Budget · 3-hour walk · Bucharest
Lipscani and the Parliament in three hours
The second largest building on earth, then the old merchant lanes and the concert hall behind them.
Bucharest is a city with a hole blown in it: Ceausescu demolished a fifth of the historic centre to build the Palace of the Parliament, and what survives is the merchant quarter just north of it. This walk does both, in that order, because the contrast only reads in that direction.
The route, stop by stop
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Palace of the Parliament
The heaviest building in the world and the second largest by floor area. Entry is by guided tour with a passport and advance booking.
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Lipscani
The old merchant streets, named after the traders who brought goods from Leipzig. Now the nightlife district.
30 min here Walk here → -
Stavropoleos Monastery
A tiny 1724 church with a carved stone portico and a courtyard, surrounded by bars and completely silent inside.
20 min here Walk here → -
Romanian Athenaeum
A domed 1888 concert hall funded by public subscription. The lobby is open in the day; the fresco inside needs a ticket or a concert.
25 min here Walk here →
More in Bucharest
Every walking route in Bucharest, or the full Bucharest guide for where to stay and what a day costs.