

Photos: Bucharest by Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0, cropped; Nairobi by Lmwangi, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.
Bucharest or Nairobi?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Bucharest for
- getting around
- live music and the arts
- day trips
What lies behind each score is written up on Bucharest’s own page.
Choose Nairobi for
- nature and the outdoors
- families
What lies behind each score is written up on Nairobi’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Bucharest and Nairobi.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on getting around and live music and the arts with your weighting.
Wins on nature and the outdoors and families with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Bucharest in July
Nairobi in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Bucharest: 1991-2020 normals, Bucuresti / Imh (10 km from centre). Nairobi: 1991-2020 normals, Nairobi ACC/FIC/RCC/MET/COM/ (13.3 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Bucharest | Nairobi |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Romanian | English, Swahili |
| Currency | Romanian Leu (RON) | Kenyan Shilling (KES) |
| Sockets | CF230 V, 50 Hz | G240 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Left |
| Time zone | UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer | UTC+3 |
| Emergency number | 112 | Police 112/999, ambulance 112/999, fire 112/999 |
| Elevation | 70 m | 1,661 m |
| Main airport | Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP)18 km from centre121 non-stop destinations | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO)13 km from centre60 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 17 days | 10 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Bucharest | Nairobi |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 1,716,961 | 5,545,000 |
| People per km² | 7,597 | 7,967 |
| Museums within 10 km | 41 | 4 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 0 |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Bucharest or Nairobi somewhere new.