Bucharest is the capital of Romania and it’s a very popular starting point for trips to Romania. While it’s true that I think Transylvania is more exciting, many flights arrive to Romania in Bucharest and therefore I think it’s worth spending at least one day in Bucharest. Learn about the history of Romania as you wander through the Old Town and tour the second largest administrative building in the world.
So, here’s how I’d recommend spending one day in Bucharest.
One Day in Bucharest, Romania
This is not the only way to spend your time in Bucharest, but for first time visitors who are short on time, this gives you the highlights of the city in a compact and easy way.
Morning – Arcul di Triumf
Start your morning by heading to the Arcul di Triumf. While not quite as grand as what you may find in Paris, the Arcul di Triumf in Bucharest also sits in the middle of a busy roundabout. Paris’s Arc de Triomphe was built as a way to honor the military members who lost their lives in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, Bucharest’s Arcul di Triumf was built to commemorate its victory in World War 1. Specifically, it’s because after World War 1 that Romania was finally unified under one country.
If you’re following this itinerary, you should be here earlier in the day and the museum that’s inside the arch will not be open. That shouldn’t stop you from visiting the arch and walking through the nearby King Mihai Park (which is my favorite park of the ones I visited in Bucharest).
Just be sure to keep an eye on the time. You’ll be taking a walking tour after this, so make sure you give yourself enough time to meet your tour group. It’s about a 50 minute walk from the Arcul di Triumf to the Old Town, but you can condense that walk and take the metro and arrive in 20 to 30 minutes.
If you have a little bit of time, stop and grab a quick bite to eat. We’ll be having a later lunch today, so make sure you account for that. Luca is a popular bakery that sells all kinds of quick and easy snacks. There are locations all over the city.
Mid Morning – Bucharest Walking Tour
I recommend that you spend some time in Bucharest exploring the historic Old Town. Here’s where you’ll find the best architecture and so much history. While you can explore on your own, I highly recommend taking a walking tour.
During my trip to Bucharest, I booked a tips based walking tour that took us from the Romanian Athaneum, through the Old Town, and all the way to the Palace of Parliament. The tour lasted a little over two and a half hours but during that time, we learned a lot.
Our guide talked about the history of Romania, all the way back to its founding. She touched on Dracula, because I don’t think it’s possible to take a tour in Romania without talking about Vlad the Impaler. And of course, there was talk of the Romanian Revolution as we walked passed the places where so many important events took place. Along the way, our guide was able to point out buildings so we actually knew what we were looking at.
I got way more out of my walking tour than I would have done if I had just explored on my own, so I’m recommending that you do that same. Here’s the walking tour I took. If you really don’t want a tour guide, that’s totally fine, but don’t miss out on the Old Town.
Early Afternoon – Palace of Parliament
If you took the same walking tour I did, your tour should end at the Palace of Parliament. This building is massive and it’s the second largest administrative building in the world (behind the Pentagon in the United States). While you can tour the interior of the building, it must be done with a guided tour.
The interior of the building is incredible, so I highly recommend that you include a stop when you’re in Bucharest. Your guide will bring you through some of the lavishly decorated halls and conference rooms while also teaching you about some of the history of the building (even though it’s a very modern building). The tour lasts about an hour and a half (though the first 15 minutes are just getting everyone through the passport screening).
The one thing that you need to note is that planning a visit to the Palace of Parliament can be tricky. You’ll need a ticket, which costs 85 LEI, but these tickets are not available online. Technically. There’s some unofficial sites selling these tickets for high markups. So not only can you not buy your ticket online, but you can only buy your ticket the day before or the day of your visit.
This is not the Bucharest itinerary I followed, so I visited right when the building opened (at 9:00 am) and was able to pick up a ticket for the 10:15 tour. If you have a little bit of time the day before your exploration in Bucharest, this is an option. Swing buy the Palace of Parliament the day before and pick up your ticket for the next day. The other option is to call the ticket office and request a ticket for an afternoon tour the next day.
I’d recommend scheduling your tour after 1:30 pm. This gives you enough time to finish a walking tour (though confirm the times of your walking tour with the time of your Parliament tour), but not have to rush to get to the start.
As a note, you’ll need to go through security to enter the Palace of Parliament. The biggest thing to note is that no liquids are allowed (even water bottles on hot summer days). You’ll also need your passport.
Lunch
I’ll fully admit that this lunch is later than I’d like but the Palace of Parliament is a bit out of the way so I think it makes sense for you to take your tour right after your walking tour because you’re right there. So take a break, get something to eat, and relax.
I know by this point you’re probably very hungry, but I’m going to point out one more quick sightseeing thing. Just behind the Palace of Parliament is National Cathedral of Romania, which is the largest Orthodox Church in the world. It’s not finished yet and when I visited, we weren’t allowed in the building, but you can see it from the outside if you’re interested.
Late Afternoon – Romanian Athaneum
By this part of the day, it’s mostly traveler’s choice, however, I’m going to include one more stop and that’s the Romanian Athaneum. You’ve likely already seen this from the outside through your walking tour or your own exploration of Bucharest’s Old Town, but I’m including it on this list again so you can go and see the inside.
There’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to go inside though. It all depends on the show schedule and when I visited Bucharest, the visiting schedule didn’t align with my schedule so I had to stick to just looking at photos of the building online.
If you have a chance, it’s 15 LEI (cash only) to see the gorgeous interior. So, when you swing by on your walking tour in the morning, pop in and check what the visiting hours are for the day. If you can squeeze it in, absolutely do it.
Evening – Traveler’s Choice
The rest of the evening is yours to explore. Continue strolling the Old Town or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Is One Day in Bucharest Enough?
I think that one day in Bucharest is just barely enough time in the city. You can see a lot in one day and cover most of the highlights, but it will be a busy day.
If you have the time to spend one extra day in the city, you’ll be able to explore at a more relaxed pace. In the summer months, I think this can be essential as it can get very, very hot and that just becomes unpleasant for sightseeing.
Since I traveled in summer (August) as part of a longer trip, I had three full days in Bucharest. Rather than cramming everything into one day, I spread it out across several half days. I explored in the morning and retreated to the air-conditioning in the afternoons and hottest parts of the day.
How to Get Around Bucharest
For the most part, it’s pretty easy to walk around Bucharest. If you stay near the historic Old Town, you shouldn’t have too much of an issue walking everywhere.
The one exception is the main train station and bus station which are a bit far from the historic Old Town. In these instances, it’s likely going to be better to catch some form of public transportation.
Bucharest has trams, buses, and a metro system. The important thing to note is that the metro is operated separately from the trams and buses. When you’re purchasing any tickets, this is very important to know. That said, I think that public transportation is still affordable and therefore I think it’s worth considering.
What I Did to Get Around Bucharest
When I arrived in Bucharest via train, I picked up a 24 hour metro card. Note that there are automated machines at the station, but I could only buy two rides, 10 rides, or a 72 hour ticket. I wanted a 24 hour metro pass, so I had to go and wait in line at a ticket window. When I purchased my ticket, I was asked if I wanted metro only. Having done my research in advance, I knew that yes, I could go everywhere I needed on the metro. If you’re going to take at least three metro rides, the 24 hour ticket is a better deal.
I took the metro from the train station to my hostel. Then the next day, I used the metro to go up to the Arcul di Triumf and back to the start of my walking tour. I took three rides so I got my money’s worth out of the 24 hour pass. For the rest of my time, I walked in Bucharest and had no issues, even though I’ll admit that there were so longer walks.
How to Get to Bucharest
Bucharest is well connected by train, bus, and planes, so you shouldn’t have too much issues getting here. Bucharest’s airport (airport code OTP) is located just outside the city and a train connects the airport to the Bucharest North Train Station, where you can then connect to buses, trains, and the metro.
Trains also connect Bucharest to much of the rest of Romania. My train from Brasov used Bucharest North, but there is also a Bucharest South station too. Confirm which train station you actually need.
For buses, you’ll find major bus lines operating out of Bucharest Militari Bus Station. Note that not all buses use this station. I took Pegasus Bus from Bucharest to Varna, Bulgaria and it departed from the side of the road, right next to Hotel Horoscop in the center of the city. For all bus journeys, confirm where your bus actually departs from.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed Bucharest more than I expected. It’s not my favorite city in Europe, or even in Romania, but learning about the history from a local and touring some of the important buildings was a fun way to spend my time in the city. Hopefully, you’ll feel the same.
