Communist Walking Tour: History, Megalomania & Hidden Sights
What you need to know about this Bucharest communism walking tour
- A walking tour of Bucharest. Starts daily at 11:00 AM and lasts 3h
- Your English-speaking local guide (native of Bucharest) will take you on a walk to see landmarks representative for communist Bucharest and history
- We will also talk about the 1989 revolution that violently overthrew Nicolae Ceausescu's regime and led to his execution
- We will see Revolution Square, Palace of Parliament, Unirii Blvd. and 'hidden' churches moved by Ceausescu to make way for his landscaping plans
- No visits included. Tour can be extended with a visit to the Communist Apartment Time Bubble Museum (extra 35 Euro/person)
Additional information
Lots of urban walking involved so please wear comfortable shoes.
You might want to bring a bottle of water, but we can pick up one along the way.
Starting location in the city centre. Exact address will be given after your booking is confirmed.
Moments to expect in the Bucharest communist tour:
Bucharest communist landmarks: Palace of Parliament and Unirii Blvd.
After the earthquake of 1977, Ceausescu decided to "rebuild" his capital. Learn how the 3rd largest building in the world was built and how architecture and city planning were used to change Bucharest and its people's minds and hearts.
Note: interior visit NOT included
Get behind the Communist "curtain"
Behind the tall apartment buildings, common to all cities in Romania and other Eastern European countries, there are still traces of Old Bucharest. See some landmarks from Old Bucharest and find out how churches were moved to make way for the regime's urbanisation plan.
Education, mass-media and religion vs communism
Ceausescu's regime had a strong personality cult, which influenced all aspects of Romanian society. I'll tell you how far the regime's reach extended, the massive parades that were organised and how pictures of Ceausescu were literally everywhere.
Revolution Square: the beginning of the end for the Ceausescu regime
In Revolution square lies the former Communist Party HQ and the balcony where Ceausescu gave his last speech. It is also where violence took place and people died. To remember those events, a weird but towering memorial was built and I will tell you more about it.
[Optional] Visit a typical communist appartment
Stories are nice, and I'm a good storyteller :) But the best way to understand communist Romania is to see how people lived. You can extend this tour to also include a visit to a typical apartment from communist Romania in the 1970s, preserved as if in a time bubble and now turned museum. You'll go in a typical 'worker's neighbourhood' and travel back in time once you enter this apartment where REAL people lived. This is a very local attraction few people know about!
[extra 35 Euro/person, +1h for the tour]
Cancelation & refund policy
EasySends us or the guide an email 24h before the tour informing us you can't make it and you'll get a full refund of your payment, no questions asked.
Location details
- Starting point: Revolution Square next to the Rebirth Memorial (The patatoe)
- Nearest airport: Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport
- Nearest train station: Bucharest North Railway Station
- Landscape: Urban
Reviews from travellers
Elena was savvy and enthusiastic about learning and sharing Romanian communist history. Tour was a super interesting intro to Bucharest.
Romanian Friend made it possible to book a tour in Bukarest for me and my two oscillating kids with only a few hours short notice! So we had a great time with our guide Elena to the important points of Communist Walking Tour of Bucharest in Bukarest! She shared all her accumulated background knowledge about the revolution in 1989 and the former communistic regime and answered patiently all our questions. Our tour through Bukarest was much longer than planned because of the interesting facts she told us. Thanks for supporting us in such an uncomplicated way!
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