Bucharest 5 Day Itinerary (No Day Trips)
Five days in Bucharest, prices in lei not euros, has room for a genuine rest day: the Palace of Parliament, Old Town, the Village Museum, the National Museum of Art, and a full day at Therme Bucuresti to recover from all the walking. This extends the 4 day route with a spa day; go to 6 days if you want a flex day added instead of ending here.
Book these before you go:
- Palace of Parliament tour on GetYourGuide
- Bucharest hotels on Booking.com
- Therme Bucuresti tickets on GetYourGuide , weekend slots run dynamic pricing and sell out
- Communism history tour on Viator
Day 1: Old Town and Revolution Square
Express Bus 100 from Henri Coanda, roughly 3 RON, 40 to 50 minutes to Piata Unirii; the unmarked taxis outside arrivals overcharge, so use Bolt or the terminal’s official yellow kiosks instead. Settle into an Old Town hotel, then Revolution Square and the Romanian Athenaeum in the afternoon (15 RON cash, walk-in). Dinner at Caru’ cu Bere, evening on Strada Lipscani.
Day 2: The Palace of Parliament and Calea Victoriei
Book ahead or this day doesn’t happen (full rules ): phone +40 733 558 102/103, weekdays 9:00 to 16:00, 24+ hours out, original passport required. Standard tour roughly 60 RON adult, 30 RON student, 20 RON child, plus a 10 RON basement add-on. Afternoon on Calea Victoriei for the “Little Paris” architecture, patchy but genuine given the WWII bombing and Ceausescu-era demolitions this city absorbed.
Day 3: The Village Museum and King Michael I Park
Morning at the Village Museum , 40 RON adult, half off Monday and Tuesday, real relocated wooden houses and churches, no booking needed. Afternoon around the lake in King Michael I Park.
Day 4: The National Museum of Art and Obor Market
Morning at the National Museum of Art of Romania, 24 RON per gallery or 32 RON combined, free the first Wednesday of the month. Afternoon at Obor Market for mici at half the Old Town price.
Day 5: Therme Bucuresti
A full day at Therme , the thermal spa complex out in Balotesti, roughly 130 to 150 RON for a full day in the Galaxy zone on weekdays, more on weekends and for the nicer zones. Budget the whole day, this isn’t a quick add-on stop, and a taxi or Bolt out costs more than a city ride since it’s outside the STB network. A genuinely good way to close out a walking-heavy trip rather than cramming in one more museum.
| 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, King Michael I Park | Metro/bus to the park | ~140 RON |
| 4 | National Museum of Art, Obor Market | Metro to Obor | ~130 RON |
| 5 | Therme Bucuresti | Taxi/Bolt to Balotesti, ~30 min | ~230 RON |
Book the Therme slot ahead for a weekend visit, walk-up pricing runs higher during peak hours.