BUCHAREST AND SURROUNDINGS

Founded nearly 557 years ago, on the Dambovita River banks by the famous Prince of Wallachia – Vlad Tepes, Bucharest was later transformed into the capital of the region and over time is transformed into a European metropolis.
The period of communism has left big footprints in the aspect of the city, but thanks to modernization period, today is a very interesting city with night bars, restaurants, cafes, museums, parks and gardens.
Bucharest is a city of wide boulevards, architecture “end of this century”, things that have given the nickname of “Little Paris”.

Visit the magical bookstore in Old Center Bucharest named Carturesti Carousel which is an outstanding architectural jewel. It’s more than a bookstore; it’s a place for socializing and for artistic discoveries. It hosts also a bistro, an art gallery and a media center.

Visit Therme Bucharest, the biggest wellness, relaxation and entertainment center in Europe opened in 2016! Here you have thermal water and a constant temperature of 30 degrees all year long.

Party all night in the clubs and pubs from Old City Bucharest. It’s a city that never sleeps.

DO NOT MISS…

The Palace of Parliament – Due to its immense physical, psychic and historic stature, is perhaps the most controversial building in Romania, an extravagant and expensive building project. Claiming superlative as the world’s second-largest building by surface area (after the spacious US Pentagon), the palace boasts 12 stories, 1,100 rooms, a 328-ft-long lobby and 8 underground levels, including an enormous nuclear bunker. The interior is a luxurious display of crystal chandeliers, mosaics, oak paneling, marble, gold leaf, stained-glass windows and floors covered in rich carpets. Nowadays it hosts the Romanian Parliament, a conference center and a museum.

Old City – a lively part of the city which used to be a trade center between 15th-18th centuries. The area today impresses with an assortment of buildings in Renaissance, Baroque, Neo Classic architecture, ruins of the Wallachia’s princes’ medieval court, churches, bank headquarters, a few hotels, clubs, restaurants and shops. Narrow cobblestoned streets retain the names of the ancient guilds that resided on them. The area was mostly renovated and is now a place of gathering for the young generation of the city.

The Arch of Triumph – Situated in the northern part of the city, close to Herastrau Park. The current arch was inaugurated in 1936, but on the same site other arches stood starting with 1878.

Romanian Athenaeum – A beautiful building situated near Revolution Square is home of the George Enescu Philharmonic. If you have the time, visit the interior of the building as well, as it holds a fresco that depicts scenes of the Romanian history. The building was inaugurated in 1888.

Village Museum – one of the world’s most interesting ethnographical parks in open air. Founded by royal decree in 1936, this fascinating outdoor museum, the largest in Europe, covers some 30 acres on the shores of Lake Herastrau in Herestrau Park. It features a collection of 50 buildings representing the history and design of Romania’s rural architecture. Steep-roofed peasant homes, thatched barns, log cabins, churches and watermills from all regions of the country were carefully taken apart, shipped to the museum and rebuilt in order to recreate the village setting