Thieves, taxi drivers who don't use their taxi meters, stray dogs, unpleasant surprises with restaurant bills and the aggressive driving are main issues in the Lonely Planet article about Bucharest, in the 2008 edition of the guide.
The guide warns that pickpockets and thieves are an issue not only in Bucharest, but also in Brasov, Constanta, Iasi, Suceava and Timisoara. Bags should therefore kept zipped and out in front, so they wouldn't be cut.
In restaurants, the author finds three problems: different menus (one to order and a more expensive one, when it is time to pay), prices per 100 grams, while the portion is at least 400 grams or serving other wines than ordered, at significantly higher prices.
The guide also warns tourists not to use taxis without taxi meters and to avoid dogs, claiming that each and every citizen in Bucharest was at least once bit by a dog. Even more, medical services are not trustworthy enough in case a tourist is bit.
The Lonely Planet guide, taken over in 2007 by BBC Worldwide, publishes some 500 titles, produces the "Lonely Planet Six Degrees" TV series for Discovery Networks and owns the lonelyplanet.com and lonelyplanet.tv websites.
The author of the article says he stayed for 18 months in Romania in order to gather information. Similar recommendations were published by the Le Routard guide for the 2006-2007 edition. Thieves, taxi drivers who don't use their taxi meters, stray dogs, unpleasant surprises with restaurant bills and the aggressive driving are main issues in the Lonely Planet article about Bucharest, in the 2008 edition of the guide.
The guide warns that pickpockets and thieves are an issue not only in Bucharest, but also in Brasov, Constanta, Iasi, Suceava and Timisoara. Bags should therefore kept zipped and out in front, so they wouldn't be cut.
