2 days in Bucharest

Day by day

1. Day 1: Palace of the Parliament and Romanian Athenaeum

   Palace of the Parliament, Romanian Athenaeum, Old Town and Lipscani and Stavropoleos Monastery, then Old Town in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Palace of the Parliament

      Guided tours cover a selection of its halls, staircases and the balcony looking down Bulevardul Unirii; the building also houses the parliament and the National Museum of Contemporary Art.

   2. Late morning

      Romanian Athenaeum

      Inside, a continuous fresco around the auditorium depicts episodes from Romanian history beneath a gilded dome.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Sarmale

      Traditional Romanian restaurants across the city, including beer halls in the Old Town.

   4. Afternoon

      Old Town and Lipscani

      Walk past the ruins of the Old Princely Court, linked to Vlad the Impaler, and the courtyard of Manuc's Inn, an early-19th-century caravanserai now a restaurant, between restored facades and bars.

   5. Late afternoon

      Stavropoleos Monastery

      Its choir is known for Byzantine chant, and the calm courtyard is a short step from the Old Town's busiest lanes.

   6. Evening

      Old Town

      Dozens of bars, pubs and clubs in a few lanes around Lipscani and Strada Smârdan, busiest from Thursday to Saturday.

2. Day 2: Cărturești Carusel and Calea Victoriei

   Cărturești Carusel, Calea Victoriei, Revolution Square and National Museum of Art of Romania, then Piața Romană and Amzei in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Cărturești Carusel

      There are books in several languages, design gifts and a café on the top floor.

   2. Late morning

      Calea Victoriei

      It is partly closed to cars on some summer weekends for walking and events.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Mămăligă

      Every traditional restaurant; ask for 'mămăligă cu brânză și smântână'.

   4. Afternoon

      Revolution Square

      The Memorial of Rebirth, the Central University Library and the former Royal Palace surround the square.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Museum of Art of Romania

      Housed in the former Royal Palace, the museum displays Romanian medieval icons and church treasures, modern Romanian painting by Nicolae Grigorescu and others, sculptures by Constantin Brâncuși, and a gallery of European old masters.

   6. Evening

      Piața Romană and Amzei

      Cocktail bars and student pubs in the side streets.

Before you go

• Palace of the Parliament: Visits are by guided tour only; reserve a time slot in advance, especially in summer and for English-language tours.
• Romanian Athenaeum: Popular concerts and the biennial George Enescu Festival sell out; book on the Philharmonic's site.

If it rains

• Swap in National Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Piața Romană and Amzei): Look out for craft fairs in the courtyard on some weekends, where village artisans sell directly.
• Swap in Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum (Piața Romană and Amzei): Pair it with the Peasant Museum and the Arcul de Triumf on the same walk along Kiseleff Road.
• Swap in Primăverii Palace (Dorobanți and Floreasca): Combine it with the Palace of the Parliament on the same day for a full picture of the era.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 10–11 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.9 hours in December to 15.5 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. Metro lines link Piața Unirii, Universitate, Piața Romană, Piața Victoriei and Gara de Nord, and run to the outer districts.

More or fewer days

• One day in Bucharest
• 3 days in Bucharest

Questions travellers ask