Most big games in Bucharest - including Steaua's Europa League group matches - are played at the Arena National's, which hosted last year's Europa League final.

The Arena is Europe’s best new stadiums. With a capacity of 55,000 the stadium is impressive both inside and out, and has received rave reviews from fans and football journalists alike. When Manchester United played here in November last year, the UK press pack was positively cooing over the place.

The stadium is less popular with players however, mainly because of the poor state of the pitch. Ever since the stadium opened in August 2011 (Romania and France played out a 0-0 draw) the pitch has come in for serious criticism, and though it has been relaid a number of times, it is still less from satisfactory. 

August 23 to Arena Nationala

The Arena Nationala was built on the site of the 23rd August stadium, a minor-masterpiece of a socialist superbowl, built in the 1950s of which all traces – including a kitsch neoclassical loggia – have now been destroyed. Known in its final years as Lia Manoliu Stadium – August 23rd was not perfect. In fact, it was far from perfect. It was a crumbling wreck by the end to be honest, and getting in and out was a real pain, possibly even life-threatening. Pulling it down was probably the right thing to do, though it is a shame that at least part of it could not have been saved.

August 23rd’s downfall was partly because of the many bad memories it brought back for lots of people. It was, after all, Nicolae Ceausescu’s preferred venue for extravagant parties in his own honour. It was also, however, the scene of some of Romanian football’s finest moments, in the days when they had a decent team. England were famously beaten here in 1981.

Getting to the stadium

The simplest way to get to the stadium is to take the metro to Piata Muncii and walk from there: it will take you about 10-15 minutes to do so. There are also a number of buses which stop close by (bus No. 104 from Piata Unirii, trolleybus No. 90 from Universitate) as well as the No. 1 tram, which you can pick up at Piata Victoriei.

More difficult is getting away after the game. Most matches kick-off at 21:45, and by the time the game is over and the ground emptied it can often be well after midnight. Fortunately, RATB - who run public transport in Bucharest - usually have the good sense to keep the buses running later than usual, while Metrorex tend to follow suit and keep the Bucharest metro will run until 01:00.

Everything else you need to know about public transport in Bucharest is here.

Please also make sure you read our advice on taking taxis in Bucharest. It could well be the difference between paying €5 and €100, as happened to some English journalists last year.


Bucharest for football fans: Quick Picks

Here's a quick look at the kind of places you might think about heading for (and where they will not take one look at you and shut up shop double quick).


Beers

It is the Old Town area of Bucharest now attracts most visitors, so head there for beers. You will get a warm welcome at the pub and live music club Mojo: the guy who runs the place is English, and a top bloke. (He's a Liverpool man, but don't let that put you off). Other no-nonsense choices include Bordellos, St. Patrick or Oscar's: all are good and used to groups of lads.

Other than that, we recommend just walking the streets of Old Town: it will not be long until you find a place you fancy.

Local beers are cheap - pay between 5-8 lei for the equivalent of a pint - and rather good.

Read more about local booze here, while our full Nightlife listings are here.


Eats

The places listed above serve good bar food, with City Grill and Caru Cu Bere - if you fancy trying something local - all able to handle big groups of lads showing up at the same time without going into a panic.

There are also bags of late-night eats in Old Town.

We list zillions of other places to eat in Bucharest here.


Late Nights

The aforementioned Mojo will probably be your first choice, but there are loads more late-night places listed here.

Those of you looking for a bit of the other should steer clear of the strip clubs (most of which will rip you off without even thinking twice) and instead head for a far more civilised massage parlour (same kind of thing on offer, except it’s all above board and just about legal). Don’t turn up mob-handed though: phone first. English will be spoken.

More on adult entertainment in Bucharest here.


Tips & Tricks

First, don't leave home without reading our guide to Arriving in Bucharest: crucial if you want to avoid paying the price of a season ticket for a taxi into town from the airport. 

Then, read (again) what we say about Taxis.

You might also like our Vice Advice.

If you have an iPhone, download our free app.

Lastly, you can download a free PDF version copy of the print guide Bucharest In Your Pocket here.

For some general background on Romanian football, try this article.