Bucharest Park Life

It’s usually the first thing we talk about and it’s hard to explain just how good they are to someone who’s never been to Bucharest.

Perhaps it’s because we are used to the parks in the UK, often unimaginative green spaces that are used for playing football with jumpers for goal posts, walking dogs and home to the odd play park that’s occasionally used. However, Bucharest parks are a whole world away from what we are used to at home, for a start they are actually used and… by everyone.

With the amount of high rise apartment blocks around it’s no wonder the parks are popular but what is surprising is how much effort is put into keeping them maintained. Each morning a mass of cleaners descend on each one to sweep the pathways, empty the bins and generally tidy the area up. The gardens and flower beds are cared for, the grass is regularly cut and there is even security guards posted to keep an eye on things (despite petty crime being virtually non-existent here).

It’s no wonder the parks in Bucharest are a hive of activity.

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: Ștefan Jurcă

Sports Pitches

Despite our local park being one of the quieter ones in Bucharest, it still has five of these multi-purpose sport pitches dotted around between the trees. Many of the parks have even more and on a sunny day, it is easy to see why.

The pitches are used by people of all ages, kids get together for a kick around after school, adults meet for regular weekend games and even some amateur local teams turn up to train in a different setting.

Skate Parks

Herastrau Park is probably the most famous park in Bucharest and it’s where most people will head especially on a nice day, it’s also the first of the city’s parks we saw (no wonder we like them so much). It was here I saw the first skate park within the city and as someone who used to ride BMX a bit I was very impressed, they’d clearly hired someone who knew what they were doing and built a great park with something for everyone.

Unfortunately, not all the parks have done quite so well with their skate parks but the intention was there and it’s unusual to find no ramps at all in any of the parks around the city.

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: andy Liang

Roller Skating

While in the UK inline skating is reserved just for the skate parks or hidden street spots, in Bucharest people still love nothing more than popping on a pair of skates and doing a few laps of the lake. You’ll see young children finding their balance, new couples holding hands, mums flying along with pushchairs and even men skating beside their running dog.

Skating is huge here and both sports shops and supermarkets stock a huge range of products including well known brands such as Proline Skates. It’s not even uncommon to see someone heading down a main road on eight wheels, a very brave move given the traffic and driving style here in Romania. 

Play Parks

Much like the sports pitches, it’s also very common to find a range of different kids play areas throughout each park. They usually range in size and style and each one is clearly aimed at a different age group to keep them interested. They’re well used throughout the day with the different age groups in Romania going to school at different times.

Have you had the chance to enjoy the parks of Bucharest? What did you like about them most?