Bucharest: what to see when the road trip ends

Bucharest is where most Romania road trips start or finish, and it deserves more than an airport stopover. Two to four days covers it well.

The heavyweight

The Palace of Parliament is the second-largest administrative building in the world, and the guided tour is the only way in. Book online a few days ahead, bring your passport, and prepare for marble on a scale that is hard to process. It is impressive and uncomfortable in equal measure, which is exactly why you should go.

The old town

Centrul Vechi is a tight grid of cobbled streets full of cafes, restaurants and bars. It is calm by day and loud by night. Caru' cu Bere, the 19th-century beer hall, is the classic dinner booking: go for the interior as much as the food.

The gentler day

Pair the Village Museum, where traditional houses and wooden churches from every region of Romania sit in a lakeside park, with a walk or a boat ride in Herăstrău next door. It is the calmest day you can have in the city, and the best one with kids.

The rest day

Therme București, twenty minutes north of the center, is a vast tropical spa with palm trees, outdoor pools and saunas. It sounds like a gimmick and it isn't: on a weekday morning it is the best recovery day in the country. Book online for weekends.

Before you fly out

The Romanian Athenaeum, the city's circular 19th-century concert hall, is a short and beautiful final stop. If the philharmonic is playing, even better.