Things to Do in Bucharest

Eastern Europe’s foremost open-air museum was opened in 1936 and presents a collection of more than 60 historic rural buildings from across Romania and of different eras, all carefully reassembled in 15 hectares of parkland on the shores of Lake Herăstrău in Bucharest. Featuring farms, churches, windmills, wooden cottages, cow sheds and farm machinery from remote districts such as Moldavia, Hunedoara and Transylvania, each building is painstakingly labeled with its exact geographical and cultural provenance and accompanied by a multi-lingual commentary on its original use, building up an accurate picture of rustic village life in a Romania before the advent of Communism. Highlights include earth houses from Straja and cheerily painted, shuttered houses from Tulcea, as well as the 35-meter (115-foot) belfry of the wooden church from Maramureş, embellished with faded icons on its interior. Making a wonderfully family-friendly day out, the museum has a souvenir store, a range of eating options from stalls selling candy to a restaurant in a 19th-century inn, and regular displays of traditional crafts such as weaving and winemaking.

Founded in the late 14th century, Snagov Monastery sits on an islet in Lake Snagov, just a couple kilometers north of the village by the same name.  The monastery is best known as the burial place of Vlad the Impaler, who provided the inspiration for the fictional Dracula. However, the island also once housed the coin minting facility of the medieval principality Wallachia and was considered one of the most important printing houses in southeastern Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. 

Whether or not he ultimately came to rest at the monastery, Vlad the Impaler was strongly connected to it, building fortifications around the monastery in the 15th century, as well as a bell tower, new church, a bridge to the mainland and a prison and torture chamber. The remains of the prison can still be seen behind the present day church and frescoes from that era are visible inside the church. Vlad’s alleged grave can be found inside the church toward the back.

Sitting on a mountain cliff overlooking the Arges River, the Poenari Castle is best known for its connection to Vlad the Impaler, said to be the inspiration for the fictional Dracula. Now partially in ruins, the castle was first built in the 13th century and came under Vlad the Impaler’s control in the 15th century. Legend has it that Vlad’s first wife committed suicide rather than be taken hostage by the Ottoman Turks. She allegedly threw herself off one of the castle walls into the river below, turning the water red. The river is now referred to as the Lady’s River.

The castle was eventually abandoned and an earthquake in the 19th century destroyed the northern section. It sat in ruins until 1970, when the Romanian government decided to open it to tourists, building more than 1400 steps into the rock of the mountain to allow visitors to climb up to the castle. Walkways and handrails have also been installed to allow for easier movement throughout the ruins.

Founded in 1864 by Prince Alexander John Cuza, who ruled over the Romanian United Principalities of Walachia and Moldova, the University of Bucharest is located on Piata Universitatii, a buzzing square snarled with traffic and popular with Bucharest locals as a meeting place. The University Palace’s imposing Neo-classical façade stands on the northwestern corner of the square; it was designed by architect Alexandru Orascu and completed in 1859. 

Today the university has five faculties and is one of the biggest and most prestigious in Romania. Past alumni include playwright Eugène Ionesco, biologist George E Palade and philosopher Emil Cioran.

Outside the University Palace stand four monumental statues of pivotal figures in Romanian history as well as numerous stalls selling secondhand books. Piata Universitatii itself is surrounded by a jumble of architecturally diverse buildings, including the National Theater of Bucharest, the School of Architecture, the modernist Hotel InterContinental and the ornate Neo-classical beauty of the Coltea Hospital, the oldest in the city. A memorial of ten stone crosses stands in the middle of the square in tribute to the rebels who died in the 1989 revolution, which saw the downfall of the despotic President Ceaușescu and brought about the end of Soviet domination in Romania.

Also known as the Metropolitan Church, Bucharest’s main Orthodox place of worship is dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen and sits atop Mitropoliei, one of the few hills in the city center. It was designed by an unknown architect as a copy of the Curtea de Arges monastery in the university city of Pitesti and consecrated in 1658; it has three dumpy spires, a bulbous apse and Byzantine-style gilded paintings of the saints adorning its exterior. Although the cathedral was largely restored to its original form in the early 1960s, four major upgrades have been made over the centuries, particularly to its gold-encrusted interior, where frescoes have been added as recently as 1935. The first Romanian-language bible was printed here in 1688 and the cathedral holds the most valuable collection of icons in Romania. 

Next to the cathedral is a squat bell tower built in 1698 and opposite is the Patriarchal Palace, which has been the official residence of the head of the Romanian Orthodox church since 1708; it is closed to the public but enjoyed a moment in the spotlight when it became the temporary seat of Parliament following the revolution in 1989. Close by is the Neo-classical Palace of the Chamber of Deputies, built in 1907.

Running for almost 3km through the heart of central Bucharest, Victoriei Street (Calea Victoriei, or ‘Victory’ street) is the capital’s main thoroughfare and the obvious starting point for a walking tour. First laid out in the 16th century, the historic boulevard is one of the oldest in the city, and it’s lined with architectural landmarks, palaces, museums and upmarket hotels.

Start from the commercial hub of Piata Victoriei, with its modern office towers, and head south down Victoriei Street, passing notable buildings like the Cantacuzino Palace, home to the George Enescu National Museum; the Athenaeum concert hall; the CEC Palace and the Palace of the National Military Circle. Be sure to stop by the famous Revolution Square, hemmed in by impressive monuments, and the National History Museum, before arriving banks of the Dambovita River. As well as being a prime spot for photographers, the street is crammed with shops, restaurants and cafés, offering ample opportunities for a sightseeing break.

Alternatively, north of Piata Victoriei, Victoriei Street becomes Șoseaua Kiseleff and leads the way through Kiseleff Park to the Arcul de Triumf and the enormous Herăstrău Park (around 2 km from Piata Victoriei). 

Arguably the most beautiful building in Bucharest, the Romanian Athenaeum is the city’s foremost concert hall and a source of national pride, with an elegant Doric-colonnaded façade topped with a pediment and cupola. It was designed in Neo-classical style by French architect Albert Galleron and opened in 1888 to great acclaim; the great Romanian conductor George Enescu debuted his ‘Romanian Poem’ here in 1898. The lobby of the concert hall is an opulent, almost Art Nouveau triumph of ornamental gilding supported by arched, pink marble columns that lead off to a series of twisting marble staircases leading up to the concert hall. The circular auditorium seats 652 under a fabulous domed ceiling richly ornamented in scarlet and gold and fringed by frescoes by Costin Petrescu depicting important events in Romanian history; it is world-famous for the clarity of it acoustics and is home to the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, who offer a full program of classical and chamber concerts as well as performing in the celebrated George Enescu Classical Festival, one of the biggest cultural events in eastern Europe.

The Princely Church in Curtea de Arges is one of the most important examples of medieval architecture south of the Carpathians in Romania. Built in the shape of a Greek cross with a dome resting on four pillars, the church is also the oldest Orthodox church in the region. The exterior of the church is notable for its alternating stone and brick layers, while the inside is home to what are possibly the oldest surviving examples of Romanian painting. The several hundred Byzantine style paintings date back to the 14th century and include a depiction of a pregnant Virgin Mary. Another highlight of the church is the tomb of Romanian ruler Radu I Basarab, which features a glass pane through which visitors can see the remains of his garments adorned with gold and precious stones.

Taking centerstage in Bucharest’s Old Town, Revolution Square (Piata Revolutiei) is located along the central boulevard of Victoriei Street and has long been at the forefront of the city’s historic events. Originally named Palace Square (Piața Palatului), Revolution Square earned its current moniker after the Romanian Revolution in 1989, and remains one of the city’s principal landmarks and navigational hubs.

For first-time visitors, the grand square is undeniably impressive, framed by ornate buildings and crowned by the towering Memorial of Rebirth – a 25-meter-high marble pillar erected in the center of the square, in memory of the victims of the Revolution. Other important monuments on the square include the neoclassical Royal Palace, now home to the National Museum of Art; the Romanian Atheneum, a domed concert hall dating back to the 19th century; and the former headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party, where Nicolae Ceausescu famously addressed the crowds for the final time, before fleeing by helicopter. Also around Revolution Square are the University library, the sprawling Palace of Parliament and statues of Iuliu Maniu and Carol I of Romania.

The Royal Court of Targoviste is an architectural complex built in Romania between the 15th and 17th centuries. The town of Targoviste itself was the capital of Wallachia for three centuries and occupied an important location on the main trade route connecting Wallachia to Transylvania and the Balkan Peninsula. The Royal Court consists of a southern gate, royal palace, bell tower, royal gardens, fortifications, the Chindia Tower, Lady Balasa’s home and several churches. 

Today, only ruins remain of the royal palace and its gardens. Numerous frescoes remain in the Great Royal Church, including portraits of Wallachian rulers, and visitors can see examples of old pottery work in the Small Royal Church. The Chindia Tower, which dates back to the 15th century, features a viewing platform that can be reached by climbing a flight of more than 100 stairs. The tower also hosts an exhibition about the reign of Vlad the Impaler, who was the inspiration for the fictional Dracula.

The cute little Stavropoleos Church started life in 1724 as an Orthodox monastery and inn, commissioned by the Greek monk Ioanichie Stratonikeas. It has an ornate exterior adorned with patterned frescoes, a colonnaded portal, elaborate carved wooden entrance doors and several small towers topped with tiled domes. Inside the church, every inch is liberally smothered with frescoes depicting biblical scenes and the golden altar screen is adorned with jewel-like images of Mary, Jesus and a clutch of saints.

Today the inn, which was used to finance the building of the monastery, is long gone, but the pretty church has survived several earthquakes and was restored in the early 1910s. Crammed among Bucharest’s plentiful Art Nouveau townhouses on the edges of the party-loving Old Town, it is a pleasant respite from the excesses of the city, with a delightful cloister filled with 18th-century tombs. A small community of nuns and monks still live there, and there are several sung services held daily along with regular concerts of Byzantine music; the church also has Romania’s largest collection of rare Byzantine musical scores in its library of more than 10,000 books. Other highlights of a visit include icons brought together from across Romania and fragments of original frescoes that were replaced during renovation.