Most people who visit Bucharest are guided by a map and a travel guide.
Of course. They usually think that two days are enough to see everything.
That’s what it says in the guide. This may be true if you just see the biggest tourist attractions, take some photos and that’s it. But this does not necessarily mean that you have really discovered the city and felt the endless exploration.
So you are invited and challenged to discover these 9 secret places in Bucharest.
Xenofon Street - The only street made completely of stairs
In Rio de Janeiro, you’ll find the Escadaria Selarón and in San Francisco there are the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, but even Bucharest can boast of such a place. Xenofon Street is the only street made up entirely of steps, a corner of the city little known even by the millions of local people crossing the streets of the Romanian capital every day.
This street was built 220 years ago and has a unique design because it is built completely of stairs. And the steps have become an example of modern street art. Each year the stairs are repainted with various Bucharest themes, such as famous monuments designed in the form of a cascading waterfall.
Vlad Tepes Castle
The castle was built in 1906 at the Romanian Exposition on Liberty Field on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the reign of King Carol I.
The castle, located in the center of the city, is a replica of Poenari Fortress that was built by the prince Vlad III., also known as Dracula.
Today over 100 years old, during the reign of King Carol I the castle was used as a water reservoir. The castle tower is about 20 meters tall and 9 meters in diameter and housed an iron cylindrical water tank with a capacity of 200 cubic meters and a diameter of 6 meters.
Politehnica Metro Station
This subway station offers a unique design, with prehistoric fossils dating back over 65 million years.
The fossils that are found here are prehistoric marine animals, mostly so-called rudists, which used to live in the sea that once covered the current territory of the Apuseni Mountains in Romania. These mountains were formed during the late Jurassic period.
Hard to believe, right? The construction of the station began in 1983 and fossils of marine creatures such as sea snails, corals and shells are perfectly visible on the floor of the subway station. Here you’ve got a museum at your feet!
The virgin island
Do you remember this place? Vienna House shared a picture of it on Instagram a few days ago!
It is the smallest of five islands in the lake of Alexandru Ioan Cuza Park (IOR Park). This small island is unique because it has developed its own ecosystem, being a suitable refuge for different species of animals, especially birds such as ducks and swans but also for turtles and aquatic snakes.
Better than your travel guide information, right? You’re welcome! 😉
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