Don't waste your time! Go there!

See what HUGE means in Romanian: Visit the Palace of Parliament.

“Do you like it?” This is the question that almost all foreigners visiting the Palace of Parliament are asked on the spot by their Romanian friends or guides. Do you like it...?, we don't know but you will be shocked, and believe us, everybody visiting this building is.

The Palace of Parliament is not a building that you like or you dislike, so ignore those mumbled “yes” or “no”. It’s a building you cannot ignore. That’s because it’s HUGE. And HUGE is the best word we can use for describing it!

Now, do you think Ceausescu (Romania's famous dictator) had something terribly small and instead of buying a big car as an ordinary man would do, ordered this palace? No one knows. But the fact rests and it’s quite funny: this palace’ chief architect was a woman! Anca Petrescu is her name and she works as an MP right inside the building she designed!

So go check your Guinness Book and see that:

1. It’s the largest civil building in the world.
2. Only second largest building after the Pentagon.
3. It is the most EXPENSIVE building in the world.
4. It contains the world’s biggest carpet.
5. It contains the world’s biggest chandelier, and second biggest, and the third.

Well, we can go on listing things but you better go there and see for yourself. Think yourself of being lucky for this chance: First, because communism ended in 1989, in Romania. Accordingly you can visit Ceausescu’s office, but not Kim’s. Second, because after 1990 it was decided that this building should be completed. Thus it wasn’t covered with dirt and transformed into a natural hill as proposed. Third, because this building - after being completed - became the House of Parliament and not a brothel as suggested by mass media.

So it’s time you visit it and get a sense of why history and politics are so complicated but interesting in Romania.(Urban legend goes, the Palace has a secret subway station, so question is: have you ever seen a brothel with a secret subway station not to mention A-bomb shelters?::))

Read more

Here’s a link to wikipedia.

Why to go

We gave you all reasons to go. If you are not convinced yet think of a new reason by yourself.

Why not to go

You have a phobia for large spaces.

How to get there

Walk from your central hotel in Bucharest. Location is Parcul Izvor.

By subway: Get down at Izvor station.

By bus: See the bus map for bus numbers and directions here.

When to go: Around the year. Check here the schedule and dates.

WARNING

When Bush was there it was closed for tourists, so when Obama steps in, try to go the previous or next day.

Where to stay

Oh yes, you have more than enough to choose from. See a list of hotels in Bucharest here.