Description:

Duration: 1 day.
Cities: Bucharest.

The “Old Court” Church

We shall begin the tour of Bucharest with the Orthodox Cathedral, which was founded in 1656 by Prince Constantin Şerban. Inside there are various paintings, frescoes, an iconostasis and the relics of Saint Dimitrie the New Basarabov protector of Bucharest.

We shall continue with the ruins of the Old Court dating from the 15th century, built during the rule of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula).

Then, we shall visit the Palace of Parliament, a spectacular building, the second largest in the world after the Pentagon in the U.S.A., with an area of 315.000 m2, out of which, over 250.000 m2 are over 84 m high and 25 m under the ground. The materials used were: walnut, cherry, oak, Carrara marble, curtains embroidered with gold and silver, 5 cm thick carpets, lamps from bronze, aluminium and crystal, 2800 chandeliers, etc..

Palace of the Parliament

“Cișmigiu” Park

We shall continue our visit with the Romanian Athenaeum, Cismigiu Park, Romanian National Opera and the Military Academy.
Lunch will be served at the famous restaurant “Jariştea“, in a “Little Paris” ambient. Francis Ford Coppola and other celebrities went here and served a great meal. There is also “Caru’ cu Bere“, another exceptional restaurant in the old city. It is built in German Gothic style and, in the past, it was a brewery. Writers and artists used to meet here.

Across the street from the restaurant, there is Stavropoleos Church, a jewel of Orthodox architecture, built in 1724. In the old centre you shall see the ruins of the old Court, from the 15th century, built during the rule of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula). You can go for a walk in this old part of the city where you can find many bars and terraces.

“Caru’ cu Bere” Pub

Village Museum

We shall continue the tour through University Square (Piaţa Universităţii), Romana Square (Piaţa Romană), the Triumphal Arch, Free Press Square (Piaţa Presei Libere) and we shall end our day with a visit at the Village Museum. It is an open-air ethnographic museum, built such as to resemble a small village, with typical rural buildings, from each region. It was opened in 1936 on a surface of approximately 10 hectares; there are approximately 300 houses, brought from their original place, reassembled in this wonderful museum.

For those who will still have the energy to do it, we recommend a walk in Herastrau Park, which is next to the museum. It is the largest park in Bucharest (187 hectares), with several lakes and facilities such as: outdoor theater and cinema, botanical garden, restaurants etc..

“Herastrau” Park

The Triumphal Arch

During our return, we shall cross Piata Victoriei, Calea Victoriei and Piata Revolutiei.