Bucharest is a nice and less-frequented destination, perfect for a 2–4-day trip. The city is safe overall, as long as you avoid shady areas and obvious scams, which is easier to do than you think. Here are some suggestions about where to walk around the north of Bucharest.
At least 10 reasons why you should visit the north of Bucharest
The northern Bucharest is worth a visit for its quiet streets and beautiful houses, but also for all the landmarks you’ll find here: from lovely small museums to the biggest park in the city.
This is the most exclusive area of the city. It includes the neighbourhoods of Baneasa, Herastrau, Primaverii, Dorobanti, Floreasca, Barbu Vacarescu, Pipera and Domenii. These areas are preferred by expats, businesspeople, politicians and celebrities. Here you’ll find some of the most refined restaurants and clubs in the capital city of Romania. Very important: most embassies are in this part of Bucharest, so you’ll never feel unsafe.
I suggest visiting the landmarks in the listed order. Of course, you can skip whatever is not for your taste. To reach the first objective on this list, you can take the bus to the Gara Băneasa station using lines 131, 182, 282, 301, 330, 331, or 335.
Nicolae Minovici Folk Art Museum & The Old Western Art “Eng. Dumitru Furnica – Minovici” Museum
The Nicolae Minovici Folk Art Museum and The Old Western Art “Eng. Dumitru Furnica – Minovici” Museum are located next to each other at no 1 and 3 Dr. Nicolae Minovici Street. Those places are a little bit further away from the rest of the attractions, so you can skip them if you don’t have enough time to visit the city.
Nicolae Minovici Folk Art Museum is hard to miss, as it catches your eye from across the street. The beautiful white building with a red roof, constructed between 1906 and 1907, exemplifies the Romanian Revival architectural style. Since then, it has served as a museum of Romanian folk art, showcasing pieces collected by Doctor Minovici from all over the country, including icons, ceramics, fabrics, wooden objects, and traditional musical instruments.
The Old Western Art “Eng. Dumitru Furnica – Minovici” Museum is located in a beautiful house built in the Tudor architectural style, in 1942, to serve as a museum of medieval western art. Here, you can view a collection of approximately 900 pieces of medieval weaponry, stained-glass windows (dated from the 13th to the 19th centuries), small pieces of art furniture (from the 15th to the 19th centuries), rare old books, tapestries, paintings, and more. The Eng. Dumitru Furnica – Minovici Museum offers free entrance.
The House of the Free Press
About 500 meters from the two museums, you might spot the House of the Free Press – a huge building constructed in the socialist realism architectural style. The palace was the headquarters for all communist press. The building is currently leased by several press organizations. It is not open to visitors.
The Triumphal Arch
The Triumphal Arch is a monument located at the crossroads of Kiseleff Road with Constantin Prezan, Alexandru Averescu and Alexandru Constantinescu Aves. 27 meters tall and was built in 1936 to commemorate Romania’s participation in the Great War.
Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum
The Village Museum is located in King Michael I Park (used to be known as Herăstrău Park). Visit only if the weather is nice, as this is an ethnographic open-air museum. Furthermore, the museum is typically closed during winter. If you are coming by bus, check the “Muzeul Satului” bus station, and the entrance to the museum is nearby.
The Village Museum in Bucharest has over 100,000 square meters and presents almost 300 authentic old houses from all the areas of Romania.
King Michael I Park (used to be known as Herăstrău Park)
King Michael I Park occupies 187 ha around Herăstrău Lake, in the north of Bucharest. Here you can walk around the lake or rest on a bench or maybe at one of the bars or restaurants nearby. There is still a lot to visit in Bucharest.
Exit the park through Charles the Gaulle Square and head to Primăverii Avenue for the next attraction.
MARe – The Museum of Recent Art
On the left side of Primăverii Avenue, at 15, there is the Museum of Recent Art. This is a 5-floor building with around 1000 pieces of recent Romanian art from the 1960s to the present: paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, collages, conceptual art and video art.
The Ceaușescu House
Primăverii neighbourhood in the north of Bucharest is one of the most prestigious areas, and you will certainly enjoy a leisurely walk around. This is the area where the most important leaders of the Communist Party lived, Nicolae Ceaușescu included. The Ceaușescu palace is now open to the public, but visits must be booked 24 hours ahead. For more details, you can read my article about Primăverii Palace.
From Primăverii Avenue, you can wander the streets towards Victoriei Square. But until Victoriei Square, there are a few other museums worth visiting.
The Zambaccian Art Museum
The Zambaccian is a small but impressive museum on 21A Muzeul Zambaccian Street. Here you can find some of the greatest Romanian painters and sculptors of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as several French impressionists.
Victor Babeș Museum
On Andrei Mureșanu Street, which runs parallel to Muzeul Zambaccian Street, you will find the Victor Babeș Museum. This small museum is dedicated to the well-known Romanian physician, bacteriologist, academician, and professor Victor Babeș.
National Museum of Old Maps and Books
The National Museum of Old Maps and Books is located in a beautiful neo-gothic house on London Street, about 500 meters from the Zambaccian Museum. If you’re a geography lover, this small museum is worth a visit. You’ll find different types of maps here, both geographical and astronomical.
If you’re still up for more walking, head towards Victory Square. There are many more landmarks to enjoy, but that will be the subject of a future article.