Bucharest City in 6 Days on a Budget
A 6-day Bucharest plan, city only, priced in RON
Six days adds a slower neighborhood day and a proper departure day onto the 4-day plan: the Palace of Parliament, Old Town, Revolution Square, the Village Museum, Little Paris, Therme Bucuresti and the Crown Jewels come first, then Primaverii and the Botanical Garden on day five, and a cheap airport run on day six. Compress to the 4-day , 3-day or 2-day versions if you have less time.
Book these before you go
- Book the Palace of Parliament tour or call +40 733 558 102 at least 24 hours ahead yourself; there is no walk-up or online ticket.
- Check Old Town hotel rates on Booking.com for a base within walking distance of every day below.
- Book a Bucharest communism and city history tour for context before day two.
| Day | Focus | Getting there | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Palace of Parliament, Old Town | Central, walk or metro | 150-200 RON |
| Day 2 | Revolution Square, Village Museum, Cismigiu | Central, metro or bus, 15-20 min | 100-150 RON |
| Day 3 | Little Paris walk, Therme Bucuresti | Bus 442 from Piata Presei Libere, 20-30 min | 0-147 RON |
| Day 4 | Crown Jewels, Cotroceni | Central, metro or walk, 15-25 min | 32-80 RON |
| Day 5 | Primaverii walk, Botanical Garden | Metro plus a short walk, 20-30 min | 10-60 RON |
| Day 6 | Departure | Bus 100 or the airport train, 25-50 min | 3-6.50 RON |
Day 1: Palace of Parliament and the Old Town
Start at the Palace of Parliament for your booked morning slot; bring an original passport or ID, since photocopies get turned away. The standard tour runs 60 RON adult, 30 RON student, 20 RON child, plus 10 RON if you add the basement. From there it is a short metro or walk to the Old Town (Lipscani), free to wander, where lunch at a “meniul zilei” (menu of the day) spot runs well under 30 RON. Spend the afternoon on the cobbled streets and Stavropoleos Monastery, then have dinner at a historic spot like Caru’ cu Bere, sarmale and mici with the bill landing near 100 RON with a drink.
Day 2: Revolution Square, the Village Museum and Cismigiu
Morning goes to Revolution Square, free and outdoors, plus the Romanian Athenaeum’s 15 RON visit-only ticket if you want to see the concert hall without a performance. The National Museum of Art next door runs 24 RON per gallery, free if you happen to land on the first Wednesday of the month. In the afternoon, take the metro or a short taxi to the Village Museum (40 RON adult, half that on a Monday or Tuesday) inside King Michael I Park, then close the day at Cismigiu Gardens, free, for a walk around the lake before dinner.
Day 3: Little Paris on foot, then Therme Bucuresti
Spend the morning walking Calea Victoriei, Bucharest’s “Little Paris” boulevard: the CEC Palace, the Arcul de Triumf and the stretch of Belle Epoque facades between them, all free, all on foot from the Old Town. In the afternoon, catch bus 442 from Piata Presei Libere (reachable on bus 100) out to Therme Bucuresti , where a 3-hour Galaxy zone ticket runs 67 RON adult on weekdays, 77 RON on weekends, or skip it entirely and spend the afternoon on a second free loop through Cismigiu or Cotroceni instead. Either way, keep dinner back in the Old Town for the night.
Day 4: the Crown Jewels and a quieter neighborhood
Morning goes to the National Museum of Romanian History ’s Historical Treasure exhibit, 32 RON adult (16 RON senior, 8 RON student), covering the Romanian Crown Jewels, the Pietroasele treasure and a full-scale cast of Trajan’s Column while renovation keeps the rest of the building closed. It only opens Wednesday through Sunday, 10am-6pm, so schedule this day around that rather than against it. In the afternoon, walk the leafy Cotroceni district around the presidential palace, free and genuinely quiet after three days in the center, before an early dinner.
Day 5: Primaverii and the Botanical Garden
Morning is a free walk through Primaverii, Bucharest’s embassy district, past the walled former Ceausescu residence, now a state property with limited public access, and a run of villas that make a real contrast to the Old Town’s density. In the afternoon, head to the Dimitrie Brandza Botanical Garden, 10 RON full admission in the March-October season (5 RON November-February), with the greenhouse and Rainforest Pavilion each adding another 10 RON if you want them. Evening is open for Obor Market’s stalls if you want a cheaper, more local dinner than the Old Town tourist strip offers.
Do you need a day trip out of Bucharest on a 6-day visit?
Yes, if you want one. Day trips to Sinaia or Brasov are a genuinely different kind of trip, built around Transylvania and the Carpathians rather than the city, so this plan keeps all six days inside Bucharest and leaves that swap to a separate castles-and-mountains itinerary instead.
Day 6: departure, cheap
Spend the morning revisiting whichever free stop you liked best, Cismigiu Gardens and Revolution Square both reward a second look, and grab a last covrigi or menu-of-the-day lunch before heading out.
What is the cheapest way to Otopeni on departure day?
The same 3 RON Express Bus 100 that brought you in from the airport runs the route both ways, every 15-20 minutes on weekdays, and takes 40-50 minutes from Piata Unirii. The direct train to Gara de Nord costs about 6.50 RON and takes 25 minutes if your flight is close.
Build in a buffer before checking in: Bus 100 and the airport train both run every 15-40 minutes rather than on a fixed schedule, and neither is worth rushing for on a departure day.