7 things to do in Bucharest, Romania
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Loading... - Elijah Hughes
- 12 May 2022
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With a charming old town, thermal spas and classical music, Bucharest should be your next alternative city break. Here's some of the top things to do...
1. Old Town
Compact and walkable, the capital’s Old Town is sandwiched between University Square, Boulevard Bratianu and the Dambovita River. While parts of the old town, or Lipscani, were built in the 15th century, much of it dates back to the 18th and 19th century after surviving the bombs of the Second World War and Communist-era city planning in the 1980s.
Get your bearings by spending a day wandering its cobbled streets, browsing restaurants, pubs, street art and secondhand book shops such as Carturesti Carusel – which has been voted one of the world’s most beautiful book shops. Don’t miss the early 18th century Stavropoleos Church and the fountains in Unirii Park by the river.
2. Palace of the Parliament
A leafy boulevard guides you from the fountains towards Palace of the Parliament, which was built in 1980 under Communist rule.
It’s fair to say the building is enormous. With 1,100 rooms spread over 12 storeys – four of which are underground, along with a nuclear bunker – it is the world’s second largest administrative building after the Pentagon in Washington DC. Take a guided tour, the highlight of which will probably be the view from the balcony. You can also visit the National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC) which takes up an entire wing.
3. Performing arts
Bucharest has built a reputation for performing arts since the late 1800s. Classical music fans will want to bag tickets to the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1868 and named after the Romanian composer, pianist and violinist. The orchestra perform in the Romanian Athenaeum, a neoclassical concert hall to the north of the Old Town. You might also want to attend a concert by the National Radio Orchestra of Romania at Sala Radio.
Romanian National Opera is a few streets away and the place to go to watch opera or ballet. It also hosts occasional open-air performances for free.
IL Caragiale National Theatre of Bucharest in University Square attracts a younger audience with a mix of improvised performances, one-woman shows and multi-media plays. You can also take behind-the-scenes guided tours.
4. Therme Bucharest
With capacity for 4,000, Therme Bucharest is Europe’s largest geothermal bath complex, with adult-only areas and sections suited to families. You could easily fill a day here.
As well as 10 mineral pools, four steam rooms and six saunas – one of which shows nature documentaries – you can also relax outdoors or on the biggest beach in a European city. The centre is also a botanical garden, home to 1,500 palm trees, 1,200 trees outdoors and 800,000 orchids and other exotic plants inside. Read More…
