Bucharest is building on its “undiscovered capital” buzz. Easier mobility for Romanians in the Schengen Area has cut friction for visitors and investors, and airports moved a record 16+ million passengers in 2024. The People’s Salvation Cathedral has just opened, the largest and tallest Orthodox cathedral in the world. Hospitality is surging: the Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard, a Belle Époque stunner, now boasts two Michelin keys, and Mondrian Bucharest is slated for 2026 near the Athenaeum. That’s a stone’s throw from Calea Victoriei, where luxury shops serve looks amid a tapestry of neoclassical, Art Nouveau, and modernist architecture. Keep shopping at the city’s many boutiques, and watch the Promenada Mall, set to expand dramatically into 2027. The 10th-best shopping in Europe? Believe it. Ranked #20 for Restaurants, eating well is another Bucharest specialty, and its food scene has a new statement piece: the Marketta Food Hall, inside One Gallery – the restored 1930s Ford factory – brings a new culinary hub to Floreasca. Bucharest’s high standard of living (#8) has resulted in strong housing momentum: average listing prices reached €1,862 per square metre by mid‑2025. Romania posted a 57% jump in FDI projects in 2024, with Bucharest drawing roughly 40% of them, particularly in manufacturing, sales and business services, the second-highest in Central Europe.