Tourists visiting Bucharest will encounter interesting sites during their holiday in Romania’s biggest city. The grim communist architecture of the buildings and blocks of flats might frighten travelers. Yet there are sites that still hold the beauty of the old city fame. For those passionate about history and the communism influence in Eastern European countries, Bucharest offers astonishing sites. If you want to taste a bit of the tumultuous life of a developing city, you should choose a walk on the famous Calea Victoriei.
Visit the House of People
The building formerly named the House of People hosts now the Palace of Romanian Parliament and its institutions: the Chamber of Deputies and the Romanian Senate. Guinness Book of Records included the construction in the top of the largest administrative buildings, in terms of areas, in second place after the Pentagon.
Everything about the House of People is superlative because Nicolae Ceausescu desired a genuine symbol of the monumental dictatorial megalomania. Designed by hundreds of architects, the giant house was built by 20,000 workers, most of them soldiers. They worked for almost six years using only domestic raw materials. When the dictator died, in 1989, the structure and design of the building were complete, but some of the levels were never finished. The palace has around 1,000 rooms, including 440 offices, more than 30 halls and meeting rooms, plus outbuildings.
The Palace of Parliament also hosts the Museum of Folk Costumes and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, and is one of the main tourist attractions in Bucharest. It is open to daily visits.
Casa Scanteii, the former state-owned publisher house
The House of Spark Complex was designed to house the state-owned publisher Casa Scanteii, which published the Scanteia newspaper for 32 years. It was the instrument of the Central Committee of the Romanian Workers’ party, praising the accomplishments of the communism era and its leaders. The construction works started in the north area of Bucharest, in 1952, and lasted for five years. The building is inspired from the Lomonosov University in Moscow. Its Stalinist style generated a building like a wedding cake, with a wide base getting thinner and thinner as it gets closer to the top.
Since 1989, the giant building was named the House of Free Press. Nowadays, it hosts dozens of publishing houses, newspapers and television studios. Its interiors are not open to public visits, but tourists can admire its imposing architecture from outside.
Stroll along Calea Victoriei, The Victory Avenue
At the beginning of the last century, Calea Victoriei was one of the most popular streets in Bucharest with coffee shops, bookstores, fashion boutiques, and modern buildings. Calea Victoriei is breathing a new life today, with its car traffic and myriad of chic shops. Start a day walk from Victory Square and stroll down to Dâmbovita River. Stop for a visit at “George Enescu” Museum, see the florists in Amza Square and admire the White Church - built in the 18th century and later discovered to have been skillfully hiding under its altar one of the secret entrances into the dictator’s bunker, built under the foundations of the city for his safety.
Taste a good coffee at Capsa House
In the corner of Victory Avenue and Edgar Quinet Street, tourists will discover one of the famous confectionery shops in Bucharest. Built in 1852, Casa Capsa became the central venue of society, in the beginning of the 20th century. People were coming here to debate politics, culture, and to gossip about celebrity love stories. Writers also came here on a regular basis because they felt this was the perfect place for inspiration. After 1930, Capsa House became “The Coffee House of Writers and Artists”. The building hosts a five-star hotel with romantic atmosphere, and a chic restaurant providing the same famous dishes with natural ingredients, once prepared by Capsa after his famous recipes.
Tourists who want to visit Bucharest should choose spring or autumn. These are the best times of the year to travel to Romania’s capital. During summer days, the atmosphere is very hot, whereas in winter days, the temperature is often below freezing point.
Alina Barbu - Radio journalist in Bucharest and freelance writer, interested in travel destinations, health, diet and nutrition topics, food and ...
Join the Conversation