Palace of Parliament — Attraction in Bucharest

I’ve read quite a lot about this massive structure and it’s respective history and was genuinely excited by the prospect of touring the inside. I had zero expectations of seeing everything due to its massive size, however after finally securing tickets, I was hopeful to see at least the highlights of the structure and learn some interesting details that I hadn’t already read about. Sadly, none of this happened.

We were told to arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to our scheduled tour, only to stand in the blazing sun for almost 50 minutes before being greeted and welcomed. Once inside, similar to airport security, you must remove watches, belts, phones, cameras, etc for X-ray scanning then once completed, you gather within your tour group and wait for the tour to begin.

I have been on many, many, many guided tours though out the world and I can say with 100% confidence; this tour was the worst I’ve ever experienced. The tour began and then continued through several massive, marble lined rooms that amplified and echoed ALL sounds, including the one voice that was the guide. No one and I mean literally no one, was able to hear a single word from our tour guides mouth as she made ZERO efforts to speak louder or request everyone’s attention. We quickly wondered from one massive room to the next (absolutely stunning from the little we did see) and heard nothing but a distant, monotone, mumbling voice of the guide speaking, none of which was loud enough to be comprehensible. Everyone in our group (about 20-25 people) were all looking at one another and shrugging, or smiling and shaking their head as clearly I wasn’t the only one filled with confusion and disappointment. The tour was so rushed that you literally needed to take photos as you walked as you would have been quickly left behind otherwise. The guide walked our group through four or five massive rooms, then returned everyone to the same security checkpoint where we first started, all within about 50 minutes and leaving everyone including myself very disappointed and frustrated. What a waste of time and money!!

You could say that it was our tour guides fault for this low review and that certainly is part of the reason, but the reality is that I’m guessing all of the guides take the same predetermined route and approximately the same amount of time, leaving everyone who tours this structure feeling rushed and disappointed on how little you actually get to see, be forewarned.

An interesting side note, the guide allowed everyone to ask questions at the end of the tour and I took this opportunity to inquire about something I had read. According to several sources, only about 30% of the structure is being used and 70% of the Palace of Parliament remains unused and in an unfinished state. The tour guide quickly answered that this was absolutely untrue and that 100% of the structure is fully complete and currently being used. Once I exited the building, I looked through several of the windows of the building only to see raw concrete walls and crumbling ceilings, various raw materials scattered thorough out the rooms and what looked like mold on the interior walls, clearly unfinished and unused! Don’t take my word, have a peek for yourself. There are about 15 to 20 exterior window that run parallel to the sidewalk, you can easily look inside and see for yourself. Clearly this is not something that the guides want you to know about and hide the facts, although I’m not sure why.

Hopefully this review was enlightened, I wish I had read a similar review like this prior to wasting my time and money, hopefully it will help you save...

Visiting the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest is an experience that is at once awe-inspiring, overwhelming, and deeply thought-provoking. The guided tour offers a rare glimpse into one of the most extravagant and controversial buildings in Europe — a monument that stands as both a testament to human ambition and a reminder of the excesses of dictatorship.

From the very start of the tour, the sheer scale of the building is striking. Each corridor seems endless, with vast marble halls lined with grand arches, ornate ceilings, and glittering chandeliers. The craftsmanship is undeniably impressive: marble from Transylvania, crystal from Murano, and carpets so large they had to be woven inside the rooms themselves. Every space conveys opulence — from the marble-clad staircases and red-carpeted corridors to the enormous meeting halls and ceremonial rooms that once symbolized political power.

The guide provides fascinating context about the building’s history. Ordered by Nicolae Ceaușescu in the 1980s, the Palace was meant to embody Romania’s socialist triumph. Yet it also consumed enormous national resources, built at a time when ordinary citizens faced hardship. Hearing these contrasts while standing amid such grandeur makes the experience feel both majestic and unsettling.

Among the highlights are the grand ballroom with its high ceilings and crystal chandeliers, the opulent theatre hall, and the monumental conference rooms — some circular, others rectangular — all echoing an era of authoritarian spectacle. The busts of Romanian historical figures, such as Ștefan cel Mare, line the corridors, linking the building’s modern political purpose to the country’s medieval heritage. The immense chandeliers and richly decorated ceilings, captured in the photos, underline how every detail was designed to impress.

The atmosphere changes from one room to the next: the stately green-carpeted gallery feels serene and symmetrical, while the vast marble hall, bathed in golden light, evokes the scale of a royal palace. The wood-panelled meeting rooms, with their subtle lighting and heavy drapes, add a more intimate contrast to the monumental exterior.

The tour moves efficiently, but one could easily spend hours exploring and still not grasp the building’s full extent — only a fraction of the palace is open to visitors, yet it already feels endless.

Overall, this is one of Bucharest’s most essential experiences. The Palace of the Parliament impresses not only for its size — the second-largest administrative building in the world — but also for what it represents: a mixture of national pride, political history, and architectural ambition. Walking through it leaves you with a complex sense of admiration and reflection. A visit here is less about beauty alone and more about understanding the paradox of a nation’s past and the grandeur that power...

This place is MASSIVE. You can truly see how Ceaușescu's paranoia and grand ambitions materialized in this building. There’s something eerie about it, knowing its history, but also something fascinating—it's undeniably impressive and even beautiful in its own way.

The architecture is striking, especially the interior. Ceaușescu clearly had a taste for Neoclassical design, and while the building is over-the-top, it's also mesmerizing. There's a heavy, almost surreal feeling walking through halls that reflect both the extravagance of a dictator and the weight of a regime's control.

Getting inside, though, was no small feat. The security was strict—more like an airport than a tourist site. But that makes sense, considering this is the Palace of the Parliament, the seat of Romania's national legislature, home to both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In simpler terms, a government building.

Our visit started off a bit unexpectedly. My family was paired with an Italian-speaking tour group, including a few folks from Sicily. The tour was led by a woman who initially seemed cold or disinterested—like she didn't really want us tagging along—but to her credit, she warmed up over time.

Most of our tour, however, was actually guided by a 17-year-old boy. Yes, a teenager—and he was outstanding. He walked us through the building's history, quirks, and secrets with clarity and confidence. We couldn’t visit the Chamber of Deputies due to the Easter holidays, but we did get to see the Senate. Funny enough, he initially said, "we can't go through government stuff", but ended up taking us to one of the main chambers anyway—so we kind of did!

He also spoke excellent Italian—especially impressive for his age. Friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging, he really elevated the whole experience.

That original guide, by the way, had actually lived through the communist era and witnessed the revolution firsthand. Her stories about life under Ceaușescu were chilling, personal, and incredibly informative. By the end, our first impression of her was completely turned around—she ended up being a thoughtful and insightful part of the tour.

In summary, this building is a bizarre yet fascinating mix of communist austerity and Neoclassical grandeur. It's a symbol of power, paranoia, and excess all rolled into one. Even the air conditioning system is uniquely over-engineered—another reflection of Ceaușescu's obsession with control.

Visiting the Palace of the Parliament feels like stepping into a palace from both Mitteleuropa and a totalitarian past. Keep in mind though that the controls are pretty strict and navigating the visit can be a bit of a process, but in the end, it's...