One of the great things about travel is the constant opportunity to break down the misconceptions and stereotypes that you find in media, TV/film and even guidebooks. Even after all the research I had done to prime myself for Bucharest, I wasn’t prepared for how green the city turned out to be. Bucharest has two enormous parks- Parcul Herăstrău in the north and Parcul Tineretului in the south- that feel a million miles away from both the historic Old Town district and the massive, stone government buildings left over from communist times.I normally prefer to explore a city on foot, but Bucharest is not a compact city and the parks are best reached by public transportation. Luckily the Metro is efficient, clean and easy-to-navigate. You can purchase either a day pass or a 2-trip ticket from any station. Both parks are on the M2 (blue line); get off at the Aviatorilor stop by Piața Charles de Gaulle for Parcul Herăstrău and disembark at the Tineretului stop for access to the north entrance to Parcul Tineretului.
I decided to check out Parcul Herăstrău first, initially stopping at the Muzeul Satului Dimitrie Gusti (The Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum), which is located inside the park. The Muzeul Satului is an open-air museum, comprised of over 250 authentic Romanian houses that were transported from all over the country to create this “village.” Each house has a placard in both Romanian and English detailing the history of the structure, as well as providing insights into the villagers who may have used it.
In addition to the goats, geese, chickens and other farm animals on display, there are cats wandering all over the premises that were quite friendly and followed me around.
In the middle of the Muzeul Satului is the Palatul Elisabeta (Elisabeta Palace), the current residence of the Romanian Royal Family. King Michael I was the last King of Romania, abdicating the throne in 1947 before Romania became a socialist state. The former leader passed away at age 96 in 2017; the Romanian government returned the palace to him in 2001 and his remaining family still lives there today. Palatul Elisabeta is not open to the public, but somehow I managed to make a wrong turn or two and ended up at the palace gates. A stern looking guard came over and asked me what I was doing there. I pled stupid American and he was able to point me back to the path into the museum.
Parcul Herăstrău has been through several name changes, including a period as Parcul I. V. Stalin, and recently underwent another in 2017 to honor the death King Michael I. Much of the park centers around Lacul Herăstrău, where you can rent boats in nice weather or just wander the paths, exploring the gardens that encase the lake.
Two Romanians stopped me and asked where I was from while I was strolling through the gardens. When I told them New York City they had several questions. First, they wanted to know if I had voted for Trump or Hillary (a very common question I was asked all over Eastern Europe; everyone wanted to ask about the election and was curious for an explanation as to how Trump was able to win). Second, they wanted to know why I would come all the way to Bucharest to visit a park when I had Central Park in my own backyard. I told them I was way more impressed by the beauty of Herăstrău than by Central Park, which caused them to look at me as if I had three heads on my shoulders. I guess the grass is always greener!
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In the southwest corner of the park I came upon the Japanese Garden, which was very peaceful and a good place to journal for half an hour before moving on.
If you aren’t “natured-out” after Parcul Herăstrău (or you could always save this next trip for another day), head down to Parcul Tineretului on the M2 line. Tineretului had a different vibe: one focused on exercise and family time with the kids. There were several playgrounds and rides areas for the little ones; families were out in full force on the Saturday afternoon I visited. Lots of people were biking and jogging the paths around Lacul Cocioc as well. I almost decided to rent a bike, but ultimately settled on walking the 3km loop around the lake in the middle of the vast park.
Not only is it nice to escape into a world of green for a few hours when visiting a big city, but it’s important to stay fit and take time to exercise while traveling. It’s easy to be tempted by the all bakeries and ice cream stands throughout Europe so make sure to take the time to visit a park or two to keep healthy.
