Walking Tour of Communist Bucharest: Revolution & Daily Life
Communist history tour of Bucharest: we start at Revolution Square, pass the Jewish quarter and finish at the Palace of Parliament, seeing the Former Headquarters of the Communist Party, Coral Synagogue and the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
Basic Information
Total time
2h 45m
Language
English (check the calendar for availability)
Price
Our “Pay What You Wish” tours don’t have a fixed price — you decide how much the experience was worth. At the end of the tour, please make a fair contribution that reflects your satisfaction and appreciation for your guide’s work. Most guests give between €10 and €50 per person.
Meeting point
Rebirth Memorial, Revolution Square Nearest public transport: Strada Ion Câmpineanu metro station; Strada Batiștei metro station
Additional info
☂︎ This tour is organised by Bucharest Walkabout guides. Look for the guide with the orange outfit or orange umbrella.
Booking rules
Booking is obligatory. Our “Pay What You Wish” tours are meant for individual travellers and small groups. Large groups (7 or more people) cannot join these tours, as they significantly affect the experience for others and the guide. For school trips, organised tours, or groups of friends, please arrange a Private Tour. For more information or to schedule a group visit, please contact us directly.
About the tour
Discover the main landmarks of communist history in Bucharest with our passionate local guides. We will start the tour in the Revolution Square by the former headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party and continue off the beaten path to see another face of Bucharest that we do not show on the other tours we offer.
During the walking tour we will share stories of communism in Romania, pros and cons of the period, the relation between the communist regime and religion, industry, labour, economy, culture and everyday life of the people. We try to be objective in presentation, but share true family stories and bring “nostalgic” items of the period.
We’ll walk from the Revolution Square to the Jewish quarter and end the tour in front of Parliament Palace. Be prepared to explore the city in an almost 3-hour long walk while exploring life under the socialist regime and visiting sites that played a role in communist days.
Highlights
- 1
Revolution Square
The epicentre of the 1989 revolution that led to the downfall of communism in Romania.
- 2
Communist Party HQ
The former building where dictator Ceaușescu made his final, ill-fated public speech.
- 3
Jewish Quarter
Explore the historic district and learn about the community's survival during the communist period.
- 4
Coral Synagogue
Bucharest's largest synagogue, a testament to the Jewish community's perseverance through the communist regime.
- 5
Palace of Parliament
The world’s heaviest building, a colossal symbol of Nicolae Ceaușescu's communist-era ambitions.
6Life Under Communism
Hear personal family stories and discover what daily life was truly like behind the Iron Curtain.
Map
Rebirth Memorial, Revolution Square Nearest public transport: Strada Ion Câmpineanu metro station; Strada Batiștei metro station
Our customers said about us
Bucharest
5.0Morgane
100% recommended
Great tour! Daniel our guide was amazing, shared a lot of knowledge and insights and made us smile a few times. One of my favorite experience in Bucharest ! Thank you
Bucharest
5.0Elif
We learned a lot, very fun
Our tourguide Julian was amazing, he was excited to tell us about very interesting stories from communist times and history in a very fun way. I had to translate to my non-english speaking parents from English to my native language and he gave me the time to translate and was very nice. Recommend 10/10
Bucharest
5.0Shelagh Jones
Professional, interesting and enjoyable - despite the rain!
Maria was an excellent guide. We wanted to get a feeling for life in Romania under Communism and she gave us just that. She included memories from her family to illustrate what she was telling us. She had carefully chosen places to illustrate the story, which brought it to life. Very enjoyable and highly recommended!
Bucharest
4.0Harris
Highly Recommend
The tour is highly recommended and our guide Laura had plenty to share and made sure we were comfortable at all times.
Bucharest
5.0Ana
What an amazing experience! The guide shared a lot of informations and answered many question. Life in Communist Bucharest takes you through the most important events in Romania recent history and makes you understand the struggle they have been through. Totally recommended!
Bucharest
5.0Piotr and Łukasz
Totally recommended!
The tour is great. You can learn much about the history/city but it’s not overwhelming or boring at all ;) Elena is a wonderful guide - funny, knowledgeable and open-minded. We remembered a lot after the tour and enjoyed it very much!
Bucharest
5.0Alberto Migliorini
Nice tour full of details!
Super nice tour with Anca, it was amazing to listen stories and tips about the life in Communist period. I recommend to join this tour!
Bucharest
5.0Marguerite
Amazing tour
Elena was our tour guide. She was on time for the start of the meeting and made everyone feel welcome start away. Her knowledge and passion of her city is commendable and my friend and I enjoyed our tour. Would definitely recommend Elena and the tour to anyone
Bucharest
5.0Alexandra
History
I am glad I booked the tour, I learned about the city and country's history. I had a wonderful tour guide, Elena. She makes the tour interactive by asking questions. Similarly to the other tour, Elena pointed out details or took us to areas I would otherwise have missed by myself. Great tour!
