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Bucharest · History

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

This route links the medieval heart of Bucharest, the Old Court of the Wallachian princes, with the square where communism ended in 1989. Along the way: the bank palaces of «Little Paris», an 18th-century church and the country's best-loved concert hall.

  • 6 stops
  • 2 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Revolution Square with the Memorial of Rebirth and the former Central Committee building

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Old Princely Court (Curtea Veche)Here, in 1459, Vlad III signed the document in which the name of Bucharest first appears.
  2. 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. 3 CEC PalaceA dome of glass and iron on the site of an old monastery: the temple of thrift of «Little Paris».
  4. 4 Kretzulescu ChurchThe church of a beheaded prince's daughter, built just as the Phanariot century was beginning.
  5. 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. 6 Romanian AthenaeumA concert hall paid for «one leu at a time», where Greater Romania was ratified in 1919.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

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

The birth certificate

You start where a document of Vlad III first named Bucharest, in 1459.

Little Paris

Banks with glass domes and French-inspired façades tell how the city modernised.

December 1989

You finish in the square where a booed speech brought down a dictatorship.

Keep exploring

More routes in Bucharest

Back to Bucharest
Mysteries & legendsSecret Bucharest: wandering churches, spies and legends MixedBucharest highlights: from Parliament to Cișmigiu lake

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Bucharest?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Bucharest in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Bucharest in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Bucharest in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary