1. “Little Paris” Museum – A small boutique museum, hidden in an alley in the old center (Lipscani 41), which recreates Bucharest’s charm from 1900. In a few fancy rooms, you’ll find Belle Époque furniture, decorations and vintage French objects that translate you into the atmosphere Little Paris from the old days. Visiting this museum, you have the opportunity to return in time over a century: elegant ladies, parades on the Calea Victoriei and inner boems – all come alive through exhibits and landscaping. Popular activity: Self-guided tour – museum staff passionately tell about each play. Price interval: ~ 15 lei in. From reviews: visitors consider it “a jewel of the capital, hidden among the buildings of the old center.”A new place full of nostalgia. Official link: Facebook page Museum Little Paris.
2. Cartureze – A charming bookstore and neo-bohemian, located in a historic building restored on Lipscani 55. The bookstore, known as the “Light Carousel,” impresses with its interior design: bright white balconies, central skylight and spiral stairs, all bathed in diffuse natural light. The calm atmosphere and historical air invites to read and explore at will. On the top floor is a coffee shop where you can relax with coffee looking up at the main library hall. Popular activity: browsing the books among the infinite shelves and photographing the photogenic interior (“instagramble” place). Price interval: free access (prices are those of purchased products). From reviews: “The gorgeous design and bohemian atmosphere of Carusel invites you to immerse yourself in the world of books.”It is one of the most appreciated modern cultural spaces in the center of Bucharest. Official link: cartridge
3. The Age Museum (Casa Filipeziteş- Cesianu) – A Museum of Urban Anthropology unique in Romania, hidden in an aristocratic mansion on Calea Victoriei 151. The exhibition shows the evolution of the daily life of the Bucharest people over 300 years, focusing on the relationships between generations and how habits are passed on over time. The halls of the museum reconstitute scenes from family life in 1840, 1900 or 1970, allowing visitors an interactive incursion in the past (e.g. childhood room, grandparents’ salon etc.). Popular activity: audio guided exploration – each room tells a different story of man’s “ages” in Bucharest. Price interval: 10 adult lei (reduced rate 5 lei). From reviews: “Injited and fascinating – find out what a day in our lives would have looked like two to three centuries ago”The museum is often called a true Hidden treasure downtown. Official link: The Museum of Joy.
4. Frederic Storck Museum and Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck – Located in a villa hidden in a quiet alley (Vasile Alecsandri 16), this art museum translates you directly into the life of a couple of famous artists of interwar Bucharest. The house, built by the Storck wives in 1913, retains the original workshops and displays sculptures, paintings, drawings and personal objects given by the state family. Visitors can admire busts and statues made by Frederic Storck, as well as paintings and frescoes signed by Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck, the first female teacher at an arts academy in Europe. The intimate garden behind the house, decorated with stone sculptures, increases the place’s charm. Popular activity: Free tour – museum curator often provides additional explanations about works and family story. Price interval: 5-10 lei input. From reviews: “Visiting the Storck Museum you will enter the artistic life of the husbands… The Museum is really one of those unique places in Bucharest that makes you fall in love with the capital”. Official link: The Museum of Joy.
This article is an English translation and adaptation of the original Romanian article on Lista Scurtă. Read the Romanian version.
