One should get off the bus at Piata Romana (Roman Square). Ticket cards can be bought at the airport; the price for a card with 2 rides is 7 lei (approx 1.6 euro), and it must be checked at the electronic reader in the bus.
One can also order a taxi from the electronic booths in the Arrival Hall. Regular taxi to downtown costs 30-35 lei (approx 7 euros), and takes around 20 min.
It is good to exchange some money on arrival; in the airport there are banks, ATM's, exchange offices. The Romanian currency is Leu (RON); the rate is 1 euro = 4.7 RON.
There will be also some conference transportation on Sunday, 6 October.
The hotels of the conference are in the area of Piata Romana (Roman Square) in downtown. Bucharest has a subway system (Metro), the main stations in downtown are, from North to South: Aviatorilor, Piata Victoriei (Victory Square), Piata Romana, Piata Universitatii (University Square), Piata Unirii (Union Square).
The Institute (IMAR) is 7-10 min walking distance from Piata Romana, at the intersection of Dacia Boulevard with Calea Grivitei Street. The address is: Calea Grivitei 21, Sector 1, Bucharest.
The conference will take place in Miron Nicolescu Amphitheater, on the ground floor of the Institute.
Food:
There are many diverse restaurants near the Athenaeum (5-10 min walking from IMAR); on the boulevard Calea Victoriei (5-10 min walking); or in Old Town (15 min walking from IMAR, subway Piata Universitatii); or around Herastrau Park (25 min walking from IMAR, subway Aviatorilor). There are also groceries stores, cafes, bakeries, etc, in downtown.
Leisure time:
Bucharest is a large city (6-th largest in the European Union by population). Some landmarks are:
Ateneul Roman (Athenaeum) -- historic 19-th century concert hall, home to the George Enescu Philharmonic;
Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue) -- main downtown boulevard with shops, museums, restaurants;
Old Town -- near Piata Universitatii, with narrow pedestrian streets, many lively restaurants, cafes, museums, banks, etc;
National Art Museum -- former Royal Palace near Athenaeum (works by European artists, for eg El Greco, Rembrandt, Brueghel, Brancusi, Tintoretto, Grigorescu, Luchian, etc, medieval and 17-19 centuries art);
Herastrau Park (King Michael Park) -- large park with lakes, contains also the Village Museum, an open-air museum with traditional houses. The Arch of Triumph is nearby;
Palace of the Parliament -- communist era building, second largest in the world after the Pentagon;
Piata Universitatii -- University of Bucharest, the Sutu Palace (Museum of Bucharest), and the National Theater are there;
Cismigiu Park -- 19-th century park and botanical garden with lake;
Manastirea Stavropoleos (Stavropoleos Monastery) -- Orthodox church and monastery from 1700's in Brincovenesc style in Old Town;
Carousel of Light Carturesti -- multi-storied bookshop/music shop/bistro in a restored 19-th century palace in Old Town;
G. Antipa Museum of Natural History -- in Piata Victoriei;
Mogosoaia Palace -- 17-th century Brincovenesc-style palace with gardens and park near Lake Mogosoaia.
Some Bucharest (and Romania) information/photos can be found at: