Things to do in Bucharest

If you only have one day

Start at the Palace of Parliament — from the outside, from Piața Constituției, where the photograph actually works. Walk back through Cișmigiu Gardens, then into the Old Town for Stavropoleos Monastery and Cărturești Carusel. Eat somewhere on the way. Finish at Control Club or on a rooftop, depending on how the day has gone.

If you have two

Give the second day to the Village Museum and Herăstrău Park in the north of the city — they sit next to each other and take a comfortable half-day together. Then come back down for the Romanian Athenaeum and the National Museum of Art, which are a five-minute walk apart.

If you have three or more

Take a day trip. Mogoșoaia Palace is the easy one — half a day, barely outside the city. Snagov Monastery is the interesting one, on an island, and is where Vlad the Impaler is said to be buried. Peleș and Bran are the famous ones, and they will eat the entire day.

Two things worth booking before you arrive

• Inside the Palace of Parliament. You need a reservation in advance — same-day almost never works. Call one day before. Bring an original ID or passport; photocopies are refused, because it is a government building. The visit costs 85 lei.
• Therme Bucharest. One of the largest wellness centres in Europe, twenty minutes north of the city. Weekends fill up; a weekday afternoon is a different place entirely.

The free things

Ask at reception about Walkabout Free Tours — they run in English, they are genuinely free, and you tip what you thought it was worth. If your evening needs a plan and some company, Bucharest 2 Night runs the pub crawls most of our guests end up on.