Communist Bucharest Walking Tour

based on 27 reviews

Duration:4 hours (approx.)
Location: Bucharest, Wallachia

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ADULT (Age : 16 to 85)

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Three decades have passed since the demise of communism. In spite of the tremendous growth Romania has experienced ever since, the remnants of this regime are still noticeable. That is why most aspects of everyday life were transformed by communism: from the political class to public health care to the urban architecture.
Find out the many shocking tales of what life was like under communism. Furthermore learn about the brutality with which this system was enforced in Romania. Get insight into the dictator Ceausescu’s fascinating life story, from his childhood to his execution.Lastly, understand the difficult transition from socialism to democracy that Romania experienced.
This is an immersive half-day tour around Bucharest that will take you to some of the main communist sights.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Piaka Unirii
Located in the middle of the city, Unirii Square was designed during the last phase of Communism in Romania. Spectacular thanks to its splendid fountains, it also is crossed by the biggest avenue in Bucharest: the former Victory of Socialism Boulevard . Standing here and taking a stroll on the boulevard will reveal the megalomaniac vision that the Romanian dictator had in store for Bucharest.
2. Palace of Parliament
The Palace of the Parliament is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon and the most expensive administrative building. For this, vast amounts of money, materials and work effort were needed. What is more, this structure was made by subjecting the Romanian people to shortages of all kinds during the 1980's. You will hear the whole story of how this enormous building was made, what the locals think about it while having viewing it from different angles. Standing across the palace is the Academia Romana building, a large scale construction in a similar style. It was intended for the use of the dictator’s wife, Elena Ceausescu. However, like several other buildings from the 1980s, it was only half finished. Nowadays, a large section of it is left in ruins as a sore reminder of the dictator’s megalomaniac vision of Bucharest
3. Mihai Voda Monastery
You find out how some churches were destroyed while others were saved in a shocking way during the Communist period. Churches hidden behind the utilitarian buildings are a curious sight that depict how the Communist Party dealt with religion. The Mihai Voda Churchh is a religious place from the Middle Ages which fortunately survived the demolition frenzy and is a testimony of how Bucharest looked before.
4. Piaka Revolukiei
The Revolution Square is where the communist regime began and where it all ended with the people’s protests during the Revolution of 1989. You will see the building that housed Ceausescu's office, the balcony where the dictator had his last speech and the places that saw the first mass demonstration in Bucharest. Here you will understand what happened to those who demonstrated against totalitarianism, the story behind the monument dedicated to them and what happened in the aftermath of the Revolution.

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : shawnniger2018
Great time, very entertaining and funny, detailed and professional. Highly recommend, would do it again.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-12-04 09:29:04

Posted By : Z2118QGmartinr
I attended free Bucharest tour by BTrip twice and would like to thank Ioan and Stefan (our tour guides) both very much. Trips were informative, exciting and so on. I found them on tripadvisor and I am glad I did. Some photos are available on IG: negatiftenpozitife
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-08-31 05:48:35

Posted By : Loretta O
Bucharest isn't the easiest city to visit by yourself. this tour was a great way to get some history and context for the big things and get shown around the less obvious places.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-07-25 09:32:49

Posted By : evolfish
I joined two walking tour from this company. They were both amazing! For the communist tour, it was led by Mihai. He was hilarious and knowledgeable! It was truly an excellent tour that you can not miss in Bucharest!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-07-14 17:21:20

Posted By : Lea_Anne97
Stefan was our English language guide for the Communism vs. Monarchy tour which takes place daily at 17:00. Email communication with the company was prompt. Stefan was interesting, knowledgeable, humorous, self deprecating, and as a restful the 2.5 hours flew by. Our group met at the Ateneul Roman (The Romanian Athenaeum) and walked and stopped at about ten different spots and ultimately ended at the Palace of Parliament (you don’t go inside, you only view it from a distance). We learned a lot of interesting facts (which I won’t share here so as not to spoil it for others who may go on the tour). Our group was only about 7 adults, and Stefan did a great job in spite of the on again, off again rain during our tour. He balanced difficult, significant parts of Romanian history with more lighthearted aspects, and I think he struck the right balance. As a side note- It looks like guides with this tour company seem to bring a laminated spiral book to show maps and pictures, which is useful as they discuss regions and historical figures. I highly recommend Bucharest Free Tours and Stefan.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-06-19 16:09:51

Posted By : charlottec84
Marie was excellent and had perfect English. She did an amazing tour with lots of knowledge and facts. She cared about comfort and timed her tour for benches if we needed to sit.
Thank you for a great tour!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-04-04 04:20:54

Posted By : Getaway181642
I ❤️ the Communism Tour of Bucharest. Stefania was really nice and gave us a thourough information about the history of Romania. We walked through many buildings and monuments in the centre of Bucharest. The tour is long enough for a day. There were also plenty of time to ask questions and take pictures along the way. I also liked that we were taken to a pastery where we could buy traditional bakery of Romania. Stefania was also very honest about what we can try. Afterwards, she even gave is tips about restaurants where we can try the traditional romanian cuisine and desserts.
I highly advise other travellers to join this tour of you are visiting Bucharest for the first time. It’s best to do this on your first day. You can always go back to visit the buildings afterwards. But this tour gives you a little bit of history and knowledge about Romania. It’s also very professional and well-organized. You can feel how proud they are about their country. 💙💜🇷🇴
Greetings from The Netherlands and from Curaçao. 🇳🇱🇨🇼
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-04-03 09:25:38

Posted By : pmarmentini
Stefania was incredible, guiding us through the monarchy and the communist parts of the city. It is a must if you are visiting Bucharest. I would definitely recommend to everyone.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-02-07 11:52:48

Posted By : mattchellew
A great experience! Nice long walking tour with good POIs and a great overview of the country's history. Definitely recommend.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-02-06 03:46:36

Posted By : Philip d
The tour guide was Mihai and he was brilliant. So many things at first l though 'had to be exaggerated’ and yet when l returned to the hotel room l used Wikipedia, YouTube and numerous other sources to better understand Mihai’s endless facts. Not only was Mihai totally correct with his facts, he was totally entertaining in how he told us the endless facts to share with us. The whole tour was amazing.

As l said, at first l thought 'this could not be true' and every bit of it was totally verifiable and a completely amazing 'eye opener' tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-06-12 04:55:08