Palace of Parliament Entry Ticket with Guided Tour Bucharest

The Palace of Parliament: history of a giant

The Palace of Parliament stands on a low hill at the end of the wide Unirii Boulevard, its pale stone mass dominating the skyline of central Bucharest. Construction began in 1984 under the communist regime, which cleared a large part of the historic city, including old quarters, churches and monasteries, to make room for a new political centre. Thousands of workers and hundreds of architects worked on it day and night, and the building was still unfinished when the regime fell in 1989.

Everything inside was made with Romanian materials: marble from Transylvania, local timber, glass and textiles. The palace has twelve floors above ground and several more below, with more than a thousand rooms, and it is often described as the heaviest building in the world. Today it houses both chambers of the Romanian Parliament, conference centres and a museum of contemporary art, and it is the top Bucharest landmark for visitors.

Inside the palace: Hall of Honour, Pink Room and the great ballroom

Your Palace of Parliament tour begins in the Hall of Honour, where busts of historic Romanian rulers from the Middle Ages to the modern era line the walls and where politicians now meet the press. From there you walk through enormous hallways decorated with marble, gilded ceilings and chandeliers weighing several tonnes, and past rooms named after Romanian poets, scholars and statesmen of the past.

The guide then shows you the Pink Room, used for international conferences, and the Music Hall, where well-known performers have given concerts. The finale is the great ballroom, also known as the Union Hall, a vast space with a retractable ceiling that is comparable in size to four football pitches joined together. Standing under its chandeliers is the moment that makes visitors understand the true scale of the building.

Palace of Parliament tickets, ID and opening hours

Visits are only possible with a guide, and the number of places per tour is limited, so Palace of Parliament tickets are best booked in advance, especially in summer and on weekends. This ticket includes entry and the guided tour in English at a fixed time, usually late morning or mid-afternoon. Because the palace is a working parliament, the route and the length of the tour can change for official events, and the guide will tell you on the day.

Security is strict, like at an airport. You need your original passport; citizens of the European Union may use an original identity card. Photocopies and driving licences are not accepted, and visitors without valid ID cannot enter. Taking photos inside requires an extra permit, sold at the entrance. Large bags are not allowed, so travel light and arrive 15 minutes before your time.

Around the palace: Unirii Boulevard and the Old Town

The palace was planned as the end point of a grand avenue, today's Unirii Boulevard, lined with fountains and apartment blocks in the monumental style of the 1980s and designed to rival the great boulevards of Western Europe. From the front of the palace you see the whole axis stretching east towards Unirii Square, a striking view especially in the evening when the fountains are lit.

After the tour, the historic Old Town, Lipscani, is a 15-minute walk away, with its churches, inns and lively cafés, and the hill of the Patriarchal Cathedral is close by. Izvor Park, beside the palace, offers the best wide photo of the facade. If you are asking how to get to the Palace of Parliament, the nearest metro station is Izvor, about 10 minutes on foot from the visitors' entrance.