# King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)

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> Bucharest's largest park, on the shore of Lake Herăstrău: nearly 190 hectares of strolling paths, the Japanese Garden, Caryatid Alley and Rose Island.

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

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The park has no gates and I could not find an official opening schedule; according to guides you can enter at any time, free of charge. Steamboat rides and the rental of rowing boats and pedal boats are seasonal (in 2025: steamboat trips 9 am–7 pm, boats 9 am–6 pm), but in 2026 the lake is drained for works and no schedule has been announced for this year. Check alpab.ro.
- **Ticket:** Free — free entry to the park
- **Visit duration:** 2 – 2½ hours — walk round the lake, with stops
- **With kids:** Yes — playgrounds, wide paths
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — on the surrounding streets
- **Best season:** April – October — cherry blossom in April, greenery in summer
- **Address:** Charles de Gaulle Square, at the end of Kiseleff Road, București
- **Coordinates:** 44.4733, 26.0884
- **Website:** https://alpab.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Michael_I_Park
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2074133
- **Categories:** [Parks and gardens](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-si-gradini), [Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacuri)

## About King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)

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.

### What you can see

The best-known entrance is from Charles de Gaulle Square, through Caryatid Alley: two rows of artificial-stone statues, 2006 copies of Constantin Baraschi's original group from 1939. From here wide paths lead to the lake, to Rose Island, where busts of the founding fathers of the European Union stand on a roundabout, and to the Japanese Garden, with Japanese cherry trees that usually bloom in April. Along the way there are also the statue of Charles de Gaulle, the Summer Theatre, the lock on Lake Herăstrău and, next to the park, the "Dimitrie Gusti" National Village Museum.

### Good to know

Since 2 June 2026 the lake has been drained so that its banks can be consolidated, a job estimated at 13 months; sport fishing and water sports are suspended, and the park is also a building site at several points along the waterfront. I could not find an ALPAB announcement about steamboat rides and boat rental in 2026, so check before you come. The regeneration of the park, including the paths and the historic zone, is planned over about four years.

## Don't miss

- Caryatid Alley, the entrance from Charles de Gaulle Square, with two rows of stone statues.
- The Japanese Garden, with Japanese cherry trees that usually bloom in April.
- Rose Island, with the busts of the founding fathers of the European Union and a view over the lake.
- The walk round the lake on the path of almost 6 km, on foot or by bike.
- The "Dimitrie Gusti" National Village Museum and the Summer Theatre, on the lakeshore.

## 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

## Details

- **Lake type:** artificial
- **Area:** 74 ha
- **Swimming allowed:** No
- **Year established:** 1936
- **Type of park:** urban park
- **Playground:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)

**How much is a ticket to King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)?**

Admission to King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) is free (free entry to the park). 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.

**How long does a visit to King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) take?**

A visit to King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) takes about 2 – 2½ hours (walk round the lake, with stops).

**Can you visit King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) with kids?**

Yes, King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) is suitable for children (playgrounds, wide paths).

**Where can I park at King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)?**

There is paid parking at King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) (on the surrounding streets). 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.

**How do I get to King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)?**

King Michael I Park (Herăstrău) is located at Charles de Gaulle Square, at the end of Kiseleff Road, București. 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.

**When is the best time to visit King Michael I Park (Herăstrău)?**

The best season for King Michael I Park (Herăstrău): April – October (cherry blossom in April, greenery in summer).

## Nearby attractions

- [Primăverii Palace](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/palatul-primaverii) — Castles and palaces · București · 85 lei · 45 min · Top 100 · 1 km
  The Bucharest home of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu from 1965 to 1989, also known as the Ceaușescu Mansion or Spring Palace, with its lavish interiors, mosaic pool and private cinema, seen on guided tours only.
- [Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-national-al-satului-dimitrie-gusti) — Museums and memorial houses · București · 40 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · 1 km
  An open-air ethnographic museum on the shore of Lake Herăstrău, in the middle of Bucharest: farmsteads, wooden churches, mills and workshops brought from all over the country and rebuilt here since 1936.
- [Arch of Triumph](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/arcul-de-triumf) — Monuments and historic sites · București · 15 lei · 45 min · 1 km
  The 27 m interwar monument at the end of Șoseaua Kiseleff, built in memory of the Great Union, with 292 steps up to a terrace overlooking northern Bucharest.
- [National Museum of the Romanian Peasant](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-national-al-taranului-roman) — Museums and memorial houses · București · 20 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 3 km
  The museum in the Neo-Romanian building on Kiseleff Road, named European Museum of the Year in 1996, keeps over 100,000 objects of peasant art and civilisation.
- [Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-de-istorie-naturala-grigore-antipa) — Museums and memorial houses · București · 32 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 3 km
  The museum on Kiseleff Road holds the 1907 dioramas, the Deinotherium skeleton and over 2 million zoological, palaeontological and mineralogical pieces, in a building inaugurated in 1908.
- [Romanian Athenaeum](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ateneul-roman) — Monuments and historic sites · București · 15 lei · 45 min · 5 km
  The concert hall in the heart of Bucharest, built in 1886–1888 and paid for largely by public subscription: Ionic columns outside, a fresco over 70 m long telling the story of the Romanians inside.

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