Muzeul Național de Artă

The National Museum of Art of Romania occupies the former Royal Palace on Calea Victoriei, in Revolution Square — the very place from which the monarchy ruled and where, in 1989, the turning points of the Revolution unfolded. Today the rooms of the former residence hold the most important art collection in Romania, spread across thousands of square metres of exhibition space, in a building that is itself a chapter in the country's history.

The museum is essentially split into two great galleries. The Gallery of Old and Modern Romanian Art traces the evolution of national art, from icons and medieval works to modern masters such as Grigorescu, Luchian, Aman and Tonitza, plus a room devoted to the sculpture of Brâncuși, the best-known Romanian artist in the world. The European Art Gallery brings together works by major figures of Western painting, from the Renaissance to the 19th century, including names from the Italian, Flemish, Dutch and French schools. The palace's sumptuous spaces — staircases, reception halls — are part of the experience, and recall the time when the building was Romania's royal residence.

Good to know

• It stands in Revolution Square, beside the Romanian Athenaeum and close to University Square.
• The galleries may carry separate tickets — check the official website for what you want to see.
• The collection is vast — allow enough time, or pick in advance the gallery that interests you.
• The building itself, the former Royal Palace, is worth looking at from the outside too, from Revolution Square.
• The closest metro station is Universitate.

For anyone wanting to grasp Romanian art in one place, this is the starting point. The combination of the national collection, the European one and the history-laden building makes the museum one of the most complete cultural sights in Bucharest. It is a place where art and history meet: you look at centuries-old paintings, but you do so in the very halls from which, once, an entire country was governed.