Must see attractions in Bucharest

  • Top Choice

    Palace of Parliament

    The Palace of Parliament is the world’s second-largest administrative building (after the Pentagon) and former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s most infamous…

  • Top Choice

    Romanian Athenaeum

    The exquisite Athenaeum is the majestic heart of Romania’s classical-music tradition. Scenes from Romanian history are featured on the interior fresco…

  • Top Choice

    Former Ceauşescu Residence

    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…

  • Top Choice

    Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum

    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…

  • Top Choice

    Cişmigiu Garden

    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…

  • Snagov Monastery

    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

    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…

  • Văcărești Nature Park

    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…

  • Bellu Cemetery

    The city’s most prestigious burial ground houses the tombs of many notable Romanian writers – a map inside the gate points out locations. Many Romanians…

  • Stavropoleos Church

    The tiny and lovely Stavropoleos Church, which dates from 1724, perches a bit oddly a block over from some of Bucharest's craziest Old Town carousing. It…

  • Theodor Aman Museum

    This is the lovingly restored residence and studio of 19th-century Romanian painter Theodor Aman. Aman's skill was in small, finely rendered oil paintings…

  • National Village Museum

    On the shores of Herăstrău Lake, this museum is a terrific open-air collection of several dozen homesteads, churches, mills and windmills relocated from…

  • N

    National Art Museum

    Housed in the 19th-century Royal Palace, this massive, multipart museum – all signed in English – houses two permanent galleries: one for National Art and…

  • G

    Great Synagogue

    This important synagogue dates from the mid-19th century and was established by migrating Polish Jews; entry is free, but a donation (10 lei) is expected…

  • H

    Herăstrău Park

    Sprawling over a large area north of Piaţa Victoriei, this 200-hectare park surrounding a large lake is (arguably) Bucharest’s nicest park, with plenty of…

  • C

    Cotroceni Palace

    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…

  • Creţulescu Church

    The modest Creţulescu Church stands in repose near the far larger and more dramatic Royal Palace. Look for the original paintings near the door to the…

  • National Museum of Contemporary Art

    The Palace of Parliament houses a superb art gallery, which displays temporary, ever-changing exhibitions of eclectic installations and video art. Check…

  • Athénée Palace

    Just to the north of the National Art Museum is the Athénée Palace, so evocatively captured in its postrevolutionary, prostitute-teeming state by Robert…

  • Jewish History Museum

    The Jewish History Museum is housed in a colourful synagogue that dates from 1836 (rebuilt in 1910). Exhibits (in English and Romanian) outline Jewish…