Royal Palace

About Royal Palace

At a glance: Castles and palaces in București. Opening hours: Monday–Tuesday closed, Wednesday–Friday 10:00 – 18:00, Saturday–Sunday 11:00 – 19:00. Ticket: 32 lei. The visit takes 2½ – 3 hours. Information verified on 30 September 2026.

On Calea Victoriei, in what used to be Palace Square, the Royal Palace was the centre of power in Romania for a century. Its site was once occupied by the house of the boyar Dinicu Golescu, which became the residence of Prince Alexandru Ghica in 1837 and later of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Prince Carol of Hohenzollern was installed here in 1866 and gradually enlarged the building. After the fire of December 1926, King Carol II rebuilt the palace in the 1930s to plans by the architect Nicolae Nenciulescu, with Queen Marie closely involved in the decoration; the north wing, towards Strada Știrbei Vodă, was added by 1940.

The building survived the German bombing of 24 August 1944, became the "Palace of the Republic" under communism, when the reception rooms were used by the State Council, and was largely burnt in December 1989. It has housed the national art museum since 1950, and since 1990 the whole palace has belonged to the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR), which reopened in stages after 2000.

A visit combines two things: the monarchy's great ceremonial rooms, restored and open to the public since 2013, and the museum's galleries, with old and modern Romanian art and works from King Carol I's former collection.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: the palace is in central Bucharest, on Calea Victoriei, on Revolution Square, ~2 km from Piața Unirii. Calea Victoriei is busy and there are few parking spaces nearby; it is easier to leave the car further out and come by public transport.

Public transport: the nearest metro station is Universitate (M2), a ~15-minute walk along Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta and Calea Victoriei; from Piața Romană (M2) it is a ~20-minute walk along Calea Victoriei. STB buses and trolleybuses also run along Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta.

Where to park

The museum has no visitor car park. Around Revolution Square you park on the surrounding streets or in public car parks, all paid and often full on weekdays. The metro is the most convenient option.

Fees & discounts

Ticket for a single section (National Art Gallery, European Art Gallery, European Decorative Art Gallery + Oriental Art Gallery, or the historic rooms): adults 32 lei, pensioners 16 lei, pupils, students, Euro 26 card holders up to 30 and adults with a moderate or mild disability 8 lei. Historic rooms + one gallery: 56 lei. All four galleries: 60 lei. The complete main building (galleries + historic rooms): 80 lei, reduced 40/20 lei. Combined tickets with the Museum of Art Collections (100 lei) or also with the Zambaccian and Pallady museums (120 lei). Entry is free on the first Wednesday of the month, on 1 December and on 15 January, and all year round for pre-school children, children under 18 during school holidays and other categories set by law. Guided tours run by the museum cost 50 lei per person; a private guide costs 150 lei per hour in Romanian and 250 lei per hour in English or French (groups of up to 10). Tickets are also sold online.

Rules

No booking is needed for self-guided visits; guided tours are booked by e-mail at least 7–10 days ahead. Bags larger than 30 × 25 × 20 cm, umbrellas, winter coats, food and drinks must be left in the cloakroom. Photography for personal use is allowed with a phone, without flash or tripod; wedding, christening or other private photo shoots are not allowed in the historic rooms. Do not touch the works and keep at least 1 m away from them.

Facilities

cloakroom · museum shop · guided tours in Romanian, English and French, by booking · online tickets · displays accessible to visitors with reduced mobility, with a companion