The 10 Best Things to Do in Bucharest (2024)

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Romania’s Charming Capital

In this post, we’ll go over the best things to do in Bucharest, the lively and captivating capital city of Romania. Once known as the “Little Paris of the East,” this city has emerged from its tumultuous past to become a thriving metropolis that seamlessly combines its rich history with contemporary allure. As you explore Bucharest, don’t miss the chance to savor local flavors in the city’s many cafes, restaurants, and bars, or to partake in the vibrant nightlife that pulses through its streets. The city’s unique blend of history and modernity, culture and creativity, ensures that every visitor will find their own personal connection to this captivating urban tapestry.

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Best Things to Do in Bucharest

1. Explore Old Town

Wander through the historic Old Town with its charming streets, lively bars, cafes, restaurants, and a mix of architectural styles. It’s a great place for nightlife and exploring local culture. While in Bucharest, we highly recommend going on a walking tour to get to know the city a bit and learn about its history.

If you’re interested in the history of communism in Romania, there’s a super interesting communism tour you can go on to hear about what it was like to live in Romania during communist rule.

For those more interested in the gastronomy of the city, check out this Bucharest food tour!

2. Tour the Palace of the Parliament (Palatul Parlamentului)

Explore the massive, impressive Palace of the Parliament, the second-largest administrative building in the world by volume. The palace was built in the 1980s under the rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu and is a controversial symbol of his regime. We recommend going on a guided tour that will teach you about the interesting history of this building.

While you’re in the area, don’t miss the fountains on Unirii Boulevard (it’ll be hard to miss these anyways as they span a massive part of the boulevard!). From May to October, there are magical shows put on at night that we definitely recommend attending!

3. Relax at Therme Spa

Enjoy Europe’s largest wellness center filled with indoor and outdoor mineral pools, themed saunas, and a waterpark. Therme boasts a ton of activities that will keep you busy (but extremely relaxed!) for a full day! This was a huge highlight of our time in Bucharest and Romania as a whole – we highly recommend that everyone make time for a visit to Therme during their time in Bucharest.

Check out the Ultimate Guide to Visiting Therme Spa

4. Read at Cărturești Carusel

If you’re into books (and honestly, even if you’re not), this bookstore is absolutely stunning and was one of our highlights when we visited Bucharest. The bookstore has six floors and over 10,000 books, as well as a bistro, a gallery, and a space for events. Cărturești Carusel is a great place to spend an afternoon browsing books, sipping coffee, and enjoying the atmosphere. If you’re a digital nomad, definitely spend some time working here!

5. Herastrau Park (Parcul Herăstrău)

Enjoy a leisurely stroll, bike ride, or boat ride on the lake in this vast park. You can also visit the Village Museum (Muzeul Satului), showcasing traditional Romanian village life.

6. Museum of Art Collections (Muzeul Colecțiilor de Artă)

Discover a diverse range of artworks, including pieces by Romanian artists, at this lesser-known museum located in the former royal palace.

7. Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Român)

Admire the stunning architecture of this concert hall, which hosts classical music performances and is a symbol of Romanian culture.

8. Stavropoleos Monastery

Step into a peaceful oasis in the heart of the city at this beautiful Romanian Orthodox monastery, known for its intricate architecture and serene courtyard.

9. Cotroceni Palace (Palatul Cotroceni)

Visit the residence of the Romanian president and explore its museum, which offers insight into Romania’s history and culture.

10. Cismigiu Gardens (Grădina Cișmigiu)

Enjoy the tranquility of this central park, perfect for a relaxing walk, rowing on the lake, or simply sitting and people-watching. We really enjoyed exploring this park while we were in the city.

Transylvania’s Highlights from Bucharest

When visiting Romania, you cannot miss Transylvania. It’s super easy to explore the country with a rental car or by public transportation (which will be slower, but it works well enough!). If you’re limited with time or just don’t want to deal with arranging transportation yourself, check out the tours below!

Best Time to Visit Bucharest

The best time to visit Bucharest is between April and October. During this time, weather will be warm and perfect for exploring Bucharest and the rest of Romania! Keep in mind that it can get hot during the summer, but it’s usually not uncomfortably hot in Romania (except for when Europe has a heatwave!).

Where to Stay in Bucharest

The best neighborhoods of Bucharest to stay in are Old Town and Piata Romana, which are right next to each other. These areas have the most going on in terms of tourist attractions, restaurants, and nightlife. These areas are also very well connected to Bucharest’s public transportation, making it easy to explore all parts of the city!

Bucharest Accommodations

How to Get Around Bucharest

Bucharest is a large city, and if you’re going to be visiting multiple areas of the city without using Uber or taxis for each trip, you’ll have to have a handle on the public transportation systems available to you. Luckily, Bucharest is pretty easy to get around!

How to Use the Metro in Bucharest

Using the metro is the fastest and most efficient way to travel within the city center. The Bucharest metro is clean, safe, and easy to navigate with signs in Romanian and English, and it operates from 5 am to 11 pm daily. To use the metro, you can buy and load a card within any metro station.

How to Use Buses and Trams in Bucharest

Buses and trams are great and cheap ways to get around Bucharest. The bus and tram networks are very extensive and cover most of the city, and they run extremely frequently. While we were in Bucharest, we found Google Maps to be really helpful when planning our route. Bus times weren’t always 100% accurate, but enough buses run the routes that you should have no problem getting to your destination.

To use the buses and trams in Bucharest, you’ll first need to purchase an Activ card. You can buy and recharge these at STB kiosks. You can also ride the buses and trams using the 24Pay app. Note: One card can be used for multiple people.

Once you get on the bus, you’ll need to validate the card on board. This is done on an honor system, but if you get caught without a validated card you’ll get fined around 17 euros.

How to Get to Bucharest

Bucharest, Romania’s vibrant capital, is super well-connected, offering various options to reach it depending on your origin and budget. If you have the means, renting a car while in Romania is definitely the easiest way to explore the country, but it’s certainly possible to get around with trains and buses!

How to Get to Bucharest by Plane

The fastest and most convenient option for long distances, especially from outside Europe, is to fly into Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP). Numerous airlines operate flights to Bucharest from major cities worldwide.

To get into downtown Bucharest from the airport, you can either take a taxi or Uber or use one of the many bus lines that services the airport. To check out bus routes, Google Maps is super helpful.

Book Cheap Flights on Skyscanner

How to Get to Bucharest by Train

From within Romania, the best options for reaching Bucharest is by train or bus. We personally preferred traveling by train, as it was scenic and more comfortable than by buses. Bucharest’s Gara de Nord (North Train Station) is the main arrival point for most trains.

You can travel to Bucharest by train from outside of the country, but we don’t really recommend this because the train rides can be really long and require multiple changes.

Check your Romanian Train Itinerary and Buy Tickets on CFR

How to Get to Bucharest by Bus

If the train timetables aren’t working for you, it’s definitely worth checking out the bus schedules.

If you’re coming from nearby countries, such as Serbia and Bulgaria, taking the bus may be a quicker option than the train.

Check Romanian Bus Schedules on Autogari

Keep Exploring Romania….

Our Favorite Travel Resources

Accommodations: We use Booking.com for hotels and HostelWorld for hostels. We also use VRBO or TrustedHousesitters for longer stays.

Flights: We recommend using Skyscanner to find the cheapest and best flights.

Ground Transport: We use 12Go and Omio for buses and private transfers, and rentalcars.com and Discover Cars for rental cars.

Activities: GetYourGuide and Viator are the best websites for booking organized tours.

International Medical Insurance: We highly recommend SafetyWing for Digital Nomads and HeyMondo for those not traveling full-time, or who frequently engage in higher-risk adventure activities.

eSIM: We recommend Airalo or Holafly for getting data internationally.

Check out our Travel Resources Page for more of our favorite travel-related products and services!

The 10 Best Things to Do in Bucharest