Bucharest is leveling up. 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. Hospitality is surging: a 10-year reno has restored the Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard to just 30 suites and all its stunning Belle Époque grandeur. Mondrian Bucharest is slated for 2026 near the Athenaeum. And the residents of a city ranked #11 for Health and #20 for Biking are now breathing the uncommon air of multi-party democracy.
The food‑and‑retail scene is getting a statement piece this fall: Marketta Food Hall opens inside One Gallery – the restored 1930s Ford factory – bringing a 65,000-squarefoot culinary hub to Floreasca. Bigger retail is coming fast, too: the Promenada Mall mixed‑use extension, a $385-million project adding 592,000 square feet, offices and a hotel, is scheduled to complete by early 2027.
For housing, momentum is real: average listing prices reached about $190 per square foot by mid‑2025, with tight new supply nudging rents and yields higher in well‑connected districts. Capital flows back that up – Romania posted a 57% jump in FDI projects in 2024, with Bucharest drawing roughly 40% of them, particularly in manufacturing, tech and business services, the most in Central and Eastern Europe.