Aerial view of central Bucharest with its avenues and early 20th-century buildings
  1. Home
  2. Destinations
  3. Romania
  4. Bucharest
  5. 2 day itinerary

Bucharest in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 7.9 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

Give Bucharest two days and it stops being a list of buildings and becomes a city of neighbourhoods. Day one is for the centre and the inside of the Parliament; day two for the history of Calea Victoriei and the leafy north, with its peasant houses and granite arch. It's the ideal pace for a long weekend, with no rushing.

Day 1The palace, outside and in

Kick off with 'Bucharest highlights: from Parliament to Cișmigiu lake', from Ceaușescu's palace to the Macca-Villacrosse Passage and the Former Royal Palace. Have sarmale for lunch in the old town, then head back to the Parliament in the early afternoon, this time for the guided tour. Afterwards, wind down among the books on Lipscani. At dusk, begin 'Secret Bucharest' at Mihai Vodă Church, which once travelled on rails, and finish at Stavropoleos, a few steps from dinner: ciorbă de burtă at Caru' cu Bere.

  1. Morning

    Bucharest highlights: from Parliament to Cișmigiu lake

    Mixed · 3.4 km · 2 h 15 min

    1. Palace of the ParliamentCeaușescu's former House of the People: 365,000 square metres, 1,100 rooms and an entire neighbourhood wiped off the map.
    2. Unirii Boulevard and Unirii SquareThe boulevard with which Ceaușescu wanted to outdo the Champs-Élysées, laid out over the heart of old Bucharest.
    3. Macca-Villacrosse PassageA horseshoe-shaped arcade under a glass roof, the most Parisian corner of «Little Paris».
    4. Former Royal Palace (National Museum of Art)The palace of Romania's kings, where in 1944 a young king switched sides in the middle of the war.
    5. Cișmigiu GardensAn unhealthy marsh turned into Bucharest's oldest romantic garden, with a lake, rowing boats and busts of writers.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Sarmale with mămăligă at Caru' cu Bere. Strada Stavropoleos 5, București

  3. Afternoon

    Inside the Palace of the Parliament

    In the morning you see it from outside; inside, the marble staircases, crystal chandeliers and colossal halls tell another story. Visits are guided only and usually need booking ahead and photo ID, so check times and tour options.

    Directions

    Cărturești Carusel bookshop

    A bookshop that opened in 2015 in a restored building on Lipscani Street, with white balconies wrapped around a tall, light-filled atrium. There's a café on the top floor. Right in the old town, it's a perfect pause before the mystery route.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Secret Bucharest: wandering churches, spies and legends

    Mysteries & legends · 2.5 km · 2 h

    1. Mihai Vodă ChurchA 16th-century church that in 1985 travelled 289 metres on rails to escape the bulldozers.
    2. Patriarchal HillBucharest's holy hill, where the prince of the union was elected and where a prime minister was murdered and nobody paid for it.
    3. Manuc's Inn (Hanul lui Manuc)The inn of a rich and enigmatic Armenian, an agent of the tsar, where the fate of Bessarabia was negotiated in 1812.
    4. Old Court: Vlad III without the mythThe palace of the real Dracula, the legend of the shepherd Bucur and the tunnels that popular imagination digs under the Old Town.
    5. Stavropoleos MonasteryA jewel of carved stone whose courtyard keeps gravestones and fragments of vanished churches.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Ciorbă de burtă at Caru' cu Bere. Strada Stavropoleos 5, București

Day 2Bankers, peasants and a triumphal arch

In the morning, 'From Vlad III to the Revolution: six centuries on Calea Victoriei' – the Old Princely Court, the CEC Palace with its glass dome, the balcony on Revolution Square and the Romanian Athenaeum. For lunch, mici with mustard and a beer. In the afternoon, take metro line M2 to Aviatorilor and walk up Kiseleff Avenue: the mood shifts to villas, gardens and the great King Michael I Park. Waiting there are the Village Museum and, a few minutes away, the Arch of Triumph.

  1. Morning

    From Vlad III to the Revolution: six centuries on Calea Victoriei

    History · 2 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Old Princely Court (Curtea Veche)Here, in 1459, Vlad III signed the document in which the name of Bucharest first appears.
    2. National Bank of Romania PalaceA Parisian-style bank palace built on the site of a prince's inn, just as Romania was launching its own state and currency.
    3. CEC PalaceA dome of glass and iron on the site of an old monastery: the temple of thrift of «Little Paris».
    4. Kretzulescu ChurchThe church of a beheaded prince's daughter, built just as the Phanariot century was beginning.
    5. Revolution SquareThe balcony where Ceaușescu was booed on 21 December 1989, and the roof from which he fled by helicopter the next day.
    6. Romanian AthenaeumA concert hall paid for «one leu at a time», where Greater Romania was ratified in 1919.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Mici at Piața Obor. Strada Ziduri Moși (Piața Obor), București

  3. Afternoon

    Village Museum (Muzeul Satului)

    An open-air museum founded in 1936 by the sociologist Dimitrie Gusti, with houses, mills and wooden churches brought from every region of Romania. It sits on the lake shore in King Michael I Park (formerly Herăstrău). Wear comfy shoes: it's big.

    Directions

    Arch of Triumph

    The current granite arch was completed in 1936 to commemorate the First World War and the union of 1918. You can see it from Kiseleff Avenue, a short walk from the Village Museum; on certain special dates the terrace on top opens to visitors.

    Directions

The map

Bucharest in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Bucharest in 2 days

  • Book your Palace of the Parliament tour in advance and bring your passport or ID card: without it, you won't get in.
  • Bucharest's metro is simple and cheap; on day two, line M2 links Universitate and Piața Romană with Aviatorilor, the gateway to the north of the city.
  • If you fancy a concert, check what's on at the Romanian Athenaeum: hearing the George Enescu Philharmonic in its round hall is the best way to see it from the inside.

Questions

Bucharest in 2 days: your questions

Are two days enough for Bucharest?

For a first visit, yes. You'll see the whole historic centre, the inside of the Parliament and the north of the city, which feels like a different Bucharest. If you want more museums or a day trip to Sinaia or Bran, add a third day.

How much walking does this plan involve?

The three routes add up to about 7.9 km over the two days. With the Parliament tour, the Village Museum and getting between areas, expect 8 to 10 km a day. The metro takes care of the longest stretch, up to the north.

Is it worth going inside the Palace of the Parliament?

Yes, especially if you're interested in communism. Inside, you really grasp the scale of Ceaușescu's project and what it cost the country. It can only be visited with a guide and a booking, and some areas close for official events, so check beforehand.

Other itineraries for 2 days

Bucharest

More or less time?

1 day itinerary 3 day itinerary All about Bucharest