Relax, you're safe in Bucharest - Bucharest - TravBuddy

Travel guides have the tendency to exaggerate tourist traps and they might call them 'dangers' or (I hope not) 'crime'. The fact is Bucharest is a safe city, 'crime' here means at most pickpocketing. Mugging and robbery is almost zero. As tips to avoid pickpockets, one might not get into crowds, where there are so many peoples around you so you can't control your pockets, backpack or handbags. Getting handbags or cameras from the hand and running is not common. Pickpocketing takes place in crowded buses and maybe if some crooks spots silly tourists and try to scam them. So as a general advice, in order to concentrate on taking photos, listening to the city and talking to your companion, keep the money in an inner pocket at the chest, don't have bulgy pockets at sight and act natural and confident like you know Bucharest as your own pocket. Also, if approached by odd people, other than beggars, tell them a firm "no thanks" or "nu multumesc" in Romanian and continue what you're doing. It is not common to tell "I will call the police" :) But there are an increasing number of policemen and public guards so pickpocketing and hustling is going down and down. What might be offensive for a foreign traveler are the number of beggars, old people, gypsies and homeless children. That too bad we have that, but hey I saw beggars in every capital in Europe so I guess it is a thing that is hard to eradicate wherever. I usually give some change to old beggars that really looks like they need a money to survive the next day, but I guess it is not advisable for tourists to do that for mercy, indeed some beggars are just 'professionals' and get an impressive amount per day, that being a job in itself :)