5 most photogenic spots in Bucharest you need to see

Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by

Bucharest is the beating heart of Romania with its large boulevards, fervid night movida and countless places rich of a striking old-fashioned charm. I visited Bucharest only for a few days and its unexpected beauty came like a bolt from the blue. A few days are definitely not enough to savour all the amazing things this city has to offers. However, especially if you are a photographer/instagramer, you can use this little time to check off some must-visit spots. In this mini guide you will find some practical information about Bucharest and the 5 most photogenic spots you need to see. Lets start!

A brief history of Bucharest

Bucharest is a city with a centuries-old history enriched with a touch of mysterious legends. Starting with the Romanian name of the city București,
which says to come from a legendary Romanian shepherd named as Bucur who allegedly founded the city. It looks like the name “Bucur” has Dacian origins and would mean something like “joy or joyful”. As many other eastern European cities, Bucharest has a turbulent past, In fact, it was conquered by Dacians, Slavs, Cumans and Mongols. Nevertheless, despite the Bucur legend, the name of the city, as we know it today, appears for the first time in 1459, in a document signed by one of the most famous Romanian people of all times, Vlad the Impaler.

Bucharest was, in fact, one of the princely residences of Vlad III and one of the two capitals of Wallachia. The arrive of the Ottomans in the late 1500 caused conflicts and decline of the princely authority. Although the city itself became the most populous in Wallachia and, by the 17th century, its wealthiest and only capital. Between 1700 and late 1800 Bucharest was occupied twice by the Imperial Russian troops, devastated by the bubonic plague and became capital of Capital of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia.

The early 20th century was Bucharest’s golden age thanks to the laid out of neoclassical buildings and large boulevards that made the city gaining the name of “little Paris”. Nevertheless, the WWII bombing, a powerful earthquake and the arrive of Communism destroyed the city’s architectural beauty.

Bucharest slowly recovered after the events of 1989. Today the city is a rich cultural centre and ever growing European capital.

Tourist information

How to reach Bucharest from the Airport

Bucharest main hub is Henri Coandă International Airport. The airport is located at 16,5 km distance from Bucharest down-town. You can reach the city centre with the bus lines 780, 782, 783 and 784. There is also a train connection called “Henri Coanda Express” that connects the airport with Bucharest North Railway Station.  Train tickets cost 6,8 Lei. Licensed taxis are available out of the arrivals area and a ride costs between 20-70 Lei. You can also take an Uber and this will cost around 28-40 Lei fir a 32 mins ride to the city centre.

Getting around in Bucharest

Getting around in Bucharest is quite easy even if you never been before. The city centre is not huge and can be explored on foot. However, if you want to move around more distant areas you can use the Metro. The metro system in Bucharest dating back to 1979 has also fairly new addictions opened only in 2011 and 2017.

The metro covers an area of 77 Km circa and has 47 station. There are 4 different lines operating and 2 more lines will be added by 2022. Trains run from 5 am to 11 pm and tickets cost 2.50 lei for one trip. You can also buy a 10 trip card for 20 lei or an unlimited weekly pass for 25 lei. The metro system is fast and affordable, moreover is probably the quickest way to move around the city.

Buses, trolleybuses and trams in Bucharest are run by a company called RATB. Tickets are issued by specific kiosks nearby the bus/tram stops. In order to ride Bucharest’s buses, trolleybuses or trams, you need to buy an Activ or Multiplu card in advance. The Multiplu card cost 1.60 lei  while the Activ cost 3,70 lei. Both need to be topped up with the desired amount before travelling.

5 most photogenic spots in Bucharest

I’ve been around Bucharest just for a few days during my press trip with Experience Romania. I honestly did not expect to like the city so much! I’m already planning to go back as I did not have the time to explore all the secret corners I wanted and I use to explore when I am in a new place. However, if you have only a few days too, checking these 5 most photogenic spots in Bucharest will lead you also to the most popular areas of the city and give you a great overview of Romania’s capital!

Palatul Cec

Palatul Cec (Cec Palace in English) is the first amazing building I spotted while arrived in Bucharest. It’s majestic, grand, an architectural masterpiece and did I mention it has glass domes??? My first reaction was “wow, that building is beautiful”, than the driver told me “yes, it’s a bank!”. Whaat??? Yes, I know how you are feeling right now. My bank is ashamed of herself in this moment as I would go to there every day if it looked like this. But Romanians knows about this, and now I am wondering why I should put my savings in a place that looks like an Italian post office on Monday morning when people of Bucharest have the Gringott???

Anyway… Palatul Cec was built on the ruins of the monastery of Saint John the Great (demolished in 1875). The acronym “CEC” means Casa de Depuneri, Consemnațiuni și Economie that was the old saving institution of Romania. The works for the Cec palace started in 1897 under the supervision of the French Architect Paul Gottereau. The bank was complete only in the early 1900, an architectural golden period for Bucharest that was adopting the eclectic style of the French academicism for the aesthetic of its public constructions.

Visiting the Cec Palace – What you need to know

• Address: The Cec Palace is situated at 13 Calea Victoriei.
• The nearest subway stations are: Universitate and Izvor. 
• You can use also the bus lines 336 and 601 stopping at Universitate or Grădina Cișmigiu.
• Opening Hours: Remember always that Cec Palace is a bank, ergo it follow these opening hours 9am-5pm Mon-Fri
• Walking tours in Bucharest pass from the Cec Palace but they don’t go inside.
• You need a permission to visit the palace inside as it is currently use as a bank. You may try to sneak inside during opening hours but you will likely be escorted out.

Pasajul Victoria

Pasajul Victoria or “Umbrella Alley” is probably one of the most photographed streets of Bucharest (and also one of the most photogenic spots). It’s not difficult to understand why. You need just a few hanging multicoloured umbrella to attract instagrammers like bears with honey.

The nice thing of this little street is that it is not just a passageway but there are also some nice restaurants and shops nearby. One of those is the Italian restaurant Pizza Colosseum. I haven’t try it personally (as I am not a big fan of Italian restaurants outside Italy) but if you want to give it a try, at least you will have a nice view. The best time to photograph the street (and avoid the crowd) is early morning. The restaurant will be closed and not many people will be there to take pictures. I went around 9-9.30 am. and it was still empty.

How to find Pasajul Victoria

If you are new to Bucharest, spotting Pasajul Victoria from the street can be quite tricky. Moreover, the passage is off-limits for cars so, if you take the taxi, this will leave you somewhere nearby. Pasajul Victoria is located just behind the Church of St. Nicholas and near the University. You’ll need 10 minutes walk to reach Cărturești Carusel and the central area of Bucharest and 8 minutes walk to reach the Cec Palace.

Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse

Walking towards the city centre from Pasajul Victoria, you will find Pasajul Macca-Villacrosse. This is a covered arcade that looks a bit out of time. You need just one step inside to feel transported into a 1920′ Paris.

Historical information

The passage was once part of a hotel called Hanul Câmpineanu. This was bought by a man called Petros Seraphim and used as a dowry for his two two daughters. One of them married in 1843 one of the most famous architects of Bucharest at that time,  Xavier Vilacrosse. The other, married Mihalache Macca, the son-in-law of the architect Felix Xenopol. Part of the hotel received as a dowry was turned by the two men into a Western Style passage inclusive of luxury shops. Moreover, the upper floors became flats for rent. Today the passage is full of nice cafes and restaurants with an interesting retro charm.

This is one of those places I really wanted more time to stay! In fact, I saw a lot of nice cafes and I wished to seat and enjoy this 20’movie atmosphere for a while!

Cărturești Carusel

Cărturești Carusel is famous to be one of the most beautiful bookshops of Romania. This because this bookshop is located in a historical building, which has regained light after years of darkness in the Communist period.

Cărturești Carusel history

The bookshop building dates back to the XIX century. As most of the buildings in Bucharest during that period, it was built in Neoclassical style. In 1903, it was bought by a family of bankers called Chrissoveloni and it was used as a bank until it was confiscated during the Communist period. In that time it became a just a general store called Familia.

With the end of the Communist era, the Chrissoveloni family reclaimed back the building but it was deteriorated and unstable to be opened for the public again. This until the early 2000, when the family (which still own the building) renewed the structure and opened again (the bookshop opened only in 2015).

The name Cărturești Carusel means literally “Carousel of light” because of the architectural shape of the building resembling a carousel and the light filtered inside.

Tips for visiting Cărturești Carusel

Because this bookstore has become one of the most photogenic spots in Bucharest during the last years, thanks to Instagram, it’s likely that it will be quite crowded during the day. In fact, the bookshop has of six floors, but the most “photogenic” corners are located within the first two floors where you can shoot the the view of the spiral staircase and the panoramic view of the entire bookshop.

To visit the bookshop without many people, is better to go at the opening time (although, you can find a little crowd even then!). Going early will give you a little chance to have the bookshop all for you for a few moments and at the same time you’ll have more time to explore what Cărturești Carusel has to offer!

Books, music and cafe

Furthermore, in its six floors-store, Cărturești Carusel has more than 10000 books, 5000 albums and DVDs, as well as a multimedia space in the basement. It’s the perfect space where to hang out searching for something special to buy. Moreover, if you head up to the last floor you can find Bistro Carusel, a nice coffee shop that serves also some light lunch and drinks.

Cărturești Carusel Info

Cărturești Carusel is located in central Bucharest at Strada Lipscani 55, Centrul istoric, Bucuresti. The opening hours of the bookstore and cafe are: Mon-Wed 10-22; Fri-Sat 10-24; Thursday and Sunday 10-22.30.

Stavropoleos Monastery

The last on this list of Bucharest most photogenic spots is the Stavropoleos Monastery. This is famous also as Stavropoleos Church from the only remaining part of the original complex. The church present itself as a fine example of that Brâncovenesc style diffused in Romania during the 17th-18th centuries. This unique architectural style took this name because it developed under Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688-1714), who administered Wallachia under the Ottoman Rule. The style has unique features as it is an hybrid style between Romanian Orthodox Christian architecture and Islamic/Byzantine architecture of the Ottoman Empire.

History of Stavropoleos Monastery

The Stavropoleos Monastery dates back to 1724, founded by a Greek monk called Ioanichie. In that period, Oriental influences in Romanian architecture were associated to a time of decadence no longer reflecting the new “national” identity. Nevertheless, the “hybrid” architecture of the monastery was seen as a swansong of the Byzantine style evolving towards what is known as Romanian style. The original complex included a monastery, a church and an inn. Unfortunately the monastery and the inn were demolished at the end of the 19th century due to bad administration and structural damages, while the church (badly damaged after the earthquake of 1940) was renewed soon after the collapsing of the main dome under the direction of the architect Ion Mincu.

Interesting facts

One thing I wished I could see as a historian, but unfortunately I couldn’t, is the impressive collection of rare books and manuscripts held by the Stavropoleos Church. In fact, the church library holds more than 8000 books of history,  byzantine music and arts. Moreover, there are more than 80 manuscripts, 400 printed works and the largest collection of Byzantine music books of Romania!

Travel info and tips

The Stavropoleos Church is situated in Strada Stavropoleos 4, nearby Palatul Cec and the historic centre of Bucharest. The courtyard is open every day between 7.00 am and 9.00 pm and it’s generally very quiet and free to enter. You can find young local people meeting there for a chat (or like my case for playing with cards). Pay attention to the service hours because the church is still in use and it can be crowded on Sunday morning or at any service time.

In the courtyard and porch of the church you can still observe some beautiful frescoes and most of the courtyard is currently used as an open-air museum preserving the original remaining of the former complex.

Where to eat in Bucharest

If after a long day walking in Bucharest you are getting hungry, a very nice place where to stop is the Nomad Skybar! Nomad is located in the central area of the Bucharest movida, 30 Strada Smardan, just a five minutes walk from the Stavropoleos Monastery.

As the name of the place already suggests, Nomad specialises in dishes from all around the world to offer their clients a real “traveller experience”. Nomad chefs are particularly prepared on dishes from Italy, France, Spain, Asia, Greece and the United States. The terrace offers some beautiful views of Bucharest and it’s the perfect location for enjoy a cocktail or dance.

Nomad Skybar opening times are Sunday – Thursday: 4 pm – 2 am and Friday – Saturday: 4 pm – 6 am. Beware that to access the Nomad Skybar you need to respect a classy dress code. This is not specified on their website. However, according to some negative TripAdvisor reviews, the restaurant refused people who did not have the right dress code. So, don’t forget to leave at home/hotel your trainers!

Bucharest most photogenic spots walking map

Below you can find a suggested walking itinerary that covers all the five spots of this blog! The walking tour starts at Pasajul Victoria, arrives to Pasajul Vilacrosse, then Palatul Cec, the Stavropoleos Monastery and ends at Cărturești Carusel.

That’s all folks! Thanks for reading this blog about Bucharest most photogenic spots! As always if you have any question, don’t hesitate to ask!

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Press trip organised by Experience Romania. All opinions are my own.

Read my last blog https://thehistoriantraveller.com/2019/05/22/how-to-plan-a-safe-hassle-free-trip-to-egypt/