# Cișmigiu Gardens

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Muntenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/muntenia) › [București](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/bucuresti)

> Bucharest's oldest public park, laid out from 1847 in the landscape style around a lake, with shady avenues, the Writers' Rotunda and romantic stone corners, right in the city centre.

**At a glance:** Parks and gardens in București. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 1 – 1½ hours. Information verified on 9 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The park is public and free; there is no published official opening schedule (the website of ALPAB, the administrator, could not be consulted). In summer rowing boats and pedal boats can be hired at the landing, and in winter an ice rink is usually set up on the lake; the schedule and prices for 2026–2027 are not confirmed, so check on the spot or with ALPAB.
- **Ticket:** Free — public park, no ticket
- **Visit duration:** 1 – 1½ hours — a stroll with stops
- **With kids:** Yes — modernised playgrounds
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — on the surrounding streets
- **Best season:** April – October — boats in summer, leaves in autumn
- **Address:** Regina Elisabeta boulevard (main entrance), București
- **Coordinates:** 44.43726, 26.0906
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ci%C8%99migiu_Gardens
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q959632
- **Categories:** [Parks and gardens](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parks-and-gardens)

## About Cișmigiu Gardens

Cișmigiu Gardens is the oldest public park in Bucharest and the largest in the central area, at roughly 14–16 hectares (sources disagree), between Regina Elisabeta boulevard, Schitu Măgureanu boulevard and Știrbei Vodă street. The name comes from the "cișmigiu", the official who looked after the city's public fountains: one of them lived here, beside an unhealthy pond that stayed in Bucharest memory as "the lake of Dura the Merchant". The land passed into public use in 1845, and under Prince Gheorghe Bibescu, from 1847, the German gardener Wilhelm Meyer, helped by Franz Hörer, turned the pond into an English-style park, with a lake, winding paths and a romantic landscape of rocks. Meyer died in 1852 and his team finished the work; the official inauguration is dated 1847 or 1854, depending on the source. The whole is a listed historic monument (LMI code B-II-a-A-19655).

### What you can see

The park centres on the lake, with its bridges and a boat landing where, in summer, you can hire rowing boats and pedal boats. The wide avenues, lined with old trees and iron benches, are the best for a stroll, and in season there are flower beds in front of the State Archives. The **Writers' Rotunda**, laid out in 1943, is a circular platform with the busts of 12 Romanian writers, from Eminescu and Caragiale to Creangă and Alecsandri. Among the monuments in the park are the one to the French heroes of the First World War, in Carrara marble, made by Ion Jalea and inaugurated in 1922, the Monument of the American Heroes, from 2002, and the Sissi Stefanidi Fountain. In a more secluded corner, "La Cetate", there are stone walls and vaults in the romantic style, around which legends about a vanished monastery have grown. The playgrounds were modernised in 2023.

### Good to know

The lake was drained in June 2022 for the repair of the Great Bridge and refilled in 2023; in March 2026 the city hall filled it again after cleaning the basin (about 7–10 days, 29,000 cubic metres of water). In April 2026 illegal structures around some kiosks were demolished. The boats run only in the warm season, and in winter an ice rink is usually set up; there is no published official schedule for 2026–2027, so check at the landing or with ALPAB.

## Don't miss

- The lake in the middle of the park, with its bridges and the landing from which you set out in a boat in summer.
- The Writers' Rotunda, with the busts of 12 Romanian writers, laid out in 1943.
- The avenues shaded by old trees, with iron benches, especially in autumn when they are covered in yellow leaves.
- The "La Cetate" corner, with stone walls and vaults in the romantic style.
- The monument to the French heroes in Carrara marble, made by Ion Jalea in 1922.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the park is right in the centre of Bucharest, opposite the General City Hall, on Regina Elisabeta boulevard, and the centre is congested; the simplest thing is to leave the car elsewhere and walk. Access is free through several entrances, from Regina Elisabeta boulevard, Schitu Măgureanu boulevard and Știrbei Vodă street.

**Public transport:** the nearest metro stations are Universitate and Izvor, 5–7 minutes on foot. From Gara de Nord it is ~2.5 km, by metro or tram (check the current routes on the STB website).

### Where to park

The park has no car park of its own. Spaces on the surrounding streets are paid, in meter or app zones, and fill up quickly at weekends and on summer evenings.

### Fees & discounts

Entry to the park is free. Rowing boats, pedal boats and the ice rink are paid; there is no published official tariff for 2026–2027, so ask at the landing or check with ALPAB.

### Rules

Follow the signs in the park: pets only on a lead, do not pick the flowers or walk on the beds. Boats are taken only at the landing.

### Facilities

paved paths · benches · playgrounds · boat landing · kiosks and terraces · metro 5–7 minutes away

## Details

- **Year established:** 1847
- **Area:** 14.6 ha
- **Type of park:** landscape park
- **Playground:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Cișmigiu Gardens

**How much is a ticket to Cișmigiu Gardens?**

Admission to Cișmigiu Gardens is free (public park, no ticket). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**How long does a visit to Cișmigiu Gardens take?**

A visit to Cișmigiu Gardens takes about 1 – 1½ hours (a stroll with stops).

**Can you visit Cișmigiu Gardens with kids?**

Yes, Cișmigiu Gardens is suitable for children (modernised playgrounds).

**Where can I park at Cișmigiu Gardens?**

There is paid parking at Cișmigiu Gardens (on the surrounding streets). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Cișmigiu Gardens?**

Cișmigiu Gardens is located at Regina Elisabeta boulevard (main entrance), București. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Cișmigiu Gardens?**

The best season for Cișmigiu Gardens: April – October (boats in summer, leaves in autumn).

## Nearby attractions

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- [Carol I Central University Library](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/carol-i-central-university-library) — Monuments and historic sites · București · 50 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 1 km
  The former Carol I University Foundation, built in 1891–1895 to plans by Paul Gottereau on Revolution Square: a Beaux-Arts façade with a pediment and domes, an Aula that survived the 1989 fire, and visits by guided tour only.

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Last updated: 9 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania