What cultural etiquette should I know for Bucharest?

Romanians shake hands firmly on first meeting. 'Bună ziua' (boo-nah zee-wah) covers any formal encounter, from the ticket window at the National Museum of Romanian History to a hotel reception desk on Calea Victoriei. Close friends greet with three cheek kisses, left-right-left. Don't initiate this with someone you met 10 minutes ago on Strada Lipscani. Romanians read social overreach fast. In shops and bakeries, say 'bună' walking in and 'mulțumesc' (mool-tsu-mesk) walking out. Skipping the greeting in a Bucharest pharmacy or corner shop reads as rude, not reserved. One thing that catches first-time visitors off guard is how directly Bucharesters communicate. A waiter who says 'nu avem' without softening the blow isn't being hostile. That's the local register. Smile, order something else.

Restaurants in Bucharest won't bring the check until you ask. Sitting at a cleared table for 40 minutes is normal, and nobody will rush you. When you're ready, 'nota, vă rog' gets it done. Tip 10% at sit-down places. The bill never includes a service charge, unlike most capitals in Western Europe. Round up taxi fares to the nearest 5 lei. At a coffee shop in Floreasca or Dorobanți, leaving the coin change is enough. Card payments work at most restaurants around Centrul Vechi, but smaller spots near Piața Obor or along Strada Covaci still run cash-only. Keep small bills in lei. At roughly 4.6 RON to the dollar, a 200 lei note is about 43 USD. Trying to break one on a 12 lei espresso earns a long stare and a pointed suggestion to find the nearest bancomat.

The Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral has stood on Dealul Mitropoliei since 1658. Step inside on a Sunday morning and you'll hear the deep drone of liturgical chant filling the nave. The air sits thick with beeswax smoke and frankincense that has seeped into the stone walls over three and a half centuries. This isn't a museum. Worshippers queue to kiss icons, light thin yellow candles at the sand trays near the entrance, and stand shoulder to shoulder for the full service. Stavropoleos Church, on the street of the same name near Centrul Vechi, is smaller and quieter. Its carved wooden porch creaks underfoot. The painted saints on the walls have been darkened by 300 years of candle soot. Worth seeing even if you're not religious, but treat it as a place of worship first. No flash photography. No posing at the altar.

Don't call Romania an Eastern European country to a Romanian. They consider themselves Southeastern European, and the language is Romance, not Slavic. Confusing Romanian with Russian will end a conversation before it starts. On a different note, Bucharest scores 3.5/10 for LGBTQ+ friendliness (sourced from TTDI's editorial rubric). The 2018 marriage referendum failed on turnout, but the underlying sentiment hasn't shifted much. Public affection between same-sex partners draws stares outside the bar strip in Centrul Vechi. Mind you, the younger crowd around Piața Romană and the University of Bucharest is noticeably more open than the national average. One last thing worth knowing. Don't bring up the Ceaușescu era as casual conversation. Romanians over 40 lived through the December 1989 revolution. The memories are personal, not textbook history. Older Bucharesters rarely discuss it unless they choose to.