On Halloween night, the full moon dominated the clear Bucharest sky, glowing and sinister. Like Jonathan Harker of Bram Stoker's Dracula, I realized I'd be heading into Transylvania on the morrow. Yet despite that unfortunate fellow's experience, I wasn't a bit apprehensive. After a splendid $5 meal, I was happily ensconced in plush velvet seats at the Romanian National Opera (eighth-row orchestra tickets $1.75) with Andrei, my charming guide, enjoying a magical Swan Lake - no ominous encounters looming on the horizon. Thirteen years after the overthrow of the Stalinist dictatorship of its latest vampiresque ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, I'd expected Romania to be an unrelenting parade of Soviet-grim towns, eyesore apartment blocks, a few decrepit monuments, and dour denizens. Yes, there is a bit of Communist hangover, but mostly I discovered enchanting medieval villages, gorgeous landscapes, a good travel infrastructure, and warm, friendly people whose Eastern European reserve is tempered by a Latin culture left over from membership in the Roman empire.

With 23 million people nestled into an area the size of Oregon, Romania was originally inhabited by an ancient tribe known as the Dacians, conquered and Romanized in the 1st century A.D. (that's why Romanian is a Romance language). Over two millenia, Saxons and Slavs, Magyars and Huns, gypsies from India, and the mighty Ottoman Empire raided, invaded, or settled-a historical Cuisinart yielding a kaleidoscopic melange of travel options at a fraction of typical European costs: decent digs for $12, savory meals for $5, bottles of wine under $3. The land whose native son Eugene Ionesco invented the "theater of the absurd" is the land of "prices of the absurd." At some 32,000 lei to the U.S. dollar, you can answer the question "Who wants to be a millionaire?" for about $32. One of Europe's most inexpensive corners also qualifies as one of the cheapest places on earth.

Arresting Bucharest

Thanks to its graceful nineteenth-century architecture, Romania's capital (pop. 2.2 million) was once dubbed "the Paris of the East." Gracious buildings braceleted by iron-filigree balconies flank stately boulevards punctuated with parks - there's even an Arc de Triumf. Bucharest is cosmopolitan and hip again, as fashionably clad girls, hair in hues like "Bucharest Burgundy" and "Revolution Red," check out Swatch watch displays at the malls before rendezvousing with friends in trendy cafes. Romanians are friendly, and you can meet them in music clubs such as Green Hours (downtown at Calea Victoriei 120), through listings in local English-language sources like Nine O'Clock and Bucharest - What, Where, When, by placing an ad on rotravel.com, or by taking advantage of numerous homestays (see below).

Navigating is easy. On public buses, a one-way ticket is 5,000 lei (16:), an all-day Metro (subway) ticket is 15,000 lei (50cents), and a Metro-plus-bus ticket is 30,000 ($1); a book of ten will run you a whopping 37,000 ($1.25). Taxi fares are 4,000-6,000 lei (12cents-19cents) per kilometer.

In addition to exploring Bucharest's myriad museums, palaces, and churches (my favorites being the National Art Museum and National History Museum), few visitors leave without visiting the eye-popping Palace of Parliament, the world's second-largest building after the Pentagon (admission 60,000 lei/$2). Built in 1989 by Ceausescu and designed by a 27-year-old female architect, this gargantuan Stalinist-style monstrosity groans with 3,107 rooms, one-ton chandeliers, and 35 million cubic feet of marble. From its central balcony, Michael Jackson (yes, the gloved one) made a 1992 speech that Romanian fans still remember.

Another must-see, especially if you don't visit the countryside, is the outdoor Muzeul Satului (Village Museum), where admission is 40,000 lei ($1.35); 90,000 ($3) if you bring a camera. Located north of downtown in Herastrau Park, it comprises an extensive collection of actual traditional furnished houses and churches from Romania's different rural regions. Avoid souvenir-hunting in the gift shop - you'll fare better elsewhere.

Bucharest beds & bites

You generally get better lodging discounts through tour operators, who can obtain 40 percent off listed prices, rather than booking independently or trying to haggle with inflexible hotel managers. The best hostels in Bucharest include the 30-bed Villa Helga (2 Calea Salcamilor, tel/fax 1/610-2214, helga@rotravel.com) in a quiet residential neighborhood near the Piata Romana Metro stop. Safes, kitchen, laundry, and Internet facilities are available. The per-person cost with breakfast is 300,000 lei ($10) a night, 810,000 ($27) for three nights, 1,680,000 ($56) weekly. Elvis's Villa (5 Calea Avran Lancu, 1/315-5273, elvisvilla.ro) is a recently opened hostel in district 2 with four rooms of two to ten beds at 360,000 lei ($12) a night, doubles for 874,500 lei ($29), including breakfast.

Among more standard hotels, the coolest budget find in town is the elegant, conveniently located, 28-room Hanul Manuc (Strada Franceza 62-64, 1/313-1411, fax 1/312-2811), where the peace treaty following the Turkish-Russian War of 1812 was signed. Cobblestone paths and massive iron doors lead to a central courtyard with an outdoor cafe. Doubles are 725,000-990,000 lei ($24-$33), with bath, TV, and heating but no air-conditioning (true for all lodging below unless otherwise noted). Breakfast isn't included, but the terrace pastry shop is an inexpensive treat for both edibles and ambience.

You'll find various rock-bottom options around the train station; a good choice is the Hotel Cerna (Bulevardul Dinicu Golescu 29, 1/637-4087), whose 88 rooms are sparse but clean and functional. A single with shared bath runs 315,000 lei ($10.50), a double 450,000 ($15); if you want private bath, TV, and breakfast, it's 450,000 ($15) and 600,000 ($20), respectively.

A bit up the line pricewise, near the airport and the Village Museum, the Hotel Turist (Bulevardul Poligrafiei 3-5, 1/224-2328, fax 1/224-2984) has 293 rooms with good lighting and amenities including a swimming pool, bowling alley, and tennis court. Singles cost 930,000 lei ($31), doubles 1,230,000 ($41), including breakfast. Near the railway station, the 168 rooms at the Hotel Astoria (Bulevardul Dinicu Golescu 27, tel/fax 1/212-6854) are small, but larger than other railway-neighborhood options. All have private bath and include breakfast for 1,080,000 lei ($36) single and 1,575,000 ($53) double. Also in this area, the Ibis (Calea Grivitei 143, 1/222-2722, fax 1/222-2723, ibishotel.com) is a branch of the spiffy French chain, offering recently refurbished rooms with TV, A/C, phone, and modern bath for 1,770,000 lei ($59); avoid the pricey $7 breakfast, though.