Speciality

Personalized embroidery. Original and amusing hand-made gift ideas for people, parties or even pets.

Large range of Hallmark greetings cards in Romanian.

A local attempt at a joke shop that has masks, plastic doggy-doo and so on.

Wonderful, large Cuban cigar shop selling the widest selection of original, genuine Havana-made cigars available anywhere in Eastern Europe. Informed staff will help you select your cigar, and will advise on accessories: great as presents for that gentleman in your life. Prices are not as expensive as you may think, with Monte Cristo No. 25s retailing for around 440,000 lei a piece.

Lots of Swiss watches and other expensive items.

Once a popular shop belonging to a local catoonist/satirist with mugs and calenders, but due to lack of new humour the old stock is gathering dust.

Rare coins and postage stamps.

Omega, Zenith and Longines watches. Service provided. Open 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 16:00. Closed Sun. Also inside Bucharest Marriott Grand Hotel (open Mon.- Sun.11:00 - 22:00).

For Swiss-made watches that you buy once in a lifetime. Open 10:00 - 20:00, Sat 10:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun. Also on B-dul Bãlcescu 25 .

Rare stamps and coins.

Fine Belgian chocolates, pralines and marzipans in a variety of wonderful guises. And did we mention the caramels and liqeurs? Thought not. It's Leonidas chocolate that graces our front cover this issue.

Plenty of rare Romanian stamps. Hell, they're all rare.

A few things that go hum in the dark but little else.

Buy scarves, cups, and the team strip belonging to the local team that doesn't do well anymore, has overtly aggressive players and an openly racist manager..

Three outlets of the popular nice 'n' smelly cosmetics chain. Open 10:00 - 22:00. Also on B-dul Magheru 35 (open 10:00 - 21:00, closed Sun) and Unirea Shopping Centre (open 09:00 - 22:00, Sun 09:00 - 15:00).

Relatively wide range of smoking products and paraphanalia.

Fair selection of booze such as rare whiskeys and (rare to find in Bucharest) Unicum. Admirable range of tobaccos and cigars for those who seriously smoke.