Coliving spaces are the new(ish) hot trend for digital nomads. They include all the comforts of an Airbnb and offer a more social environment. Which is something we typically miss out on when working and travelling solo! After experiencing a pretty weird one in Italy, Chesney and I decided to book another coliving in Bucharest, Romania.
This post contains affiliate links to some Get Your Guide activities. This means I get a commission if you buy/book something I’ve linked to. But I only ever recommend things I have used or would use myself! The coliving space in Bucharest isn’t paying me to say this, I just liked it 🙂
What is Coliving?
The idea is to give digital nomads a space where we can comfortably live and work. Coliving spaces always have essentials like strong and reliable wifi, a kitchen, and a desk in the room. Then they also have a bunch of shared spaces, like living rooms or courtyards where everyone in the house can socialize.
So the best ones (in my opinion) have actual coworking spaces on site as well. So not just a desk in your room, but an area with comfortable chairs, maybe some cubicles. A more office-y vibe, ya know? It’s a nice change from sitting in your room all day, but still doesn’t require the whole 9-5 thing. Our Coliving in Bucharest has all these amenities and a public cafe on site where we can also work if we want a more lively vibe and a barista coffee.
Many offer language exchanges, cultural excursions, and organize local tours. So it’s an epic way to make the most of your time wherever you are in the world.
They're really just hostels for millennials.
Not just millennials, Gen Z and Gen X are welcome too.
They’re for those of us who aren’t quite ready to stop travelling but can’t live in the same 24-bed, hostel dorms as we used to. Those of us who are finally established enough in our careers to have more professional freedom. Those of us who convinced our employers to let us turn our traditional office roles remote and want to make the most of it. You know… those of us who can’t afford homes because we eat too much avocado toast.
Where did I find the Coliving in Bucharest?
So this will be easy to remember: there’s a website called coliving.com, and this is what we used to find and book our Coliving in Bucharest. There are other ways to find these spaces and I’ll cover some of those in another article.
But yeah, so I just searched the site for Coliving spaces in Europe. We had already booked tickets to the Electric Castle music festival in Northern Romania and going to the capital city was already in the cards. We’d heard really good things about Bucharest, so we said… why not stay for a whole month?
There was only one option and it had 5 stars, so that made it easy. We also considered a nice spot in Sofia, Bulgaria, but we did a bit of research and realized Bucharest was more our vibe.
Coliving.com works, but...
I talk more about this in my post dedicated to our Coliving in Italy, but there was some shady stuff that went on with our deposit the first time we used the platform.
I’m still not totally clear on whether it was the fault of our host or the actual Coliving website people, but I did eventually get my money back.
I may use the site again, but I’m flagging it as something to be aware of when booking. Some spaces don’t require a deposit (like this one in Bucharest!) so looking for those ones might help you avoid a headache.
You could also use coliving.com to find spaces, and then contact them directly to cut out the middleperson. I’ll definitely be trying that next time.
The best rooms at the Coliving in Bucharest
So I didn’t get to see every room IRL, but the ones I did see were all nice!
There are some things to consider, like specifically the air conditioning, because it’s not in every room. Bucharest had several days that hit 39 degrees in August, so we were very thankful for ours and I think it’s worth paying a wee bit more for. I believe the owners are planning to add more air con units by summer 2024.
None of the rooms have an ensuite bathroom, so you’ll be sharing with others no matter what. Fortunately, because there are four bathrooms and everyone has such different schedules, I never had to wait to use the shower or anything.
Ground floor
***Currently, no rooms on the ground floor have air con
- Brasov: Has a couch & coffee table
- Bacau: Right by the front door, window opens to the cafe’s patio so can be loud
- Baia Mare: Desk space for 2, good for couples, right by the front door, which could be loud
First floor
All rooms on the first floor are close to the kitchen
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- Constanta: Has a big enough desk for 2 people, good for couples (top choice but I’m biased)
- Cluj: Same as (and beside) Constanta, but slightly bigger
- Craiova: Does not have a real window (leads to hallway)
- Fagaras: Single bed, not a real window (leads to hallway), maybe toooo close to the kitchen
Constanta
Bacau
Second floor
All rooms on the second floor are close to a cozy outdoor patio
- Sinaia: The biggest room, really cute exposed beam ceiling (another top choice)
- Tulcea: No notes. Average, seems fine. We almost booked this one, but I think ours is better.
- Timisoara: Pretty small!
- Targu Mures: Single bed
- Slobozia: Tiny, single bed, no window, no air con (definitely not my top choice)
All the rooms claim to be single occupancy on the website, but it was no big deal for us to come as a couple, and we saw one other couple during our stay. They charged a little extra, but just 50€ for the whole month.
What's the vibe at the Coliving in Bucharest?
The vibes were great when we went. (The craic was 90, as I’ve just learned the Irish say.)
We had people from all over the world, including Australia, Japan, Jordan, France, Ireland, the US, and the UK. And then us, the Canadian and Kiwi. Everyone was cool and obviously pretty like-minded because we’re all out here doing the same-ish thing. I thought it was super cool learning about everyone’s remote jobs, from software developers to lawyers.
As I said above, all coliving spaces are really just hostels for millennials. Or really I should say “adults” because there are a few Gen Z and Gen Xers, here too.
What’s nice about it not being an actual hostel though, is that everyone is working. So the vibe is still on the professional side and pretty quiet during the day, but then you have people to socialize with when you clock out. Perfect, really!
The coliving house wasn’t exactly central, but there’s a 24hr grocery store nearby, and a streetcar stop right around the corner. It’s just a 20-minute walk to the Old Town, and Uber (or Bolt, the local option) is hella cheap.
Things to do while staying at the Coliving in Bucharest
Bucharest is a super cool, super underrated city. It’s affordable, safe, has a great nightlife, a pretty good food scene, good public transport, lots of parks, and nearly everyone speaks English.
Here are some of the best things you can do while staying at the Coliving in Bucharest.
Palace of Parliament
It’s the biggest building in Europe and has some crazy beautiful architecture and interesting history you’ll learn about during the tour. Be warned you won’t see the actual parliament, but it’s a nice tour of the building anyway.
You can book it yourself by calling the Palace of Parliament 24 hours in advance or booking online through Get Your Guide.
*Make sure you bring your passport!
Museum of Senses
This one is a little more silly and involves a lot of cool optical illusions. It’s also inside the AFI mall, which I feel is a tourist attraction in itself. There’s a massive cinema, ice skating rink, and a ropes course inside!
You can book it on Get Your Guide or show up and see if they have availability.
Therme Spa & Waterpark
This way exceeded my expectations! It’s a must-do, and the price makes it an absolute steal. Plan to spend the whole day there and make sure you book the ticket with access to every area.
You can book it directly online, which I recommend. You want this one: 1-Day Access to the Palm, Galaxy, & Elysium.
You can also book a shorter 2.5-hour visit with Get Your Guide that includes a return trip from Bucharest city. Otherwise, ordering a Bolt (like Uber) cost about 80 Lei ($18 USD) which isn’t so bad if you split the cost with a couple of friends! The flexibility to go and leave whenever you want is worth it if you ask me.
Day trip to Brasov and Dracula's Castle
You’re in Romania, so you have to see at least one castle, right? You can do a day tour to see the famous Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle), but you can also find tours that include Peles Castle and the charming city of Brasov. These are all in the Transylvania region of Romania, which let’s be honest, just sounds cool.
You can book it with Get Your Guide, and this is the best option if you can’t drive. The train to Brasov takes 3+ hours and they’re pretty miserable tbh. Best to go as part of a tour, and it’s surprisingly cheap. Note it doesn’t include the price of admission to the castles, though.
FREE activities to do when Coliving in Bucharest
Explore the Old Town.
Of course, you can always find a free or affordable walking tour to join if you want to learn more about the city, but I think wandering at your own pace is perfect here. It gets pretty rowdy at night, and it’s probably the one place you need to be most aware of pickpockets, but overall it’s very safe and has lots of cool bars to visit.
Visit the most beautiful bookstore in Europe.
Look, I’ve not been to every bookstore, but Carturesti Carusel is stunning, so you should go. It’s also very Instagrammable, and there’s a little cafe/bar on the top floor. Note there are other Carturestis around the city (it’s a chain) but you want the Carusel, in the Old Town.
You can find all the details and book the Coliving in Bucharest here!