Experience one of the top attractions during your visit to Bucharest, with a planned visit to the Parliament Palace. The Palace was ordered by Nicolae Ceaușescu, the dictator of Communist Romania and it was constructed between 1984-1997. Started during the darkest period of communism, Ceausescu's mad dream became the largest building in Europe and the 2nd largest building in the world. Start the tour by skipping the line with your fast-access ticket. Meet the Bucharest Parliament Official Guide, and begin your exploration of the building's interiors. Immerse yourself in the history and contemporary realities of this unique building during a captivating tour that covers 3 levels of the building.  Begin on the ground floor where the entrance is located. Learn an array of mesmerizing facts including how the Palace has a height of 84 meters (276 ft), a floor area of 365,000 square meters (3,930,000 sq ft), and how it is the heaviest building in the world. Then, head up to the 1st level where the main meeting rooms are located together with the Ballroom.  As you admire the interiors and architecture, find out about how the building contains almost 500 chandeliers, over 1400 mirrors and ceiling lights, 35 million cubic feet of marble, and 32 million cubic feet of wood together with carpets and other decorations make this building a place like no other. Listen to other mind-boggling facts including how the building has 8 underground levels, the last one being a nuclear bunker, linked to the main state institutions by 20 km of catacombs.

Once arrived at the venue, your host will make sure you accommodate and introduce you to the guide. Pass the metal detectors, your first stop will be in the Honor Hallway, a place full of torsos representing some of the most representative Romanian kings from the Middle Ages to the modern days like Vlad Dracula. Next step will be the enormous hallways and the rooms that are named after of some of the most important Romanian artists, poets and writers : N. Balcescu, M. Kogalniceanu etc. Throughout the tour you will admire the Pink room dedicated to ONU meetings, the Music Hall, location where some of world's biggest artists performed, and the impressive Ceausescu's balcony with the wonderful view of UNIRSI Boulevard. Your tour will end in something that is believed to be Europe's biggest ballroom, comparable to the size of four football fields attached one to the other.

Known in the past as the Casa Republicii, then Casa Poporului, but not for the people, it is the main symbol of the Communist Era, meant to house the ministries, the Communist party offices or apartments of high functionaries. It was built starting 1984 on the safest place in the city, considering the high risk for earthquakes, has twelve storeys, four underground levels including a nuclear bunker. Along the tour you will pass by the most important rooms in the building, conference halls, balcony with the great view of the main square, main staircases, large hallways and impressive galleries. You will be surprised by the lavishly decorated interiors, all made by local materials (marble, crystal, carpets, curtains, stucco) and by the local craftsmen.

After meeting our host at the exterior wall entrance on street Calea 13 Septembrie nr. 1-3 you will be accompanied to the main entrance through the courtyard of the Romanian Senate-Palace of Parliament, where the guide will pass you by the check-in security point. The building of the Palace of Parliament is the most important symbol of the Communist architecture in Bucharest. Along the tour you walk up and down the main staircases of the building to see the impressive hallways, meeting and conference rooms located at different flours in the building. The tour is also including a stop to the main meeting room of the Senate, the Plenary Hall. If the time permitting you can enjoy a coffee brake at the local shop. Have a nice tour!

You will experience a 3 hours walking tour which will guide you though Romania’s and Romanians life during the Communist regime. In the first stop, the Patriarchal Cathedral, you will not only learn about Religion during Communism, but also about the historical events that led to the beginning of Communist regime in this country! We will continue through a nearby neighbourhood where we will see the results of Nationalisation! Then we will have a great view over the famous House of People, currently the Parliament building. This is where I will offer you an insight about the construction of this symbol of Communism and megalomania of Romanian dictator: Nicolae Ceausescu. Going further on the streets of Bucharest, we will discover some of the buildings that were moved, in order to be saved from destruction. One of them being the beautiful Antim Monastery. Exploring the Communist years would not be so meaningful without also learning about people's experiences in the day to day life. After we have relaxed in a short break, we will have the chance to find out more about the well-being of people in front of an old Alimentara (Grocery Store). The last part of the tour will be a walk in a normal pace on Calea Victoriei Boulevard, one of the most beautiful streets in the city. Here we will also see some of the Communists symbols, including what used to be a center used by the Secret Police for torturing people. The tour will end in the Revolution Square, where you will be told the story about the end of the Communist regime, in 1989, and the beginning of Democracy. The entire story is meant to offer you a thorough understanding of how Communism impacted Romanian life and country, but also of how it still continues to have an important print in nowadays life.

Enjoy private transportation and a licensed guide to the best of Bucharest's landmarks. Be picked up from your hotel and visit the Palace of Parliament or People’s House, the Bucharest National Village Museum, Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue), Revolution Square, and Old City Centre. See the Palace of Parliament, the world's second-largest administrative building. Learn how dangerous and damaging a totalitarian regime like communism can be for a nation. Be prepared to feel small seeing the pointless opulence and megalomania “the sleep of reason” can create. Visit the National Village Museum to see an embodiment of Romanian traditions. Understand what it meant for Romanian villagers to have built an ecological and sustainable environment in their backyard. Also get a glimpse into their simple and modest lifestyle, in social and spiritual harmony with their surroundings. Enter the world of the traditional Romanian houses made of wood, adobe, stone, and other materials, from all parts of the country. Be introduced to national symbols such as the mill and the wooden church. Learn how these treasures of spirituality and civilization have kept the people united for thousands of years. Then, follow your guide to Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue). Be fascinated by the contradictions of history—on one side, you have the Royal Palace and on the other, the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party and the Revolution Square, where Ceausescu fled the country by helicopter. Marvel at old orthodox churches, enveloped in an aura of mystery. Also pass through a music store with a large selection of music, casinos, bohemian restaurants, museums, theatres, tea shops, retail stores and gift shops with souvenirs. Next, see the National History Museum and the Romanian Athenaeum, another Romanian architectural landmark, and the CEC Palace. Take a trip back in time to the moment where dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was ousted, leaving behind the secrets of a great fortune and controversies about the state security service. Reach the Senate Palace and find yourself in front of the building that used to house the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party. This also served as the starting point of the Revolution of December 1989, a major historical event that marked the removal of Ceausescu from power.

Enjoy a walk with a local friend during this guided tour to discover the highlights of Bucharest. Get an introduction to the city, while exploring popular sights, hidden corners, and historic squares. Make your way from the old city center to the iconic Palace of Parliament. Starting in the old city center, begin by visiting the oldest witnesses of Bucharest’s birth and development: Old Princely Court, Manuc's Inn, and Stravopoleos Church. Then, visit the most famous boulevard of Bucharest, Calea Victoriei, with its one-of-a-kind architecture and grandiose buildings like the National Military Circle, Telephone Palace, the Royal Palace of Bucharest, the Romanian Atheneum, and more. Take a break from the city sights and get the opportunity to relax and cool down into the lush Cismigiu Gardens, where you’ll also find Bucharest City Hall at the end. The Cismigiu Gardens is the oldest park in Bucharest. Pass into the 20th century and the Communist era by seeing the grandiose Ceausescu's Palace and Union Boulevard, which was designed to be longer and wider than Champs Elysee. End your visit at the Palace of the Parliament, the second largest and the heaviest building in the world.

An adventure of a lifetime, for this 9-day tour of Romania we have chosen an assortment of rich sensory experiences, from medieval sites to a taste of the wilderness, with deep forests, vibrantly colored wildflowers and fresh mountain air (in the right season), all the way to modern exhibits, and a dash of traditional herbs and spices with the delicious foods we will be trying in every medieval town we visit. It’s the best way to understand Romania and the Romanians – Private Tour 9 days in Romania with a local guide :) Join us! Total Duration: 9 days Day 1 : Bucharest City Tour - Overnight in Bucharest What could be a greater adventure than Bucharest City Tour in a Share Tour with maximum 5 persons and having a elegant minibus for our time exploring : The Palace of Parliament or People’s House, The Bucharest National Village Museum, Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue), Revolution Square, The Bucharest Old City Centre, Rich and Poor Area in Bucharest! Itinerary steps: 6 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 2 : 1. Curtea de Arges Monastery 2. Poenari Castle 3. Transfagarasan Highway 4. Sibiu City Tour - Overnight stay in Sibiu Itinerary steps: 4 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 3 : 1.Biertan Fortified Church 2. Sighisoara City Tour - Overnight stay in Sighisoara Itinerary steps: 2 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 4 : 1. Turda Salt mine 2. Cluj Napoca City Tour (Botanic Garden) 3. Surdesti Wooden Church - Overnight in Sighetul Marmatiei Itinerary steps: 3 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 5 : 1. Explore Maramures all day(local market) 2. Merry Cemetery 3. Sighet Memorial Museum - Overnight in Sighetul Marmatiei Itinerary steps: 2 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 6 : 1. Barsana Monastery 2. Borgo Pass Road 3. Ciocanesti village - Overnight in Gura Humorului Itinerary steps: 3 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 7 : 1. Voronet Monastery 2. Humor Monastery 3. Sucevita Monastery 4. Moldovita Monastery - Overnight in Gura Humorului Itinerary steps: 4 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 8 : 1. Lucia Condrea - egg painted museum 2. Nicolae Popa Museum 3. Bicaz Gorges - Overnight Stay in Brasov Itinerary steps: 3 Meals not included Accommodation not included Day 9 : 1. Brasov City Tour (Black Church) 2. Bran Castle / Dracula's Castle 3. Peles Castle - Back to Bucharest Itinerary steps: 3 Meals not included Accommodation not included

The tour starts at the hotel where you’ll meet your travel guide, who will introduce you to the city’s history. First stop will be the People’s House, the largest building in Europe and second worldwide, currently hosting the Romanian Parliament – your visit includes a full tour of the huge marble halls and a rooftop view where you’ll have the opportunity to admire the city from the Parliament’s terrace. Lunch will be served in a 200 year-old traditional Romanian restaurant. In the second part of the day, delve into the city’s historical center, a place brimming with life and history. Afterwards, your next stop will be the Village Museum, a genuine time portal to the realm of traditional medieval villages built in a unique architectural style.

Discover Bucharest, a charming city full of contrasts. Admire impressive 17th-century churches, well-preserved traditional houses, and imposing French style palaces alongside communist era buildings and glass office towers. Get picked up at your accommodation in central Bucharest, then head to the Parliament Palace. There, take a tour inside the second-largest building in the world and the seat of the Romanian Parliament in the post-communist years. Next, move on to the Village Museum (Muzeul National al Satului "Dimitrie Gusti"), an open-air museum situated on the shore of the scenic Herastrau Lake. Explore a micro-universe of the traditional Romanian village with houses representing all regions of Romania. From there, head to Bucharest Old Town for a walking tour, the former quarter where the merchants and craftsmen lived and worked that is now the entertainment center of Bucharest. Wander along the quaint, narrow cobblestone streets filled with restaurants, cafes, and pubs. Then, it's time for some panoramic sightseeing. Pass by Victory Avenue, one of the oldest streets in Bucharest that features majestic palaces, art museums, former residences of the aristocracy, and old churches. Then, see Revolution Square, the place where Nicolae Ceausescu held his last speech and where the protests that ultimately led to the fall of communism took place in December 1989. After, move on to discover Mogosoaia Palace, the former residence of Wallachian princes in the 18th century that combines Byzantine-Ottoman elements with Baroque and western Renaissance architectural styles. Finally, visit Snagov Monastery, the final resting place of another Wallachian prince, Vlad the Impaler, also known as Dracula. Admire this monument of medieval art before returning to your accommodation.