Bucharest, the jewel of Romania, captivates with the combination of its Parisian finesse with the melancholic image of the post-war and communist period.
What to see in Bucharest:
- Calea Victoriei: The huge boulevards with the wide sidewalks are the most characteristic here. Luxury hotels , expensive boutiques, chic cafés, countless casinos (they are dominant from the airport to the streets and inside the shopping centers), Greek banks and aristocratic buildings with the Military Academy to stand out.
- Revolution Square: We are immediately attracted to Piata Revolutiei (Revolution Square), one of the largest squares and one of the most historic, as this is where the revolution against the Ceaușescu regime began and here dominates the Stalinist architecture of the Ministry of Interior, which housed the Central Committee of the Communist Party from which Ceaușescu delivered his last speech on December 21, 1989. To the north of Piata Revolutiei stretches Bucharest’s wealthiest districts with refined high-rise buildings with lofts and elevator mansions, such as those of Paris.
- National Gallery: Impressive and the building of the National Gallery, which houses the wing with works of European artists (Monet, El Greco, Rembrandt) and that with works of renowned Romanians such as Grigorescu and Andreescu.
- Romanian Athenaeum Palace: One of the most characteristic sights and one of the most important centers of cultural life in the country is the Romanian Athenaeum Palace, it dates back to 1888, which today houses the music hall and steals the show with its baroque interior and musical performances.
- Herastrau Park: Must do a break in the largest park in the Romanian capital, Herastrau, which since 1936 has been a vast expanse of green where locals and visitors can enjoy a carefree walk, boating or canoeing in the communicating lakes and the islet up to cyclists (it has a bicycle path), take a coffee in the park’s hangouts or visit the outdoor Village Museum, which hosts samples of architecture from every part of Romania.
- Palatul Parlamentului (Palace of the People): The titanic Palatul Parlamentului (Palace of the Parliament) or former House of the People, has 12 floors, 330,000 sq.m., 1,100 rooms and for its establishment (started in 1984 and completed in 1989) it took 700 architects and 10,000 workers! It is the largest building in Europe and the second largest in the world after the Pentagon .
