The best museums Romania

It traces the history of medieval guilds of craftsmen: potters, shoemakers, tailors, carpenters, butchers and blacksmiths. You'll see reconstructed tools, products and workshops. Firefighting equipment from the ^19th and ^20th centuries is also on display. The museum's other attraction is its large collection of miniature traditional Hungarian costumes, worn by dolls. Almost every part of Transylvania is represented.

What is steampunk? It's a literary and artistic movement that emerged at the end of the ^20th century, blending the aesthetics and technology of the Industrial Revolution, drawing inspiration from the works of Jules Verne and Georges Méliès. Passing through the doors of this fun, interactive museum means plunging into a fantastic "retro-futuristic" world, where you can operate amazing machines yourself, or take a seat in a time machine. This highly original museum should appeal to adults and children alike.

Close to the basilica, this Baroque-style palace is set in a large wooded park. Built in the ^mid-18th century by Austrian architect Franz Anton Hillebrandt, it is a replica of Vienna's Belvedere Palace. It is said to have as many windows as there are days in the year. Its 100 rooms contain superb paintings depicting scenes from the life of Saint Ladislas, King of Hungary from 1077 to 1095. They date from the late ^19th century.

He lives in an Orthodox synagogue built in 1926. This municipal museum, inaugurated in 2018, will tell you that the first Jewish community was established in the city in 1722. In 1870, it splits in two, between Orthodox and Reformers. The floor is dedicated to the Second World War and the Holocaust: the city's annexation to Hungary, the adoption of anti-Semitic laws, ghettoization and deportation to death camps.

Housed in a 1936 Art Deco building, it features historical, ethnographic and archaeological collections. The ethnographic section, with its rich collections of ceramics, textiles and other everyday objects, reflects the multiculturalism of the region. The history section focuses in particular on the interwar period, with interesting reconstructions (café, social salon, etc.). The art section, located in the piața Libertății, exhibits works by Romanian artists such as Corneliu Baba, Ion Jalea and Aurel Popp, all natives of the region.

It occupies the Baroque Palace, one of the most striking buildings on Union Square. Built in 1754, its restored interiors are extremely elegant, with superb carved wooden doors and walls featuring a wealth of Rococo and neo-Renaissance ornamentation. The museum's five permanent exhibitions are dedicated to ancient Banat painting and icons, modern Romanian art, the famous painter Corneliu Baba and European art. The museum also hosts interesting temporary exhibitions and various cultural events.

Ideal for discovering the (admittedly frozen) fauna of the marshes and the Danube. The museum is located in the Botanical Gardens in the south of the city. This one is also part of the complex, with its various sections: flora of the world, flora of Romania, medicinal flora, rose garden, Japanese garden... The complex also includes an astronomical observatory, a planetarium and an aquarium, presenting the species of the lower Danube, but also many exotic fish.

The city's emblem, this imposing palace was built between 1908 and 1913 in the Transylvanian Secession style, according to the plans of Budapest-born architects Marcell Komor and Jakab Dezső. This duo also designed the nearby town hall. On the outside, its massive form is softened by its coloured tiles, mosaics, stained glass windows, bas-reliefs and statues. A visit to the interiors of this amazing building is a must: created by members of the Art School of Gödöllő, they are a true demonstration of Hungarian decorative and applied arts. The paintings and stained-glass windows, with original colours and patterns, create a very special atmosphere. The hall is a masterpiece in itself, where green, blue and gold dominate, as well as floral motifs. In the staircase, the stained glass windows depict portraits of historical figures, signed by Miksa Róth, a great master of Hungarian Art Nouveau stained glass. On the first floor, the Hall of Mirrors (Sala oglinzilor) has two Venetian mirrors and twelve valuable stained glass windows, evoking scenes from everyday life in Transylvania or Sicilian legends.

The large concert hall, which today houses the local philharmonic orchestra, is decorated with plant and animal motifs, purple and gold, inspired by Transylvanian folk art. It also has a gigantic organ with more than 4,000 pipes.

The building also houses the Museum of Art, which exhibits works by Romanian and Hungarian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

The history section displays archaeological finds and old photos of the city and the region. The art section (strada Carol I, 25), which is very close by, occupies a superb mansion, mixing neo-Romanian style with Gothic, Romanesque and Renaissance elements. Some of Grigorescu's works can be seen there. Finally, the museum has an open-air section in the village of Bujoreni, 5 km to the north, where old village houses typical of the region are on display. There is a school, a church dating from 1785 and other furnished, decorated, almost living buildings.

Located in the heart of the village, this small museum with an old-fashioned charm exhibits splendid examples of precious stones from different regions of the country, mainly from Maramureș. We spend a pleasant moment discovering quartz and other minerals of extravagant size and colour, of strange beauty. The collection includes some beautiful amethysts. Descriptions are available in French and, at the exit, a small shop allows you to leave with pretty crystals and miniature mine flowers as a souvenir.

To the south-east of the Princely Court, this museum, which occupies a fine mansion, illustrates the evolution of writing and printing in Romania: its appearance in Târgoviște thanks to the erudite prince Radu cel Mare, the printing of the first Bible in Romanian at the end of the ^17th century, the gradual transition from the Cyrillic alphabet to Latin... Among the manuscripts on display is the oldest preserved Romanian text. You'll also see a fine ^18th-century printing press.

The museum, on the outskirts of the town, is housed in a beautiful house typical of the region, and is well worth a visit in its own right. Nicolae Iorga lived here from 1910 to 1940, when this great historian was assassinated by the fascist Iron Guard. A supporter of Romanian unity, this prolific author, patriot and democrat was also Prime Minister in 1931-1932. The museum exhibits objects, manuscripts and furniture that belonged to this important figure in Romanian history. Note the impressive library in the office.

Close to the royal court, it features archaeological and historical collections. It occupies the former Palais de Justice, a monumental building dating from the early ^20th century. Next door, the art museum dates from the late ^19th century. Formerly the seat of the prefecture, it boasts an elegant, Baroque-influenced interior. On display are fragments of frescoes from the great church of the princely court, dating from the Brâncoveanu period, as well as works by the great masters of Romanian painting, such as Grigorescu and Pallady.

Housed in the neoclassical former prefecture, the museum has several sections: one presents the history of the județ d'Argeș, from the Paleolithic to 1947. The museum also boasts a naive art gallery and a section dedicated to the natural sciences, with dioramas and stuffed specimens, as well as a fine mineral collection and a planetarium. The art gallery, housed in a handsome neoclassical building dating from 1886 (bulevardul Republicii, 33), exhibits paintings by leading local artists such as Grigorescu and Pallady.

To complete your knowledge of salt, you can visit this museum located not far from the mine, in a historic ^18th-century building. It explains the importance of this mineral for the human body and the history of its exploitation in the region. You'll even discover rare species of halophilic plants, which thrive in salty environments. Thanks to virtual reality headsets, you can also climb aboard a vintage wagon to visit a salt mine and learn about extraction methods, from the late ^18th century to the present day.

Close to the princely court, this museum occupies a historic building, built in 1701 by Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu as a home for his sons and restored in neoclassical style at the end of the ^19th century. It traces the history of the police in Romania, from its beginnings in the late ^18th century to the present day, through photos, uniforms, edged weapons and firearms. One room features a rich collection of police uniforms from all over the world.

The national capital of black gold, Ploiești is home to a dedicated museum, which traces the rich history of Romanian oil extraction and refining. Located in one of the town's beautiful classical mansions, it boasts a rich heritage: ^19th-century wooden and metal drills, geological maps, mineralogical samples, oil lamps..., as well as patents and works by Lazăr Edeleanu, the inventor of the modern oil refining method.

It's housed in the palace of ^19th-century politician and banker Ghiţă Ionescu, a beautiful listed building. The museum exhibits works by famous Romanian artists of the ^19th and ^20th centuries, including Theodor Pallady, Nicolae Grigorescu, Gheorghe Tattarescu and Corneliu Baba. It also features a fine series of drawings, sketches and engravings, as well as a number of sculptures. On the decorative arts side, you'll find an interesting collection of ^19th-century icons on glass and precious contemporary tapestries.

A little dated, the museum evokes at length the destruction and reconstruction of the city during the 20th century, but also the great events of the 19th century: the revolutionary movement of 1848, the struggles for independence... An impressive collection of stamps, postcards, coins and official decorations is also presented. The museum occupies a large neoclassical-style building, built in the second half of the 19th century.

This museum (also known as Callatis) houses a fine collection of Roman sculptures, including a ^3rd-century marble Aphrodite. There are also fragments of columns, capitals and friezes, as well as ceramics and jewelry... At the entrance is the "papyrus tomb" dating from the ^4th century BC, discovered in 1959. Sent to Moscow for conservation, the papyrus went missing for decades and was only repatriated in 2011. In the outdoor park, other architectural fragments are on display, along with sarcophagi from the Roman era.

The Musée de l'Horloge(Muzeul ceasului) displays a unique collection of timepieces from different eras, origins and mechanisms: pocket clocks, table and mantel clocks, sundials, clepsydras, etc., as well as music boxes and automata. One of the oldest, a water clock, dates back to the ^17th century. Some of the clocks belonged to Romanian historical figures. Recently restored, the museum is also worth a visit for its setting: it occupies an elegant Romantic-style mansion, built at the end of the ^19th century and listed as a historic monument.

Located on the site of the former bishop's palace, from which it incorporates elements, the Palace of the Princes of Transylvania was built in stages from the ^mid-14th century onwards. It was the home of Michael the Brave during his eleven-month rule of Transylvania between 1599 and 1600. After many years of restoration, a museum has opened within its walls. It traces the history of the building and the illustrious figures who have occupied it.

It consists of two adjoining buildings, one 19th century neoclassical, the other dating from the 1980s. Works by great Romanian masters, mainly from the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, are exhibited: Nicolae Grigorescu, Theodor Aman, Ioan Andreescu, Ștefan Luchian, Frederic Storck... The museum gives pride of place to paintings of marine inspiration, with many Dobrogean landscapes in particular. It also manages a section dedicated to the sculptor Ion Jalea, a native of the region (strada Arhiepiscopiei, 26).

This museum is housed in the former town hall, a neo-Romanesque building dating from 1896, with a very oriental feel. The interior is in the same vein. Here you'll see a variety of handicrafts from all regions of the country: wooden and glass icons, ceramics, pearl jewelry... The collection of folk costumes and textiles is particularly rich. There's also a craft store. On your way out, take a detour to contemplate the nearby Hunchiar mosque. This Moorish-style mosque dates back to 1868.

The Tulcea Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art, which occupies an emblematic building in the city, reopened its doors in 2023 after renovation work. It features a collection of over 8,000 costumes and various objects that take us back to the multicultural Tulcea of yesteryear, and allow us to discover the folklore of local minorities. The museum also manages the house of the writer Panait Cerna, born in the commune of Cerna, the Panaghia house in the town of Babadag and the museum of the traditional village of Dobroudja, located in Enisala.

Below the monument to the Heroes of Independence, this museum boasts a fine collection of ancient ceramics and coins from Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Part of the exhibition focuses on the adoption of Christianity by the region's inhabitants and religious persecution in the first centuries AD. Ruins of the ancient fortress of Aegyssus, which dates back to antiquity, can be seen next to the museum.

Located in the northern part of the citadel, it was founded in the late ^18th century by Bishop Ignác Batthyány. Housed in a former Baroque church, it is home to some 70,000 volumes, including 1,230 manuscripts and rare books. The most precious of these is the Codex aureus, written in gold ink on ^8th-century parchment and richly illustrated. The superb Great Hall blends neoclassical and rococo styles. It was also here, in 1792, that the country's first astronomical observatory was established, destroyed during the revolution of 1848.

This obelisk planted on top of the citadel hill, east of the city, was erected in 1900 by the sculptors Vasilescu and Bălăcescu, as a tribute to the dead of the War of Independence of 1877-1878. All the way up, after climbing a good flight of stairs, you will enjoy a 360-degree view of the river, the city and the surrounding fields. It is also on this hill that the giant letters forming the name of the city were erected.

This beautiful neoclassical building was constructed in 1870 by Ismaïl Pacha, then Ottoman governor of Tulcea. Recently modernized, it houses a fine collection of paintings, engravings and sculptures. Among them are contemporary works by Pallady, Aman, Baba, Brauner and Grigorescu. One room is dedicated to paintings depicting Tulcea and Dobrogea. You can also admire Russian and Lipoven icons, as well as fine pieces of European and Oriental decorative art: jewelry, furniture, carpets, Persian earthenware, dresses sewn with gold thread..

It is located in the former princely palace, built in the 16th century and retaining elements of Gothic style from the end of the 15th century. It served as a customs house for the salt mines, but also as a temporary residence for the Princes of Transylvania during their visits. The museum exhibits many archaeological remains found in the area: Neolithic ceramics, medieval tools, weapons and coins. Objects from the Roman period make up the bulk of the collection. The museum also has art and ethnography sections.

Here you'll find some 16,000 decorated eggs of great diversity: painted eggs from Bucovina and other regions of Romania, some fifty to one hundred years old, but also a large international collection, with eggs from over 82 countries (embroidered, wooden, porcelain, transformed into music boxes...), not forgetting the creations of Romanian artist Letiția Orșivschi, the museum's owner. An audioguide in French is available at reception. Demonstrations are available for groups (minimum 20), on reservation.

The museum boasts a fine collection of 3,000 painted eggs, some of them over a hundred years old, belonging to Dr. Anton Setnic, a physician in Botoșani and then Vatra Dornei in the second half of the ^20th century. Fascinated by the art of painted eggs, this collector collected them from all the villages of Bucovina, thanks to his patients. Most of them are still full, making them fragile and difficult to preserve. Grouped by zone, they are presented in small wooden display cases, pyrographed by the doctor himself. The collection reveals the full diversity of this folk art: some eggs feature floral motifs that you won't see elsewhere, others display astonishing yellow and pink colors, while still others play on two-tone sobriety, with wax-drawn motifs... Ciocănești's, meanwhile, are recognizable by their black background and geometric motifs in yellow, red and white tones, similar to those adorning the village's houses. These eggs are sealed with a very specific technique, using beeswax and a tool called a "chişiță": it's a complex process that requires a great deal of meticulousness. You can also admire the works of the winners of the painted egg competition, held every year at the time of the dedicated festival - over 6,000 eggs in all. The museum also has a small store selling painted eggs made by local craftsmen.

A well-designed, highly interesting ethnographic museum housed in a building dating back to Austrian times. The museography is original: it presents the customs of the region, following the calendar of events that marked and still mark the rhythm of the farming year. Each event is the subject of a reconstruction, supported by a rich collection of objects, tools and costumes, as well as beautiful black-and-white photographs. You'll be immersed in the customs and beliefs of the people, a blend of religiosity, pagan rites and observation of natural cycles: st. Andrew's Eve, when evil spirits came back to haunt the living and young girls could catch a glimpse of their husbands; St. Elias, on July 20, when shepherds could begin to descend from the mountains; St. Alexis, on March 9, when insects came back to life and beehives were put out... not forgetting, of course, the rich traditions of Christmas and Easter. The room dedicated to the New Year is particularly interesting: from the reconstructed porch of a typical Bucovine house, you can observe the various masked characters who roam the villages, from house to house, to sing the New Year and chase away evil spirits: the bears, the gypsy, the drunkard, the emperor, and so on.

The museographers can guide you on your visit in English. A brochure is also available in French at reception.