Museums

The sheer number and variety of museums in Bucharest is mind blowing. The visitor is left with more choice than one could have time to sample, and often the museums are housed inside extravagant and enchanting buildings making the visiting of them all the more pleasurable.

Cotroceni Palace & Museum

This Palace used to be a Royal residence under King Carol I, who made important changes to the original building, which constructed between 1679 and 1681 by Prince Serban Cantacuzino. Towards the end of the 19th Century the palace was partially demolished by Heir-to-the-Crown Ferdinand, and it was later reconstructed by French architect Paul Gottereau in neoclassical style. Since the fall of Communism it has been a museum displaying many important works of medieval art, which will be of a much interest to the visitor and the enchanting interiors. One wing was added during communism, and this now serves as the seat of the Romanian Presidency.

Bucharest History & Art Museum

Housed the sumptuous neoclassical Sutu Palace (1834), this museum boats a collection of over 300,000 including paintings, books, engravings, maps, arms and furniture; Amongst the collection is the document which first mentions the city of Bucharest, issued by Vlad Tepes in 1459.

George Enescu Museum

Housed in the Cantacuzino Palace, the Enescu Museum is a monument to the famed Romanian composer and violinist George Enescu (1881-1955), and includes documents and objects which he used to own. Studying at the Vienna Conservatory And the French Conservatory, his violin mastery earned him international recognition. His best known compositions are the Romanian Rhapsodies and every second year, the Romanian Athenaeum celebrates his work by hosting the George Enescu International Festival.

Museum of the Romanian Peasant

For over 100 years this museum has housed a rich collection of folk art from Romanian peasants. Nearly 100,000 artefacts help the visitor trace the history of Romanian people, delving into all aspects of their life. The collection includes furniture, tools, icons, carpets, photographs and films. The richness and colourfulness of the displays earned the institution the award of “European Museum of the Year” in 1996.

National Art Museum

This is Romania’s leading art museum, with over 100,000 works. Founded in 1948 and housed in the neoclassical former Royal Bucharest building the works are currently dived into two major sections. On the national side, Romanian greats such as Aman, Grigorescu and Andreescu are on display, whilst on continent wide level 15 rooms, display works from the artists such as of El Greco, Monet, Rembrandt, Renoir, and Rubens.

National History Museum

This museum offers an introduction to the history of Romania; spread over 40 rooms it details the country’s development from pre historical times to the modern day. One of the most exciting parts of the display is the jewellery section which includes over 3,000 gold items.

Contemporary Art Museum National Museum of Contemporary Art

Housed within the enormous Parliament Palace, in a wing which would have served as the private apartments for Ceausescu if completed under is reign, MNAC offers the latest in cutting edge art from Romania and around the world. The top of the museum hosts a small cinema usually showing contemporary Romanian fare, and the accompanying café affords good views across the city.

Green Spaces

Amongst the Palaces from the late 19th Centaury and the massive building operations undertaken by the communist regime, there lies many a beautiful park or garden where one can relax or take a pleasant stroll.

Cismigiu Garden

This garden takes its name from the Turkish word cismea, meaning “public fountain” and was designed by the German landscape architect Carl Meyer and opened to the public in 1860. At the time more that 30,000 trees and plants were transported from the Romanian mountains to fill the gardens. As well as the stunning flora there is also a lake with rowing boats, a beer garden and an area where many amateurs are found playing chess. Cismigiu has the honour of being the oldest park in the city.

Botanical Gardens

Over 5,000 varieties of plants from both the country and around the world can be found in this beautiful botanical garden which was opened in 1891. In the centre of the gardens one can find the stunning Botanical Garden Museum, housed within a Brancovenesc styled building, it features old manuscripts and botanical research devices.

Herastrau Park

This park is in the area where the city’s richest residents have always lived. The beautiful buildings that surround the 400 acres of park stretching from the Arch of Triumph to the Baneasa Bridge are evidence of this. Tennis courts and fair grounds offer the visitor more than just a pleasant stroll or a boat ride on the central lake.

Nightlife

Budapest, and indeed Romania in general, is a young country. This coupled with the rising numbers of students has made for a lively underground music and art scene. Bucharest is the centre of this, with numerous bars, clubs and pubs dotted throughout the city offering an alternative take on Romanian music. A good place to start searching for the perfect place to drink is the roads leading of University Square.