Primăverii Palace
București · Muntenia
About Primăverii Palace
Primăverii Palace, now run as a museum under the name "Ceaușescu Mansion" (Casa Ceaușescu), was for a quarter of a century, from 1965 to 1989, the private home of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu and their children, Nicu, Zoia and Valentin. The villa on Primăverii Boulevard, in the district then reserved for the communist leadership, was built in the mid-1960s and enlarged between 1970 and 1972 to designs by the architect Aron Grimberg-Solari.
The interiors are the work of the architects Robert Woll, who also designed much of the furniture, and Agrippa Popescu. The panelling and carved doors use Romanian woods (oak, sycamore, cherry, walnut) and exotic ones (mahogany, rosewood, African pearwood), while the walls are covered in silk, hand-woven tapestries and mosaics by Olga Porumbaru and Florin Pârvulescu. The art collection in the house includes paintings by Octav Băncilă, Camil Ressu, Dumitru Ghiață and George Löwendal.
After the Revolution the building remained a state guest residence, managed by the RA-APPS agency, and opened to the public as a museum in 2016. It is not a classic museum of communism but a lived-in house, with its original furniture and belongings, showing how the family that ruled the country during the years of shortages lived in private.
What you can see
The guided tour takes you through the reception rooms, with large tapestries, chandeliers and massive carved wooden doors, Nicolae Ceaușescu's study and the family apartments, with the couple's bedroom and the children's rooms. The bathrooms are among the most photographed rooms: the couple's own is lined with gold mosaic and fitted with gilded taps. The house also has an indoor swimming pool, its walls covered in a colourful mosaic of suns, waves and birds, and the private cinema where the family watched films. Outside, a columned portico with a stone balustrade opens onto the inner garden.
Good to know
Visits are only possible in guided groups, in Romanian or English, with a ticket bought online or a booking. Photography and filming inside are forbidden. The house is closed on Mondays and on Romanian public holidays. There is no wheelchair access, and pushchairs are not allowed on the tour.
- The indoor swimming pool, its walls covered in a vividly coloured mosaic of suns, waves and birds.
- The Ceaușescus' own bathroom, lined with gold mosaic, with large mirrors and carved white furniture.
- The private cinema where the family screened its films.
- The reception rooms with hand-woven tapestries, chandeliers and massive carved wooden doors.
- The columned portico with its stone balustrade facing the inner garden.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the palace is in the north of Bucharest, in the Primăverii district (Sector 1), ~5 km north of Piața Unirii and ~1 km from Piața Charles de Gaulle. From the centre, head up Calea Dorobanților or Bulevardul Aviatorilor to Piața Charles de Gaulle, then follow Bulevardul Primăverii to number 50.
Public transport: take metro line M2 to Aviatorilor, then walk ~15–20 minutes via Piața Charles de Gaulle. STB buses 131, 282, 301, 330, 331 and 335 stop at Piața Charles de Gaulle, about a 10-minute walk away.
- Fees & discounts
Standard ticket with a guided tour (Romanian or English) 85 lei; pupils, students and pensioners 70 lei, with proof of status. Guided tour plus the documentary "One History" (25 minutes, not at every time slot) 115 lei; the film on its own 50 lei. Audio guide in French, Spanish, Italian or German 27 lei, only together with a tour ticket. Private tour 295 lei per person, booked by phone. Children under 7 enter free, as do war veterans, heroes of the Revolution and other categories set by law. Tickets are sold online for a specific time slot.
- Rules
Visits are exclusively guided, in groups of up to 25 people; groups of more than 10 must book by phone and online. Photography and filming are strictly forbidden. Pushchairs are not allowed on the tour, and wheelchair access is not possible because of the layout of the building.
- Facilities
online tickets for set time slots · guided tours in Romanian and English · audio guide in French, Spanish, Italian and German · documentary film · no wheelchair access
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