Everyone has their favourite season, but when the leaves on the trees start to change colour, no one can deny that autumn is a beautiful time of year in Bucharest.

 

As the days get colder you will find yourself wearing a jacket, but otherwise keep warm when you are out by grabbing a fresh covrig from a covrigari.  Packing a pair of gloves for kids is also useful if you are going to the park in case play equipment is cold to touch or damp from dew.  Don’t forget to take along your chalk with you so that you can draw pictures or games on the paths (autumn is a great time to do this as any rain will soon wash away your designs ready for the next kid to come along and play).  Great parks to visit include Herestrau in the north (last chance before winter to boat on the lake), Cismigiu in the centre (before popping into the Old Town to grab some lunch) or Tineretului in the south (great views of the lake from the top of the hill).

 

Before the roads and paths get icy now is the time to get out on two wheels to explore. You can hire bikes at many parks around the city (although you will need to bring your child’s own bike for them to ride as only adult bikes are available to hire), or visit Baneasa Forest (car parking and bike hire at Casa Alba park) for a change of scene.

 

When you are out and about you can get  creative and enjoy a few games.  Why not collect leaves of different colours to dry, press and use in art projects when you get home?  For pre-school kids play “I Spy” using different colours instead of letters.  Toddlers will love just having the chance to crush dry leaves underfoot.

 

But what if it rains?  Well, there are a number of indoor soft play areas around, but try to save these for winter before the novelty wears off.  In the mean time, get your wellies on and jump in muddy puddles!  There will always be somewhere to dry off and get warm again.