Bucharest in 3 days

Morning

• Palace of the Parliament1h30

  Take your pre-booked guided tour of the Palace of the Parliament early, passport ready for the ID check. The hour-long basic tour covers only a slice of the vast interior of the world's second-largest administrative 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 Gardens1h15

  Walk up toward Calea Victoriei, pausing at the domed CEC Palace, then cross into the Cismigiu Gardens, the oldest public park in the city, for a rowing boat on the lake in summer or a quiet loop in cooler months.

  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 just off Calea Victoriei where prices are fair and the plates are generous. Keep it light before the walk up the grand boulevard.

• National Museum of Art of Romania2h

  Spend the afternoon in the National Museum of Art in the former royal palace, taking in the European masters and the Romanian gallery. It closes Mondays and Tuesdays, so plan around that.

  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 out onto Revolution Square next door, where the regime fell in December 1989, and read the plaques by the Central Committee balcony and the Memorial of Rebirth.

  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

  Look inside the Romanian Athenaeum and its round frescoed hall, or take a cheap seat at a philharmonic concert if one is on tonight. Tickets cost a fraction of Western prices and are worth catching.

  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

  Walk back to the old town for a first dinner of mici with mustard and a local beer at an old-town grill. Eat off the main tourist lane where the locals go and the price drops.

  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 quiet Lipscani lanes before the bars wake up, taking in the covered Macca-Villacrosse arcade and the empty cobbles. The morning light is the best time for photos of the 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

  Slip into the tiny 1724 Stavropoleos church for its frescoes and its colonnaded courtyard, free and quick, remembering it is a working monastery so cover up.

  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

  Head to the Carturesti Carusel bookshop nearby, six floors of white curving balconies, and go early before the photo queue forms. Coffee on the top floor if you want to linger.

  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 the carved 1899 Caru cu Bere beer hall for mici, sarmale and beer under the painted vaults. Book a table or come off-peak as it fills 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 afternoon drifting the old-town streets and the Lipscani shops at an easy pace, dipping into arcades and cafes. The centre is compact, so there is no need to hurry.

Evening

• Mici, Covrigi and Beer Stop30 min

  Grab a hot covrig pretzel from a kiosk for small change as you head out for the evening, the classic cheap Bucharest snack.

  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 night in the old town, where the whole quarter turns lively and loud after dark. Prices stay low and this is the buzzing side of the city, though weekends get raucous.

Morning

• Village Museum (Muzeul Satului)2h

  Head north to the open-air Village Museum on the shore of Herastrau Park, wandering the 300-plus relocated peasant houses, churches and windmills. Go on a dry day and allow about ninety minutes among the wooden houses and thatched roofs.

  TipThis open-air museum on the shore of Herastrau Park gathers more than 300 real peasant houses, churches and windmills relocated from across Romania, some dating to the 1600s. It is outdoors, so go on a dry day and allow about ninety minutes to walk the wooden houses and thatched roofs; buy the ticket at the gate, and combine it with a loop of the park.

• Arcul de Triumf30 min

  On the way in or out, stop at the granite Arcul de Triumf on its roundabout, rebuilt in 1936 to mark Romania's independence. Photograph it from the park side, or climb it on the rare open days near National Day.

  TipThis granite triumphal arch, rebuilt in 1936 to mark Romania's independence, stands on a busy roundabout on the way to Herastrau and echoes its Parisian cousin. It is free, and on a few open days each year, including around National Day on 1 December, you can climb the internal stairs to the terrace for a view down the boulevard; otherwise photograph it from the park side and move on.

Afternoon

• King Michael I Park (Herastrau)2h

  Spend the afternoon in King Michael I Park around the big lake, renting a pedal boat or taking the small cruiser in the warm months and walking the lakeside promenade. Stop at a terrace cafe on the water for a cheap drink.

  TipThe city's biggest park wraps a large lake in the green north and is free and open all day, a favourite for joggers, families and evening strollers. Rent a pedal boat or take the small pleasure cruiser in the warm months, walk the lakeside promenade to the Village Museum, and stop at one of the terrace cafes on the water for a cheap drink.

• 30 min

  Alternatively, swap the whole day for a Peles Castle run: take a direct train from Gara de Nord about two hours to Sinaia in the Carpathians, walk 20 minutes uphill and tour the fairy-tale royal castle. Check it is not a Monday or Tuesday, when Peles closes.

Evening

• 2h

  Head to Dorobanti in the leafy north for dinner among the villas, where the city's best wine bars and restaurants sit on quiet tree-lined streets. It is a calmer, more grown-up evening than the old town.

• 30 min

  If tomorrow is an early flight, remember Henri Coanda airport is about 18km north: allow for the 783 express bus from Piata Unirii, roughly 40 to 50 minutes, the train from Gara de Nord, or a Bolt for around 40 to 60 lei.