Bucharest in 2 days

Morning

• Palace of the Parliament1h30

  Take your pre-booked guided tour of the Palace of the Parliament first thing, passport in hand for the ID check at the door. The basic tour runs about an hour through a fraction of the 1,100 rooms of the world's heaviest building.

  TipThis is the world's heaviest building and the second-largest administrative building on the planet, and you can only go inside on a guided tour, so book the standard tour online on the official parliament site a few days ahead. Bring your passport, as ID is checked at the entrance and turned-away walk-ups are common in season; the basic tour covers a fraction of the 1,100 rooms and runs about an hour.

• CEC Palace and Cismigiu Gardens1h

  Walk north up toward Calea Victoriei and stop at the glass-domed CEC Palace, one of the city's finest Belle Epoque facades, then cut into the Cismigiu Gardens for a first breather among the oldest public park in town.

  TipThe glass-domed CEC Palace of 1900 is one of the finest Belle Epoque facades on Calea Victoriei, best admired from the street as it still houses a working bank. Walk ten minutes west to the Cismigiu Gardens, the oldest public park in the city, free and open daily, where you can rent a rowing boat on the lake in summer or skate on it when it freezes in winter.

Afternoon

• 1h

  Lunch on or just off Calea Victoriei, where a plate of Romanian food and a beer cost a fraction of Western capitals. Keep it light before the afternoon of museums and boulevards.

• National Museum of Art of Romania2h

  Spend the afternoon in the National Museum of Art in the former royal palace, splitting your time between the European masters and the Romanian gallery. It shuts on Mondays and Tuesdays, so check the day before, and two hours is plenty.

  TipHoused in the former royal palace on Revolution Square, it splits into a strong European gallery, with El Greco and Rembrandt, and a national gallery of medieval and modern Romanian art. It closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, so plan around that; the two wings are ticketed separately, and two hours covers the European masters and the Romanian rooms without a rush.

• Revolution Square30 min

  Step straight out onto Revolution Square next door, where Ceausescu gave his last speech from the Central Committee balcony in 1989. Read the plaques and find the spiky Memorial of Rebirth before the light goes.

  TipThis open square is where Ceausescu gave his final speech from the balcony of the former Central Committee building in December 1989, before the crowd turned and the regime fell days later. It is free and always open; look for the spiky white Memorial of Rebirth marking the revolution and the bullet-scarred facades, and read the plaques before moving on to the art museum next door.

Evening

• Romanian Athenaeum1h

  Walk to the domed Romanian Athenaeum and look inside the circular hall wrapped in its history fresco, or better, buy a cheap classical concert ticket if the philharmonic is playing tonight. Even the best seats cost a fraction of Western prices.

  TipThe domed 1888 concert hall is the home of the George Enescu Philharmonic and its round auditorium is wrapped in a huge circular fresco of Romanian history. You can look inside for a small fee outside rehearsal and concert times, but the real experience is a cheap classical concert; tickets cost a fraction of Western prices and sell out fast during the September Enescu festival in odd years.

• Mici, Covrigi and Beer Stop1h30

  Head back toward the old town for dinner and try mici, the grilled minced-meat rolls, with mustard, bread and a local Ursus beer. Order them by the piece at an old-town grill and eat where the locals do, off the main tourist lane.

  TipBucharest runs on cheap street food, above all mici or mititei, the skinless grilled minced-meat rolls eaten with mustard and a beer, and covrigi, the hot pretzels sold from kiosks for small change. Order mici by the piece at an old-town grill or a park stand, ask for them with mustard and bread, and wash them down with a local Ursus or Ciuc for a couple of lei.

Morning

• Old Town and Lipscani1h

  Walk the cobbled Lipscani grid while it is still quiet, taking in the covered Macca-Villacrosse arcade and the empty morning lanes before the bars open. This is the best time for photos of the historic centre.

  TipThe cobbled Lipscani grid is the free, always-open heart of the city, best walked in the late afternoon before the bars fill and the noise rises. Come mid-morning for photos of the empty lanes and the passage-covered Macca-Villacrosse arcade, then return after dark for the terraces, but expect the streets to be loud and crowded at weekends.

• Stavropoleos Monastery30 min

  Duck into the tiny 1724 Stavropoleos church on its side street for the frescoed interior and the quiet colonnaded courtyard behind it. Entry is free, it takes fifteen minutes, and it is a working monastery, so dress modestly.

  TipThis tiny 1724 Brancovenesc-style church hides on a side street in the old town and holds one of the finest collections of Byzantine chant manuscripts in the country. Entry is free, the frescoed interior and the quiet colonnaded courtyard behind it are the draw, and it takes only fifteen minutes, so pair it with the beer hall a few doors away; dress modestly as it is a working monastery.

• Carturesti Carusel45 min

  Walk two minutes to the Carturesti Carusel bookshop, six white floors of curving balconies and one of the most photographed spots in the city. Go now before the queue for photos builds, and grab a coffee on the top floor.

  TipThis white six-floor bookshop in a restored 19th-century building is one of the most photographed spots in the old town, with a spiral of curving white balconies and a bistro on the top floor. Entry is free, so go in the morning before the crowds and the queue for photos build; buy a coffee upstairs if you want to linger, and it sits a couple of minutes from Stavropoleos.

Afternoon

• Caru cu Bere Beer Hall1h30

  Have a long lunch at Caru cu Bere, the carved 1899 beer hall a few doors away, for mici, sarmale and a beer under the painted vaults. Book a table or come off-peak, as it fills fast with tour groups.

  TipThis carved neo-Gothic beer hall has been pouring since 1899 and serves hearty Romanian plates like mici and sarmale under painted vaults and stained glass. It is touristy and often full, so book a table online for dinner or come at an off-peak hour for lunch; the food is decent and fairly priced for the setting, and a folk-dance show runs some evenings.

• 1h30

  Spend the rest of the afternoon browsing the old-town streets and the Lipscani shops, or dip back into the Macca-Villacrosse arcade for a coffee. Keep the pace slow; the centre is small and there is no need to rush.

Evening

• Mici, Covrigi and Beer Stop30 min

  Start the evening with a covrig, the hot pretzel sold from kiosks for small change, as you wander toward the terraces. It is the classic cheap Bucharest snack and costs almost nothing.

  TipBucharest runs on cheap street food, above all mici or mititei, the skinless grilled minced-meat rolls eaten with mustard and a beer, and covrigi, the hot pretzels sold from kiosks for small change. Order mici by the piece at an old-town grill or a park stand, ask for them with mustard and bread, and wash them down with a local Ursus or Ciuc for a couple of lei.

• 2h

  Settle in for a long terrace dinner and drinks in the old town, where the whole quarter turns lively after dark. Prices are low, the crowd is loud at weekends, and this is the buzzing side of the city that a rushed day trip never sees.