Known for its wide, tree-lined boulevards, glorious Belle Époque buildings and a reputation for the high life (which in the 1900s earned its nickname of "Little Paris"), Bucharest, Romania's largest city and capital, is today a bustling metropolis.

Bucharest's buzzing cultural scene - 37 museums, 22 theatres, concert halls, opera house, 18 art galleries, jazz clubs and hip nightclubs - will certainly keep you busy. Every two years, Bucharest is host to the George Enescu International Festival (next edition in 2011), a prestigious cultural event named after the famous Romanian musician and composer. Renowned orchestras, conductors and soloists perform at the Romanian Athenaeum, a hall with acoustics comparable to Milan's La Scala.
 

Cantacuzino Palace. Grigore Cantacuzino was thought to be one of Romania's wealthiest citizens in 1899. As Prime Minister, it was his wish to have the most elegant residence in Bucharest. The Cantacuzino Palace was built between 1898 and 1900 in eclectic French style. Today, the palace houses the George Enescu Museum.

Royal Palace. Erected between 1927 and 1937 in neoclassical style, the palace was home to King Carol II and to his son, King Mihai I, until 1947, when the monarchy was abolished in Romania. It was inside the halls of this palace that King Mihai, aged 18, led a coup that displaced the pro-Nazi government during the World War II and put Romania on the Allies' side. Today, the former Royal palace houses the
Romanian National Art Museum.









The Romanian Athenaeum. The work of French architect Albert Galleron, who also designed the National Bank of Romania, the Athenaeum was completed in 1888, financed almost entirely with money donated by the general public. Inside the concert hall, voluptuous frescoes cover the ceiling and walls. Renowned worldwide for its outstanding acoustics, it is Bucharest's most prestigious concert hall and home of the Romanian George Enescu Philharmonic.








The Military Club. Keeping guard imposingly, this neoclassical masterpiece, designed by Romanian architect Dimitrie Maimaroiu, was built in 1912 to serve the social, cultural and educational needs of the Romanian army. Banquets and official events are still hosted in the ballrooms, while the upstairs area is reserved for the army's library, as well as offices and classrooms for officer instruction.








Lipscani District. Perhaps the city's unique charm can be best observed in the area known as Lipscani, which consists of a jumble of streets between Calea Victoriei, Blvd. Bratianu, Blvd. Regina Elisabeta and the Dambovita River. A once-glamorous residential area, the old city centre is now slowly being refashioned into an upscale neighborhood. Today, the area is home to many art galleries, antique shops and coffeehouses. On a beautiful day, you can stroll down the narrow cobblestone streets and imagine the shopkeepers outside near their stores, encouraging people to buy their merchandise and negotiating prices with them.




Manuc's Inn. Built between 1804 and 1808 by the wealthy Armenian trader Emanuel Marzaian (called by the Turks, Manuc Bey), the inn was witness in 1812 to the preliminary talks of the Peace Treaty that put an end to the Russian -Turkish War (1806-1812). A favorite meeting and resting place for tradesmen in those times, Manuc's Inn has preserved to this day its old style and flavor.









University of Bucharest. Bucharest remains first and foremost a hub of higher education. The University of Bucharest was founded in 1864 by Alexandru Ioan Cuza, ruler of the newly united principalities of Walachia and Moldova. Work on the neoclassical building began in 1857 and finished in 1859. Between the two World Wars, the libraries and corridors of the University hosted an impressive number of Romanian personalities, including Mircea Eliade, Emil Cioran, Eugène Ionesco, Sergiu Celibidache. Year-round, you can find book merchants near the University building selling anything from antique books, records, discontinued newspapers and illustrated broadsheets from another age, to secondhand books.




Stavropoleos Church. The Stavropoleos Church was built in 1724 by the Greek monk Ioanikie Stratonikeas. Featuring a combination of Romanian and Byzantine architecture, it has a beautiful façade and a delicately carved columned entrance. Surrounded by a peaceful garden, it is an architectural jewel, with beautiful frescoes and wood-painted icons.












Museum of the Romanian Peasant. Opened in 1906, the museum features the richest folk art collection in Romania, with over 90,000 artifacts that trace the colorful and diverse cultural life of the Romanian people. The Pottery Collection includes some 18,000 items, representative of the most important pottery centres in the country. The oldest ceramic item found in the museum bears the inscription 1746. Equally impressive, the Costume Collection comprises almost 20,000 traditional folk costumes, some dating from the beginning of the 19th century, giving visitors insight into the styles and traditions of the Romanian peasants. In 1996, the museum was named European Museum of the Year. Visitors can buy regional handcrafts and textiles in the museum's extensive gift shop.




Village Museum. Founded by royal decree in 1936, this fascinating outdoor museum, the largest in Europe, covers some 30 acres on the shores of Lake Herastrau in Herestrau Park. It features a collection more than 100 buildings representing the history and design of Romania's rural architecture. Steep-roofed peasant homes, thatched barns, log cabins, churches and watermills from all regions of the country were carefully taken apart, shipped to the museum and rebuilt in order to recreate the village setting.
 





 
 

Cismigiu Garden. Designed in 1845 by the German landscape architect Carl Meyer, the garden opened to the public in 1860. The name, Cismigiu, comes from the Turkish cismea, meaning "public fountain." Cismigiu is Bucharest's oldest park and a great place to stroll and enjoy a break from the hectic city.









 

National Opera & Ballet. The city's artistic life stood up to its Parisian nickname in the 1930s and today, is as vibrant as ever. The Opera House, completed in 1953, is worth visiting, not only for its brilliant performances but also for the lavish interior design. The world-renowned Romanian Opera performs in Romanian as well as Italian and German. You will be able to enjoy the classic repertoire -Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, Mozart-, innovative staging, lavish costumes, seasoned performers and choreographers. The Romanian National Ballet also performs in this theatre. Performances are held Wednesday through Sunday evenings, except during July and August.

Three auditoriums host professional domestic and foreign plays by a broad selection of both classical and contemporary Romanian playwrights. The theatre's Big Hall (Sala Mare), hosts the grand productions, while the Amphitheatre (Sala Amfiteatru) shows smaller productions and TV shows, and the Studio Hall (Sala Atelier) gets a mix of low-key shows and presentations.


National Theatre. Three auditoriums host professional domestic and foreign plays by a broad selection of both classical and contemporary Romanian playwrights. The theatre's Big Hall (Sala Mare), hosts the grand productions, while the Amphitheatre (Sala Amfiteatru) shows smaller productions and TV shows, and the Studio Hall (Sala Atelier) gets a mix of low-key shows and presentations.






Minovici Museum of Ancient Western Art In addition to the small renaissance art collection of Dumitru Minovici, the museum features Belgian tapestries, Dutch furniture, Swiss stained glass, a complete library and Italian paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries.

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