Bucharest Top Attractions

Palatul Parlamentului (Parliament Palace)
Ceausescu's greatest folly, begun in 1984, initially took 20,000 workers, 700 architects and the equivalent of over €3 billion to build. But by the time the dictator was executed in 1989, only the exterior and three rooms had been finished. What is seen from street level on Bulevardul Unirii is a 12-storey monolith rising 84m (276ft) above ground level but it is nearly as deep under ground. It is rumoured to hold a nuclear bunker big enough to contain the entire government, although its actual functions have not been revealed. Inspired by North Korean Communist architecture, which reflected Ceausescu's political leanings, it is 330,000 sq m (3,552,090 sq ft) in area and the second-largest administration building in the world (after the Pentagon). Intended to house Communist Party offices, ministries and state rooms, it is now the seat of Romania's Parliament, headquarters of the International Conference Centre and home to a surprisingly edgy National Museum of Contemporary Art.

Regular 45-minute guided tours (in English), from Bulevardul Natiunile Unite focus on 10 rooms, including the 16m (52.5ft) Sala Unirii, built with a sliding ceiling, wide enough for a helicopter to enter. After a tour, consider visiting the National Museum of Contemporary Art, reached by a long clockwise walk to the entrance on the north side of the building and a ride up in the external glass lift.

Palace of Parliament Tours
Bulevardul Natiunili Unite
Tel: (021) 316 0300.
Website: www.cdep.ro
Admission charge.

National Museum of Contemporary Art
Calea 13 Septembrie 1
Tel: (021) 318 9137.
Website: www.mnac.ro
Admission charge.

Piata Revolutiei (Revolution Square)
On 21 December 1989, 80,000 people thronged the square, supposedly in support of the president after riots in the town of Timisoara, when the Securitate arrested an outspoken priest. But when Ceausescu appeared on the balcony of what was then the Central Committee building (now part of the Romanian senate) people began to chant ‘Ti-mi-soa-ra, Ti-mi-soa-ra' and the shock on Ceausescu's face pinpointed the true moment of his downfall - a moment televised all over Romania and, later, the world. However, this heroic ‘people's revolution' is also thought to have been an inside job. Ceausescu and his wife tried to escape in a helicopter from the roof but, being told they were low on fuel, were dropped within the Romanian border, after which they were hastily tried and shot on Christmas day.

A white, marble plaque on the Senate building points to the balcony, inscribed with ‘Glorie martirilor nostiri' (‘Glory to our Martyrs'), in remembrance of those killed in the fighting. In the middle of the square is a recent addition, the rather ugly Rebirth Memorial (Momorialul Renasterii), built to signal Romania's hopeful future. Just behind the library, a block west of Calea Victoriei, the facade of the building that housed the Securitate (Ceausescu's secret police), has been left in its ruined state, and now frames the glittering offices of the Romanian Architecture Union.

Piata Revolutiei
Free admission.

Historic Centre
The cobblestone streets between Calea Victoriei, Bulevardul Bratianu, Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta and the River Dîmbovita still comprise Bucharest's most atmospheric area and increasingly are home to an alternative culture of clubs, bars, trendy coffee houses and restaurants - most lively when they spill onto the cobbled streets (or overtake empty lots) during summer. At its heart is the 15th-century Curtea Veche (Old Court), attributed to Vlad Tepes, which contains a few walls, arches, tombstones and one restored Corinthian column. Next door is Bucharest's oldest church, the 16th-century Biserica Curtea Veche. Just east of here is the oldest inn, Hanul lui Manuc, Strada Franceza 62-64, which is still an inexpensive hotel with a basement restaurant and courtyard cafe-bar.

North of here is Strada Lipscani, an old merchant street where everything from bridal gowns and handmade hats to cheap jeans are sold. Near its east end is a small alley called Hanul cu Tei, filled with antique shops. A block south of Strada Lipscani to the west is Strada Stavropoleos where the remarkable Biserica Stavropoleos can be visited. This church, completed in 1724, could easily qualify as the city's most beautiful, not least because its frescoes and icons have recently been restored and it is surrounded by a peaceful cloister garden filled with various antiquities and 19th-century tombstones. The church was designed by Constantin Brancoveanu (1688-1714), a Wallachian prince known for his religious architectural achievements.

Curtea Veche
Strada Franceza 60
Admission charge.

Muzeul Taranului Roman (Romanian Peasant Museum)
Housed in a giant 1912 palace made of red brick, this eclectic collection of peasant relics won 1996's European Museum of the Year award and it is easy to see why. The juxtaposition of religious and traditional crafts is so ingeniously displayed (with excellent English texts relating rural functional items to contemporary sculpture) that the exhibition is a work of art in itself. Handmade rugs, pottery, tools and painted eggs rub shoulders with rosaries, icons and woodcuts, while the intimate style of a fairly recent peasant kitchen and school room celebrates the aesthetics of simplicity. Upstairs, a group of mannequins in peasant costumes looks like they are about to wake up at any moment and march across the room. This museum is a gem for lovers of both folk and contemporary art and also has an excellent gift shop, which sells antique clothing and fabrics.

Soseaua Kiseleff 3
Tel: (021) 317 9660.
Website: www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro
Admission charge.

Muzeul Satului (Village Museum)
A few dozen peasant homes, barns, churches and mills, representing vernacular rural architecture, were transported from all over Romania, to a park on the west side of Herastrau Lake in north Bucharest. Built to show the pride of Romanian peasants in their work and homes, the open-air museum is recovering from past fires, with newly relocated homes and pieces - many from the 19th century - replacing fire-damaged ones. Among them are rustic wooden churches and tall-roofed Transylvanian houses with beautifully crafted shingles containing everyday accessories such as tools, butter-churns, hay forks, beer kegs and clothes.

Soseaua Kiseleff 28-30
Tel: (021) 317 9103.
Website: www.muzeul-satului.ro
Admission charge.

Muzeul National de Arta (National Art Museum)
Although tragically vandalised and looted during the 1989 uprising, the museum (inside the one-time Royal Palace, built in 1812) has now been lovingly restored. The best of three separate collections, the Gallery of European Art is an absolute treasure, containing many rarely seen masterworks. Highlights include Von Eyck's Crucifixion and a Rembrandt, 16th and 17th-century Spanish works, including several El Grecos, Flemish art including a Rubens and four more rooms contain French sculpture and art up to the 20th century. Of the two other collections, the best is the Gallery of Romanian Art, which features works by the country's most famous painters, including Nicolae Grigorescu who often depicted Romanian peasants. The small third collection is the Treasures of Roman Art. Separate entry fees are paid for each, or a combined ticket for all three. This museum is a true feast and will only go on improving, as the 450 or so works damaged in 1989 are gradually restored.

Calea Victoriei 49-53
Tel: (021) 314 8119 or 313 3030.
Website: www.mnar.arts.ro
Admission charge, guided tours in English and French.

Zambaccian Museum
The Armenian collector, Krikor Zambaccian, bequeathed his intimate collection of mostly impressionist paintings (including one of Constantin Brancusi's earliest sculptures) to the state, in 1946, along with his beautiful residence. The Romanian collection is small, but selective, with great works by some of the country's best-known masters. By the time you leave, names like Nicolae Grigorescu and Stefan Luchian seem slightly less foreign. The small collection of works by Picasso, Cezanne, Bonnard and Renoir is situated on the top floor. The museum is now part of the National Art Museum.

Strada Muzeul Zambaccian 21A
Tel: (021) 212 1920.
Admission charge.

Patriarhia Romana (Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral)
Nearly obscured by 1970s housing blocks, this stunning 17th-century cathedral, situated on a small hill overlooking the grey communist-built Piata Unirii, is the Romanian Orthodox Church headquarters. A fabulous fresco of the blessed and the damned, ascending to heaven or tumbling into hell, adorns the entrance, as well as the oldest icon on the site, depicting patron saints Constantin and Helen (1665). Inside, expressive and beautifully painted icons, embedded in an exquisite gilded altarpiece, dazzle the eye in the sombre darkness. St Dumitru, Bucharest's patron saint, lies entombed in the left-hand corner and worshippers constantly climb the staircase to his shrine to pay their respects.

Strada Dealul Mitropoliei
Tel: (021) 337 0830.
Website: www.patriarhia.ro
Free admission.