This Best of Bucharest tour kicks off with a pick-up from the Bucharest Airport or any other Bucharest location in an air-conditioned European car/ minibus/ coach (depending on the number of travelers) piloted by your English-speaking driver/ guide. German, Italian, Spanish, and French guides are also available on request.
Drive into center of Bucharest, where your first stop will be the Parliament Palace. The world’s largest civilian administrative building, the palace holds both chambers of the Romanian Parliament, and is a powerful relic from the country’s communist past.
Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu destroyed several important monasteries in order to raise the building, which contains some 3,500 tonnes of crystal and almost 500 chandeliers.
Your next stop is Stavropoleos Church, an exquisite blend of Romanian and Byzantine architecture. Built by a Greek monk in 1724, you’ll be awestruck by its pained wooden icons and decorative frescoes.
For lunch, you’d do well to try the delicious offerings of Carul cu Bere (Beer Cart Restaurant), housed in a neo-gothic building dating from 1875.
After lunch, check out what remains of the Old Princely Court, built in the 15th century by Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), the wicked Romanian ruler who inspired the legend of Dracula. Local folklore says Vlad kept his prisoners in the court dungeons, many of which extended underground. Today, only a few walls, arches, tombstones, and an evocative Corinthian Column still stand.
The Old Court Museum dates back to 1972, when archaeologists discovered the ruins of the court along with the oldest known document attesting to the city’s origin under the name Bucharest, affixed with the signature of Vlad Tepes himself.
Drive by the Romanian Athenaeum, the Triumph Arch, and other architectural landmarks to round out your evening.
Pesacrusul Restaurant is one of many excellent options for dinner (payable direct).
Overnight in a 3-star hotel in the heart of Bucharest.
Awake to a delicious Swedish buffet breakfast and be transferred to Bucharest Airport or any other location of your choosing in the Romanian capital.