Mogoșoaia Palace
Mogoșoaia, Ilfov County · Muntenia
About Mogoșoaia Palace
Mogoșoaia Palace is the best-preserved princely residence in the Brâncovenesc style. Constantin Brâncoveanu bought the estate in 1681, first built the church of Saint George (1688) and then, between 1698 and 1702, the palace itself, intended for his son Ștefan. The style blends Wallachian building traditions with Oriental, Renaissance and Baroque elements: exposed brick, windows with trefoil arches and a loggia with carved stone columns opening towards the lake.
After Brâncoveanu was executed in Constantinople in 1714, the Ottomans seized the estate and turned the palace into an inn. It was bought back by Ștefan Cantacuzino and returned to the family's descendants, but suffered in the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 and again in 1821. From 1832 it belonged to the Bibescu family, and in 1911 it passed, as a wedding gift, to the writer Martha Bibescu, who restored it between 1912 and 1935 and made it a meeting place for interwar European society. Nationalised in 1945, the palace was looted in the following years and became a museum in 1957.
Today the ensemble is run by the "Brâncovenesc Palaces at the Gates of Bucharest" cultural centre and is the most popular day trip around the capital: an estate of gardens, lakeside paths and historic buildings less than an hour from the city centre.
What you can see
You enter the court of honour under the gate tower with its columned belvedere. To the right is the cuhnia, the old princely kitchen, a square building with four ventilation towers, now used for exhibitions. In the palace, the ground-floor and first-floor rooms hold the permanent art display and temporary exhibitions, while the vaulted brick cellar, with its four domes, shows fresco fragments rescued from Văcărești Monastery, demolished in the 1980s. The finest view of the palace is from the Italian garden and the lake, where the loggia and carved balconies stand out best.
Outside the court of honour, the church of Saint George keeps the votive painting of Constantin Brâncoveanu, Princess Maria and their children, and under a slab bearing the Bibescu coat of arms lies George Valentin Bibescu, Martha's husband. Further on, in the English park that Martha Bibescu laid out in 1921–1922, are the Bibescu family chapel and crypt, the greenhouses built in 1890 and the ice house.
Good to know
The park and outer courtyard are free to visit; the ticket covers only the palace, the kitchen and the exhibitions. The palace is closed on Mondays. The estate is often used for events, photo shoots and weddings, especially at weekends.
- The loggia with carved stone columns on the lake-facing front, seen from the Italian garden.
- The palace cellar, with brick vaults and domes, where frescoes rescued from Văcărești Monastery are displayed.
- The cuhnia, the princely kitchen with four ventilation towers, and the gate tower with its belvedere.
- The votive painting in the church of Saint George, showing Constantin Brâncoveanu, Princess Maria and their eleven children.
- The walk along Lake Mogoșoaia to the Bibescu family chapel and crypt and the greenhouses.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: leave Bucharest along Calea Griviței and Bucureștii Noi Boulevard, then follow the DN1A towards Buftea; the entrance to the estate is on Strada Valea Parcului, ~15 km from the city centre (30–45 minutes, depending on traffic). From Ploiești it is ~55 km on the DN1 and the Bucharest ring road.
Public transport: bus 460 (STB) runs from the Dămăroaia district, with stops at Laromet and "Palatul Mogoșoaia", right at the entrance; Laromet is reached by metro line M4 (Parc Bazilescu) or by tram. Alternatively, take the CFR train from Gara de Nord to the Parc Mogoșoaia halt (~20 minutes), then walk through the park.
- Where to park
The car park at the entrance costs 10 lei per vehicle per day (set by the estate's administration). On sunny weekends and during events it fills up by midday; come in the morning or park on the village streets, a few minutes' walk away.
- Fees & discounts
The park and outer courtyard are free. For the palace, kitchen and exhibitions: adults 15 lei, pupils, students and pensioners 8 lei; pre-school children and people with disabilities enter free. Guided tour in Romanian 10 lei per person, in English or Spanish 15 lei per person. Photography fee inside the palace 20 lei per person; family photo sessions are charged separately (500 lei). Tickets can also be bought online.
- Rules
Photography inside the palace requires a fee; professional or family photo shoots must be booked and paid for separately. Dogs are allowed in the park on a lead, under the administration's rules, but not inside the palace. Guided tours are booked by phone. The palace has stairs and no lift; the park paths are straight and wide.
- Facilities
restaurant and accommodation at the conference centre on the estate · guided tours in Romanian, English and Spanish · online tickets · paid car park · pushchair-friendly paths, stairs inside the palace
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