Bucharest: getting there, neighbourhoods, Palace of the Parliament, Athenaeum and what applies in 2026

Bucharest suits you if you are interested in the period up to the revolution of 1989 and like to fix your visits in advance. You can see the Palace of the Parliament and the former private residence of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu only with a guided tour. There are also the Stavropoleos Monastery, founded in 1724, an open-air museum with houses from all parts of the country, and a thermal spa, around ten bus minutes beyond the airport.

Quite a lot is new in 2026. For this year the city has decided on a tourist tax of 10 lei per person per night, payable in every accommodation. At Henri Coandă airport the car park in front of arrivals has been closed since 19 August; during the construction period buses and taxis depart from the departures area. And when departing from Bucharest, liquids in containers of up to 2 litres have been allowed in hand luggage since 11 March.

Bucharest suits you less in high summer and in January. In July and August the mean daily maximum is a good 30 °C, and in January the night-time mean is −5 °C (Băneasa station, 1991 to 2020).

Getting there and from the airport into the city

With 826,795 passengers from Germany, Bucharest ranked 27th in 2025 among foreign destinations from the main German airports, with Otopeni and Băneasa counted together. Most departed from Frankfurt, Munich and Dortmund, and the strongest months were August and July (Federal Statistical Office; total, departure airports and months: own analysis). From January to July 2026 it was 7.1% more than a year earlier (provisional figures, own analysis).

Otopeni or Băneasa: check your booking

In 2025, 807,406 of these passengers flew to Otopeni, to Henri Coandă airport (OTP), and only 19,389 to Băneasa (BBU). Since October 2025, however, passengers from Memmingen, Hahn and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden have been flying to Băneasa, and since March 2026 from Hamburg too. From January to July 2026, around 18% of Bucharest passengers from Germany already flew to Băneasa (provisional figures, own calculation). Check your booking to see which airport it is. From Băneasa, according to the timetable, bus 100 takes around 25 minutes to Piața Unirii (weekdays at midday, as of September 2026).

Henri Coandă: arrivals “Sosiri”, departures “Plecări”

At Henri Coandă airport, departures (“Plecări”) and arrivals (“Sosiri”) are separate areas. Signs lead you to the train, bus, taxi and ride services.

Train to Gara de Nord: 25 minutes, a gap in the evening

According to the annual timetable of CFR Călători, valid until 12 December 2026, 24 trains run daily in each direction between the airport and București Nord station (Gara de Nord). They take 25 minutes to Gara de Nord and 21 minutes to the airport. In the daytime there are 40 to 80 minutes between two trains, and a few also run at night. In the evening, however, after 20:32 the next train from the airport does not leave until 23:52, and from Gara de Nord none runs between 19:50 and 23:10 (own analysis).

There is no metro to the airport yet: line M6 from Gara de Nord to Henri Coandă airport is under construction in September 2026. Neither Metrorex nor the project page gives an opening date.

Bus 100: day and night to Piața Unirii

Line 100 of the STB transport company runs around the clock from Henri Coandă airport to Piața Unirii, via Băneasa, Piața Victoriei, Piața Romană and Universitate, among others. From the airport it comes every 15 minutes on weekdays from 6:00 to about 22:00, every 20 at weekends, and every 30 minutes at night. To Piața Unirii the timetable reckons 39 minutes on weekdays at midday (own analysis); according to STB this is not binding.

A journey costs 3 lei and is valid for 90 minutes. You can pay at the STB machine in the airport or on buses with the Visa and Mastercard logo directly at the validator, contactless and without a surcharge (as of September 2026).

Bus 442 and taxi

Line 442 runs from Piața Presei Libere via the airport to Therme București, every 30 minutes at weekends (as of September 2026). Taxis licensed in Bucharest or Ilfov County wait in front of the terminal without prior booking. They charge 2.29 to 3.50 lei per kilometre; the sources reviewed give no total price to the centre (as of July 2026). Taxi drivers or intermediaries who approach you and offer a ride are breaking a ban; the airport police penalise this.

Where to stay: the neighbourhoods compared

The table compares six areas with their connection to the metro, bus 100 and the airport train.

Where “—” appears, the sources reviewed give no drawback (as of September 2026).

Sights: times, prices and rules in 2026

According to Bucharest City Tour, the National Cathedral is the largest Orthodox cathedral in Romania. Because of work in the interior, only the forecourt was accessible in March 2026, according to the Patriarchate's news agency. The sources reviewed give no newer visiting rules (as of September 2026). The museum in the Curtea Veche princely court in the old town has been closed since 18 November 2015.

Palace of the Parliament: 85 lei, registration by phone

The chief architect was Anca Petrescu, and construction began in 1984 under the name “Casa Republicii”. At the time of the 1989 revolution, 40% of the building was still missing. For the new government district, according to the parliamentary administration, an area of 4.5 by 2 kilometres was demolished from 1980, including 20 churches. Today the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate sit here; the palace is 84 m high and has more than 1,000 rooms on 365,000 m² of floor area.

Tours run daily between 9:00 and 17:00 as long as places are free; tickets are sold only on site at Str. Izvor 2–4. The standard tour costs 85 lei, students up to 26 years pay 55 lei, children from 7 to 18 years 40 lei, and younger children nothing (visitor website, as of July 2026).

Old town: Stavropoleos and Hanul lui Manuc

The Stavropoleos Monastery was founded in 1724 by the archimandrite Ioanichie. The arcaded courtyard, in whose colonnade old gravestones now stand, was designed by Ion Mincu for the restoration of 1904 to 1940. You can visit it daily from 8:00 to 19:00, with services taking priority (as of September 2026). The operator dates the Hanul lui Manuc to 1806; six years later, peace between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was negotiated there.

Romanian Athenaeum: 15 lei, short time slots

You can visit the Athenaeum only when it is neither rehearsing nor performing; the times are given in a monthly programme. In October 2026 this is possible on 25 days, on 7 of them only from 9:00 to 9:30, and on 6 days not at all. The ticket costs 15 lei and is available in cash at the artists' entrance at Str. Benjamin Franklin 1, otherwise at the ticket desk (as of September 2026).

Museums of history, nature and the city

The National History Museum shows the Historical Treasure and a copy of Trajan's Column, among other things, Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. The “Grigore Antipa” Natural History Museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00 until 31 October. Both cost 32 lei, reduced 16 or 8 lei. The city museum in Palatul Suțu, built 1833 to 1835, opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and costs 20 or 30 lei (as of September 2026).

Casa Ceaușescu: guided tour only

Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu lived here with their children from 1965 to 1989. Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 17:00, a 45-minute guided tour in Romanian or English shows the house. It costs 85 lei, reduced 70 lei, and 115 lei with a 25-minute documentary film; children under 7 are free. An audio guide in German is available for an extra 27 lei. The operator sells tickets with a time slot on casaceausescu.ro (as of September 2026).

Village Museum: houses from all parts of the country

The open-air museum on Lake Herăstrău has existed since 1936; the idea came from the sociologist Dimitrie Gusti. Houses, wooden churches and windmills from all regions of Romania were moved here for it. Admission costs 40 lei, reduced 20 or 10 lei (rates after a decree of 21 May 2025). The houses are open Wednesday to Sunday from 9:00, in summer until 19:00 and in winter until 17:00. On Mondays and Tuesdays most are closed, but then you pay half (as of September 2026).

Therme București: three hours from 71 lei

You can reach the spa in Balotești from the airport by bus 442 in about 10 minutes; there is a separate luggage room for suitcases. It is open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 23:00, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 to 24:00, and Sunday from 9:00 to 23:00. Three hours in the Galaxy family area cost adults 71 lei Monday to Thursday, and 81 lei Friday to Sunday, on public holidays and in school holidays. In the relaxation area The Palm it is 102 or 117 lei; children may enter there only if they are under 3 or from 14 years (as of September 2026).

Bucharest City Tour: currently 49 lei

Friday to Sunday and on public holidays, the double-decker of the Bucharest City Tour runs from 10:00 to 21:00 every 40 to 50 minutes. The round trip with an open top deck is around 15.4 km long and has 20 stops. On Saturdays and Sundays it skips Calea Victoriei with the CEC Palace and Piața Revoluției. Adults currently pay 49 lei instead of the regular 70 lei; STB gives no end date (as of September 2026). Tickets are available only at STB sales points or on the bus by card, not online.

Day trip: Mogoșoaia Palace

The Brâncoveanu Palace in Mogoșoaia opens Tuesday to Sunday. From 1 October to 30 April it is open from 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30, and from 1 May to 30 September from 10:00 to 18:00. Admission costs 15 lei; for taking photos in the palace you pay 20 lei extra (as of September 2026).

Day trip: Peleș Castle in Sinaia

InterCity trains run to Sinaia from București Nord in 83 to 86 minutes (annual timetable until 12 December 2026, own analysis). From the car park you climb about 800 m through the Royal Park to the castle. Peleș opens Wednesday to Sunday, last entry is at 16:00, and adults pay 100 lei including a guided tour. Since 3 December 2025, tickets have been available only at bilete.peles.ro or from machines at the castles, in each case for a fixed time slot and without rebooking or refund. You must not publish photos from the interior rooms on the internet (as of September 2026).

Best time to travel: climate in Bucharest month by month

The values come from the București-Băneasa station (90 m) and are averages for the years 1991 to 2020, supplied by the Romanian weather service ANM to the World Meteorological Organization.

May, June and September bring daily highs of 24.1 to 28.1 °C, and September also has the fewest rain days of the year. In July and August, 30 °C or more is reached on 17.6 and 18.6 days respectively. For Romania as a whole, the weather service ANM calls October the most stable autumn month, often sunny for days. In January the temperature drops to 0 °C or below on 26.7 days, and on 14.9 days there is more than 1 cm of snow.

In winter the Village Museum and Mogoșoaia Palace close at 17:00. When snow slows road traffic, Metrorex advises taking the metro (announcement of 18 February 2026).

Costs

The table gives prices from operators and authorities. At the European Central Bank's reference rate of 25 September 2026 (€1 = 5.2765 lei), 10 lei were equivalent to around €1.90 (own calculation).

Tourist tax: 10 lei per person per night, decided for 2026

By a decision of 23 December 2025, Bucharest levies a tourist tax to promote tourism, expressly only for the year 2026. It is a flat 10 lei per person per night and applies in every accommodation in the city, from hotels to campsites. The accommodation or booking platform collects it and must show it separately on the invoice. Two people therefore pay 60 lei for three nights (own calculation).

Practical information

Bus, tram and metro

A journey by STB bus, tram or trolleybus costs 3 lei and is valid for 90 minutes with any number of changes, with the metro 7 lei for 120 minutes. Travel passes for all lines including the metro cost 18 lei for 24 hours and 49 lei for 72 hours, validated in the first vehicle (as of September 2026). The metro alone costs 5 lei per journey, also contactless at the gate; then hold only the card you pay with to the reader. It runs from 5:00 to 23:00 (Metrorex, as of January and February 2026).

Money, time, electricity and emergency number

Payment is in the Romanian leu (RON). In supermarkets and hotels, card or phone usually works; in small shops and restaurants, cash still counts. The clock runs one hour ahead all year, the mains supply is 230 volts, and according to the ADAC you do not need an adapter. The emergency number is 112 (as of September 2026).

The German Foreign Office lists the current rules on entry, safety and health.

Who this is not for

• If you tolerate heat badly: In July and August the mean daily maximum is over 30 °C; up to 42.2 °C was measured from 1991 to 2020.
• If you want mild weather in winter: In January the night-time mean is −5 °C, and on 14.9 days there is more than 1 cm of snow.
• If you land late in the evening and want to take the train: No train leaves the airport between 20:32 and 23:52, and there is no metro yet. Bus 100, by contrast, runs all night.
• If you want to see the Palace of the Parliament spontaneously: Individual visitors can reserve only by phone and at least 24 hours in advance, tours are available only if places are free, and without original ID you cannot get in.
• If you want to visit a museum on a Monday or Tuesday: The History Museum, the city museum and Peleș are closed on both days, Casa Ceaușescu on Mondays.
• If you are looking for UNESCO World Heritage: None of the eleven Romanian World Heritage Sites is in Bucharest (own analysis of the UNESCO list).