Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, Romania

4midway42 5:00 PM Nov 11, 2021

Massive megalomaniacal monstrosity: visiting Bucharest’s signature attraction.
Describing this building is an exercise in excess: second largest administrative building in the world, 1,100 rooms, worth $4 billion, designed by 700 architects, eight underground levels, 4 million square feet, etc. Located at the end of Boulevard Unirii, the “People’s Palace” simply defies description by words or pictures. It was somewhat fittingly ordered by Ceausescu at the end of his reign but not finished until after his death, and currently houses the Senate and Parliament as well as the occasional international conference. I toured at the end of my time in Romania, purchasing my tickets online several days before. The entrance for tours is on the south side of the building, or on the left when you face the front of it. I was identified as an English-speaking tourist immediately and after showing my passport and being ushered through security our guide met the group of perhaps fifteen in the foyer. The tour itself was straightforward, lasting about an hour. We covered the largest rooms and halls including the media room, a performance hall , international meeting space, and ballroom. Chandeliers, marble columns, and dramatic staircases abound to the point where they became repetitious. Our guide provided apolitical commentary throughout, carefully choosing his words to the group but saving personal morsels for individuals. Overall, this tour and attraction met expectations. Given the size and lavishness of the building it’s almost impossible for the experience to be mediocre, however our guide was legitimately well informed and moved us along at a reasonable pace. That aside, seeing one sumptuous, enormous room after another became a bit tedious even in a short time span. (As we are still dealing with the post-COVID tourism industry the “extended” tour of the nuclear bunkers and basement was unavailable.) None of this should deter someone from a visit, however. This building is a metaphor for the Communist regime on many levels and seeing it is a duty as much as an option if you are in town for more than a few days. Tips: *Purchase tickets well in advance! They can easily be bought on the internet and requests will only increase as the travel industry wakes up. *Entry was a bit confusing and as of this writing and as above is on the left of the building. My tour book said the opposite and trust me, it takes a while to walk to the other side. *Photo opportunities abound but especially at night. Lights are on from dusk until midnight. *The National Museum of Contemporary Art is housed in the buildings west wing with a separate entrance for those with the interest.

5Live Life To The Full 5:00 PM Jun 17, 2022

A huge building
The building used to be where Nicolae Ceaușescu lived. Needless to say it was built with the best materials around. We had a guided tout of some of the building and was told it was the heaviest building in the world, and had over 1800 chandeliers throughout. The tour cost us 25 Lei which is about £4.50, and lasted for about 45 minutes. Well worth the money, would recommend it.