Elegant Cotroceni Palace dates from the late 19th century and is the official residence of the Romanian president. Many rooms are open to visitors, but call or email in advance to reserve a spot on the compulsory guided tour. The palace has an illustrious place in Romanian history, most notably as the home of Queen Marie, the English wife of Ferdinand I. Bring your passport.
Cotroceni Palace
Bucharest
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.32 MILES
The Palace of Parliament is the world’s second-largest administrative building (after the Pentagon) and former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s most infamous…
1.82 MILES
The exquisite Athenaeum is the majestic heart of Romania’s classical-music tradition. Scenes from Romanian history are featured on the interior fresco…
2.85 MILES
This restored villa is the former main residence of Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu, who lived here for around two decades up until the end in 1989…
Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum
1.73 MILES
One of the few attractions in Bucharest aimed squarely at kids, this natural-history museum, showing off Romania's plant and animal life, has been…
1.44 MILES
West of Calea Victoriei is the locally beloved Cişmigiu Garden, with shady walks, a lake, cafes and a ridiculous number of benches on which to sit and…
21.16 MILES
Tiny Snagov Island, at the northern end of Snagov Lake, is home to Snagov Monastery and Vlad Ţepeş' alleged final resting place. The small stone church…
Museum of the Romanian Peasant
1.79 MILES
The collection of peasant bric-a-brac, costumes, icons and partially restored houses makes this one of the most popular museums in the city. There’s not…
3.9 MILES
What was supposed to be a 6km-long dam during the communist era, left abandoned after the 1989 Revolution, turned over 22 years into a vast urban delta…
Nearby Bucharest attractions
0.88 MILES
The National Military Museum doubles nicely as a Romanian history museum, with its chronological rundown of how the country defended itself. In the museum…
1.14 MILES
A 45-minute walk west of the Palace of Parliament (or take bus 385 from outside the Parliament ticket office on B-dul Naţiunile Unite) leads to Ghencea…
1.32 MILES
The Palace of Parliament is the world’s second-largest administrative building (after the Pentagon) and former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s most infamous…
4. National Museum of Contemporary Art
1.37 MILES
The Palace of Parliament houses a superb art gallery, which displays temporary, ever-changing exhibitions of eclectic installations and video art. Check…
1.44 MILES
West of Calea Victoriei is the locally beloved Cişmigiu Garden, with shady walks, a lake, cafes and a ridiculous number of benches on which to sit and…
1.55 MILES
The former symbol of Bucharest, the 16th-century Prince Mihai Monastery was built from 1589 to 1591 under the orders of Mihai Viteazul (r 1593–1601)…
1.6 MILES
West of Calea Victoriei is the country's formal memorial to Romanian Jews and Roma who died in the Holocaust. The monument, the shape vaguely recalling a…
1.63 MILES
A grab bag of several dozen private collections, particularly strong on folk and religious art and Romanian painting from the 19th and early 20th…