Piața Victoriei

Piața Victoriei is one of Bucharest's most important hubs, a point where major boulevards meet — Calea Victoriei, Bulevardul Lascăr Catargiu, Șoseaua Kiseleff, Bulevardul Iancu de Hunedoara — and where the country's political life pulses. Here stands Victoria Palace, the seat of the Romanian Government, a monumental neoclassical building completed in the mid-20th century, which gave the whole square its name. It is the northern end of Calea Victoriei and a crossroads from which arteries fan out to every corner of the city.

More than a backdrop, the square also carries civic weight: it has hosted some of the largest protests in Romania's recent history, becoming a symbol of citizen demonstrations. For the visitor it is primarily a navigational landmark and an excellent starting point: from here you quickly reach important museums — the Antipa Museum, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, the Geological Museum — as well as parks and the northern districts.

Good to know

• It is a major metro interchange, with connections in several directions, very useful for getting around as a central transfer point.
• Important museums lie nearby, and the way opens towards the northern attractions and districts, including Șoseaua Kiseleff and Herăstrău.
• The square itself is more a transit and orientation point than a destination to linger over, with heavy traffic around it.

Use Piața Victoriei as a pivot for your explorations: it is hard to get lost starting from here, whichever direction you head in.