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How many days in Bucharest? 3 days, from the Palace of Parliament to the lakeside parks
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Bucharest is a city of contrasts that only make sense on foot: belle-epoque palaces on Calea Victoriei, Orthodox churches hidden in courtyards and the vast concrete of Ceausescu's Palace of the Parliament. Three days is the right length: two in the city, and a third for the castles of Sinaia in the Carpathians, just 2 hours away by train. Prices are among the lowest of any EU capital.
Short answer
Two days covers the Palace of the Parliament, the Old Town, Calea Victoriei and the Village Museum. The third adds Peles Castle at Sinaia or a long afternoon at the Therme spa.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Palace of the Parliament and the Old Town
Morning. Book a guided tour of the Palace of the Parliament (about 60-80 lei, passport required; book a day or more ahead), one of the largest administrative buildings in the world, with more than 1,000 rooms. Tours last about 1-1.5 hours.
Afternoon. Walk 15 minutes to the Old Town (Centrul Vechi). See the Stavropoleos Monastery, a small 1724 church with a carved stone courtyard, the ruins of the Old Princely Court and the glass-roofed passage Pasajul Macca-Villacrosse.
Evening. Eat at Caru' cu Bere on Strada Stavropoleos, a neo-Gothic beer hall from 1879 where mains cost about 50-80 lei, then a drink in the Lipscani lanes.
The Old Town's main streets fill with loud stag-party bars on weekend nights; the quieter cafes are a street or two away.
Day 2: Calea Victoriei, Revolution Square and the Village Museum
Morning. Walk Calea Victoriei from the CEC Palace north past Revolution Square, where Ceausescu gave his last speech in December 1989, to the Romanian Athenaeum, the 1888 concert hall (short visits about 15 lei; a concert is better). The National Museum of Art in the former royal palace is opposite.
Afternoon. Take the metro or a Bolt (about 20 lei) north to the Village Museum (Muzeul Satului, about 30 lei), an open-air collection of more than 300 farmhouses, windmills and wooden churches from across Romania, in Herastrau (King Michael I) Park.
Evening. Walk around Herastrau Lake, then dinner at Hanu' lui Manuc, a restored 1808 inn in the centre, or at a modern Romanian bistro in the Dorobanti area.
Many museums close on Mondays, and some on Tuesdays as well; check each one before planning the day.
Day 3: Day trip: Sinaia and Peles Castle
Morning. Take an early train from Gara de Nord to Sinaia (about 1.5-2 hours, from about 30-50 lei one way). Walk 20-25 minutes uphill to Peles Castle (about 50 lei for the ground floor, more for the upper floors; closed Mondays), the neo-Renaissance summer palace of King Carol I, finished in 1914.
Afternoon. Visit Sinaia Monastery, which gave the town its name, then take the cable car from the town towards Cota 2000 in the Bucegi Mountains for the ridge view (weather permitting).
Evening. Train back to Bucharest. For a final evening, go to Therme Bucuresti (from about 100 lei for the main zone), a giant thermal spa 20 minutes north of the city, open late.
With a car or a tour, combine Peles with Bran Castle (the 'Dracula' castle) and Brasov in one long day; by train it is too much.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Days 1 and 2 and visit Therme on the evening of Day 2. You lose the mountains and Peles Castle.
Got extra days?
A 4th day can go to Brasov, the medieval Saxon town under Mount Tampa (about 2.5-3 hours by train), with the Black Church and the Council Square, and on to Bran Castle. Or stay longer in Bucharest for the Cotroceni Palace, the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the Mogosoaia Palace outside the city.
Where to stay in Bucharest
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Old Town / Universitate | Hostels and apartments at walking distance from everything; noisy on weekends. | 150-300 lei |
| Mid-range | Piata Romana / Calea Victoriei | Central, on metro line 2, walk to the Old Town and the Athenaeum. | 350-600 lei |
| Mid-range | Cotroceni / Kiseleff | Leafy and quiet, close to parks and good restaurants. | 350-550 lei |
| Comfort | Calea Victoriei grand hotels / Floreasca | Restored 1900s hotels in the centre, or modern towers near the lakes. | 700-1,500 lei |
Getting around
The centre is walkable: the Palace of the Parliament to the Old Town is 15 minutes, and Old Town to the Athenaeum about 20. The metro is fast and cheap (a single ride about 5 lei; tap a contactless card at the gates), and Bolt and Uber are widely used and inexpensive. From Henri Coanda (Otopeni) Airport, the express bus 783 runs to the centre in 40-60 minutes, and a train runs to Gara de Nord in about 20 minutes. A ride-hailing car costs roughly 60-90 lei.
What to eat in Bucharest
Romanian food is hearty: sarmale (cabbage rolls with sour cream and polenta), mici (grilled skinless sausages, about 4-6 lei each), ciorba de burta (tripe soup) or the milder ciorba de perisoare (meatball soup), and papanasi, fried doughnuts with sour cream and jam. A full meal with local wine costs about 80-150 lei per person in the centre. Try the Obor market for mici and fresh produce, and Romanian wines from the Dealu Mare region. Coffee culture is strong; specialty cafes are everywhere around Piata Romana.
Best time to visit
May to June and September to October, with highs of 20-27°C. July and August often reach 33-38°C, and many locals head to the Black Sea coast. Winter is cold, often below freezing with snow, but the Christmas market in front of the Palace of the Parliament is lively in December.
Month-by-month weather for Bucharest →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | 100 lei | 220 lei | 500 lei |
| Food & drink | 80 lei | 160 lei | 350 lei |
| Sights & tickets | 40 lei | 90 lei | 160 lei |
| Local transport | 10 lei | 30 lei | 80 lei |
| Total per person, per day | about 230 lei | about 500 lei | about 1,090 lei |
Approximate 2026 prices in Romanian lei (about 5 lei to the euro); Bucharest adds a small local tax on hotel stays, often included in the room price.
Before you go
Common questions
Is Bucharest worth visiting?
Yes, if you come with the right expectations. It is not a postcard city like Prague, but its mix of belle-epoque palaces, communist architecture, Orthodox churches and green parks is unique in Europe, and food, drink and hotels are very good value. Two or three days, with a mountain day trip, shows it well.
Do I need to book the Palace of the Parliament?
Yes. Visits are only by guided tour, and groups are limited, so book by phone or online at least a day ahead, and several days ahead in summer. Bring your passport or ID card, which is checked at the security gate. Tours run in English several times a day and last about 1-1.5 hours.
Can I visit Dracula's castle from Bucharest?
Bran Castle is about 3 hours by road, so it is a long day. Most tours combine it with Peles Castle in Sinaia and the old town of Brasov, returning around 20:00-21:00. By public transport it is easier to sleep a night in Brasov and visit Bran by local bus.
Is Bucharest safe?
Generally yes. Watch for pickpockets in the Old Town and on crowded buses, ignore unofficial taxis at the airport and Gara de Nord, and check the bill in Old Town bars that hire hostesses to bring in tourists. Stray dogs, once a problem, are now rarely seen in the centre.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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