What to see in Bucharest

National Theater (Teatrul National)
The National Theater is located on one of the corners of University Square is . It was built in 1973 after plans by a group of Romanian architects. The old building of the National Theater was destroyed during the WWII. Originally the building had a different facade, modeled after the architecture of Moldova's monasteries but in 1984 it was remodeled and got its present massive shape. The theatre has 4 performance halls. It is named after the Romanian playwright and short-story writer Ion Luca Caragiale (1852-1912).
Bucharest hotel in this area InterContinental Rmada Majestic Novotel Capsa

The Royal Palace (Palatul Regal)
It was first built around 1815 by prince Dinicu Golescu and it underwent changes over several decades. The building was remodeled in 1882-1885 after plans by the French architect Paul Gottereau only to be rebuilt in 1930-1938 after being damaged in a fire in 1926
Erected between 1927 and 1937 in neoclassical style, the palace was home to King Carol II and to his son, King Mihai I, until 1947, when the monarchy was abolished in Romania. Today, the former Royal palace houses the Romanian National Art Museum.
Address: Calea Victoriei 49-53
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The Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman)
The work of French architect Albert Galleron, who also designed the National Bank of Romania. The project was conceived by the diplomat Constantin Exarcu and the money for the completion of the building were gathered in a public collection in which people were asked to "give a leu for the Athenaeum" (The "leu" being the currency of Romania). With its 40 m high dome and the Doric columns it resembles an ancient temple. The beautiful facade is adorned with mosaics of five Romanian rulers A ring of pink marble columns is linked by flowing arches where elaborate brass lanterns hang like gems from a necklace. Inside the concert hall, voluptuous frescoes cover the ceiling and walls. Renowned worldwide for its outstanding acoustics, it is Bucharest's most prestigious concert hall and home of the Romanian George Enescu Philharmonic.
Address: Str. Benjamin Franklin 1 Phone: (21) 315.00.26 or 315.25.67
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Cantacuzino Palace (Palatul Cantacuzino) George Enescu Museum (Muzeul George Enescu) Grigore Cantacuzino was thought to be one of Romania’s wealthiest citizens in 1899. As Prime Minister, it was his wish to have the most elegant residence in Bucharest. This palace was designed by the architect I.D.Berindei in French baroque style and construction was started in 1899. Above the main entrance there is a giant shell-shaped porte-cochere; two stone lions guard the entrance.  After the death of “The Nabob”, in 1913, the palace was inherited by his son, Mihail G. Cantacuzino and his wife, Maria (also known as princess Maruca, born Rosetti-Tescanu);

after the premature death of her first husband, Maruca married George Enescu in 1937. The couple lived in 1945-1946 in the house near the palace, which was initially an administrative building.In the 40’s, the palace hosted the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and since 1947 the Institute for Romanian-Soviet Studies. After the death of George Enescu, in 1955, his wife donated the domain to the Museum, to be dedicated to the memory of the musician. Thus, on the 19th of June 1956, “George Enescu” Museum was opened.  Since 2007, the Cantacuzino Palace is a European Heritage Label monument. Address: Calea Victoriei 141 Admission charge Bucharest hotel in this area Golden Tulip Victoria Hilton Radisson Blu Hotel Berthelot

Kretzulescu Church
Nestled amid the other historical buildings in Piata Revolutiei, this small red-brick Orthodox It was commisioned in 1722 by the boyar Iordache Cretulescu and his wife Safta, a daughter of prince Constantin Brancoveanu. The church is built in the style created by Constantin Brancoveanu, a seventeenth century ruler of Wallachia, who commisioned numerous buildings during his reign and set out to create a distinctive national genre of architecture. The Brancovenesc or Brancovean Style blends Byzantine and Western architectural elements together with indigeneous forms. Another fine example of this style is Mogosoaia Palace, outside Bucharest..
Address: Calea Victoriei 47
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Royal Palace Great Concert Hall (Sala Palatului)
 Located next to the Royal Palace, the concave-roof structure was built in 1960 to accommodate party members who every five years attended the communist party congress. Today it's used as a big venue for concerts and exhibitions, including some of the George Enescu International Festival concerts.
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The Military Club (Cercul Militar National)
This neoclassical masterpiece, designed by Romanian architect Dimitrie Maimaroiu, was built in 1912 to serve the social, cultural and educational needs of the Romanian army. Banquets and official events are still hosted in the ballrooms. The main part of the building is off-limits to civilians, but the sumptuous restaurant and summer terrace is open to the public.
Address: Blvd. Regina Elisabeta 21) Phone: (21) 313.86.80
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The Palace of the Savings Bank (Casa de Economii si Consemnatiuni / CEC) One of the most impressive neoclassical facades in the city, this structure was built in the 19th century to the design of French architect Paul Gottereanu. The square-shaped palace has a large central dome with metallic ribs separated by glass, which allows natural light to come in. Address: Calea Victoriei 11-13 Bucharest hotel in this area Hotel Capitol Hotel Capsa Hotel Central Ramada Majestic Hotel Grand Continental Hotel Opera Editor's: do not miss a walk in the old center and a coffee at one of the many terraces located in this special area and frequented by the most tourists coming to Bucharest.

University of Bucharest (Universitatea Bucuresti)
It was founded in 1864 by Alexandru Ioan Cuza, ruler of the newly united principalities of Walachia and Moldova. Work on the neoclassical building began in 1857 and finished in 1859. The University hosted an impressive number of Romanian personalities, including Mircea Eliade, Emil Cioran, Eugène Ionesco, Sergiu Celibidache. All around the building you can find stalls selling secondhand books.
Address: Blvd. Regina Elizabeta (near University Square)
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The Beer Cart Restaurant (Caru cu Bere) Adress: Stavropoleos 3-5 Phone: (21) 313.75.60 A remarkable building, perhaps the most beautiful in Bucharest, built in the late nineteenth century, excellent maintained, hosting over 100 years a restaurant become emblematic for Bucharest. Caru cu Bere is one of the restaurants with the oldest tradition in Bucharest. Opened in 1892 and designed by an Austrian architect - Zigfrid Kofczinsky - and built by Nicolae Mircea and his brothers Victor and Ignat. Its neo-gothic architectural style is reflected both in the façades and the interior decorations: columns, arches, chandeliers, a wooden staircase, furniture and murals on the walls and ceiling.

Caru cu Bere was the favorite place for writers and actors. Some of the usual customers were George Cosbuc or I. L. Caragiale. Bucharest hotel in this area Hotel Capitol Hotel Capsa Hotel Central Ramada Majestic Hotel Grand Continental Hotel Opera Editor's: Try for less than 5 EUR/person two Romanian meals ciorba de burta (beef tripe soup) and mitiei (a kind of sausages)

Sutu Palace (Palatul Sutu)
Famous for the grandiose balls held here in the 1900s, it was built between 1832 and 1834 by foreign minister Costache Sutu, to designs of architects Johann Veit and Konrad Schwinck. In 1862, the palace was redecorated by sculptor Karl Storck, who created three arcades and a monumental stairway; a huge Murano mirror was added in the hallway. 
The style was occidental, neo-gothic, two-storied with many rooms, and four small polygonal towers on both sides of the building. The majestic high-ceilinged and spacious entrance hall and its large windows contrasted greatly with the narrow entrances and windows of the old Romanian houses. Full-length balconies straddled the front and back of the building
Only the painted ceilings, the stucco, the parquet flooring and the tile stoves have been preserved. Since 1959, the building has housed the Bucharest History & Art Museum.
Address: Blvd I.C. Bratianu 2 (near University Square)

Metropolitan Church (Biserica Patriarhiei)
The Metropolitan Church has been the centerpiece of the Romanian Orthodox faith since the 17th century. It was built by Constantin Serban Basarab, ruler of the province of Walachia between 1656 and 1658, to a design inspired by the Curtea de Arges monastery. It became the Metropolitan Church in 1668 and the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1925. 
The façades are decorated with two registers of blind arches, separated by a median stone belt made up of three mouldings  twisted here and there. The blind arches in the lower register are simple, while those in the upper one are narrower and grouped in pairs.
The Byzantine interior, containing the most dazzling of the city’s iconostasis, as well as a couple of exquisitely carved side altars, bestows great beauty on the services presided over by the Romanian Patriarch. A huge crowd gathers here for the Easter midnight service. The outstanding bell-tower at the entrance was built in 1698 and restored in 1958. Next to the church, and closed to the public, is the Patriarchal Palace (1708), residence of the Daniel, supreme leader of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Address: Aleea Dealul Mitropoliei

Stavropoleos Church (Biserica Stavropoleos) The Stavropoleos Church was built in 1724 by the Greek monk Ioanikie Stratonikeas during the ruling of Phanariot Prince Nicolae Mavrocordat. Featuring a combination of Romanian and Byzantine architecture, it has a beautiful façade and a delicately carved columned entrance. The inside is equally beautiful, with wood and stone carvings and paintings and frescoes. Address: Str. Stavropoleos 4 Phone: (21) 313.47.47 Editor's: do not miss a walk in the old center and a coffee at one of the many terraces located in this special area and frequented by the most tourists coming to Bucharest.

St. Joseph's Cathedral (Catedrala Sfantul Iosif)  
Built in red brick between 1873 and 1884, this Roman Catholic cathedral is an architectural masterpiece combining both gothic and Roman elements. Organ recitals are held every week.
Address: Str. G-ral Berthelot 19  Phone: (21) 312.12.08

St. Nicolas Church (Biserica Sfantul Nicolae)
Built in 1909 by the Russian Tsar Nicholas II, this Orthodox Church has a wooden, gold-gilded iconostasis allegedly modeled after the altar in the Archangelskiy Cathedral in Moscow.
Address: Str. Ion Ghica 9 Phone: (21) 314.64.50

Choral Temple (Templul Coral)
 Built in 1857, the red brick temple is the largest active synagogue in Bucharest .It  has a memorial at the front (visible from the street) that commemorates the Romanian Jews sent to their deaths during the Holocaust. Services are held every day at 8am and 7pm. On Saturday, they are held at 8:30am and 7pm
Address: Str. Sfanta Vineri 9 Phone: (21) 312.21.96

Yeshua Tova Synagogue
It is the city's oldest synagogue. In a busy side street going towards Piata Amzei from Magheru Bulevard stands the only other functioning synagogue in the city apart from the Choral Temple. Services take place at Sabbath hour on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Address: Str. Tache Ionescu 9