Tourist Attractions & Monuments Romania

This vast cemetery is the equivalent of Père Lachaise in Paris. It was created in 1858, on land made available by Baron Barbu Bellu. It's a quiet place, immersed in greenery, really pleasant. You feel as if you're wandering through a wood where a few graves have been laid out. Here you'll find the graves of personalities such as Mihai Eminescu, the national poet, and playwright Ion Luca Caragiale. They lie alongside members of wealthy local families, who competed to build the most beautiful tombs, such as the imposing Cantacuzènes mausoleum.

Hard to miss. Still topped with dozens of satellite dishes, the Palace of Telephones(Palatul Telefoanelor) would not be out of place in Gotham City. Inaugurated in 1934, this building, reminiscent of the old New York skyscrapers, bears witness to the architectural follies of the time. For many years, it was the tallest building in the city, standing at 52.50 m. It is emblematic of the Art Deco style, well represented in Bucharest with the Ambasador and Lido hotels on Magheru boulevard, and the Union International Center on strada Câmpineanu.

A neo-Brâncovenesc monument, the Palace of the Institute of Architecture(Palatul institutului de arhitectură), built between 1921 and 1927 by Grigore Cerchez, houses the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning, named after this great architect and promoter of the neo-Romanian style. Its facade, recently cleaned, shows just how beautiful the city could be if the same treatment were given to the many buildings blackened by car fumes.

This austere 1950 building first housed the Ministry of the Interior, before becoming the headquarters of the Communist Party. It was from the balcony of this building that, on December 21, 1989, Ceaușescu delivered his last speech, interrupted by the crowd. The next day, after a night of chaos, the dictator and his wife fled by helicopter from the roof, and demonstrators invaded the palace. The palace housed the Senate until 2005, when it was returned to its original function.

There are still three Jewish cemeteries in Bucharest. One, Sephardic, is near the Bellu cemetery, on the other side of Piața Eroii Revoluției. Another Sephardic cemetery is located further south, in the Giurgiului district (șoseaua Giurgiului, 62). With around 40,000 graves, it's the largest. A monument has been erected here for the victims of the 1941 pogrom perpetrated in the capital. Finally, the Filantropia cemetery (bulevardul Mihalache, 91) is reserved for Ashkenazi Jews. Founded in 1865, it contains some 30,000 graves. It also houses an oratory.

This square is above all a vast crossroads where subways, streetcars and buses are constantly crossing. You're in the heart of a working-class southern district. On the other hand, it's a very lively place. Between the blocks and the power plant, you'll see vast markets that attract sometimes impressive crowds. In the south of the city, block districts follow one another: Vitan (home to the Bucureşti Mall), Berceni, Rahova... Ferentari is known as the city's largest Roma district, and is very much underprivileged.

Housed in a handsome, massive neo-Brâncovenesc building dating from 1906, it is divided into fourteen sections: Romanian geology, hydrocarbons, paleontology, paleobotany... The basement contains fluorescent minerals in astonishing colors. You can admire a fine collection of stones from all over the world and learn more about the tectonic plates that episodically shake Romania. There are also numerous reproductions of dinosaurs.

A superb house built in the Tudor style in 1940-1941 for the engineer Dumitru Minovici. Bequeathed to the Romanian Academy by his wife, with a collection of over 900 objects, it has been transformed into a museum. You'll see Flemish tapestries, paintings by European artists, furniture, stained glass, medieval and modern weapons... and a library of rare books. The house is surrounded by a beautiful garden, with sculptures and a pond.

Strada Paris runs through a superb neighborhood. Its streets, named after capitals from around the world, are lined with bold mansions in perfect condition. Some of them house embassies. Few cars, many trees. Ivy, Virginia creeper and arbors create an almost village-like atmosphere. Strada Paris leads to Piaţa Dorobanţilor, the heart of this upscale district, where opulent houses stand side by side with luxurious shops and renowned restaurants.

A paradise for cartography enthusiasts. Opened in 2003, this museum features over 1,000 maps and engravings, dating from the ^16th to the ^20th century: of Romania, continents, cities and even the sky. The changing perception of the world, wars, propaganda... it's all here! The setting doesn't spoil anything: the museum occupies a beautiful neo-Gothic house from the 1920s, adorned with stained-glass windows and ceilings painted... with maps again! A fascinating journey through time and space.

Located south of Cotroceni, at the end of Eroilor Boulevard, it is a building that is hard to miss if you are driving through this part of the city. Very massive and square, it rises on one of the rare reliefs of the capital. Built in 1938 by Duiliu Marcu, it houses on its esplanade a statue in memory of the heroes of the fatherland (Eroilor Patriei), soldiers who fought for the country's freedom during the Second World War. The building housed the Nazi authorities during this period. It is now home to the National Defense University.

This cemetery is home to Nicolae Ceauşescu's grave, located on the left-hand side. His wife Elena is buried nearby. Not far away is also their son Nicu, who died of cirrhosis in 1996 after a life of debauchery. Their three graves are permanently decorated with flowers and lit with candles by those nostalgic for that period. The cemetery also has a military section, where fallen soldiers are laid to rest. Across the street is the Turkish cemetery, originally an Ottoman military cemetery.

Located near Piaţa Amzei, this synagogue is the oldest in the city still in use. Built in 1840, it is renowned for its architectural style, with neo-Moorish influences, and for the beauty of its interior hall (carved wooden balconies...). Outside, bas-reliefs adorn the tympanums above the doors. The higher one on the façade depicts the Ten Commandments. After a long period of closure, the synagogue was restored in 2007 and is now used by the Lubavitch community.

It occupies a house reminiscent of a ship, built in 1910 by Admiral Vasile Urseanu. As president of the Astronomical Society at the time, he wanted to give as many people as possible access to the sky. The building features a dome with an opening roof, housing the telescope. Today, astronomical observations are made from the roof terrace. Telescopes are used to observe the sun, its eruptions and other stars. The permanent exhibition is open to groups only.

Visitors come here as much for the works on display as for the building that houses them: Casa Melik, named after the family who lived there in the ^19th century. One of the capital's oldest and most beautiful homes, it was built in 1750 by a wealthy Armenian merchant. It serves as a showcase for the collection bequeathed in the 1960s by the Răut couple. In addition to paintings, engravings and drawings by Romanian artist Theodor Pallady, you'll admire European paintings from the ^16th to the ^19th century, sculptures, furniture, pottery and other precious objects.

Everyone knows this building in the middle of a crossroads in Bucharest. It's a fire watch and warning tower, built in 1891 to replace an earlier one erected in 1715. At the time, it housed a large water tank, fire pumps and horses to transport them. It was used by firefighters until 1935, when it became a museum that recently closed its doors.

In the heart of a beautiful residential area, this museum presents the private collection of Armenian merchant Krikor Zambaccian (1889-1962), one of the richest in Romania. Bequeathed to the state in 1947, it includes the country's only Cézanne, as well as works by Renoir, Sisley, Picasso, Matisse and Romanian artists of the late ^19th and early ^20th centuries such as Brâncuşi, Baba, Pallady, Luchian and Grigorescu. A treasure trove displayed in a superb mansion, which this art enthusiast had purpose-built to house his collection.

Located at the intersection of Iuliu Maniu and Geniului Boulevards, very close to Cotroceni Palace, the Monumentul Eroilor din Arma Geniului (Monument to the Heroes of the Weapon of Genius), nicknamed "the Lion" (Leul), is an imposing bronze statue. Symbolizing resistance and courage, it was erected in 1926 and is dedicated to the soldiers who fought in the First World War. The inscription on the pedestal reads, "Tell future generations that we made the supreme sacrifice on the battlefield, for the entire nation. »

Here's a place not to be missed in Timișoara: in 2009, the independent theater Aualeu took over an old house, a little way from the center, to house its small performance hall, a bar called Scârț and, since 2015, a museum of the Communist Consumer. It's a sort of Ali Baba's cave, populated by everyday objects emblematic of that era. Noting that they were often destined for the garbage can, the Aualeu team set about rescuing some of them, donated or salvaged right and left, with the aim of preserving the popular memory of this period. This is not political nostalgia, but rather an evocation of childhood and family life under Communism. Three rooms have been reconstructed in the basement: a living room, a kitchen and a child's bedroom. You'll see old radio and TV sets, bottles for making sparkling water, crockery, games, dolls, school supplies, Disney magazines (from the days when the regime had opened up a little), sets of tin labels, propaganda posters and a large collection of porcelain trinkets (a very common gift at the time, due to lack of choice). Don't hesitate to ask the staff for explanations, otherwise you may feel a little helpless in the midst of all this bric-a-brac. The bar, with its bookshelves full of old books, retro foosball table, period portraits and kitsch paintings, is already setting the mood.

It is one of the most distinctive areas of the capital. Around the pretty park and the small church of the same name, this former suburb, mainly residential, has escaped destruction under Ceaușescu. Icoanei, like all the suburbs of old Bucharest, is made up of mahalas, a Turkish word for these eastern-style neighbourhoods, built around a church and which developed without a town plan. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Icoanei experienced an architectural effervescence: the rich owners competed in inventiveness, mixing styles. Neo-Romanian villas rubbed shoulders with Parisian-style neo-classical residences, decorated with Art Nouveau, Baroque or neo-Gothic elements. Confiscated under communism, many of these mansions fell into disrepair due to legal imbroglios over their restitution. More and more of them are being restored, sometimes in a flashy way, sometimes by cultivating their dilapidated side. The whole has a special, typically Bucharest charm. The Icoanei district is also home to several Art Deco buildings such as the Arcub centre. It is home to a number of trendy bars and tearooms, nestled in beautiful residences. You can extend the stroll to the neighbouring Armenian district, which has similar characteristics. Several agencies offer guided tours of this area, a good way to discover it in depth.

Romexpo was built on the site of the former racecourse in 1964. The complex, which hosts numerous events, is dominated by the central pavilion and its 93-meter-diameter dome. The Sofitel hotel tower dates from 1994, and the adjoining business center(Centru Internaţional de Afaceri - World Trade Center) is in full development: conference rooms, offices, company headquarters. It is also close to the airport.

It's hard not to notice this major building, which has stood at the heart of the central boulevard since 1876. Built according to the plans of the architect Ferenc Pekár, the administrative palace has a Flemish neo-Renaissance style. Its clock tower, 54 m high, is reminiscent of Flemish town halls. In the entrance hall, the imposing red marble-covered staircase, leading to a beautiful village hall, features beautiful stained glass windows on the theme of the seasons. Just next door, at no. 73, is the Cenad Palace (19th century), in an eclectic style.

In the largely concrete-covered city center, there are a few elegant buildings, such as the prefecture. The tiny Sfânții Voievozi cathedral stands along strada Victoriei, in the center of the pedestrian plateau. It was built in 1764 to replace a wooden church. Its paintings date from 1855 and its bell tower from 1792. A sarcophagus-shaped mausoleum in memory of Ecaterina Teodoroiu stands in front. A heroine of the First World War, she died in 1917 at the age of 23, at the battle of Mărășești, while fighting dressed as a man.

Set back from the street, this brick neo-Moorish synagogue was built in 1866. Gradually enlarged, organs and superb stained-glass windows were added. A monument to the victims of the Holocaust has stood in the courtyard on the street side since 1992. The synagogue is still in use. Those interested in the history of the city's Jewish community can also visit two large cemeteries: Cimitirul Evreiesc (Sephardic), Şoseaua Giurgiului, and Cimitirul Israelit Filantropia (Ashkenazi), boulevard Mihalache.

The creation of the Iron Gates Dam has disrupted the entire local ecosystem. In order to preserve the fauna and flora of this region, the Iron Gates Natural Park was created in 2000, covering an area of more than 100,000 ha, along the artificial lake. Numerous species then took advantage of the warm and humid climate to settle or develop. More than 5,000 species have been recorded, including the Hermann's tortoise and the dreaded horned viper.

This building, inaugurated in 1913, features a neoclassical façade with Corinthian columns supporting a pediment. The side wings feature Italian Renaissance elements. Inside, a superb marble hall leads to the concert hall. The palace in fact houses the philharmonic, as well as several sections of the județ museum: history (under renovation), natural sciences and the picture gallery. The history museum includes a room dedicated to the 1989 revolution in Arad, illustrated with numerous photos.

Located in the heart of the Jewish quarter, the museum is housed in a former synagogue, built in the ^mid-19th century by the tailors' union. Renovated and sumptuously decorated from 1910 onwards, looted in 1941, it has been used as a museum since 1978. In addition to a rich collection of objects, documents and photos, the centerpiece of the exhibition is a monument to the memory of the 200,000 Transylvanian Jews handed over by Hungary to Germany, and the 150,000 deported to labor camps.

It's a handsome 100-meter-long edifice that stretches along the banks of the Dâmbovița. Designed by Albert Ballu in 1895 in a French neo-Renaissance style, it was built on the orders of King Carol ^I, who wanted to provide the young independent kingdom with judicial institutions worthy of the name. Damaged by the 1977 earthquake, it was condemned to demolition by Ceaușescu. Renovated in the early 2000s, it has regained its lustre and now houses the Bucharest Court of Appeal. Its facade is decorated with six allegorical sculptures, surmounted by two other statues.

It is from this symbolic point, located in front of St. George's Church, that distances between the capital and other Romanian cities are measured. Some of these distances are engraved in stone. Created in 1938 by sculptor Constantin Baraschi, the monument was demolished in 1952 and rebuilt identically in 1998. It depicts a compass rose, divided into eight sections bearing the names of Romania's main historical provinces: Banat, Bessarabia, Bucovina... In the center is a sphere featuring the signs of the zodiac.

Considered one of the finest examples of Orthodox architecture in Bucharest, it was built by Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu. Seven years after its inauguration in 1707, the voivode was captured by the Turks, who took him and his sons to Istanbul, where they were all beheaded. His wife brought his remains back to Bucharest and buried them in this church. His tomb can be seen here. Destroyed by fire in 1847, the beautifully frescoed building was rebuilt in 1853.

Located at kilometer zero, this imposing edifice is recent: bombed during the Second World War, the National Theater was rebuilt under the Communist regime. Completed in 1973, it was completely reconfigured and renovated between 2011 and 2015, including its facade. It has no fewer than 6 halls and, in summer, a rooftop amphitheater hosts shows. In front of the building, a beautiful bronze sculpture depicts the best-known characters created by the great Romanian playwright Ion Luca Caragiale, who gave his name to the theater.

The elegant neo-Gothic building that houses it, the Suțu Palace, is the work of two Viennese architects. Built between 1833 and 1835 by the Suțu family, it is one of Bucharest's oldest aristocratic residences. The exhibition traces the city's history from Neolithic times to the present day. But the museum's main interest, apart from the magnificent mansion it occupies, is its collection of photographs and documents relating to life in the capital in the ^19th century.

This imposing edifice, built between 1911 and 1923, boasts a handsome French neoclassical façade. Its reception rooms (Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic, Norwegian...) are sumptuous, and you can even dine in them: one of them houses a restaurant, offering a real journey back in time. In summer, it also occupies the large terrace. Every June 26, the building is decked out in the national colors to celebrate Flag Day(Ziua drapelului).

Housed in an elegant corner house, this museum reopened in 2017 after a complete redesign. Very well arranged, it presents manuscripts of great Romanian writers such as Mihai Eminescu, but also of foreign authors such as Marcel Proust. You will also discover old books, furniture and writers' objects... The explanations are only available in Romanian, but the museum's layout and the beautiful pieces on display are worth a look.

This museum tells you all about the life and work of the great musician George Enescu (1881-1955). It is housed in the sumptuous Cantacuzino Palace, one of the capital's most beautiful, built in 1901 to plans by architect Ion Berindei. Blending Baroque, Art Nouveau and classical styles, it was the home of Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, an important politician of the time, nicknamed "the Mogul". Featuring an imposing marquee at the entrance, its interiors are richly decorated. A visit not to be missed, even if you're not interested in Enescu's life.

Housed in the former prefecture, a yellow building dating from 1875, its history section will provide you with information on the town's past and the folklore of the region. The Art Museum, on the edge of the central park (strada Traian 2), exhibits ancient icons, works by Corneliu Baba and 17th century paintings from the Flemish and Italian schools. Finally, the Museum of Popular Architecture, located in the village of Curtișoara, a little off the road leading to Petroșani, groups together in the open air about thirty typical houses of the region.

You can start your tour of Brâncuși's works in Central Park, which stretches along the Jiu River immediately west of the city center. Here you can see three sculptures the artist created between 1937 and 1938, in memory of the dead of the First World War. At the entrance to the park, at the end of Calea Eroilor, stands The Kissing Gate(Poarta Sărutului), a kind of triumphal arch, 5.30 meters high by 6.60 wide, which resembles the wooden portals of the region, adorned with folk motifs. On each of the gate's two supporting columns are carved stylized representations of a man and a woman united by a kiss, hence the name. On Saturdays, you'll see many newly-wed couples coming out of church to have their photo taken under the door. You then walk along L'Allée des chaises(Aleea Scăunelor) with its "plots" evoking sections of La Colonne de l'infini. Further on is the Table of Silence(Masa Tăcerii), where each of the twelve "stools" surrounding the 2.18-meter-diameter table represents a month of the year. Its shape is inspired by ancient peasant tables.

Brâncuși's most famous sculpture is The Infinity Column(Coloana Infinitului). It stands to the east of the town center. It's reached from the park's main entrance via Calea Eroilor to its other end. You'll pass a round church, skirt beautiful houses and then cross the railroad line. Finally, it rises straight up a hill. Unimpressive from afar, it becomes even more so as you approach. Constructed of copper-coated cast iron (recently renovated and therefore particularly shiny), 29.35 metres high, it symbolizes the spiritual connection between man and the infinite. The artist was inspired by the pillars of local farmhouses, which you'll quickly recognize on your jaunts through the countryside. The work underwent extensive restoration between 1996 and 2000, after being declared a "public asset of national interest" by the government of the time. Its appearance, texture and color are constantly changing, depending on the weather, the time of day or your mood.

If you'd like to complete your "Brâncuși pilgrimage" in Romania, head for Hobița, his native village, 30 km west of Târgu Jiu. Here you can visit the house where he grew up, now converted into a museum. You can also visit the Craiova Art Museum, where some of his works are on display.

Right next to the Roman ruins, this museum exhibits various collections. The historical collection provides details about the city in Roman times, while the ethnographic section gives an insight into the folklore and peasant interiors of the department of Mehedinţi, of which the city is the capital. The scientific collection provides an insight into the specific flora and fauna of the Danube, especially the birds. Opposite the museum stands a statue of the architect Apollodore of Damascus, who built the Roman bridge.

The massive neoclassical-style University Palace extends at the entrance to the Boulevard Regina Elisabeta. It was inaugurated in 1869. The four muses adorning the façade were added in 1929, works by the sculptor Emil Wilhelm Becker. Also noteworthy are the statues of teachers and statesmen in the surrounding area. The palace now houses the geography, mathematics, history, literature and other humanities sections, as well as the chemistry section. The University of Law is located at Kogălniceanu and the University of Medicine at Cotroceni.

The Art Museum occupies a beautiful corner building adorned with Baroque stucco, Art Nouveau elements, mosaics and stained glass windows. Here you can admire beautiful nudes by Theodor Pallady, a famous Romanian painter, as well as sculptures and works by female painters such as Rodica Maniu and Magdalena Rădulescu. You'll also see collections of icons and religious art, pieces of Brâncovenesc art and modern and contemporary decorative art. The museum closed in March 2019 for a major renovation project.

Bucharest also has its red bus! The public transport company STB and the municipality have launched a double-decker tourist bus service in the colours of the famous London buses. From piața Presei Libere to the Parliament Palace, the bus travels along the main boulevards and stops in front of some of the city's major attractions: piața Universității, piața Revoluției, Village Museum, CEC Palace... The ticket, valid for 24 hours, allows you to get on and off as many times as you like. An audioguide is available in French.

It comprises several sections, housed in a number of the center's fine buildings: arts, archaeology and history (piața Traian 3), ethnography (strada Polonă 14), natural sciences (parc Monument)... The Carol ^I Museum also manages the Panait Istrati memorial house, located in strada Belvedere, at the entrance to the large park. It was in Brăila that this French-speaking Romanian writer spent his childhood at the end of the ^19th century, born to a Romanian mother and a Greek smuggler father, who was killed when he was still a child.

Almost square in shape, the beautiful central square, piața Traian, has a park at its center, where you'll see a large blue clock and the Sfânții Arhangheli church, an ex-mosque converted in 1831. Nearby, you can also visit the superb and imposing Buna Vestire Greek Church (1872), with its colorful stained-glass windows and paintings. From the piața Traian runs the strada Mihai Eminescu, the city's only pedestrian thoroughfare, bustling with shops and onlookers. The large park(Grădina mare) and the harbor esplanade along the Danube are also pleasant spots.

Struck by communist systematization, the central square (piața Dacia) is brightened up by the Italian-style town hall, built in 1904. Cuza Street Vodă, which starts to the right of the town hall, is lined with pretty houses in a variety of colours. The backbone of the city, the Unirii Boulevard is dedicated to road traffic and shops, while the Boulevard Bălcescu, which crosses it, connects Dacia Square to Crâng Park, the green lung to the west of the city. The main market, vast and colourful, is always very lively in the morning (strada Locotenent Godeanu).

It was built in 1500, when the city became an episcopal residence. In the first courtyard there is a theological seminary, built in 1838 in neoclassical style, and a small museum of cult objects and ancient icons. Through a large painted porch, you reach the inner courtyard, where the Episcopal cathedral of the Assumption, built in 1504 and rebuilt in 1649, stands. The Episcopal Palace, built in 1844, faces it. At the entrance to the complex, a vast church was built, destined to become the centre of local religious life.

The downtown park, created in 1881, has retained its former glory thanks to the wealthy mansions that surround it, such as the Palace and Caraiman hotels. It is home to centuries-old trees and a modest natural history museum. In the northern part, there's a World War I cemetery, where American airmen who fought in Romanian skies are buried. The tip is occupied by an elegant casino, built in 1912 on the initiative of King Carol ^I. Guided tours of the interior are available.

It is especially for this magnificent building that one comes to Horezu. It is located 5 km north-east of the village, in Romanii de Jos, in the middle of a beautiful landscape of medium mountains covered with forests. It can be reached by climbing a beautiful tree-lined driveway. Built by the Wallachian voivode Constantine Brâncoveanu between 1690 and 1697, this monastery, the largest religious complex he built, sums up very well the architecture and style desired by the prince, both sober and sumptuous. The exterior galleries with sculpted pillars and white monastic cells surround two courtyards.

In the centre of the second courtyard is the large church (1694), the outer walls of which are decorated with sculptures. The interior is decorated with beautiful, brightly coloured paintings, including religious scenes. In the pronaos there is a portrait gallery, where Brâncoveanu, surrounded by his relatives and ancestors, can be recognised. The prince had planned to turn this church into the family necropolis, as evidenced by his carved marble tomb, also located in the pronaos. Beheaded by the Ottomans, the voivode was finally buried in the new Church of St. George in Bucharest. The monastery also housed a cultural centre in the 17th and 18th centuries, where people came to learn painting and sculpture. It was restored between 1960 and 1975 and more recently after its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995.

The monastery museum exhibits works painted on wood and old books.

Find out all about the history of Craiova and the surrounding region in this section of the Oltenia Museum, housed in a neo-Romanesque building. You'll see clay figurines from Gârla Mare, a Dacian treasure, icons, frescoes from medieval churches, photographs of the city in the ^19th and ^20th centuries and evocations of the 1989 revolution. The Museum of Oltenia also includes a section dedicated to the natural sciences, located in strada Popa Șapcă (no. 8), with models, fossils, stuffed animals, paintings..

This section of the Oltenia Museum is housed in the pretty Casa Băniei, built in 1699 by order of Constantine Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia. The typical style created by Brâncoveanu can be found here in the large balcony with columns. The building, remodelled over the centuries, has been used alternately as a seat for the Austrian administration or for the state archives, as a court of law, etc. The collections are devoted to Oltenia's specific crafts: costumes, wooden objects, icons, carpets... The museum also includes a beautiful souvenir shop.

Located to the south of the city, it's one of the largest and most beautiful in the country, covering more than 90 hectares. Designed by French architect Édouard Redont, it was inaugurated in 1903. Set around a lake, it's a very pleasant place, but it gets crowded on Sundays, when families flock to its paths and small zoo. Among the trees and statues, terraces welcome strollers in summer. The park also boasts a suspension bridge dating from 1901-1902 and the ruins of an "enchanted castle"(Castelul fermecat), built around the same time.