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        If you have got one day to spend in Bucharest being on your way to other Romanian counties, either you are on business or as a tourist, do not hesitate to make a half-day coach tour of Bucharest. You`ll find many astonishing things to see and quite plenty to do. If you explore the beautiful parts of Bucharest with us, the city will exceed your expectations.
        Here are some of the accounts Bucharest was called "The Paris of the East".
        Bucharest`s origin is veiled in myth and legend. It derives its name from Bucur,a shepherd who supposedly built a settlement in this area. Bucharest finally secured its claim as capital of Wallachia in 1659. As the nobles moved to the city, many palaces and churches had been built on the main streets at that time, streets surfaced with timber baulks, known as bridges. For much of its history its influence was primarily Turkish, but since the Independence War in 1877 the city was rebuilt or remodelled in French style and called "The Paris of the East". Most of city centre`s major buildings were built and many of the new boulevards were driven through the existing pattern by French or French-trained architects in the years before and after the World War I.
        Finally Ceausescu imposed his megalomaniac vision on the city demolishing churches and districts of great value to create a new Civic Centre which seems likely to scar the city for many years yet. Nowadays Bucharest is the commercial and governmental capital of Romania and with a population of over 2.5 millions is the largest city between Berlin and Athens.
        We describe down below sites that are an absolute must to every tourist visiting Bucharest.

CENTRAL BUCHAREST

        Much of Bucharest`s charm lies in its centre with the nothern end at Piata Victoriei (Victory Square) and the southern at Piata Unirii (Unity Square) (see map).
        Going up a low slope on Piasta Unirii`s, at its top stands the 17th century Orthodox Cathedral with the Patriarch`s small palace beyond it. As the Patriarch is the head of the Orthodox church, this monastic ensemble is the centre for diffusion the Orthodox doctrine.
        Across the Unity Square you`ll find to the west of it a tangle of streets that was in fact the heart of Bucharest`s original settlement. Lipscani street retains much of its medieval characteristics that made it famous once. It was named after the travelling Leipzig merchants who sold their wares here. Just to the end of this street you`ll find a perfectly balanced harmoniously ensemble - the Princely Court or the Old Court - the ancient palace, home of the Wallachian rulers and the Church nearby, always called Princely Church, Bucharest`s oldest.
        The Old Hanul lui Manuc (Manuc`s Inn, Khan or Caravanserai) makes a great impact to every tourist passing by. It was built early in the 19th century as a mixture of both oriental and traditional Romanian architecture by a wealthy Armenian. 3 storeys high and built round a spacious enclosed square it serves today mainly as a large open-air restaurant and beer and wine cellar.
        University Square bears its name from the University of Bucharest founded in 1864 and is the most important north - south and west - est axis` junction. The large modern National Theatre stands here beside the Inter-Continental Hotel (the highest building in the city). A little south to it lies a 18th century medieval ensemble - the Coltea Church and Hospital (the oldest in town). For a taste of the old atmosphere of the city you need to wonder north from here, where vine-covered facade slowly give ground to an area of dingy tenements and corner shops and life retains a village-like slowness and intimacy.
        Soseaua Kiseleff or Kiseleff Avenue is one of the most grandiose of all Bucharest`s avenues. It`s leafy and pleasant. It was driven thanks to the finnancial support of a Russian Governor of Romania, appointed by the Turks in 1829. This is the residential area of many embassies. Built to celebrate the Romanian Army`s Victory in the 1st World War after several alterations the Triomphal Arch resembles much to L`Arc de Triomphe de Paris. The entrance to the Village Museum lies to your right not far beyond it.
        The Village Museum is one the world`s largest and most famous open-air museum. It contains scores of traditional buildings from every part of Romania, every one of them appropriately furnished with its region`s handicraft products. Many of these are priceless because of their age. The collection of over 200 dwellings covers 25 hectares of the Herãstrãu Park, an ideal place for resignation.
        Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue), Bucharest`s historic axis and streets off it form part of embassy residential area. Fine old houses abound.
        Piata Revolutiei (the Revolution Square) is the heart of the city, site of the old royal palace and the scene of Ceausescu`s downfall. On 22nd of Decembre the Ceausescus were forced to flee by crowds beseiging Communist Party Headquarters. The majority of sights, described so far, are within walking distance of here.
        The most imposing of the buildings surrounding the Piata Revolutiei is the former Royal Palace on its northwestern corner. In 1866, the newly chosen King Carol I found pigs wallowing in mud before the original single-storeyed dwelling and when this at last burnt down in 1927, the spend thrift Carol II decided to replace it with something far more impressive. Now it houses the National Art Museum and to its rear is the Sala Palatului, a congres and concert hall.
        The National Art Museum was one of the most seriously damaged in 1989 and over a 100 paintings are thought to have been destroyed. Look out for the fine portraits by Gh. Tattarescu, Constantin Rosenthal, Theodor Aman, the collection of oriental carpets, Chinese and Dutch porcelain, French furniture and tapestries and works by Rembrandt, Renoir, Delacroix, Sisley, Vassari and so on.
        No. 12 Calea Victoriei is a very striking vast buildings completed in 1900 as Bucharest`s General Post Office. It now houses a beautifully-displayed History of Romania Museum. It is worth a visit since you are to find it a stratification of the most important moments in the history of Romania and a great deal of priceless exhibits to testify to it.
        A few steps from The National History Museum, just to the rear of it, there stands one of the most significant and harmoniously designed church. Stavropoleos Church was raised from the foundation in the early years of the 18th century. It will leave a lasting imprint on the onlooker`s mind thanks to the sculptured arabesques and both the intricate outside and inside paintings.
        Crossing the Stavropoleos street you`ll notice the entrance to the Beer Cart Restaurant an ornately decorated tavern from 1875. This place is quite decent and here you could enjoy the Romanian cuisine and folk shows. It usually teems with tourists coming from abroad.
        Once the Dâmbovita River is crossed to the other side, you will find yourself irresistebly drawn towards the Palace of Parliament, formerly known during the communist period as Casa Poporului or Republicii (the House of the People or the House of the Republic). That is the perfect example of the megalomania that overtook Ceausescu in the 80`s. In order to build it, one of the most beautiful corners of Bucharest was demolished and Mihai Vodã Church was removed 50 m away from the place where it stood and it now lies hidden behind block of flats. Its size can only be grasped by comparing it to the Egyptian Pyramids, nowadays being the second largest building of the world after the Pentagon building in the USA - a construction that covers a surface of 265,000 sqm and stands over 84 m high. 2 monumental galleries are 150 m long and 18 m wide. The are 480 huge rooms on the second floor alone. A congress hall`s floor is covered by a 3.5 tones carpet. The largest chandeliers, one of the thousands of them, weighes 4 tones. Among the 5 underground levels there is a nuclear bunker as well. Ceausescu decided that all the senior state officials should have offices in it. What exactly the other thousands of rooms were intended for isn`t at all clear.
        The Cotroceni Palace was erected for the newly wed Prince Ferdinand and for the young princess Maria, niece of the Queen Victoria of England. Damaged in 1940 by an earthquake, the palace was entirely restored in 1950 and turned into the Young Pioneers` Palace, the soviet-bloc equivalent of the scouts. Ceausescu made it an official guest house. In 1991, the Cotroceni Palace became the residence of the President of Romania. It also houses the Cotroceni Museum in which important collection of art are on display. Every exhibits testifies to the great taste of Queen Maria.

OFF BUCHAREST`S STREETS

        Many of the city`s Orthodox churches and palaces are delightful. Some belong to Brâncovenesc style, an extraordinary but very attractive a mixture of oriental, gothic, baroque, Venetian and original Romanian decorative elements, introduced by Constantin Brâncoveanu, Voivode of Wallachia (1688 - 1714). Orthodox beauty lies in ornate details - the paintings of the saints on the iconostasis (it separates the body of the church from the altar), the silver icons and frames, the frescos which may cover all or much of the church's interior, the lights, the incense and so on.
        Bucharest`s other un-obvious appeal is its parks. During the hot, dusty summer you'll appreciate the greenery and lakes of centrally-placed Cismigiu, west of the Piata Revolutiei which originally belonged to a Turkish water inspector and were bequeathed to the city in 1845 and laid out as a park. It`s a tranquil place with small rowing-boats and pedals gliding around on a serpentine lake while pensioners meet for games of chess. You can enjoy a walk amidst magnificent scenery of Parcul Libertãtii (Liberty Park) in the south with its hyperbolic marble erection, Parcul Tineretului (Youth Park) just beyond it. The Bãneasa, Herãstrãu, Floreasca and Tei lakes in the north, all with adjoining parklands.

GETTING AROUND BUCHAREST

        If you have got one more day to spare, you may choose for a half day coach tour around Bucharest. You can't help but marvel at sights of great interest, rising above picturesque surroundings and have the chance to step back in time to explore over 400 years of Romanian history.
        SNAGOV stands 40 km north of Bucharest, a beautiful lake with watersports facilities, surrounding an island occupied by a Monastery buit in 1519. This was where Ceausescu and other high functionaries had their week-end villas. Once you step on the island, you`ll notice the change of atmosphere given by the ancient Monastery. Many visitors come here seeking the tomb of Vlad the Impaler (known throughout the world as Dracula), supposedly sited in the front of the church altar. Though lacking identifying inscription there are reason to believe it`s likely that is indeed his burial place. Many legends are related to this monastery. It is said that Vlad the Impaler built an underground torture chamber and the victim after the ordeal could have been thrown into the lake, due to a mechanical devise. An archbishop cursed Vlad the Impaler by burying his remains in front of the altar, removing all the inscriptions from his tombstone. And from that on, whenever the priest came out of the altar doing the ceremony, he would step on his grave. Another people`s belief is that a underground tunnel links the monastery on the island to the shore. Some signs of that construction are quite evident, though no one proved it yet.
        Crossing a dense forest the road leads us south to CÃLDÃRUSANI Monastery, Lake and Forest. After almost 10 km stretch of road, you`ll encounter the fence of a 17th century monastery standing just on the lake shore. Even though this is a less visited site, away from crowded Snagov, you`ll notice that heavenly spot to be no less attractive than others.
        The former palace of Prince Barbu Stirbei, who reigned in Wallachia during the 19th century is located in the small town of BUFTEA, only 18 km from Bucharest. The building stands close to a lake and is surrounded by a leafy park. In 1918 the Romanian Government signed a Peace Treaty after the 1st World War and since 1945 the palace is a state property and was turned into a guest house for distinguished visitors.
        MOGOSOAIA is a village situated only 14 km away from Bucharest. It is here that in 1698 a splendid palace was erected in the middle of a wonderful park beside a lake - its founder Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu. After Brâncoveanu and his sons were beheaded in Constantinople, the palace was turned into an inn. Around 1860 it was acquired by Prince Bibescu who had it renovated. Since 1957, the palace has been the Museum of Brâncovan art, comprising collections of silverware, sculptures, old fabrics, gold and silver thread embroideries, rare paintings and so on.

The Bucharest sightseeing programme

We want to make your stay in Bucharest a memorable one and we are glad to present our extremely flexible programme which allows us to adjust it to your specific needs or requirements. To the services and activities quoted below you can add your own choice of services and contact us for quotations (for example you can choose for a higher level of comfort using our 3, 4 or 5 star hotels quoted in the price list called "The Bucharest Hotels")