General Bucharest Tour

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Basic Information
Total time
2 h 45 min
Language
English, Spanish, Hebrew (check the calendar for availabilities)
Price
„Pay what you wish” tours do not have a fixed price. It is up to you to evaluate your guide’s work and reward it. Some people give 10€, others 50€ depending on their satisfaction and abilities.
Meeting point
Unirii Square Park, in front of the Clock (next to the fountains). Look for our distinctive orange outfit or orange umbrella.Go to map
This tour is provided by our partner

About

Romania is usually associated only with Transylvania and the bloody Vlad the Impaler, the prototype of Dracula from Bram Stoker’s Gothic novel. The sound of the city’s name, however, should be associated with something completely different… Rome!!! Much of southern Romania was once under Roman rule, and although millennia have passed since then, it can still be heard today in the beautiful Romanian language, and Romania calls itself a Latin island surrounded by a slavic sea. It is also a country at an eternal crossroads, with each historical part gravitating toward different cultures. Situated in the south, Wallachia gravitates toward the Balkans, Transylvania follows the west, and eastern Moldova looks fearfully to the east… Bucharest is at the very centre of this unusual mix. 


Our tour will be a wonderful introduction to the history of the “Paris of the East,” as its residents proudly call the city. Bucharest can resemble Frankenstein’s monster in some places – beautiful 19th century palaces stand here right next to colossal communist edifices, silent witnesses of 20th century history. The city has been constantly changing over the centuries, which has been “facilitated” by numerous fires and earthquakes. After the catastrophic earthquake in 1977, much of Bucharest had to be built from scratch. An indelible mark was left here by the hubris and megalomania of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, who ordered the demolition of thousands of buildings in order to build a new communist city. 


Take a walk with us to explore 500 years of the city’s history, starting with its founding in the 15th century and the reign of Vlad the Impaler, ending with the Romanian Revolution and the fall of the communist dictatorship. We will see the most important buildings of downtown Bucharest, beautiful Orthodox churches, 19th century palaces and buildings that survived only because they managed to be… moved to another location. We will see Bucharest’s “Champs Elysees” and the second largest public building in the world (after the US Pentagon) – the famous Romanian Parliament! Of course, there will be no shortage of recommendations on where and what to eat – today’s Bucharest is an energetic city with fantastic cafes and delicious restaurants just waiting to be discovered! 


During the walk we will see and explore:



  • Stavropoleos Monastery

  • St. Anthony Church

  • Manuka Inn, the oldest operating hotel in Bucharest 

  • Sites associated with the Romanian Revolution

  • Caru Cu Bere – Bucharest’s most famous restaurant

  • Palace of the Parliament

  • Cec Palace

  • National Museum

  • Macca-Vilacrosse Passage

  • Victory Boulevard

  • Bucharest University

  • and much, much more!


Meeting Point
Unirii Square Park, in front of the Clock (next to the fountains). Look for our distinctive orange outfit or orange umbrella.

BOOKING RULES
Our pay as you wish tours are designed for individual travellers and small groups. We don’t accept parties of more than 7 people on them. If you travel in a party of 8 or more (school groups, bigger groups of friends etc.), please choose a paid option, if it's available, or book a Private Tour. For more information on the latter, please contact us.



Tudor is a great guide

Rated 5.0 out of 5
4 months ago

Tudor was a great guide – his storytelling was authentic and lively. Lots of knowledge imparted in an accessible way. He answered every question of the participants, including those not directly related to the tour. He pointed out the post office, a shop with authentic handcrafts and a place with the best papanasi in town (unfortunately, that’s where I ended up and will be frying in dietary hell – he was right). Thank you

Agnieszka

Elena was a great guide

Rated 5.0 out of 5
6 months ago

We really enjoyed the tour and got a lot of great tips where to go, where to eat and also how to get around the country, not just Bucharest. She also gave us great tips for the mountains.

Domen

Elena is brilliant!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
7 months ago

Elena is an excellent tour guide with a great sense of humour! We’ve learned a lot about the city and would recommend this to anyone.

Rhiannon

Great Tour!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
8 months ago

We definitely recommend this tour! It’s a great way to get to know the city and the history of Bucharest/Romania. Elena is a wonderful guide – funny, knowledgeable and open-minded. We had a wonderful time!

Piotr and Łukasz

Elena is excellent!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
1 year ago

Elena is an amazing local tour guide. She is very knowledgeable about her city and country. Elena mentioned fun facts and details. Otherwise, I would have missed if I didn’t make the tour. 100% recommended!

Alexandra


This tour is also available as
a Private Tour.

Private tour