Bucharest 3 Day Itinerary (No Day Trips)

Three days in Bucharest, prices in lei not euros, is the version that finally has room to breathe: the Palace of Parliament, Old Town, Revolution Square, and a full afternoon at the Village Museum without cramming everything into 48 hours. Still no castle day trips at this length, Peles alone eats a day round trip from Gara de Nord. This extends the 2 day route with a full Day 3; go longer with the 4 day version if you want the National Museum of Art added on too.

Book these before you go:

Day 1: Old Town and Revolution Square

Land at Henri Coanda and take the Express Bus 100, about 3 RON, into the center, roughly 40 to 50 minutes to Piata Unirii. Skip the taxis idling outside arrivals, unmarked cabs overcharging arriving tourists is a genuine, well-documented scam here; Bolt or the official yellow kiosks in the terminal are the safer option.

Settle into an Old Town or Calea Victoriei hotel, then spend the afternoon at Revolution Square, free, outdoor, the real site of Ceausescu’s final booed-down speech on 21 December 1989. Visit the Romanian Athenaeum next door, 15 RON cash, walk-in, at the Musicians Entrance on Strada Benjamin Franklin. Dinner at Caru’ cu Bere in Old Town, then Strada Lipscani for the evening.

Day 2: The Palace of Parliament and Calea Victoriei

This day only works if you called ahead (full rules ): phone +40 733 558 102/103, weekdays 9:00 to 16:00, at least 24 hours before your visit, original passport required at the door. The standard tour runs roughly 60 RON adult, 30 RON student, 20 RON child, plus a 10 RON basement add-on.

In the afternoon, walk Calea Victoriei, the “Little Paris” boulevard linking Revolution Square to the CEC Palace, an hour of Belle Epoque architecture that survives in patches rather than as a wall-to-wall old-world streetscape thanks to WWII bombing and Ceausescu-era demolitions. Dinner off the main Lipscani strip, a block or two over, where the mark-up for foot traffic drops noticeably.

Day 3: The Village Museum and Cismigiu Gardens

Spend the morning at the Village Museum inside King Michael I Park, real wooden houses, churches, and windmills relocated from rural Romania, 40 RON adult, half off Monday and Tuesday, no advance booking needed for general entry. It’s the single best value museum ticket in the city and consistently under-visited compared to the Parliament building.

In the afternoon, Cismigiu Gardens, Bucharest’s oldest park, free, a lake, a boat rental. A quieter close to the trip than a third round of Old Town. Head to the airport with a buffer for weekday traffic.

Day Focus Travel time Rough daily cost
1 Revolution Square, Athenaeum, Old Town Airport to center: 40-50 min by bus ~150 RON
2 Palace of Parliament, Calea Victoriei Walkable within center ~195 RON
3 Village Museum, Cismigiu Gardens Metro/bus to King Michael I Park ~140 RON

Half-price Village Museum tickets run Monday and Tuesday, worth timing Day 3 around if your dates are flexible.