Dorobanți & Floreasca

Dorobanți and Floreasca are the neighbourhoods where Bucharest feels comfortable in its own skin. Part of the city's creative and entrepreneurial class lives here, and it shows in the quality of the specialty cafés, the restaurants and the shops. This is a tasteful district, without the showiness found elsewhere, with quiet streets, mature greenery and a settled, well-to-do feel that has built up over decades.

Dorobanți revolves around the avenue of the same name and its farmers' market, one of the best-regarded in the city for fresh produce. Further north, Floreasca opens toward the lake that shares its name, part of the chain of lakes strung along the Colentina river, a place to walk and run where the city breathes. Piața Floreasca remains a meeting point with old shops and new terraces, a sign of the mix of generations that defines the area.

What to see

• Lake Floreasca, for a walk along the water and the lakeside paths
• Piața Floreasca, with its farmers' market and surrounding terraces
• Dorobanți avenue, with its cafés, restaurants and the market hall
• The quiet residential streets, made for aimless wandering

The vibe

This is a relaxed Bucharest of long brunches and specialty coffee. People stroll, meet on terraces, work from cafés and walk their dogs by the lake. In the evening, good restaurants and a few clubs draw a stylish crowd. There is none of the Old Town's noise here, just a more settled, neighbourly sociability.

Getting there

The Aurel Vlaicu and Ștefan cel Mare metro stations and the lines on the northbound mainline serve the area; see the metro. Many public transport lines run along Dorobanți and Ștefan cel Mare, so it's easy to reach from the centre. For meal ideas see the restaurants, and for nearby landmarks and parks check the attractions.