The Best 2 Day Bucharest Itinerary For First Timers

Nicknamed by many as ‘the Paris of the East,’ the Romanian capital of Bucharest is easily one of Eastern Europe’s most unique and beguiling cities to visit.

It is the place to be if you are looking for a laid-back city break; somewhere you can skip the crowds, see fascinating architecture and try delicious food and drink at exceptionally low prices – compared to most of Europe, anyway.

Factor in the city’s tumultuous history and many years of dictatorship and you will learn a lot about the perseverance of the city when there. Bucharest is a very underrated destination that seems almost guaranteed to pick up more traction as a European city break spot as time goes by.

The perfect destination for a weekend break, with just two days in this wonderful city ticking all the boxes.

Read on to discover the best Bucharest itinerary – including things to do, travel tips, what to eat, and more!

Bucharest Weather – Best time to visit Bucharest

Romania has four seasons; with summer being very hot and winter, very cold. So the best time to visit Bucharest is during spring and autumn for a more temperate climate.

We visited in late September and had glorious sunshine and warmth – far better than the wet and cold England we left behind.

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The Best 2 Day Bucharest Itinerary For First Timers

Getting to Bucharest

Many low cost airlines have direct flights to Bucharest from UK airports. Ryanair flies directly from London Stanstead, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester to Henri Coandă International Airport, Bucharest.

Flight time is just over three hours from the UK. I always compare flight prices on Kiwi to to find the best deal.

How to get from Bucharest Airport to the City Centre

Upon landing at Henri Coandă International Airport, the first thing you must do is get from the airport to the city centre. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to do so.

Taxi: There is a line of taxis outside the main arrivals gate and you can take the first in line.
Bus: There is a bus that links the city centre to the airport and it leaves from the ground floor at the arrivals gate. You can buy a ticket from the bus stop itself.
Train: There is a train line from the airport that goes to the central train station, which is walking distance from the airport.

Getting around Bucharest

Getting around town is cheap and easy by public transportation, Uber, or taking a local taxi. Most of the attractions on this Bucharest itinerary are located close to each other, so it will be easy to get around on foot, by metro or by bus.

Bucharest Itinerary – Where to Stay in Bucharest

The best place to stay in Bucharest is close to the city centre or in the northern part of the city. Here you will be close to most of the attractions in Bucharest, have access to the top-rated hotels, and be close to all the best restaurants too.

If you are not a fan of nightlife I would avoid staying in the Old Town, which is the nightlife hub of Bucharest. I stayed at the Holiday Inn Bucharest in the business and financial district, around a 40 minute walk away from Old Town. While it was a great hotel and we had a very pleasant stay, it was a bit further out than we would have liked. There are however great transport links to all parts of town and decent restaurants nearby too.

What is Bucharest best known for?

Bucharest is known for its vibrant culture, stunning architecture and lively nightlife. It’s home to many iconic landmarks and more..

Five things Bucharest is famous for:

Palace of Parliament; the world’s second-largest administrative building after the Pentagon.
House of Ceauşescu
Herăstrău Park
Romanian Athenaeum
Therme Bucharest; Europe’s largest spa

Bucharest travel tips – things to know before you go

The local currency is the Romanian Leu; the RON. You can exchange money there or withdraw cash from any ATM around town.
I very rarely convert currency for city breaks in Europe, as almost everywhere takes card payments.
As with all major cities around Europe, beware of pickpockets, especially on public transport or in crowded places.

A Bucharest itinerary

There are plenty of exciting sights to see, places to visit and experiences to try on a Bucharest weekend break. I’ve included some of the best things to do in this Bucharest itinerary to help you plan your perfect Bucharest city break.

Let’s dive in…

Bucharest Itinerary – Day 1

Having arrived at 5pm, we didn’t have too much time in Bucharest on day 1, however we started our explorations in the heart of Bucharest’s charming Old Town. Regardless of when you arrive, I’d recommend starting here as this is where you’ll find some of the city’s most beautiful and historic buildings, choice of restaurants and bustling nightlife.

Jewish Neighbourhood

We took an uber from our hotel to the Jewish neighbourhood for a traditional Romanian dinner At Level Up; a vegan restaurant. Which I highly recommend, by the way, but more on that later.

From there, we had a short walk through an underpass towards the Old Town.

Old Town

The charming Old Town, which was once a run-down part of the city with abandoned properties and houses, has now become a party hotspot in recent years and has made Bucharest a sought-after party destination in Europe. The entire area has a great vibe in the evening.

Walk around the cobbled streets of the Old Town, soaking up the lively atmosphere. We popped into a gallery; Art Georgies which was a really interesting place with bold modern art to either enjoy or purchase.

Cărturești Carusel

A few doors down, Cărturești Carusel was on my list as a must-visit spot and should be on every Bucharest itinerary. A spectacularly large, beautiful bookshop in a gorgeous building. If, like me, you are a book lover, you will want to head to here – sure, it is ridiculously Instagram worthy, but it is so much more than your average bookstore.

It’s an innovative place for people to visit, where they can read, shop, socialise, be inspired and connect. They have a multimedia space, a modern art gallery and a light-filled café, where we sat and enjoyed a cocktail. It’s very easy to spend a couple of hours mooching around here and there are some unique, fun things to purchase at reasonable prices too.

Pasajul Victoriei

Pasajul Victoriei is only a short walk away, boasting dozens of colourful umbrellas that transform this otherwise gritty alleyway into one of the city’s unmissable spots amongst dedicated Instagrammers. It is probably the most photographed spot in Bucharest, known for it’s colourful umbrellas and the Pizza Colosseum and is worth a quick visit.

No Bucharest itinerary would be complete without ending your day with a pub crawl in the Old Town. Or simply go for a late night gelato like we did, just around the corner from Pasajul Victoriei.

Bucharest Itinerary – Day 2

The purpose of our very short trip to Bucharest was for a spa day and we did just that on day 2.

Therme Bucharest

My top pick would of course be a spa day, and if that’s your kind of thing, I cannot recommend spending a full day at Therme enough.

We booked the Elysium package with full day access. You can read more about Therme Bucharest; all you need to know about Europe’s largest spa, here.

I knew that anything else we did or saw in Bucharest would be a bonus on this trip, but I was still armed with my own Bucharest itinerary just in case we had time to squeeze anything else in. So here’s what I would have done with a full day in the city instead..

Palace Of Parliament

This is the second largest building in the world, second only to the Pentagon – to put this into perspective, this gigantic building alone uses the same amount of heat and electricity as a medium sized city!

Though you can book a tour to go inside the Palace of Parliament building, it’s not something I would have personally done. Viewing it from the outside alone seems like it would be impressive enough, given that it takes an hour to simply walk the perimeter of it.

The House of Ceauşescu

Nicolae Ceausescu was one of the most infamous figures in Romania’s history, and you can explore his mid-1960s residence while learning the fascinating story of his rise and fall with this guided tour of the House of Ceauşescu. This would be a fascinating and somewhat sobering reminder of the misuse of power, not to mention seeing a unique piece of architecture too.

Dimitrie Gusti Museum in Herăstrău Park

Herăstrău Park in the largest and most popular park in Bucharest, but I find the idea of an open-air ‘museum’ to be fascinating. The Dimitrie Gusti museum is made up of authentic old buildings, showcasing history and traditional Romanian village life in a really concrete way.

Of all the best things to do in Bucharest, this would be near the top of my list.

Experience the Museum of Senses

I’m not a big fan of museums in general, but this one is so unusual and artsy, I would find some time to fit it in to my Bucharest itinerary. A wildly interactive experience to suit all ages, this one is hard to explain, but the concept seems incredibly fun and unique. Check it out here.

What to eat and drink in Bucharest

Romania brings some great food and drink to the table, and even as a (mostly) vegan, I was very pleasantly surprised. We had a traditional Vegan Romanian dinner at Level Up, which consisted of:

Sarmale – steamed cabbage rolls served with polenta and cashew cream.
Lamb friptura (roast lamb) in a barbecue sauce served with potato wedges, wholegrain mustard and pickles.
Veg mici – which loosely translates to ‘little ones’ in Romanian. These looked like a kebab/skinless sausages (vegan, of course) on a bed of lettuce and served with a bread roll and mustard.

We thoroughly enjoyed everything we ate and it’s always nice to try a new cuisine. Regardless of your dietary preferences, I’d recommend trying some sarmale at the very least.

Also, you must try a covrig; a savoury Romanian pretzel. They make for a great breakfast on the go!

Are 2 Days In Bucharest Enough?

You can cover most of Bucharest’s attractions in a 2 day city break but it will need to be a full two days. We arrived at quite late in the day, at around 5pm late afternoon and left at 6am two days later; meaning a two night stay and only really a day and an evening to explore the old town. Ideal if you are just visiting for a spa day like we were, but I would have liked more time to explore Bucharest.

I hope that my Bucharest itinerary has helped you plan your city break. While the city is packed with things to see and do, its compact size means it’s easy to get around and see all the highlights in just 2-3 days.

The combination of great weather, tasty cuisine, cultural richness and fascinating history makes Bucharest the perfect location for a weekend getaway from England.

Ready to plan your trip to Bucharest?

To get the best deals on flights, always compare prices on Skyscanner and Kiwi.com.
Find the perfect place to stay on Booking.com.
Compare prices for your car hire, if you’re looking to hire a car.
Explore your destination through local experiences.
If you think you need a visa check with iVisa.
I use my Monzo debit card. Easy to top up, no fees and far better exchange rates.
And, finally, please don’t forget to protect you and your trip with travel insurance.