King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)

About King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)

At a glance: Parks and gardens in București. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 2 – 2½ hours. Information verified on 9 October 2026.

King Michael I of Romania Park, still known to everyone as Herăstrău, is the largest park in Bucharest, with almost 190 hectares in the north of the city, between Charles de Gaulle Square and the Aviatorilor area. The land was a marsh in the Colentina valley, drained in the 1930s. The park was planned by the architects Ernest Pinard and Friedrich Rebhuhn, with the paths by Octav Doicescu; it opened in 1939 as the National Park, then King Carol II Park and, under communism, "I. V. Stalin" Park. It has kept the name Herăstrău, after the lake, in everyday use ever since. On 19 December 2017 the Bucharest General Council gave it its current name, in memory of King Michael I. The park is a listed historic monument (LMI code B-II-a-A-18802).

At its centre is Lake Herăstrău, an artificial lake of about 74 hectares laid out on the Colentina river. The path around it is almost 6 km long, and since 2017 you can walk or cycle all the way round without having to climb onto the railway bridge.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: the park is in the north of Bucharest, ~2.5 km from Piața Victoriei and ~3 km from Gara de Nord railway station, at the end of Kiseleff Road. From the centre you get there along Kiseleff Road or Aviatorilor Boulevard; the area is busy at weekends, with building sites on the lakeshore.

Public transport: the simplest way is the metro, line M2, Aviatorilor station, with an exit towards the park; buses along Kiseleff Road also run towards the entrance from Charles de Gaulle Square. Check the current routes on the STB website. The entrance next to the Arcul de Triumf is ~1 km away.

Where to park

The park has no car park of its own; you park on the surrounding streets, paid in the central zone of Sector 1, and at weekends the spaces fill up quickly. The simplest thing is to come by metro or by bike.

Fees & discounts

Entry to the park is free. In 2025 a steamboat ride cost 18 lei for adults and 12 lei for pensioners and children aged 7–14, and rowing boats and pedal boats 12 lei an hour (source: ALPAB, via the press); no fares have been announced for 2026, because the lake is drained for works.

Rules

Swimming in the lake is not allowed. Sport fishing is only allowed in the areas and under the conditions set by the administrator (currently stopped while the lake is drained). Follow the signs in the park about dogs, bicycles and work zones; do not enter the building sites on the lakeshore.

Facilities

pedestrian paths and cycle lanes · playgrounds · benches · terraces and restaurants on the shore · lock with a small museum · Summer Theatre