4 Days in Bucharest: The City-Only Itinerary
Four days extends the same spine as our 2 day version : Days 1-2 cover the Palace of the Parliament, the 1989 revolution sites, and the Old Town, and Days 3-4 add the Village Museum’s rural architecture, Cismigiu Gardens, and Bucharest’s Belle Epoque boulevards. Still no Transylvania castle side trip here, that’s a genuinely different logistics problem covered in our Bucharest guide instead.
Book these before you go
- Palace of Parliament tour: phone booking mandatory, at least 24 hours ahead, no online sales, passport or ID required, rules on cic.cdep.ro
- Hotel in or near the Old Town: check rates on Booking.com
- A guided Bucharest communism and 1989 history tour: book via GetYourGuide
| Day | Focus | Getting around | Rough daily cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palace of Parliament, Old Town | Walking plus one Bolt ride | 150-220 RON |
| 2 | Revolution Square, Athenaeum | Metro or Bolt | 130-200 RON |
| 3 | Village Museum, King Michael I Park | Metro | 100-160 RON |
| 4 | Cismigiu Gardens, Calea Victoriei | Walking | 90-150 RON |
Day 1: Palace of Parliament and the Old Town
Start at the Palace of the Parliament, still not fully finished since Ceausescu began it in 1984 and commonly cited as the heaviest building on Earth. The standard tour runs about 60 RON adult, 30 RON student, 20 RON child, plus a 10 RON basement add-on, but only if you booked by phone at least 24 hours ahead, this sells nothing online or at the door. Bring an actual passport. Know before you go in what the site cost: an entire historic quarter, churches, monasteries, and thousands of homes, was demolished in the 1980s to clear it.
In the afternoon, walk into the Old Town (Lipscani) and sit down for sarmale and ciorba at Caru’ cu Bere or Hanul lui Manuc, a full traditional dinner with drinks runs roughly 115-135 RON per person. Stay out for the bars along Strada Lipscani and Strada Selari once it’s dark.
Day 2: Revolution Square and the Romanian Athenaeum
Spend the morning at Piata Revolutiei, where Ceausescu’s final public speech was booed down live on 21 December 1989 before his execution four days later. The Memorial of Rebirth obelisk, “the potato” to locals, marks the spot, ringed by the former Royal Palace (now the National Museum of Art of Romania, 24 RON per gallery, 32 RON combined, free the first Wednesday monthly) and the domed 1888 Romanian Athenaeum, which sells a standalone look-inside ticket for about 15 RON outside concert hours.
In the afternoon, grab mici (grilled minced-meat rolls, about 5-15 RON a piece) from a street stall and eat them in whichever square you’re closest to when hunger hits, this is genuinely how Bucharest earns its cheap-and-hearty reputation.
Day 3: The Village Museum and King Michael I Park
Spend the morning at the Village Museum (Muzeul Satului), over 300 authentic wooden churches, farmhouses, and windmills relocated from across rural Romania, inside King Michael I Park (renamed from Herastrau in December 2017). Entry is 40 RON adult, 20 RON senior, 10 RON student, half price Monday and Tuesday, no advance booking needed for general admission.
In the afternoon, stay in the park, walk the lake, rent a boat if the weather’s good, before heading back toward the center for dinner.
Day 4: Cismigiu Gardens and the Belle Epoque boulevards
Spend the morning at Cismigiu Gardens, Bucharest’s oldest public park, free entry, a boating lake, and outdoor chess tables, a genuinely relaxed contrast to three straight days of history.
In the afternoon, walk Calea Victoriei, the “Little Paris” showcase boulevard of ornate early-1900s buildings like the CEC Palace. Keep the nickname honest in your head: WWII bombing, the 1977 earthquake, and Ceausescu-era demolitions mean this survives in patches, not as a wall-to-wall old-world streetscape. Spend your last evening back in the Old Town for a final round of mici and a drink before departure.
Should I add a castle day trip to this itinerary?
Only if you’re willing to make it a 5th or 6th day. Peles Castle in Sinaia is roughly 1h15-1h30 by train each way, and Bran Castle plus Brasov is a longer haul again, neither fits cleanly inside a 4 day city-focused trip without cutting something above. Our Bucharest castles guide covers that trip on its own terms.
What’s the one thing to know about money here?
Romania runs on the leu (RON), not the euro, despite full EU membership since 2007 and full Schengen membership, land borders included, since 1 January 2025. Price everything in lei, expect roughly 4.55-4.6 RON to the US dollar in 2026, and don’t assume euros are accepted, they generally aren’t outside a handful of tourist-trap storefronts.
Get the Palace of the Parliament phone booking done the moment you land on your dates, it’s the only reservation on this whole trip with a hard 24-hour clock attached to it.