Zambaccian Museum
About Zambaccian Museum
The Zambaccian Museum occupies the house that the collector and art critic Krikor H. Zambaccian (1889–1962), a businessman of Armenian origin, built in the 1940s specifically to hold his paintings. The house was finished in 1942 and opened to the public one day a week. The collection and the building were donated to the state in three stages (1947, 1957 and 1962), and the museum was inaugurated on 1 March 1947.
After the 1977 earthquake the collection was moved to the Museum of Art Collections and returned to its own house in the 1990s. The building was strengthened and the exhibition space extended after 2008. Today the museum is a branch of the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR).
The visit is a small-scale one, close to walking through a lived-in home: paintings, sculpture, drawings and furniture gathered over five decades.
What to see
Romanian art runs from Theodor Aman, Nicolae Grigorescu and Ion Andreescu to Ștefan Luchian, Nicolae Tonitza, Theodor Pallady, Gheorghe Petrașcu and Corneliu Baba. The collection also has French and other European paintings by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Bonnard, Marquet, Utrillo and Picasso, which the museum describes as unique in Romania. The sculpture includes works by Brâncuși, Milița Petrașcu, Oscar Han and Cornel Medrea.
The inner courtyard, with its brick paving and flowers, holds busts and sculptures, and some of them can also be seen from the street, on the wall of the house.
Good to know
The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Guided visits must be booked in advance.
Information verified on 25 October 2026.
- Paul Cézanne's portrait of a girl, among the French canvases the museum presents as unique in Romania.
- The ground-floor hall with its wooden staircase and the upstairs gallery, where the paintings hang as in a lived-in house.
- Nicolae Tonitza's portraits and Ștefan Luchian's self-portrait, two landmarks of interwar Romanian painting.
- Canvases by French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists: Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro, Matisse, Bonnard.
- The inner courtyard with brick paving, flowers and busts.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the museum is in the north of Bucharest, in the Dorobanți district, on a side street near Piața Dorobanților. Parking is on the surrounding streets.
Public transport: several surface public transport lines stop around Piața Dorobanților; from there the museum is a walk away.
- Where to park
Parking is on the surrounding streets, in the paid parking zone. At weekends and at busy times the nearby spaces fill up quickly.
- Fees & discounts
Full ticket: 16 lei for adults, 4 lei for students and schoolchildren, 8 lei for pensioners. Admission is free on the first Wednesday of the month, on 1 December, on 15 January and for the categories exempted under the MNAR tariffs (children under 18 during school holidays, students and pupils of the fine arts, members of the Visual Artists' Union and others). Guided tour in Romanian: 150 lei per hour for 1–10 people; in English or French: 250 lei per hour for 1–10 people. Guided tours must be booked at least 7 days ahead.
- Rules
Bags larger than 30 × 25 × 20 cm, winter coats, umbrellas, and drinks or food are left in the cloakroom. Photos for personal use can be taken with a phone, without flash or tripod. Artworks must not be touched, and a distance of at least 1 metre is kept from them. No booking is needed for a visit without a guide.
- Facilities
cloakroom · online tickets · guided tours by appointment (Romanian, English, French)
Frequently asked questions about Zambaccian Museum
- How much is a ticket to Zambaccian Museum?
- A ticket to Zambaccian Museum costs 16 lei (students 4 lei, pensioners 8 lei). Full ticket: 16 lei for adults, 4 lei for students and schoolchildren, 8 lei for pensioners. Admission is free on the first Wednesday of the month, on 1 December, on 15 January and for the categories exempted under the MNAR tariffs (children under 18 during school holidays, students and pupils of the fine arts, members of the Visual Artists' Union and others). Guided tour in Romanian: 150 lei per hour for 1–10 people; in English or French: 250 lei per hour for 1–10 people. Guided tours must be booked at least 7 days ahead.
- What are the opening hours of Zambaccian Museum?
- Opening hours at Zambaccian Museum: Monday–Tuesday closed, Wednesday–Friday 10:00 – 18:00, Saturday–Sunday 11:00 – 19:00. Wednesday–Friday 10:00–18:00, Saturday–Sunday 11:00–19:00; the ticket office closes 30 minutes before the museum closes. Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, 1, 2, 6, 7 and 24 January, at Orthodox Easter, on the first and second day of Whitsun, on 1 May, 1 June, 15 August, 30 November and 25–26 December.
- How long does a visit to Zambaccian Museum take?
- A visit to Zambaccian Museum takes about ½ – 1 hours (small house with intimate rooms).
- Can you visit Zambaccian Museum with kids?
- Yes, Zambaccian Museum is suitable for children (small museum with a sculpture courtyard).
- Where can I park at Zambaccian Museum?
- There is paid parking at Zambaccian Museum (on the surrounding streets). Parking is on the surrounding streets, in the paid parking zone. At weekends and at busy times the nearby spaces fill up quickly.
- How do I get to Zambaccian Museum?
- Zambaccian Museum is located at Strada Muzeul Zambaccian 21A, București. By car: the museum is in the north of Bucharest, in the Dorobanți district, on a side street near Piața Dorobanților. Parking is on the surrounding streets. Public transport: several surface public transport lines stop around Piața Dorobanților; from there the museum is a walk away.
- When is the best time to visit Zambaccian Museum?
- The best season for Zambaccian Museum: All year round (open all year round).
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