35 Best Sights in Romania

Echoing Bucharest’s pretensions as the “Paris of the East,” this landmark—built in 1922—commemorates the 1877 War for Independence and those who died in World War I. Climb the stairs for an impressive view out toward the city.

Gorgeous inside and out, this 19th-century concert hall, home of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, has a neo-Baroque dome and classical columns. In theory, there are tours, but the building is often locked. For a look at the inside, it's best to attend a concert.

This 1720s redbrick church next to the former palace has lovely, though faded, interior frescoes and a noted iconostasis (screen separating the altar from the nave in Eastern churches) depicting religious scenes.

Completed in the mid-16th century, Bucharest's oldest church is an excellent example of that period's Wallachian church architecture, with alternating horizontal bands of brick and plaster moldings. Note the frescoes next to the altar. The church stands opposite the Curtea Veche (the Old Court Palace).

A fantastic Gothic-style structure, built in the late 14th century by the German community, this formerly Roman-Catholic house of worship remains today one of the region's most important Lutheran churches. At its highest point, the church is 213 feet high. It has only one bell tower, but the bell weighs six tons and is believed to be the country's largest. In the 1830s, prolific organ-builder Carl August Buchholz built the 4,000-pipe organ that's still played here weekly (concerts are at 6pm, on Tuesday in June and September and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in July and August).

The sweeping bird's-eye views you'll get during the cable car (teleferic) ride up Busteni Mountain alone are worth the 15 minutes' drive from Sinaia. You can also hop into the cable car in Sinaia and then hike over. The mountain, 8,215 feet high, has well-marked paths, but some of the trails can get quite steep so you'll need proper footwear. Hikers come to take in the vistas and to see natural rock formations called babele and sphinx. In the snowy months, which can last through April, locals come here to snowshoe. If you're a strong skier, you can shred powder here, and if you're a beginner, you can take lessons at one of the small local ski resorts.

No longer a working casino but a conference center, this is nonetheless an impressive structure, commissioned and built in 1913 by King Carol I, who died just a year later. It's a grand building and, provided no private events are being held, tours are given every 40 minutes. Sometimes the docents speak English, but if not there may be a local on the tour who will translate for you. Even without understanding the guide, the building's interior is a spectacular sight, particularly its more than 500 pieces of art, including works by Bogdan Mihai Radu, Vana Cornel, Calin-Raul Anton, and Rares Kerekes. The casino, which has an upscale café on the ground floor, is in Dimitrie Ghica Park, where there's a skating rink.

In the town square, this clock tower dates to the late 18th century, during the Ottoman occupation, when the 72-foot structure was built to keep an eye on the town's goings-on. From 2005 to 2007 it underwent a thorough restoration, so what you see today is not truly the original, but standing beneath it, surrounded by modernity, you can try to imagine what the Ottomans saw when they looked down nearly 300 years ago—and how the brave inhabitants of the town felt looking up.

In the commune of Comana, 45 minutes' drive from Giurgiu, this Romanian Orthodox monastery has a long history. The original building, from the mid-15th century, was built by Vlad the Impaler as both a fortress and a place of worship, and he's believed to be buried here. In the late 16th century, when the monastery was falling apart, the future prince of Wallachia (Romania), Radu Serban, built a new monastery, which was later restored and is what you see today. The monastery is still in use, and is in fairly good condition, its facade a crisp white and its interior frescoes still relatively vibrant. There's a little museum within and, in the back, a small garden.

Southern Romania's largest protected area is in Comana, a commune of five small villages. The park covers more than 60 acres and its management has done a great job catering to families and outdoors enthusiasts. Bike trails run through the forest (bicycles are available for hire), and there are tennis and basketball courts, a pick-your-own garden with herbs and vegetables, a few restaurants serving local cuisine, and an adventure park where kids (and eager adults) can climb trees and a rock wall, ride horses, and practice archery. You can fish, kayak, and canoe within the park and watch birds in the protected bird area. Weekends are quite crowded; come early.

This lovingly preserved town square has been holding markets since the mid-14th century. In the middle of the square is a pillory formerly used for public punishments, including those of witches. The square and surrounding Old Town are filled with medieval buildings, and these include the red-roofed former Council House, now the Historical Museum. Built in 1420, its watchtower was used to look out for approaching invaders. Nearby is the handsome Renaissance-style Merchant's House (once known as Hirscher House, named for its owners, and now a restaurant). Within the square is Strada Sforii, once a firefight's corridor and the city's narrowest street; it measures between 44 and 53 inches wide and 260 feet long. Spring and summer are when Council Square is at its liveliest, with sidewalk cafés and musical performances, but there's much to enjoy even in winter.

Dracula buffs can check out the ruins of the palace built by Vlad Ţepeş, the 15th-century prince on whom the fictional count was based. There is a small museum.

In the city of Alexandria, about an hour and 15 minutes' drive from Giurgiu, is this once Romanian Orthodox cathedral (it became Episcopal in the late 1990s). The Cathedral was built of wood in the early 19th century, then from 1869 to 1898 was re-built into what you see today. Its impressive entrance hall has Corinthian columns, its candelabrum came from Vienna, and its 33-foot Gothic-style iconostasis and the pews were hand-carved. The marble floor was installed at the end of the 19th century. The beautiful paintings you see within are the works of then very well known Romanian artists Constantin Pascaly, Constantin Artachino, and Stefan Luchian. Within the cathedral is the tomb of Alexandria's founder, Prince Alexandru Ghica.

In 1994, during the celebration of 160 years from the foundation of the town, Prince’s Alexandru Dimitrie Ghica sarcophagus, made from Carrara marble, was brought from Bucharest, from the Ghica Tei Church and deposed on the right, at the entrance of the Cathedral.

In 1997 the Cathedral of Saint Alexander became an Episcopal Cathedral, here is the bishopric of Alexandria and Teleorman, and the first bishop was His Holiness Galaction Stanga.

With a beautiful architectural style, an impressive, monumental building, with beautiful interior, dominated by a veil of distinguished paintings by Stefan Luchian and Constantin Artachino, the Cathedral from Alexandria is a attraction that honors the city and the county of Teleorman.

Regarded as Romania's greatest musician, George Enescue (1881–1955) was a composer, violinist, pianist, and conductor. He was a child prodigy—at age 10 gave a concert for Emperor Franz Joseph—and went on to perform in Paris and to conduct the New York Philharmonic, living in France and Romania. After the Soviet occupation of Romania, he remained in Paris and is buried there. The large white villa is well maintained and furnished with handsome period pieces. On display are photographs, sheet music, and programs from his many concerts.

At first glance, this fortress appears to be little more than a pile of stones, but it was once an important defense structure, and, if its walls could talk, oh, the stories they'd tell. It dates to the late 14th century and was seized and then regained from the invading Ottoman several times over. Giurgiu lso suffered terribly during the Crimean War, when it was occupied by the Russian and Turkish armies, and again during the War of Independence, when it was bombed by the Turkish army. In 1916, the city was almost completely destroyed when the Allies fought back against Central Powers. Given the turmoil, it's remarkable that ruins of the once grand fortress managed to survive at all for so many centuries.

Take a stroll from Romania across the Danube to Bulgaria on one of just two bridges connecting the two countries. (The other runs between Calafat, Romania, and Vidin, Bulgaria). The bridge is about 3 km (2 miles) long, but the distance between the centers of each town is a little over 10 km (6 miles). Still, it's not a difficult trip and, as you stroll across the bridge, you can watch the boats on the river below. Don't forget to bring your passport. It's also easy enough to hitch a ride across.

In 1808, a wealthy Armenian built this evocative, timbered inn for the convenience of traveling merchants. After extensive renovations, the historic inn and accompanying café, bistro, cellar restaurant, and garden were restored to something of their past glory and all are deservedly popular. Sit around the café's horseshoe bar for a yummy pastry and huge selection of coffee beverages, wine, beer, and cocktails; or under the bistro balcony's timbered eaves. Hearty Romanian-style bistro fare includes copious platters of sausages and potato pudding, or baked seafood with various homemade sauces. You won't go away hungry. The elegant cellar restaurant serves an excellent menu of more refined Romanian classics.

Within Bucegi Natural Park, this pint-size monastery abuts the enormous cave, making it look even tinier. The monastery dates back four centuries, but the reason it looks in such good condition—you'll notice that the colorful paintings adorning its interior walls are particularly vibrant—is that what you see today was built 1993 following a huge fire. A guide will take you into the cave, which has 1,300 feet of accessible paths, so wear sturdy footwear. To get to the monastery, you can take the cable car from Busteni up to Babele and then hop on the cable car going toward Pestera (meaning cave). From there it's about a 10-minute walk.

Developed around 1750, the Lipscani district is one of the oldest in Bucharest. Dirty, confusing, and crying for renovation, it's still of interest, especially the charming Hanul cu Tei, a rectangular courtyard between Strada Lipscani and Strada Blănari that houses art and antiques shops.

The Ethnographic Museum has a fine collection of regional handicrafts and costumes.

Housed in a synagogue dating back to 1850, this museum traces the history of Romania's Jewish population—at 750,000, the second largest in Europe prior to World War II. Some 300,000 Romanian Jews perished in the Holocaust, and today’s community numbers just over 10,000.

Wildlife exhibits from around Romania are displayed in realistic settings, as are dioramas of various ethnic cultures.

This open-air museum in Herăstrău Park provides the best possible introduction to the myriad architectural styles of Romania's traditional houses, workshops, and churches. The structures, some complete with regional furnishings, have been brought here from around the country.

The former royal palace now houses the country's most important art collection, including 15 rooms of paintings and sculptures by European masters and a large collection of Romanian art dating from medieval times to the present. Among the collection are pieces by the sculptor Brâncuşi and marvelous works from the Brueghel school.

An impressive collection of artifacts from Greek, Roman, and Daco-Roman civilizations are on display in the museum building behind Ovid's statue on the city's main square.

Don't be discouraged by the initial vast emptiness you encounter upon entering this grand neoclassical building: the museum holds a large collection of objects dating from the Neolithic period to the 1920s. Downstairs, the Treasury section contains a mind-boggling assortment of golden objects spanning from Roman days to the present.

Some 90,000 items, ranging from traditional costumes and textiles to ceramics and icons, are on view here, at the first museum in Eastern Europe to receive the European Museum of the Year award (1996). Information in English is available in each room. There’s also a highly recommendable exhibition on communist-era statues and posters in the basement. An excellent shop sells traditional crafts.

The Cotroceni, which incorporates French, Romanian, Art Nouveau, and other styles of architecture, was constructed in the late 19th century as the home of Romania's royal family. After a devastating 1977 earthquake, it was rebuilt and now houses the official residence of the Romanian president. The lavish furnishings, art, and personal effects afford a glimpse into the lives of Romania's former royalty. Guides are required (no extra charge) for the one-hour tour, but you must call ahead to reserve a tour. Since the palace is a bit removed from other sights, you might want to take the Metro to the Politehnica station or simply take a taxi.

This mammoth modern building, one of the largest in the world, stands witness to the megalomania of the former dictator Ceauşescu. Today, it houses the Romanian parliament. Unlike the royal palaces, every detail is Romanian, from the 24-karat gold on the ceilings to the huge hand-woven carpet on the floor. Forty-five-minute tours of the ground-floor rooms depart from an entrance on the northern end of the building (the right-hand side as you stand facing the building from the front). The building also houses the Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC).

The open-air archaeology park and garden contains 3rd- and 4th-century columns and fragments and a 6th-century tower.