Useful information

Currency

The Romanian currency is called “lei” (“lions” in translation) and the exchange rate is of approximately 4,5 lei for 1 euro.

Please reserve your room directly at the hotel at the following the e-mail addresses: reservations.bucharest@hilton.com or madalina.cazan@hilton.com or at the phone number: +40-21-303-3777. The hotels will be able to confirm your room only after receipt of your credit card details.
For cancellation policy, please contact the hotel.

Climate

The climate is temperate-continental, with hot and wet summers (average temperature in July – August : 23°C, but it can rise to 35-40°C in mid-summer in the city center) and cold winters (often under 0°C, the temperature very seldom reaches below -10°C). In spring and autumn, the temperature varies between 18 and 22°C, and rainwater tends to be higher in this period than in summer, with more frequent, but milder rains.

Official time

East Europe Time (GMT + 2). The summer time zone (GMT + 3) applies between the first Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October.

Short description and history of the venues you will be visiting:

• The Athenee Palace Hilton Hotel

  The Athénée Palace Hilton Bucharest is a historic luxury hotel in Bucharest, Romania, opened in 1914. It was arguably Europe’s most notorious den of spies in the years leading up to World War II, and only slightly less so during the Cold War.

  Located in the heart of Bucharest on Str. Episcopiei at the corner of Victoriei Avenue on the former site of the Han Gherasi (Han is Romanian for „inn”), the hotel faces onto the small park in front of the Romanian Athenaeum on Revolution Square (originally Athenaeum Square, then Republic Square). It did not originally face onto a square: at the time the hotel was built, the space that is now a small park was occupied by the Splendid Hotel, destroyed by bombing on August 24, 1944, and there were a considerable number of other buildings on what is now the square.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

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  Central University Library

  1891 May, 3 – in a letter to the President of the Council of Ministers, a document that can be considered a true act of founding, King Carol I was declaring its „desire to establish an institution for the good of young men from university faculties in the country, endowed with a good library open „.

  The future cultural establishment was meant to become a lawful public institution, under the administration of the Minister of Cults and Public Instruction.
  The design of the building was ordered to the French architect Paul Gottreau, who designed also the Palace of the Bank of Deposits and Savings and the old Royal Palace. The building was started in 1891 and finalized in 1893. The coming two years were dedicated to the building equipment and decoration.

  1895, March, 14th – King Carol I inaugurated the University Foundation “Carol I”. For 50 years the University Foundation assumed its mission to contribute to the formation of the intellectual elite, particularly through subsidies, encouraging awards, scholarships given to the research students and by printing their most important works, graduate or doctoral theses.

  1911 – 1914 – 20 years after, in 1911, the expansion of the old building is started under the coordination of the same architect. Inaugurated on May 9, 1914, the building will impose itself as one of the remarkable landmarks of Bucharest. With an auditorium of more than 500 seats, 4 reading rooms and store rooms the library will have an organization and an endowment of high European standards, becoming a real forum of study and research.

  Over time, the prestige of the Foundation and of the future Central University Library will be consolidated by the illustrious names of writers, academics, cultural animators, who also worked as librarians.

  1914 – 1945 – by the high level of the cultural activities held in it particularly between the two World Wars, the Aula of the University Foundation will be identified as a milestone in the spiritual universe of Bucharest.

  1963 – 1989 – since 1963, the National Center BCU is gradually becoming the most comprehensive university library in the country.
  1989 December – flames of the Revolution turned the books into ashes and walls in ruins.
  Gradually, between 2001 and 2010, all former library collections have been reopened for public and also new modern halls were launched.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

• National Museum of Arts of Romania, the former Royal Palace

  The National Museum of Art of Romania is the largest art museum in Romania, home to the most important and comprehensive Romanian and European art collection in the country, displayed in two permanent galleries: the National Gallery (which includes the Romanian Medieval Art Gallery and the Romanian Modern Art Gallery) and the European Art Gallery.
  It was founded in 1948 in the former Royal Palace.

  The Royal Palace, previously known as the Golescu House, was built between 1812 and 1815 in neoclassical style and had 25 rooms – ground floor and 1 additional floor – an impressive number for a house in Bucharest at the time. In 1837, the boyar Golescu’s sumptuous house became the official residence of Alexandru Ghica Voda. Between 1859 and 1866 the ruler of the United Principalities, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, used the house as ceremonial palace. As from 10 May 1866 the house becomes home of Prince Carol I, who remodels and enlarges the palace, turning it into the winter residence of the Royal Court. The fire in 1926 destroyed the central body of the palace, partial reconstruction becoming imperative. King Carol II (1930-1940) embarked on rebuilding and extending the palace. In 1935-1936 the old house built by Golescu was demolished in order to make room for a new wing. Architect Nicolae Nenciulescu carried out the design of the new wing of the palace, closely supervised by Carol II. The construction was finished in 1937, remaining virtually unchanged to this day. In 1948, following the abdication of King Michael I in 1947 and the communist takeover, the royal palace is nationalized. It is to be jointly used by two institutions: the Council of Ministers and a national museum of art. During the events in December1989, which put an end to Ceausescu’s dictatorship and to the communist regime in Romania, the palace is caught in the crossfire; both the building and the collection suffer great losses, with over 1,000 works of art badly damaged, and some completely destroyed.

  The building is U-shaped, with a patio. The facade of the central wing has two entrances: the left entrance was used by the king and his guests and the right was for dignitaries. On the left, the entrance leads into an octagonal hallway decorated in neo-Byzantine style where guests can go upstairs. On the right, there is the official entry for dignitaries, a large square hall that leads up the stairs to the former Throne Hall.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

• Peles Castle, Sinaia

  Peles Castle in Sinaia, the summer residence of the kings of Romania, was built at the wish of King Carol I of Romania (1866 – 1914), by architects Johannes Schultz, Carol Benesch and Karel Liman and decorated by famous decorators JD Heymann Hamburg, August Bembe in Mainz and Bernhard Ludwig in Vienna.

  The 300 workers who worked here had two years to complete the works. All this time, the ruler personally oversaw the works in detail. In 1875, they put the foundation stone of the castle, under which a dozens of gold coins of 20 lei are buried, the first Romanian coin with the image of Carol I.

  In 1883, Peles has officially opened its doors, the ruler seeing it as a „seat” of the new dynasty. And its location on the Prahova Valley was not accidental. Not far away, in Predeal, Romania had at that time the border with Austria-Hungary. However, in the future after the unification of Transylvania with the Old Kingdom, the castle is found right in the heart of the country.
  Even after its inauguration in 1883, Peles will undergo changes, constantly extending. Its current form is reached only in 1914 (the year of death of King Charles (Carol) I). The castle has 160 rooms and several entrances and staircases. The central tower measured no more than 66 meters tall. Besides Peles itself, in the area there have been buit two smaller facilities, Pelisor and gazebo.
  The Peles Castle has a theater with a small stage and 60 seats, plus the royal box. The castle had very modern facilities for the era in which it was built. For example, the glass ceiling of the hall of fame is mobile and can be driven by an electric motor. Since 1883, the castle has central heating.

  By the end of the castle (in 1883), King Charles I and Queen Elizabeth lived at the lodge, completed before the castle. Due to its own power plant, Peles Castle was first electrified castle in Europe.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

• Bragadiru Palace

  The history of the Colosseum building and the construction that preceded it in these places started in the mid 1800s. The whole area was named Bragadiru and was founded by businessman Dumitru Marinescu Bragadiru.

  Geographically, the building appears represented for the first time on the blueprints of the Army Geographic Institute conducted in the 1895-1899 and 1911. The construction of „Colossus „, as it was known in its early years, was built after the plans designed by the Austrian architect Anton Shuckerl in 1894.

  Dumitru Marinescu Bragadiru built the Colossus as a place for recreation, respecting in this way the breweries tradition to have a place in the neighborhood as it was the summer garden „Eliseul Luther ” or the brasserie, the restaurant and dance hall Colosseul Oppler, that doesn’t exist anymore. An example of old Bucharest, the building later became the Bragadiru Palace, radiating beauty and historic charm. Eclectic architectural design with a rich decorative repertoire used the harmonic composition of the facade and interior decoration reflects all the beauty of the 1900s.

  Composed of a spectacular ballroom that can function as a theater or concert hall, a library, a bowling alley, many rooms, shops and offices that worked on the ground floor, the building was an impressive structure that combined the styles of the most famous buildings of time: Chamber of Commerce, Romanian Post Office Savings Bank (CEC) and the Supreme Court building, all built in the same period.
  On June 11, 1948 the Communist regime nationalized the entire Romanian industry. The Brewery factory was renamed Rahova Brewery named after the neighborhood where it is. The first concern of the regime was removing the name Dumitru Marinescu Bragadiru from the brewery gable with hammer blows. The Colosseum building was renamed Lenin House of Culture.

  In 2003, the building was claimed and regained by Dumitru Marinescu Bragadiru’s descendants under a Title issued by the Municipality of Bucharest.

  The palace has 10,000 built square meters and an adjacent plot of 12,000 square meters and is declared a historic monument by the Ministry of Culture.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

• Hotel Epoque

  Epoque Hotel is a contemporary architectural project developed with the deepest appreciation for “genius loci” – the history and spirit of the surroundings. The interiors are inspired from the Neo – Romanian architecture of the period between 1900 and World War II, offering a fashionable interpretation of a historical style, with a strong hold on national attributes.

  The architects who worked on the Epoque Hotel designed more than the accommodation suites and the interiors of this boutique hotel; they created a warm and cozy atmosphere by blending history with modern touches and a careful study of the shapes and materials used within the spaces, thus designing a unique consistency of the hotel’s interior design. Massive wood furniture, columns and arches are beautifully decorating the interiors of all the Epoque Hotel’s suites. The rooms are gracefully shaped with arcs and columns recalling monastic serenity and colors are noble and peaceful, inducing an omnipresent feeling of harmony. Epoque’s recurrent pattern, a double teardrop that is part of a traditional representation of the solar wheel, is magically capturing the soul of the place.

  The Epoque kitchen is governed by the motto “la cuisine du Bonheur”, a cuisine full of vitality, with fresh ingredients and well-rounded, surprising flavours.

  
  
  

  
  
  

• The Parliament Palace, the second largest building in world after the Pentagon

  The Parliament Palace (initially The house of the People) was built within 5 years (1984-1989), on the Arsenal Hill, the top location of the city, after the demolition of 40% of the Old Town, the expression of Ceausescu’s megalomaniac plan like the State City Pyongyang in North Koreea or Kremlim in Moscow. This is the amazing second largest building in the world and third in volume.

  Built and rebuilt overnight, the haughty „Republic House” had swallowed tens of billions of lei and a huge volume of work before the Revolution. The construction was started and raised while many Romanians experienced a period of privations. Probably that is the reason why, at the very beginning the building was the object of their hate. After December 1989, the building which may easily be spotted wherever you are in Bucharest, was considered to be hideous and become subject to the most original ideas.

  The construction, started in July 1984, has 6 registers and 21 bodies. The pompous halls and galleries are generously decorated with monumental sculptures, golden plaster, laced ceilings, brocharts, tapestries and heavy carpets, which harmoniously overwhelm the visitors. It has over 1000 rooms, 500 offices for the Members of the Parliament, large conference rooms, theatres restaurants, subway, waterway, the Civic Centre around it, and the Unification Avenue (the replica to the famous Champs Elysees).

  The Marble from Ruschita sends its reflections from the floors and columns to the walls and ceilings. The oak, mahogany and beck wood welcome the visitors with the warmth of their refined sculptures that may be equaled only by the plaster work or the crystals and the brass of the chandeliers.

  Anyone visiting the Palace of Parliament, designed and built at great cost, effort and sacrifice by Romanian specialists and the whole of Romanian industry, comes to realize that this is not o palace from Aladdin’s stories, but a real one, displaying the true wealth of Romania: stone, marble and wood from the Romanian mountains and forests.

  PLEASE NOTE THAT SPECIAL SECURITY PROCEDURES APPLY.
  VISITOR MUST PRESENT VALID ID AT THE ENTRANCE.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

• Village Museum

  One of the main tourist attractions, an 100.000 sq.m. open air area surrounded by many gardens and the Herastrau lake & park, where you will see over 100 representative houses from almost every county, wind mills, water mills, Danube Delta househoulds and fishing boats, old Saxon buildings from Transylvania and so on. Similar, the Peasant Museum indoor will introduce the spiritual life and the material life as well as farmer’s technique, and the exhibits of the former communist iconography with the only public portraits of Lenin, Stalin, Gheorghiu Dej and Ceausescu.

  Also, you will find a very good souvenir shop here.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

• Peasant Museum

  In 1912, they lay the cornerstone of what would become the ‘neo – Romanian’ building of the Museum close to the Road – how the people of Bucharest used to caress it. But completion will wait several decades, having to face the adversity of times and people. Since the early twentieth century to the present however, the Museum close to the Road was always in actuality accompanying history and reflecting national construction and its vicissitudes.

  This history begins, in a sense, before the establishment of the museum institution soon after the emergence of the United Principalities. In this early period of national construction, The Peasant has already become a central symbolic reference of the Romanian identity and peasant culture has begun to inquire more and more city dwellers. To give a boost to „domestic industry” who suffered from the competition of foreign products (fashion and moreover, cheaper, as a result of industrialization ), in 1863 Al. I. Cuza gives an order to organize exhibitions that should include Romanian peasant household products also .

  Museum close to the Road will continue its historic journey long after the fundamental changes after the Second World War. They were able to avoid its transformation into a barrack for the ” liberation army” but starting 1953 the building become the headquarter for the Lenin – Stalin Museum, of the Romanian Communist Party and of the Democratic Revolutionary Movement in Romania to reach “its final glory” as a sort of personal tribute museum to the ex- president, Nicolae Ceausescu.

  The universalistic vision rather than particularly ethnographic one brought the Romanian Peasant Museum the great international recognition in 1996: the EMYA Award as The Museum of the Year.

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

• Kuib Restaurant, Sinaia

  This is the place where you are spoiled, protected and cared for.

  You will find here a delightful mix between modern exterior architecture and the welcoming atmosphere, specific to restaurants from northern France. The entire resort proudly carries the green eco-label and offers services that don’t harm the environment. KUIB is the restaurant where you will spend many unforgettable and unique moments!

  Moreover, if you want an authentic experience, try the meat on volcanic rock. The chefs are ready to indulge your cravings whether we’re talking about chicken, traditional Romanian dishes or a delicious serving of kebap.