For a hearty taste of the real Europe, Old Europe, far from the lights of Paris, traffic of London and romance of Rome, one must venture to the capital of Romania. On the picturesque shores of the D?mbovita River, breathtaking Bucharest has a surfeit of excellence in store for lucky visitors.

The inter-World War period gave the city the nickname Micul Paris, or “Little Paris of the East”. Just as Beirut’s association with the capital of France has always been a somewhat awkward and inadequate comparison, so too was Bucharest’s. In truth, the city’s energetic population of over 2.5 million dwells in gorgeous confines, with unbelievable architectural diversity from one street to another. However, Bucharest requires no juxtaposition with Paris to explain the city’s appeal. These ten must-see attractions do the job quite nicely.

10. National Museum of Art of Romania

The best place to see works by international masters like Jan van Eyck, Jan Brueghel the Elder, El Greco, Tintoretto, Peter Paul Rubens, and Rembrandt, in addition to the best of Romanian art over the past several hundred years, the National Museum of Art stands tall in Revolution Square.

9. Museum of the Romanian Peasant

With so many museums to choose from in Europe, how do you select the “best” for a given year? Well, someone did just that in 1996 for the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. A terrific showcase of agrarian and peasant life over the years from every corner of the country, the beautiful facility has a collection of over 100,000 objects.

8. Jewish Museum

The fact that Bucharest’s United Holy Temple made it through World War II and the vicious Nicolae Ceaucescu regime unscathed borders on miraculous. Today the synagogue is home to the superb Jewish Museum, which chronicles every aspect of the oft-persecuted and once-vibrant minority community in Romania.

7. Curtea Veche

Curtea Veche translates as Old Princely Court and dates back to the rule of Vlad III Dracula in the 15th century. A former focal point of civic life in Bucharest, the landmark now contains a museum.

6. Cismigiu Garden

A large central park in Bucharest, Cismigiu Garden is a great congregation point for city residents. The park is a perenial backdrop in famous Romanian literature and contains a slew of vital national landmarks.

5. National Museum of Romanian History

Adjacent to the D?mbovita River on beautiful Calea Victoriei, the resplendent National Museum of Romanian History is a veritable education in the country from prehistory to today. The facility is about to add many more objects as a massive archaeological excavation is underway below the foundation.

4. CEC Palace

The future home of the Art Museum of Bucharest, the CEC Palace was built in the last three years of the 19th century and remains a notable architectural masterpiece to the present day.

3. Athenaeum

Rebuilt in 1992 after a century of relative indifference, the Athenaeum is one of the premier concert halls in Europe. Smack dab in the center of Bucharest, the peerless landmark is as much a symbol of the city as a place of musical performance. The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra is the main patron of the grand facility.

2. Village Museum

A de facto human zoo of sorts, Bucharest’s Village Museum puts traditional Romanian life in vivid, to-scale context. The open-air museum in beautiful Herastrau Park literally brings the village to the people of the capital and as a result, is a great treat for visitors who may never get out of Bucharest to explore the rest of Romania.

1. Palace of Parliament

A regular entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, the Palace of Parliament is second only to The Pentagon in size. Where the Palace beats out the latter however, is in every other category. Though many remember the massive Parliament as a physical reminder of Nicolae Ceaucescu’s ego and power lust, the landmark is a definite must.

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