From the National Theatre to Obor Market and Km Zero
Your Bucharest tour begins at the National Theatre Ion Luca Caragiale, the geographical and administrative heart of the city, and the scene of titanic street battles between miners and students immediately after the Romanian Revolution.
We will take a short walk to Strada Batiștei and Biserica Batiștei, formerly known as the 'St Germain' of Bucharest and the site of the old American embassy, now an overgrown testament to different times. This area is famed for its 19th-century Neo-Romanian architecture, which defines much of the national style.
We'll then make our way to the Armenian quarter. The Armenians were a vibrant and successful merchant community in the 18th and 19th centuries, thanks to their valuable role as 'middlemen' for the Ottomans. Based around the Armenian Church, their mahalla (neighbourhood) features a spectacular variety of architectural styles from all over Europe and the Ottoman Empire, as the wealthy merchants strove to outdo each other in taste and elegance. Classical, Belle Époque, Modernist, New-Romanian, Balkanic, and eclectic - this quarter boasts all these styles, including the oldest documented house in Bucharest, which you will visit.
After that, we'll experience the quintessential Bucharest public transport with a short tram ride. Rattling along the famous Calea Moșilor, you'll enter Communist Bucharest, with its regimented blocks and housing projects, as you make your way to the famous Obor Market.
We will spend some time in the city's main market, bustling with colours, smells, and amazing street food to enjoy. You will have time to shop for traditional items, after which we will sit down to taste some local produce and extremely tasty street food.
The tour ends at Piața Sfântu Gheorghe, km zero of Romanian geography.
