offwegooo.com
Travel guide
Bucharest
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
Bucharest, in a few days
Bucharest puts the Palace of the Parliament, 365,000 m² of marble ordered by Ceaușescu, ten minutes' walk from lanes of 18th-century Orthodox churches. In between are Art Deco villas, huge parks and inexpensive terraces.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Palace of the Parliament · about 1 h 30Ordered by Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1984 and never quite finished, it razed a fifth of the historic centre and displaced some forty thousand residents.
- Afternoon · Stavropoleos Church free · about 30 minA monastery church barely larger than a village chapel, completed in 1724, with a Brâncovenesc façade of carved stone columns and painted medallions.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Cismigiu ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€80 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lipscani and the Old Town free · 2 to 3 hThe merchants' quarter, named after traders who stocked up in Leipzig, around the Old Princely Court, where Bucharest was first mentioned in writing in 1459.
- Afternoon · National Museum of Art of Romania · 2 to 3 hIn the former royal palace on Calea Victoriei: medieval Romanian icons and church fragments, plus a European gallery with works by El Greco and Rembrandt.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Cismigiu ↗€80 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Romanian Athenaeum · about 1 hAn 1888 domed concert hall paid for by public subscription, 'Give a leu for the Athenaeum', with a 70-metre fresco of Romanian history inside.
- Afternoon · Museum of the Romanian Peasant · about 1 h 30Ninety thousand rural objects, from icons on glass to carved gates, shown without explanatory cases, which won European Museum of the Year in 1996.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Cismigiu ↗€80 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum · 2 to 3 hPeasant houses, churches and mills taken apart across Romania and rebuilt beam by beam beside Lake Herăstrău, opened by sociologist Dimitrie Gusti in 1936.
- Afternoon · Herăstrău Park free · 2 to 3 hA 187-hectare park around a lake, renamed King Michael I Park in 2017, with a two-hour loop past writers' busts, roses and boat jetties.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Sarmale: cabbage leaves rolled around minced meat and rice, simmered for hours.
- Mămăligă: a firm maize porridge, served with cheese, sour cream or alongside stews.
- Mici: small grilled sausages without skins, eaten with mustard and a cold beer.
- Ciorbă: a family of sour soups, from tripe to vegetables, sharpened with bran or lemon.
- Papanași: fried cheese doughnuts topped with sour cream and jam.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Watch for stray dogs in the countryside and on mountain trails.
- The Transfăgărășan road is closed for most of the year, usually opening only from early summer to October.
- Use cash machines attached to banks, and take metered taxis or a ride app.
- Book early in the Transylvanian villages in summer, where guesthouses are small and few.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Romanian
| English | Romanian |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bună ziua |
| Thank you | Mulțumesc |
| Please | Vă rog |
| Yes | Da |
| No | Nu |
| Excuse me | Scuzați-mă |
| Goodbye | La revedere |
| Do you speak English? | Vorbiți engleză? |
| I don't understand | Nu înțeleg |
| How much is it? | Cât costă? |
| Where are the toilets? | Unde este toaleta? |
| The bill, please | Nota, vă rog |
| Help! | Ajutor! |
| Cheers! | Noroc! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyRomanian leu (RON)
BudgetAbout €70 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterGenerally safe in cities; bottled is simpler in the countryside
TippingAppreciated, around 10%
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/bucharest
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.