, but you won’t find a major city where pickpockets don’t exist. So, with basic street smarts, Bucharest should feel safer than most.
People’s Reaction Score: 7
Bucharest is a city where I never really noticed reactions to public photography being bad or good. Reactions just felt average here, like most cities in Europe. You’re likely to hear a few “no’s,” but nothing extreme and most people could care less about you photographing. Some neighborhoods can be a little more suspicious, but in general, Bucharest is as easy to shoot in as the next city.
Street Tips:
Little info online for such a big city
At over 2 million people, Bucharest is one of the largest cities in the EU. It’s also a very known city, but suprisingly has little online info compared to many other less known and smaller capital cities. I always research cities beforehand, so I have a head start on spots to explore and places of interest for photography, and from there I walk as many places I can to find more to capture. But in Bucharest, most info ended at the small Old Town. So, this meant even more walking and discovering on my own. Part of the problem is there aren’t too many places that scream out as interesting for visitors. Bucharest feels like a very livable city, which is echoed by how many EU expats are moving here recently, but for a visitor, it can be more difficult to find interest. Bucharest takes time to get to know and you really need to do it on your own. You won’t find much help, but for many that can be enjoyable in itself. A city like Bucharest is one of the major reasons I started this blog and these guides that go along with it to help others.
Trolleys and metro good for getting you around
I prefer walking to get most places, but Bucharest does have a decent metro and trolley system that I use more than most cities. The underground system isn’t the prettiest one and it’s not easy to find an accurate map, but once you know the main lines, it gets you places that aren’t quickly walkable. I probably use the trolleys more, though, as Bucharest’s system of trolleys stands out compared to other cities. They’re all over the city, especially in some key areas, making it easy to just hop on when you’re already walking that way. On top of these transportation options, though, Bucharest’s taxis are some of the cheapest around. Surprisingly cheap, even for the region, so for a city that’s not particularly small, with many spots spread out, you have plenty of budget options to get around.
Inspiration:
For some more inspiration, you can look through the work coming out of the Bucharest based Balkan street photography collective, BULB. And as always, you can check out 33 of my photos taken in Bucharest.
I hope this guide can help you go experience Bucharest… So grab your camera and explore all that Bucharest has to offer for Street Photography!
If you still have any questions about shooting in Bucharest, feel free to comment below or email me!
(I want to make these guides as valuable as possible for all of you so add any ideas on improvements, including addition requests, in the comment section!)
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