DISCOVER BUCHAREST
Known in the past as ‘The Little Paris’, Bucharest is the capital city of Romania, the country’s center of cultural and economic life. Bucharest was first mentioned in a document in 1459, during the reign of Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes), who will later gain world fame as Dracula. Bucharest is a city of contrasts, the place where old meets new, where the elegance of nuances blends with the colorful life in the suburbs.
The Arch of Triumph, the Village Museum or the People’s House (currently the Parliament Palace – the second largest official building in the world, after the Pentagon in the United States) are some of the must-see attractions on the list of any tourist discovering Bucharest.
The capital of Romania is worth a visit also for its museums, especially the Village Museum, an open-air exhibition close to Herastrau Park, near the Arch of Triumph. Here you will admire some of the representative pieces of architecture and traditional craftsmanship from all around the country, including the famed wooden curches of Maramures.
Other must-see attractions are the National Museum of Art, housed in the building of the former Royal Palace, the National History Museum on Victory Avenue, where you can admire the superb silverware from the Treasury Hall, the Old Princely Court (Curtea Veche), with its delicate church painted in the XVIth century, the Romanian Athenaeum, Cismigiu Gardens and Herastrau Park.
Great local items worth will capture your attention: ceramics, glassworks, traditional fabrics and wooden sculptures and carvings. Another experience to remember would be a short visit to the Sunday morning flea market, the bustling Talcioc, spreading on the banks of Dambovita River.
The capital's restaurants are again lively places: grilled beef, chicken or pork represent the foundation of many local dishes, followed by a tasty variety of pastries for dessert. Tease your apetite with a selection of Romanian wines and with plum brandy (tuica), the national drink.
You can still visit:
Old Center of Bucharest
Universitatii Square
Parliament Palace
National Museum of History
Museum of Jewish Community
National Art Museum
Teodor Aman Museum
Romanian Peasent Museum
National Military Museum
Geology Museum
Museum of Natural History Grigore Antipa
Press House
Sports Museum of Romania
Aviator Monument
Village Museum
Saint Josef Cathedral
Royal Palace – National Art Museum
Communication Palace
Stirbei Palace
Cotroceni Palace and Museum
Astronomical Observatory Vasile Urseanu Amiral
Zoo
Opera House
Carul cu Bere Restaurant
Patriarchal Palace
George Enescu national Museum
Circus
National Library
Arc de Triomphe
Cantacuzino Palace
Patriarchal Cathedral (Mitropolia)
