The best of Bucharest

Mike Yardley takes you on a riveting journey through Romania’s captivating history and architectural marvels on Trafalgar Tours’ Balkan Adventure.

Like much of the beguiling Balkans, Romania has been a punching bag for empires over the ages and a tractor-beam for totalitarian rule. They were constant refrains that punctuated my riveting two-week romp across the region on Trafalgar Tours’ Balkan Adventure.

We delved into the city’s tumultuous history, venturing into many of the landmark sites that were linked with Nicolae Ceausescu’s infamous grip on Romania, in the aftermath of World War2.

For starters, we basked in Bucharest’s sophisticated past, taking a stroll along Victory Avenue, flanked by grand belle époque architecture that has now been scrubbed of its communist-era grime. Pausing by the horseback statue of King Carol I, it proudly stands directly across the street from the old Royal Palace.

Under King Carol, Bucharest flourished in the 1890s and early 20th century. He imported French architects to give Bucharest the romantic elegance that this flamboyant avenue exudes. Nearby, the gorgeous Romanian Athenaeum concert hall and Arch of Triumph (modelled on the Paris landmark), a WW1 memorial monument, accentuate the Belle Epoque character.

We gazed across the austere building façade and balcony of the former Romanian Communist Party headquarters. This was where Ceausescu delivered his final speech as the national uprising intensified in 1989, before him fleeing with his wife Elena by helicopter from the building, as crowds stormed party headquarters. Four days later, after a summary trial, they were executed by firing squad. The weird-looking statue out front, which looks like an impaled potato, is the Rebirth Memorial in Revolution Square where the revolt took place.

Next up, we ventured to the vanity project to beat them all. Grotesquely extravagant and gigantic in scale, the Palace of the Parliament is Bucharest’s top-billing attraction. The dimensions are jaw-dropping. 12 storeys high, 270 metres long and 245 metres wide; 48 metres is visible above the ground and 15 metres is buried below.

In the early 1980s, after an “inspiring” visit to North Korea, Ceaușescu set his mind on creating his vainglorious Civic Centre district, straight out of the Pyongyang playbook, with wide boulevards and colossal stone-faced buildings. 30,000 houses, schools and churches were bulldozed in the process, although urban planners managed to save a few churches by secretly relocating them inside city blocks. Rows of fountains lead from Unity Square to the palace — the largest building in Europe and second largest administrative building in the world, beaten only by the Pentagon.

The design and construction of the building involved 700 architects and 20,000 workers. Only Romanian materials were allowed to be used, including a million cubic metres of marble, 3,500 tonnes of crystal, 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze, 900,000 cubic metres of wood and 200,000 square metres of carpeting. Costing NZ$8 billion, my guide quipped, “this is the building that bankrupted a nation. That’s why they were shot.” After literally starving his people to build his dream, the building finally opened in 1994 — five years after Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu were executed.

The small section open to the public alone is lavishly furnished. Giant crystal chandeliers, mosaics and gold leaf glitter from every angle — silver and gold have even been embroidered into the curtains. Today it’s home to the Romanian Parliament, three mediocre museums, and a conference centre. 70 percent of its space is still vacant! This Stalinist wedding cake has courted plenty of celebrities. Michael Jackson concluded a press conference here with a moonwalk, after which he appeared on the balcony and shouted “I love you, Budapest” to bemused fans.

No other neighbourhood in Bucharest has undergone as much change in recent decades quite like Lipscani, the “Little Paris” of the East. Devolved into serious disrepair during the Communist age, Little Paris withered away as building owners had their properties seized by the state. It’s been a slow renaissance because the state is still returning dishevelled buildings to their private owners, who face enormous renovation costs to restore them to their former glory.

Grand, glittering buildings, from churches and theatres to bank headquarters have been scrubbed and polished. Formerly abandoned shopping galleries are sparkling and inviting. As is the treasured 18th-century Stavropoleos Church, built in the unique Romanian architectural style known as Brancoveanu. Check out the radiantly restored 19th-century Carturesti Carusel. It’s one of the most beautiful bookstores in Europe with light filtering through a central skylight making the space seem like visitors are in a moving carousel.

Trafalgar’s amazing Balkan Adventure is a 149-day tour, spanning seven countries and 13 cities. Enjoy excellent four-star accommodations, extensive sightseeing, outstanding specialist local guides,  super-comfy coach travel with onboard Wi-Fi, plus most meals are included. It’s a hassle-free way to explore this eye-opening part of the world. For 2024 tour dates, prices start from $5,895 per person, twin share. www.trafalgar.com/en-nz/tours/balkan-adventure