City Breaks along the Danube

Step aboard one of the A-ROSA cruise ships and discover Bucharest from the river.

During your Danube cruise, the A-ROSA RIVA, the A-ROSA MIA and the A-ROSA FLORA will dock near Bucharest. Join us on one of our excursions, and explore the Romanian capital with a guide – or by yourself. Marvel at the city’s imposing palaces, its university square and its enormous triumphal arch.

Overview

Bucharest – Romania’s capital and home to around two million people – is a city of fascinating contrasts.

Beautiful boyar houses compete with sober concrete walls and dazzling glass facades. Straight avenues morph into winding streets. Cottages with gardens and crumbling neoclassical facades hold their own against 1930s-style residential complexes, socialist tower blocks and buildings in the Stalinist wedding-cake-style. Neon signs fight for space with long-established millinery and food shops. And there is nowhere else in the country where the gap between rich and poor is so evident.

A-ROSA River Cruises to Bucharest

Excursions in Bucharest

5 excursions found

The ideal excursion for free spirits. After a short orientation tour, you’ll explore the fascinating city centre under your own steam. You’re sure to be impressed with its exciting blend of different architectural styles and the four vibrant boulevards that intersect in the middle. The bus will then take you back to the ship’s mooring point.

port:
Oltenita (Bucharest)
price:
€ 49.00 per person
duration:

approx. 5.5 Hours

transport:
Bus and walking
level:
Moderate

The rough flair of the Balkans and - in contrast - a relaxed savoir-vivre characterise the Romanian capital Bucharest. The architecture is also full of contradictions. An incredibly fascinating mix that you should see for yourself! The city tour begins with a huge highlight: the monumental Palace of the Parliament, which is the second largest administrative building in the world, after the Pentagon. The following city tour will take you to the neoclassical Royal Palace, to the University Square and to the giant triumphal arch in classical Roman style.

port:
Oltenita (Bucharest)
price:
€ 85.00 per person
duration:

approx. 5.5 Hours

transport:
Bus and walking
level:
Demanding
Hint:
Appropriate clothing required in church

They say Romania’s the land of contrasts – and Bucharest is the capital! Experience the diversity of this city, which bears witness to its rich heritage. Your tour guide will show you the city’s best sights, such as the historical centre, where German merchants used to come to trade during the Middle Ages, the ex-Communist neighbourhoods and the Palace of the Parliament – one of the world’s largest buildings – and the elegant boulevards and palaces of the old noble families that gave Bucharest the nickname ‘Little Paris’.

port:
Oltenita (Bucharest)
price:
€ 259.00 per Reservation for max. 5 people
duration:

approx. 5.5 Hours

transport:
german tour guide only
level:
Moderate
Hint:
This excursion is only bookable on request. We recommend that you make a reservation online.

A small, private tour of Romania’s capital city has many advantages. Once you’re in town you can have a look around the shops while your driver waits for you and plans which highlight to show you to next. Whether it’s the parliament building, the old town or the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum – an open-air museum that shows what traditional Romanian village life was like over a period of a thousand years – you’ll decide what you want to see, and your driver will take you there. You can also book an expert tour guide at the same time if you wish.

port:
Oltenita (Bucharest)
price:
€ 359.00 per Reservation for max. 2 people
duration:

approx. 5.5 Hours

transport:
Private car
level:
Easy
Hint:
This excursion is only bookable on request. We recommend that you make a reservation online.

Bucharest is also known as ‘Little Paris’ due its rich architectural heritage. When you see the parliament building – one of the largest buildings in the world – the triumphal arch, which is just as impressive as the Parisian one, and the Calea Victoriei, one of the grandest streets in Bucharest, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in the French capital. Your driver will show you Bucharest’s highlights, and you can also book an English-speaking expert tour guide at the same time if you wish.

port:
Oltenita (Bucharest)
price:
€ 399.00 per Reservation for max. 5 people
duration:

approx. 5.5 Hours

transport:
Private Minivan
level:
Easy
Hint:
This excursion is only bookable on request. We recommend that you make a reservation online.

The best Sights and Destinations in Bucharest

The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, an imposing building with neoclassical architecture, surrounded by well-maintained green spaces and the city in the background.

PALACE OF PARLIAMENT

The Palace of Parliament on Arsenal Hill is just as controversial as it is famous. One of the world’s largest administrative buildings, this symbol of megalomania was known as The People’s House until 1989. The labyrinthine structure boasts 3,000 rooms – the largest of which features a 16-metre-high ceiling. The palace interior is full of magnificent marble-clad columns, walls decorated with elaborate wood inlay, lavishly embroidered drapes and ceilings adorned with grand chandeliers. Nowadays, the building houses Parliament, the senate and the National Museum of Contemporary Art

The Post Palace in Bucharest, which houses the National Museum of Romanian History. People are walking on the street in front of the entrance.

POST OFFICE PALACE | NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ROMANIAN HISTORY

The classical-style Post Office Palace dominates the Danube riverbank. Designed by Alexandru Savulescu, it was built around 1900. It is now home to the National Museum of Romanian History, whose archaeological finds, documents, tools and weapons take you on a journey through the country’s past, right up to 1970. The highlight of the collection is the Pietroasele Treasure – known as ‘the hen with golden chicks’, this 19-kilogram hoard of golden artefacts consists of cups, brooches and necklaces.

CHURCH OF STAVROPOLEOS MONASTERY

This church, with its richly decorated facade, used to serve as a place of worship for Greek merchants in the area. The Greek monk Ioanikie, who later became Metropolitan of Stavropol, had this trefoil-shaped building erected around 1724. The wall paintings and the iconostasis in the form of the Tree of Jesse inside the church are well worth seeing.

OLD PRINCELY COURT

Ruined walls, gravestones, columns and vaults still bear witness to the princely court that used to stand here. Built by Vlad the Impaler after 1459, it was last extended under Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, who was ousted by the sultan in 1714. Next to it is the former court chapel. Constructed in 1559 and remodelled several times over the years, it is the oldest preserved religious building in Bucharest.

ROYAL PALACE

This neoclassical palace was built between 1927 and 1937, based on plans by the architect Nicolae Nenciulescu. It was home to Michael I of Romania until 1947. Today, the country’s most important art gallery – the National Museum of Art of Romania – is based here. Its impressive collection boasts a wealth of artistic treasures from various periods, including many masterpieces by European painters.

The Athenaeum in Bucharest, with a magnificent facade, adorned with columns and a dome, and a well-kept garden in the foreground.

ROMANIAN ATHENAEUM

This antique-like monumental structure, built by the French architect Albert Galleron between 1885 and 1888, is as an expression of a strengthened Romanian national consciousness. By evoking antiquity, the building highlights the idea that Romanians are descended from the Romans. Today, the Athenaeum is the seat of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Arch of Triumph in Bucharest, surrounded by trees and a road.

TRIUMPHAL ARCH

In 1878, after Romania gained independence, a wooden triumphal arch was erected. It was replaced by another temporary arch in 1922. The current arch, designed by Petre Antonescu and decorated with bas-reliefs like those on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, was built between 1935 and 1936.

GRIGORE ANTIPA NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Bucharest’s natural history museum is one of the largest in Europe. Visitors of all ages are fascinated by the exhibits collected from all corners of the earth, with the dinosaur skeleton proving particularly popular.