If you’re looking for the best Bucharest tourist attractions, you can’t go past the Palace of the Parliament. This is the biggest attraction in Bucharest, and the one thing not to be missed.
Why is This the Most Amazing Bucharest Tourist Attraction?
Did you know the Palace of the Parliament is the second largest administrative building in the world, right behind the Pentagon in the United States of America? But the big difference is that this palace is so far over the top with grandeur and opulence.
The Palace of the Parliament was built by the totalitarian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who was overthrown and executed before it was finished. The palace took many years to build, starting in 1984 and finishing in 1997, although in some ways it’s not yet fully built. Also called the People’s Palace, this grand design is Bucharest’s most famous landmark, and a stark reminder of Romania’s communist past.
15 Amazing Facts About the Palace
The facts and figures of this building are staggering. Here are 15 amazing facts for you:
- Palace of the Parliament is the largest Legislative building in the world!
- It’s the second largest administrative building in the world, based on developed area. It is only beaten by the Pentagon.
- It’s the third largest building in the world by volume, after NASA’s rocket assembly building and Mexico’s Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
- This is the 10th most expensive building in the world.
- The palace stands 84 metres, or 276 feet high.
- There are a mind boggling 1,100 rooms in total.
- The Palace has a total area of 365,000 m².
- It is 2% larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza by volume.
- It is also said to be the heaviest building in the world, weighing in at a whopping 4 million tons.
- The palace is sinking! It sinks by 6 mm each year.
- This building is expensive! It was valued at over €3 billion in 2008.
- It took 700 architects 13 years to build the Palace, with the help of up to 100,000 workers.
- Construction is not even finished, there are still some 700 rooms to complete.
- There is a huge complex of underground tunnels including a nuclear war bunker, complete with 1.5 metre thick walls.
- The bunker is connected to the state institutions by about 20 km of catacombs (tunnels).
More Power
No wonder this is one of the best Bucharest tourist attractions. As you can see, there are loads of amazing facts that make the ‘second biggest in the world’ a must see attraction.
A short visit of Michael Palin from #BBC at the Palace of the Parliament, in #Bucharest, #Romania.#MichaelPalin https://t.co/NqPfgm2oPb pic.twitter.com/jm2sl54pGB
— TravelMaker Romania (@TravelMakerCo) January 6, 2017
By the way, the power bill alone is some $6 million per year. I hope they remember to turn off the lights at night!
Getting to the Palace of the Parliament
Getting to the Palace of the Parliament is easy. It’s in the administrative sector, close to Bucharest Old Town, and within easy reach by taxi or Uber. We just caught the Bucharest City Tour hop on hop / off bus.
This is a popular Bucharest sightseeing bus which is loads of fun and a great way to get around to all the best attractions in Bucharest. The bus costs 25 Romanian Lei per adult for a 24 hour ticket. That’s very cheap, only about $6 per person.
The hop on / hop off bus will drop you off right out the front of the giant Palace of the Parliament building. Getting inside the front door is free, and you’re welcome to use the café and souvenir shop for as long as you like. And in case you’re wondering, there are free toilets.
Ticketing Booth, Cafeteria and Souvenirs
As you walk in the front door there’s a large foyer on the right, with an art gallery displaying mainly paintings. On the left there is a basic cafeteria. They sell hot and cold drinks, biscuits and chips at a reasonable price. Nothing really substantial in the way of meals or sandwiches are available, so don’t come expecting to buy a nice lunch!
Next to the cafeteria there is a ticketing booth where you can reserve your place on a tour. The price list and timetable are on display, just ask and you will be issued tickets. You are then directed to wait near the cafeteria for your allotted tour.
After receiving your tickets you must then proceed into the souvenir shop to pay for them. The souvenir shop is very small and basic, and overall about twice the price of the souvenir shops in town. There are half dozen or so great little souvenir shops in Bucharest Old Town, and they have a better selection of Palace souvenirs than what you will find on site.
Tour Options
First of all, the opening hours of the Palace of the Parliament are:
- Summer: 9am to 5pm
- Winter: 10am to 4pm
Note that the last tour is half an hour before closing time. There are 3 tour options available, and you can compare them on the official website.
- Standard Tour
- Standard + Underground Tour
- Panoramic Tour
The Standard Tour is one of the best Bucharest tours you can go on. It is cheap, and it is utterly breathtaking. We purchased two adult tickets and one child for the Standard Tour, with a combined cost of 90 Romanian Lei, or about $23.
You could book an online tour if you prefer, however it is so quick and easy to just turn up and purchase a ticket at the Palace. I hardly think it’s worth worrying about buying online.
We had to wait around for about an hour for our tour to depart, a group of some 40 people. That’s only because we missed the previous tour by about 2 minutes. Generally you would only need to wait 20-30 minutes on average.
The Palace of the Parliament Tour
At the start of the Palace tour you are required to go through an airport security style check in procedure. You put all your metal objects onto the conveyor belt to be x-rayed, same is at airport. You also have to produce your passport to get a security tag.
Hot tip: Don’t forget to bring your passport!
The tour lasts about an hour and 15 minutes. You cover roughly 1.5 km and climb up many flights of stairs. Each room that you enter is massive and breathtakingly ornate. Did I mention that you need to climb up many many flights of stairs?
Hop tip: This tour is probably not for you if you have mobility issues.
Practically every surface inside the Palace of the Parliament is covered in marble or some other expensive covering. Giant carved doors are found throughout the building, all made of rich timbers like walnut, oak, cherry, elm and maple.
Windows are made of crystal, ceilings plated in gold. There seems to be no end to the ridiculously high construction costs poured into this building. 
480 Chandeliers
What will really take your breath away are the 480 massive chandeliers in this palace. These can be found in pretty much every room, and you will usually encounter several magnificent chandeliers per room.
Towards the end of the tour you get to visit one of the grand balconies at the front of the building. Here you will be treated to some million dollar views of the administrative sector of Bucharest. In fact this view was the highlight of the tour for me. It’s a shame you only get to enjoy the view for about 5 minutes, before being shuffled back inside the palace.
This Tour is a Must-See
So if you’re looking for things to do in Bucharest, don’t miss the biggest attraction in town, the Palace of the Parliament. If you think the building looks enormous from the outside, just wait until you see it from the inside!
Unlike most palaces, there is very little to see in the way of gardens and outdoor splendour. Of course the building is magnificent, but the gardens are… well… kind of plain. Maybe there are more out the back, but that’s off limits for tour participants.
Never mind the lack of gardens and parkland, because the true beauty is on the inside. Witnessing the sheer scale of this monumental building from the outside is astonishing, but you really need to take the tour to appreciate it fully. You will never see another palace like the Bucharest Palace of the Parliament. Consequently we rate this as the best tourist attraction to visit in Bucharest.
If you’re looking for more great Bucharest places to visit, why not check out the Natural History Museum? Alternatively, take a day trip to see the 2 best Transylvanian Castles in 1 day. These are both great places to visit whilst you’re in Bucharest.
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