Life under Communism
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Bucharest, Romania
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Trace the rise and fall of Communism in Romania on this walking tour of Bucharest. Learn how the Communist Party and the dictator Ceausescu seized power, controlled dissent and demolished huge swaths of the city to create distinctive architectural monuments. Visit political memorials and Communist-era landmarks to see how the regime and subsequent 1989 revolution have left a permanent mark on the city.
- Learn about the rise and fall of the Romanian dictator Ceacsescu
- Visit Communist-era landmarks to see the regime's distinctive architectural style
- Hear stories about daily life under Communist rule
- Visit political memorials and sites that played a key role in the 1989 revolution
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Aleea Dealul Mitropoliei 19, 030167 București, Romania
Near the red-brick bell tower of the Patriarchal church.
End point
- Revolution SquarePiața Revoluției, București, Romania
Operating hours
- 04/01/2024 - 05/23/2027
Saturday - Sunday : 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Itinerary
1
Catedrala Patriarhala
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Palace of Parliament
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Manastirea Antim
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Old Town
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Piaka Revolukiei
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 357 reviews
Christopher_V, Nov 2025
Cristine was a wonderful guide. Besides being very knowledgeable, her clarity of speaking English made the tour much better for me, as I am very hearing impaired and have some difficulty walking distances. When the tour stopped she always did so where I could sit or lean. Very few guides we've met (hundreds over the years) have been so accomodating. She is a remarkable guide.
Dawn_C, Oct 2025
A great view of history from the experience of the people living it.
This is a walking tour so please ensure you wear comfortable shoes.
Sarah_R, Oct 2025
Christina was just a joy as a guide. Not only does she know the city like the back of her hand and the history of Romania, but she had so many personal and differing perspectives to share about various events. It was invaluable time spent together. We spent more time together than our allotted time just due to good conversations. I would highly recommend her to anyone coming to Bucharest.
And Bart lost out on her great potential! She is a gem!!!
Jay_B, Sep 2025
Cristina is a wonderful guide. She took me all over the city giving me facts and details about life back then but also her own experiences of it. She and all my questions and by the end know so much about the history from a personal point of view, something no history book can give you.
Kimber_G, Jun 2025
Christina was so great as a guide. She was knowledgeable and charming with stories that were enlightening and personal. Seeing the locations along with personal touches made it so much more enjoyable. I forgot how recently România emerged from communism.
Greg_W, Feb 2025
Christina was our guide. She was great, really knowledgeable and fantastic English speaker. She was happy to answer additional questions and was very knowledgeable on the subject.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for being my guest in Bucharest! Much appreciated 🙏
Alexander_B, Dec 2024
Shout out to our guide Christina. Despite heavy traffic in Bucharest, she was more than accommodating with our slower pace and the slower pace of my father.
There are so many little communist buildings in random areas that you’d miss. I really enjoyed seeing the Securitate office (now a random building in a run-down area) and the old communist food line!
I loved the communist snack she gave me!
If you’re in Bucharest and love history, please take this tour.
Kind regards,
Alex
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Much appreciated Alex! Loved having you as my guests! Cheers!
arojas25, Nov 2024
Explaining and showing the impact communism had on the people and the country. Our guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you ! Much appreciated!
Andrew_P, Aug 2024
I learned a lot about communism. My Romanian friends are very impressed when I correct them now. Thank you.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you! Much appreciated!
NICHOLAS_G, Aug 2024
The guide was impossible to find and didn’t say hello to me when I was at the meeting point, so I had no clue who she was. She was happy to bail quickly and then msg me saying ‘have a great day!’ As she made off with my $40 tour fee.
This solo paid tour is a ripoff when there’s a free group tour version with a superb guide and group camaraderie. Glad I found the latter tour later that evening to salvage what was a very poor and frustrating experience with this one.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi Nicholas!
I was waiting for you for 15 minutes. I called and messaged, before and while waiting. I had explained that Viator does not alow reimbursements after the experience has started, but 24 hours before. I am sorry you feel this way, but l was there waiting. You replied 30 minutes after the toour was supposedto start. This is not a private tour, but a group one and it needs to continue in respect to the other participants time also.
Thank you!
Amelia_C, Jul 2024
Cristina was a phenomenal tour guide! This tour took us through the city, discussing Romania pre-WW2, the factors that contributed to the shift towards socialism, the slide into communism, and the 1989 revolution. Cristina interspersed the facts with fascinating stories from her own family, making the saga relatable and digestible. She also provided a number of recommendations for other activities in the city. Highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in learning more about Romania in the 20th century. Thank you, Cristina; this was the highlight of our time in Bucharest!!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi Amelia! Thank you for joining me! Always a pleasure to share stories and you were definetely a great company! Thank you for your feedback!
Karla_V, Jun 2024
We had a great time with Cristina! The tour was very informative and entertaining. We had a great time!! If you are ever in Bucharest we 100% recommend this tour! Thank You Cristina!!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you for joining me Karla! It was a pleasure!
Anu_A, May 2024
The tour was an amazing experience. We started at the palace where it all began. From there Christina took us to different landmarks in the city, literally the biggest, like the parliament. And smaller ones like an easy to miss run down Alimentará, which is no less important to get a sense of what life was like under communism. In my week long Eastern Europe trip, this is my favourite. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves history and culture.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you Anu!
You were a great guest and enjoyed your company and questions. Hope your travels bring you here again sometime, as you are always welcomed.
Cristina
Joe_B, Apr 2024
Great Tour! We really enjoyed Stefan’s discussion and context throughout the tour. He gave great stories that helped understand life during communism in Romania.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Hi Joe! Thank you for joining us!
Your review is really appreciated!
Cristina & Stefan
Janet_W, Apr 2024
Stefan provided an intimate insight into the communist period and openly answered every curiosity we threw at him
Would absolutely recommend him for anyone wanting to learn the history of that time
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you for joining us Janet!
Your review is really appreciated!
Thank you!
Cristina & Stefan
Matthew_D, Feb 2024
Our tour guide was very informative and full of knowledge about what life was like under communism. From the day to day, politics, mentalities, etc. You see a lot of the city on this walking tour, I highly recommend it.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you for joining me Matt! Your review is much appreciated :)
Helen_M, Dec 2023
Victor was a great tour guide - very knowledgable and had many stories with a personal connection which really brought the tour to life - booked another tour on the basis of this tour with him - would definitely recommend Victor as a guide 😀
Response from Host, Jan 2024
We are glad that you enjoyed our guided stories. Thank you for your booking and your feedback 😊
Cristina & Victor
Jennifer_D, Dec 2023
Cristina was a phenomenal guide as she shared very different generational stories from her life, her parents and her grandparents all with diverse perspectives on the cultural and political history of Romania. This proved to be very enlightening to us as we struggled to comprehend both the benefits and costs of communism, especially with our western ideals. We left the tour with all of our questions answered and such a greater understanding of the history of Romania along with a desire to learn more. To add, her English was excellent and her warm and inclusive demeanor made for a very pleasant afternoon for us and the others in our group. If she is not your top rated guide, then she surely should be.
Thank you Cristina.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thank you for joining us Jennifer!
Joanna_G, Sep 2023
Very interesting tour. We were a small group, so it was possible to ask a lot and interact we the top informed guides.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Thank you so much! Appreciated!
Lisa_W, Aug 2023
This tour was the highlight of my two week/four country European vacation! Cristina was an AMAZING guide and brought history to life during the tour. We heard her first-hand account of life under communism, heard about Ceausescu's 24 year reign as President, visited a number of historic buildings and sites, saw actual bullet holes in buildings, and visited Revolution Square, where communism came to a bloody end. I cannot recommend Cristina and this tour enough if you want to experience first-hand Life Under Communism in Romania.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Thank you for your feedback! Much appreciated!
AnneR_D, Aug 2023
Very interesting tour
Great insights into the experience of people during this period
Learnt a lot about the history.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you Anne! Much appreciated 🙏
Michael_H, Aug 2023
We had a great time on our tour -- Christine did a wonderful job telling us about the history of Bucharest under communism. We learned so much!
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you Michael! Much appreciated 🙏
Flix_M, Aug 2023
Amazing visit with Cristina who gave us a very objective and compelling view of the life under communism, its consequences today and the way it is lived now by romanians. I’ll come back for sure with other family members!
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you so much 💓
Much appreciated 🙏
Sune_S, Jul 2023
We were only two people on the tour, so we got a very personal tour with our great guide, Cristina.
She was very knowledgeable, friendly and a great storyteller.
As she pointed out at the beginning of the tour, this tour is neither bashing nor praising communism - it provides nuance and aims to present the facts as accurate as possible.
Cristina took time to answer every question we had - whether it was about communism, Romanian culture, restaurant recommendations, etc.
Big recommendation!
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you Sune! Much appreciated 🙏
Bryan_P, Jul 2023
Tour was very interesting with local guide Cristina who was very knowledgeable on history of Romania's communist past. She was extremely interactive with the group, and did a great job with presenting the realities of communism - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I came out of the tour with a greater understanding of this complicated period. As a Westerner, it helped me put communism, specifically Romania's, but in general, the cold war's differences into a less pre-conceived and biased perspective. The tour focused on post WW2 until about 1990. Fantastic for those who love the history of places that they visit.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you Bryan! Much appreciated 🙏 ☺️
benoit_g, Jul 2023
A very relaxed walk around the important spots of Bucharest, to get to learn more about the communist era of the country. It put a lot of things into perspective for us foreigners. Our guide, Cristina, was very knowledgeable and could answer our questions about the past dictator’s access to power, and how people were treated in those days. We loved our visit, and we learned a lot. Thanks Cristina for that great afternoon.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thank you for joining Benoit and Marie! Great questions and such a good energy!
Kayla_K, Jun 2023
Cristina was an awesome guide! She is a wonderful storyteller and her enthusiasm on the topic was evident. Even though it rained part of the way through our tour, she was able to keep the whole group entertained. The information she chose to share about was captivating and held the group's attention for the duration of the tour. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Cristina!
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thanks for joining me! I was delighted to share with you my stories ❤️
Annette_B, Jun 2023
The most memorable part was the linkage of the history to the places we visited. Our guide, Christina, was excellent and provided us with great information and also included personal family impact where appropriate to put the era in context. I highly recommend the tour. Thank you.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank you for joining us! It was a pleasure to share my stories with you!
Maeva_R, Jun 2023
Amazing tour! Very well explained and entertaining. The history and different perspectives were fascinating and we have learned tremendously. Cristina was fantastic! Would really recommend.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank you for experiencing Bucharest with me! It was a pleasure to share stories with you!
Anthony_V, Jun 2023
After 2 weeks in various parts of the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria and Romania, I had learned much about the communist regime. This gave me some great insight. Great guide.
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Thank you dor joining me Anthony! It was a pleasure to share my stories with you!
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