Rainy day · Bucharest · Romania
7 things to do in Bucharest when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Start with Palace of the Parliament, Cărturești Carusel and National Museum of Art of Romania. Together the 7 picks below take roughly 11–14 hours across 6 areas; 1 is free. May is usually the wettest month, with about 8 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 7
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 11–14 hours
- Areas
- Unirii and the Parliament, Old Town and Calea Victoriei and Revolution Square
Bucharest on a rainy day
Architecture · Unirii and the Parliament
1.Palace of the Parliament
Bring the passport or ID card you used for booking; it is checked at the security entrance.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Architecture · Old Town
2.Cărturești Carusel
Go early on a weekday for photos without crowds, and look down from the top floor.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Shopping
- Rainy day
- Photo spot
Museum · Calea Victoriei and Revolution Square
3.National Museum of Art of Romania
Start with the medieval art galleries, which are the collection's strongest and least known.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Piața Romană and Amzei
4.National Museum of the Romanian Peasant
Look out for craft fairs in the courtyard on some weekends, where village artisans sell directly.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Piața Romană and Amzei
5.Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum
Pair it with the Peasant Museum and the Arcul de Triumf on the same walk along Kiseleff Road.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Palace · Dorobanți and Floreasca
6.Primăverii Palace
Combine it with the Palace of the Parliament on the same day for a full picture of the era.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Experience · Balotești
7.Therme București
Book online and go on a weekday; weekends get very busy.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Couples
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Unirii and the Parliament | Palace of the Parliament | 1.5–2 hours |
| Old Town | Cărturești Carusel | 45 minutes |
| Calea Victoriei and Revolution Square | National Museum of Art of Romania | 2–3 hours |
| Piața Romană and Amzei | National Museum of the Romanian Peasant and Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum | 1.5 hours + 1.5 hours |
| Dorobanți and Floreasca | Primăverii Palace | 1 hour |
| Balotești | Therme București | Half a day |
Booking and timing
Of these 7, 1 free, 3 low cost, 2 mid-priced, 1 expensive. Book ahead for Palace of the Parliament and Primăverii Palace. The longest visit is Therme București; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Palace of the Parliament: Visits are by guided tour only; reserve a time slot in advance, especially in summer and for English-language tours.
- Primăverii Palace: Visits are by guided tour in small groups; reserve a slot ahead.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Unirii and the Parliament and Old Town): Palace of the Parliament → Cărturești Carusel, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Calea Victoriei and Revolution Square and Piața Romană and Amzei): National Museum of Art of Romania → National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Piața Romană and Amzei and Dorobanți and Floreasca): Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum → Primăverii Palace, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Balotești): Therme București, at least 3 hours.
The wettest months
- May: highs of 24°C (75°F), about 8 rainy days, moderate crowds. Warm and green, ideal for walking, with occasional thunderstorms.
- June: highs of 28°C (82°F), about 8 rainy days, moderate crowds. Hot days and long evenings on lake terraces; storms are common in the afternoons.
- April: highs of 18°C (64°F), about 7 rainy days, moderate crowds. Parks blossom and terraces open; Orthodox Easter is a major family holiday.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Old Town — Cobbled lanes around Lipscani with bars, restaurants and Stavropoleos
- Calea Victoriei and Revolution Square — Grand avenue of palaces, museums and the Romanian Athenaeum
- Piața Romană and Amzei — Central squares with cafés, a covered market and student bars
- Dorobanți and Floreasca — Leafy upmarket north with restaurants and lakeside parks
- Unirii and the Parliament — Monumental socialist boulevards around Piața Unirii and the Palace of the Parliament
More of Bucharest
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Bucharest?
Palace of the Parliament. Begun under Nicolae Ceaușescu in the 1980s after a large area of the old city was demolished, this marble colossus is one of the largest administrative buildings in the world.
+Which of these are free in Bucharest?
Cărturești Carusel.