Once known as “Little Paris”, Bucharest is a very cosmopolite and vibrant city with many beautiful attractions located in eastern Europe.

Bucharest Romania things to do

Museums, old buildings and wonderful parks are just some of the attractions you should include on your travel list.

Bucharest Old Town Bank Cec

Our recommendations for spending a few days in Romania’s capital are:

1. The Palace of the Parliament

The second-largest building in the world, the Palace of the Parliament is an architectural masterpiece under the communist regime.

880 architects and more than 10.000 workers took part in this huge project which construction started in 1984 and it was not finished yet.

Parliament building Bucharest Romania

The building has more than 1.000 rooms and 25.000 parking places displayed on several underground levels.

It has a height of 84 metres, a floor area of 365.000 square metres and a volume of 2.550.000 cubical metres.

The Palace is the heaviest building in the world, weighing about 4.100.000 tones and is a very popular attraction from Eastern Europe.

Everything about this building is impressive, not just its dimensions and the number of people who worked 24/7 so that dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu can see his dream come true.

It is an architectural masterpiece, a symbol for the communist regime and definitely, you should visit it when in Bucharest!

The Palace of Parliament is located atop Dealul Spirii in Bucharest and today is the seat of the Parliament of Romania.

2. Visit Dimitrie Gusti National Museum

Located on the north side of Bucharest in Herăstrău Park, this is the biggest open air Romanian peasant museum from the city.

It is home to more than 265 traditional Romanian buildings collected from all over the country and displayed here, at this museum.

Dimitrie Gusti Bucharest Village Museum

All the old houses were dismantled, carefully transport and then reassembled in this unique place.

Some of the building are more than 200 years old and walking around this museum is like a travel back in time.

It is a good opportunity to see the characteristic of the buildings from each corner of the country!

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3. Old Town, a top Bucharest Romania things to do

Located in the heart of the city and the place where all the businesses used to be negotiated, Lipscani or the Old Town is a vibrant place full of bars and restaurants, old buildings and boutiques which should be on your list when visit Bucharest.

The names of the streets remind us about their guilds that were based on that place: Selari “The Saddler’s Street or Blanari, the Furriers’ street.

Things to do in Bucharest Old Town

In our days it is a great place to spend some relaxing hours and where you can sip a glass of wine and spend quality time with your friends.

There are plenty of accommodations close to the Old Town.

Intercontinental Hotel Bucharest is one of them.

It offers nice furbished rooms, with great amenities, good services and is just a few steps away from the heart of the city.

4. Sevastopoleos Church

This is one of the oldest churches from Bucharest.

The church was built in 1720 and has a unique architecture, with its spectacular facades with multifoil arches, all painted with tendril patterns and arabesque foliate.

Sevastopoleos Church Bucharest Old Town

The church has a fascinating iconostasis and is a symbol of Romania’s Brancovenesc style in which byzantine, renaissance, ottoman and baroque elements are combined and form a wonderful architecture.

Definitely, this is one of the best Bucharest Romania things to do not only because of its architecture but also because of its importance for local community.

5. Herastrau Park

Herastrau Park is the largest park in the city. Inside the park, there is a huge man-made lake surrounded by alleys for running and walking.

In the summertime, you can take the boat for a tour on the lake or you can rent a smaller boat for a more intimate experience.

Include on your tour of the park the Japanese garden full of cherry trees which bloom in spring and the rose island full of roses with different colours.

6. Dealul Mitropoliei

In the centre of the city, on the south part of the Union Square, there is Dealul Mitropoliei, a sacred place home of the Romanian Orthodox Institutions.

The church from the top of the hill is home to the human remains of St. Dimitrie Basarabov, the protector of Bucharest.

During Eastern time, or Christmas or any other important orthodox events, the hill is packed with hundreds of pilgrims who come from all over to country to take part at the holy ceremonies.

7. Grigore Antipa Museum one of the most cosmopolite Bucharest Romania things to do

This is Bucharest’s Natural museum which was named after the one who was in charge for more than 50 years with this place.

The museum is newly renovated and is one of the best destinations for those interested in natural history.

Be prepared to meet a lot of kids because it is one of the top attractions for children of all ages!

Grigore Antipa Museum Bucharest

The museum contains a very comprehensive collection of Romania’s biodiversity on the ground floor, while the next floors of the museum present all major ecosystems in the world.

The museum is located right in the Victoria Square, just 2 metro stations away from the Parliament building and right near the Romanian Government.

8. Revolution Square

Revolution Square, a place with a very important role in the Romanian history is located right on Calea Victoriei and this is the place where people from all over the country gathered and fight for their freedom.

This is the place where Romanian people gained their freedom and it is also the place where you can find the building which was once the former Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party.

From this building, Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena fled by helicopter on December 22, 1989, to escape from the angry crowds.

In 1990 the building became the seat of the Senate for 16 years and starting with 2006 it is home of Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform.

9. Cismigiu Gardens

Cismigiu Gardens is a public park located right in the heart of the city within walking minutes from Universitate metro station.

The park has almost 15 hectares, an artificial lake, thousands of trees and it is the largest park located in the city’s central area.

It was built in 1847 and it attracts more than 5.000 visitors on the weekend day and has 3 major entrances:

• one form Queen Elisabeth Boulevard right in front of the General City Hall of the Municipality of Bucharest
• another one from Stirbei Voda Street, right near Cretulescu Palace
• the third entrance located right near Gheorghe Lazar National College

Definitely, it is one of the best places to relax and cool off on a hot day of summer, being conveniently located close to the Old Centre and the National Theatre.

10. National Museum of Art

The last but not least on my list of Bucharest Romania things to do is the National Museum of Art which is located in the Royal Palace in the Revolution Square.

The museum was founded in 1948 and it features collections of Romanian, European and Oriental art.

The place was damaged during the 1989 Romanian Revolution and important refurbishment working took place in the following years.

Now it is one of the most beautiful museums from Bucharest and the best place to admire collections which include works by Old Masters like Domenico Veneziano, El Greco, Jan van Eyck, Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt.

Sculptures by Constantin Brancusi and Dimitrie Paciurea, as well as painting by Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu, Theodor Pallady and Gheorghe Tattarescu can be seen here.

And the list could go on because there are many other interesting places in Bucharest and in the nearby area like Stavropoleos Monastery, George Enescu Museum and Romanian Athenaeum.

The main advantage of this destination is that it is very cheap and incredibly beautiful!

There are many beautiful hotels located right in the middle of the city at a walking distance from the Old Town or the Palace of Parliament.

You have a wide range of choices: from apartments and hostels to five-star hotels with great services and a nice view of the city.

Find the perfect accommodation for your stay in Bucharest

Include Bucharest Romania into your future travel plans as it is a beautiful place with many hidden gems and it still keeps some of the authentic flavours of the Romanian people!

This is just a shortlist of Bucharest Romania things to do!