What to see in Bucharest in 2 or 3 days

Traveladic 26-04-2024 Getaways in Europe, Travel
what to see in Bucharest

This is a small guide to what to see in Bucharest in 2 or 3 days. If you also want us to make an exact planning of each day and book your accommodation, visits, etc., do not hesitate to contact us through this linkNow continue reading our free guide.

Index

Interesting facts

Bucharest is probably one of the most underrated capitals in Europe. And while it is true that its critics have arguments in favor ("you can visit it in 2 days", "there is not much to see"), it is no less true that this argument has very little value by our standards. 

Far from the stressful tourism of seeing as many things as possible, at Traveladic we have always promoted cultural trips away from the usual frenetic pace. We have always advocated that instead of visiting 10 churches of the same style, the ideal is to visit 1 or 2 representative ones and spend the rest of the time, for example, in a restaurant tasting typical dishes. Romania is the ideal place to apply this philosophy and, obviously, its capital is no exception. 

In other guides on “what to see in Bucharest”, you will find many places to visit without any interest. For example, many will recommend you to go see the Arch of Triumph. Yes, an arch that is in many cities and that without the appropriate historical explanation makes no sense to visit. In this guide, therefore, you will find what we consider appropriate to visit depending on your hobbies or time. Let's start.

Before traveling

Essential

Understand that the greatness of Romania is the country as a whole and that its capital is in a growth phase.  

Recommended

Stay near the center. Since it is a small old town, if you stay in the center you will enjoy your experience much more.

What to see in Bucharest in 2 or 3 days

Unlike most of our articles where we predict about 3 or 4 days per city, in this guide to "what to see in Bucharest" we assume that 2 or 3 days is enough time to see the most interesting things in the city.

Old town

One thing we loved about Bucharest is one of the most common arguments of disdain used by its critics: its size. Its historic center is small and may give the impression of being uninteresting, but the reality is quite different. The city is very lively and every year the number of places of cultural interest increases. 

But let's focus on the old town. Being small, it's ideal to discover it with a free tour. It's no secret that we're fans of these guided tours. But in Bucharest, with a good tour you can also discover most of the places of interest in the old town, and also those that are close to the center. Let's see some of these places:

  • Revolution Square
  • Royal Palace of Bucharest
  • Stavropoleos Monastery
  • Caru Cu Bere Restaurant
  • Victoria Avenue
  • Victoria Passage
  • Macca Vilacrosse Passage
  • National Bank of Romania
  • Manuc's Inn
  • Parliament and Unirii Square
  • Palace of Justice

We won't explain each place one by one. That's up to the guide, but we will highlight that it's interesting to find a tour that goes through the Parliament (almost all of them do). This way you're sure to see one of the largest buildings in the world and, what's more, they'll almost certainly also explain the country's communist past on the same tour.

You will see a great contrast between renovated buildings and others still to be fixed and you will understand how violent the Ceaucescu regime was. But at the same time, you will discover that Bucharest hides gems like the passages Victory and Maca Vilacrosse. Another thing that we found very interesting were the Hanul Lui Manuc inn and the Caru Cu Bere restaurant. We had dinner there in the latter and it was a unique experience.

Remember that free tours are not free, but they expect you to leave a tip. Be generous; we recommend a minimum of €10 per person, as the work is paid for. Also, if you think about it, €10 (or €20 if you are 2 people) for 2 hours of work is, in fact, a bargain. So try to go with tours where there are a minimum of travelers so that the guide has more income. Think about it…

Other places of interest

There are other places in the center that you might not visit on the free tour. They might not interest you but they might catch your eye. Some of them appear in other “what to see in Bucharest” guides, so that might give you an idea of what they might be interesting for you.

Carturesti Bookstore

Located in the center, you might pass by it during the free tour. If you like books and bookstores, you will love this place. With six floors, lots of light and places to relax and read, this bookstore was a pleasant surprise.

Opera

One of the most amazing experiences in Bucharest is its opera. Okay, yes, it's opera and you might not like it. But if you've always wanted to go to the opera and the prices have put you off, you won't have that problem here. Check the schedule in advance and maybe your first Magic Flute or La Traviata will be in the Romanian capital. It's a 20-minute walk from the center.

Romanian Athenaeum

One of the emblematic buildings of the city. It is located near the center and you just have to follow Victoria Avenue north until you find Benjamin Franklin Street. Before going there, check the opening hours, as it is where the famous Bucharest Philharmonic rehearses and, if they are rehearsing, you will not be able to enter.

Patriarchal Cathedral

It is possible that the free tour will take you there but it is not certain, so we mention it in this section. It is a very important Orthodox church for Romanians. However, if you arrive in Bucharest after visiting the rest of the country, you may not feel like seeing more churches; Romania has many places of worship with great relevance to history. For example the painted churches of Bucovina or the ones of Fusta in the north of the country.

Parks

In Bucharest you will see quite a few parks both in the city center and nearby. In this article we will highlight two of them.

Cismigiu

This park is in the center and is a "haven" of peace that can help you escape from the rest of the city. It is not very big but it fulfills its function. It has a lake inside and several paths to "get lost" inside. At some points of the day it can be very crowded, but you can breathe a more natural air there.

Herastrau 

This park is something else. Much bigger, with an even bigger lake and many more trails. It is a bit further from the center but it is a great place to walk, for example, in the afternoon. Here you will see people doing sports or families spending their Sunday. It gave us the feeling of being in a park from the communist era. Maybe it was just a feeling…

Rooftops

One of the attractions of Bucharest is the rooftops, which many bars have taken advantage of to offer a bonus to their products. In the old town you will find posters in various places advertising these establishments. They are a little more expensive, but the views are spectacular.

Gastronomy

Romania is known for its great food, and its capital is no exception. If a guide on “what to see in Bucharest” doesn’t mention the food, discard it. If you talk to friends who have visited the country, they’ll surely mention the food. So let’s start with our list of recommended dishes (and drinks):

  • Burta soup: intestine soup. Seriously. It's very good and, if you go there in winter, it's a must.
  • Countryside Beef Soup: another soup. This one has beef. Also ideal in winter.
  • Sarmale: meat rolls.
  • Mamaliga/polenta: kind of puree. It is usually served as an accompaniment with, for example, sarmale.
  • Mititei: grilled pork or lamb sausages. Delicious.
  • Tochitură: typical Transylvanian stew. It contains pork, cheese and other ingredients.
  • Papanasius: dessert. We don't know how to define it. Like a warm donut with cheese, cream and jam. A truly delicious bestiality and our favorite. There will be a before and an after to the "desserts of your life".
  • Palinka: brandy. It would be like vodka for the Poles. They make it from different fruits and you have to be careful because some are sweet and you drink more than you can handle.

Accommodation

As we recommended at the beginning, staying close to the old town is essential to be able to walk everywhere. Just east of the old town is the Boulevard Nicolae Balcescu, a large road for cars. To the west is the old town, to the east is the area of the city that is being renovated the most. In this area there are many communist buildings with tourist apartments. It is a good area despite the gloomy appearance they may have.

Remember that we can also help you throughout the booking process thanks to our Europe Getaway Pack.

Conclusion 

Budapest is an underrated city. And it's true that it may not offer as many tourist attractions as other capitals. But the city has that growing atmosphere of so many post-communist cities. In addition, its gastronomy and people give it an extra that makes it a very pleasant place to visit on a long weekend. We were positively surprised, despite having spent 10 very busy days on a road trip. Maybe it was because we didn't have many expectations, but the reality is that we enjoyed it a lot.