Bucharest Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Bucharest

Bucharest, the capital and cultural center of Romania, is one of the largest cities in Southeastern Europe.

The name București has an unverified origin. Tradition links it to the guy named Bucur, who (according to various legends) was either a prince, outlaw, fisherman, shepherd or a hunter. The Romanian word “bucurie” means joy (happiness), which in turn explains one of Bucharest's several nicknames, the “city of joy”. Other etymologies imply derivations from the word Bukovie, a beech forest, or a certain fellow named Abu-Kariș, who came from the tribe of Bani-Kureiș.

First mentioned as the “Citadel of București” in 1459, the town became permanent location of the Wallachian court during the reign of Vlad III the Impaler, in 1698. The medieval remnants from that period, still found in the Lipscani neighborhood, include Hanul lui Manuc (Manuc's Inn), tiny Eastern Orthodox Stavropoleos Church, and the ruins of Curtea Veche (the Old Court).

In 1862, after Wallachia and Moldavia united into the Principality of Romania, Bucharest became the new nation's capital city, and later, in 1881, that of the newly-proclaimed Kingdom of Romania. That period brought about a new phase in the urban development of Bucharest. Romanian Athenaeum, constructed from 1886 to 1888, is a living monument to that (part of the European Heritage since 2007) and a symbol of Romanian culture.

In between two world wars, the city's elegant architecture and cosmopolitan sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the titles “Little Paris” and “Paris of the East”, in which Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue) was seen as its analogue to Champs-Élysées.

The city suffered heavy damage during World War II. After the establishment of Communism in Romania, Bucharest saw much of its historic center razed and built upon with new developments. One of the iconic landmarks of Socialist Realism, emerged in the 1980s under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, is the Palace of the Parliament, a massive government complex of 1,100 rooms.

Following the Romanian Revolution of 1989, and notably since 2000, the city has enjoyed continuous modernization prompted by both economic and cultural boom. In 2017, Bucharest was declared a European city with the highest growth of tourists staying overnight.

To feel yourself part of the Romanian capital's bustling scene and to explore its alternated history reflected in an impressive mix of medieval, interbellum, communist era and modern sights, take this self-guided walking tour.