Most people who visit Bucharest are guided by a map and a travel guide.

 

Maybe you’ve already read the blog post with the first part of the insider tips. ? Of course, travel guides always spread the message that two days are enough to discover a city and its most famous sights. BUT: there’s much more to see! So here’s the second part of the secret places in Bucharest.

The Central School

On 19 March 1851, Prince Barbu Ştirbey established the Royal Boarding School for Girls in Bucharest, known today as the Central School. The purpose of the institution was to provide an elite education to young girls from upper class society, but this is not the reason the school is so famous today.

Worth mentioning is the ceramic frieze adorning the facade and the inner portico, an example of the utmost architectural virtuosity. The building has a rectangular layout, with a courtyard at its centre surrounded by many large, bright windows, all designed in the Neo-Romanian style.
Portraits of great Romanian women, such as Lady Clara, Lady Elena Rareș, Lady Chiajna, Princess Elena Cuza and Queen Elisabeth of Romania (widely known by her literary name Carmen Sylva), are portrayed on the facade, a true panoply of examples for the future students of the school.

The school’s alumni include the writers Zoe Dumitrescu-Bușulenga, Lucia Demetrius and Ana Cartianu, the actress Oana Pellea and the famous feminist activist Smaranda Gheorghiu.

If you want to visit the old school, the address is Strada Icoanei no. 3–5, district 2, Bucharest.

 

The Royal Train

The Royal Train was built on the order of King Ferdinand and finalised in 1928. Today it shares a shed with two trains that belonged to President Ceaușescu. The Royal Train was used for trips by personalities such as Carol II and Michael I, but also by former Communist leaders such as Nicolae Ceaușescu or Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej.
The Royal Train features meeting rooms, restaurants, bedrooms, dining rooms, relaxation areas and a secret wagon to which no one has access.
The two Communist-era trains have a grenade launcher on every corner. The furniture is hand-made, white, the covers are fine silk, and everywhere there are secret drawers for hidden weapons. The trains are full of passages and secret doors.

 

 

STAY | Vienna House Easy Airport Bucharest

 

Melik House

Built in 1750, the house is one of the oldest private buildings in Bucharest. It has a design which incorporates traditional elements such as a high cellar and glass-covered veranda. At present, the building houses the Theodor Pallady Museum.

 

 

Macca-Vilacrosse passage

This spectacular yellow glass-covered arcaded street was built in 1891 during the most prosperous period in Bucharest history – the Belle Époque.

 

 

 

The Choral Temple

The Choral Temple is one of the most important buildings for the Jewish religion in Romania. The synagogue was built between 1857 and 1867 when the Jewish community was the largest minority in Bucharest.

 

 

And one add-on just for you… ?

Rooftop bars

Dinner high above the city? How could you say no?! Spectacular views during the day, magical moments beneath the stars at night. High above the city lights and the Bucharest skyline!