Bucharest’s anniversary

Bucharest is a city "brimming with confidence" these days, says Ian McCurrach in the Independent on Sunday. Its historic buildings – those that survived Nikolai Ceausescu's megalomaniac remodelling of the city in the communist era – have been substantially restored, and the oldest quarter of the city is now teeming with "trendy bars, restaurants and arts venues".

This year, the area will be the focus of an ongoing pro-gramme of arts events in celebration of the city's 550th anniversary, including an inter-national music festival this month.

Among the city's permanent attractions, the medieval galleries of the National Art Museum and the "vivid" historical displays of the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, with its beautiful collection of icons, are particularly worth a visit.

British Airways (08444 930 787) flies from Heathrow to Bucharest from £248 return, incl. taxes.