What to do in bucharest in 36 hours

“Little Paris” is the nickname for Bucharest, Romania’s capital and a city that dates back to the 15th century. Flying from Iasia to Bucharest in under an hour, here’s what my family of three did for a weekend in Bucharest.

Eat:

• Cereal with pink milk at Cereal Crunch, a build-your-own-cereal cafe popular among children.
• Hazelnut gelato from Gioelia Cremeria, a bright gelato shop with many flavors in Old Town.
• Lemon ricotta pancakes at FRUDISIAC, a Scandinavian-inspired cafe with an outdoor patio in a chic neighborhood.
• Pizza from Grădina Dorobanți / Gradina Eden, a spacious outdoor courtyard with food stations and a bar.
• Sarmale (cabbage rolls) and papanasi (fried cheese doughnuts) at Caru’ cu bere, a historic restaurant with grand architecture and live music.

Drink:

• Coffee from AMARcoffee, an award-winning specialty coffee shop.
• Coffee tonic at Origo, a well-designed specialty coffee shop.
• Lattes from Throwback Coffee, a cafe with an outdoor patio and puzzles for kids.
• Local wine at La Spritz, a tiny wine bar with outdoor seating in the Old Town with friendly staff.

Do:

• Ride waterslides for all ages at Therme Bucuresti, one of the world’s largest thermal bath complexes.
• Strolling through the Macca-Vilacrosse Passage, a 19th century passage with cafes and shops.
• Take your kids to the castle-themed playground at Izvor Park, a large park with views of the Palace of Parliament.
• Walk down Calea Victoriei, the city’s oldest street that is pedestrian-only on weekends April through October.

See:

• Palace of the Parliament, the world’s heaviest building and the world’s second-largest administrative building.