Bucharest Holidays

What are the best things to do in Bucharest?

1. The Palace of Parliament is the world’s second-largest administrative building (after the Pentagon) and former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s most infamous project. Started in 1984 and still unfinished, today it houses Romania’s parliament though many of its 3,000 rooms remain unused. You can only access it via a guided tour, booked in advance, for which you’ll need to bring your passport. A complete tour including the building’s basement takes an hour.
2. The exquisite Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman) is the city’s key hub for classical music. Take in the majestic 41-metre-high dome and a splendid set of murals and frescoes depicting Romanian history and five great rulers. It’s home to the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra (the great composer made his debut here in 1898) and you can catch a concert here from September to May or simply take a peek inside on concert days.
3. The Ceausescu Mansion is a villa and former residence of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu who lived there for two decades until deposed in 1989. It has been meticulously restored to its former glory, and you can see the couple’s lavishly decorated bedroom and the private apartments of their three children. Highlights include Elena’s extravagant private chamber, the basement cinema, the back garden and swimming pool. You can book tours in advance.
4. The Stavropoleos Monastery is a tiny but charming church dating from 1724. Perched somewhat oddly near some of the Old Town’s communist-era skyscrapers, the church has a tombstone-filled courtyard, intricate wooden interiors and carved wooden doors. Its library houses Romania’s largest collection of Byzantine music books.
5. The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History is one of Bucharest’s more kid-friendly attractions. The museum, named after its esteemed former keeper of 51 years and showcasing the country’s rich animal and plant life, has been thoroughly modernised with interactives, games and 3D video screens galore, bringing to life its collections of over two million specimens. Much of the signage is in English which makes navigating it a breeze.
6. The Patriarchal Cathedral is a beautiful church that’s been the centre of Romanian Orthodox faith since its construction in the 17th Century. Built in an architectural style known as Brancovenesc, it features a striking bell tower, century-old frescoes and three stunning original carved crosses. It was also the site of an assassination. The Romanian prime minister was murdered here in 1862.
   It’s soon to be eclipsed by the Cathedral for the Salvation of the Romanian People, which once it’s finished will be the tallest Christian Orthodox church in Europe, complete with a 120-metre-high steeple, 600 windows and enough room for 6,000 worshippers. The project has taken more than a century to come to fruition.
7. Romania’s Black Sea beaches are growing in popularity but here’s one alternative that’s much closer to Bucharest. Plaja Gostinu is actually on the banks of the Danube River, an easy journey from the capital. The pretty and relatively thin strip of sand is rarely thronged with beachgoers. It should especially appeal to nature lovers because of the high number and variety of bird life which frequents it.