Darkside Tour of Bucharest - small group
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Bucharest, Romania
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See a different side of Romania's capital and discover the macabre on this walking tour through Bucharest’s harrowing history. Uncover the city’s most sinister secrets, from the bloody battles of the Dark Ages to the brutal communist practices of the Cold War era. Visit the chilling Bellu Cemetery and hear about ghastly local legends like the Vampire of Bucharest.
- Listen to stories you won't hear on other tours
- Hear sinister stories about the city's history, from the Dark Ages to the Iron Curtain
- Wander among crypts and tombstones at the Bellu Cemetery
- Exploring on foot lets you discover the finer details of the city
What's Included
- Street Snack
- Local guide
- Subway transportation
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- "Ion Luca Caragiale" National TheatreBulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu 2, 010051 București, Romania
At the mail entrence of Ion Luca Caragiale National Theatre Bulevardul Nicolae Bălcescu 2, București 010051, Romania
End point
- Revolution SquarePiața Revoluției, București, Romania
Piața Revoluției, București, România, in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Itinerary
1
Bellu Cemetery (Cimitirul Serban Voda-Bellu)
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
University's Square
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Calea Victoriei
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Piaka Revolukiei
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Not recommended for child aged 15 and under
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 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 149 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Stefan_V, Jul 2026
Very interesting, Mihaela is a good guide who can tell interesting stories and is definitely open for any questions. Only a lot of mosquitoes on the graveyard 🫣
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for the review, Stefan! We are happy to hear you have enjoyed our experience and we hope to meet you again, on another tour, soon!
Susan_R, Jun 2026
We had such a wonderful time. The stories were fun and informative. Lots of history. We loved how Elena cared for the stray kitties as we made our way through the cemetery. It was very hot and she made sure we had shady areas to talk. We moved easily through the subway and the city. I would definitely recommend this tour
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for the review, Susan! It was a pleasure having you on our tour and we hope to meet you again, for another cultural experience in Bucharest, soon!
Michelle_C, May 2026
The tour was authentic, with unexpected turns. We got to see many spooky sites filled with history. Highly recommended. Elena was amazing, funny, smart and the right amount of spooky!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for the review! It's great to hear you have enjoyed our experience and we hope to see you again, on a different tour, next time you'll be in town!
Jonathan_R, May 2026
Elena was a very informative guide who took the time to make the tour enjoyable. She is knowledgeable about the history of the sites visited and kept my interest throughout.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for the review! It's great to hear you've enjoyed our tour with Elena and we hope to meet you again, on another cultural experience in the city, soon!
Robert_B, May 2026
We took this tour with our tour guide Vlad on a beautiful Bucharest day. It was very interesting tour and Vlad proved to be a very knowledgeable guide. He was also very willing to discuss historical and contemporary issues, which we greatly appreciated; indeed the tour took considerably longer to complete than it was advertised to take because of this and our questions. The most interesting part of the tour centred around life in Romania under communist rule, the time immediately following the 1989 "revolution" and sites in Bucharest relating to this. The tour also included a visit to an historical cemetery, which while interesting, could have been a little shorter. I am sure that the tour would be less of an interesting tour were it not for Vlad. He was very good.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for the review, Robert! We are happy to hear you have enjoyed our tour with Vlad and we hope to meet you again, on a different cultural experience, next time you'll come to Bucharest!
Wayne_S, Apr 2026
This was a great tour. Not just about seeing places, but very educational and informative. Vlad was enthusiastic, energetic, and seemed genuinely excited to be sharing Romanian history and life in Bucharest.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for the review! It was great having you on our tour and we hope to meet you again, on another cultural experience, soon!
Natalie_R, Mar 2026
This was a great experience! My guide was very knowledgeable and easily got us to the cemetery, which is a few metro stops away. He was very kind and communicative, and I appreciate the information he was able to provide about the lives of those who are buried in the cemetery, and also about the historical sites around Bucharest pertinent to the fall of communism.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for the review, Natalie! We are happy to hear you have enjoyed our experience and we hope to meet you again, on another tour, soon!
Eugene_D, Nov 2025
I would highly rate Vlad as a tour guide. He is very knowledgeable about his subject, tells great anecdotes and is very comfortable in expressing himself in English. I would rate my tour of Bellu Cemetery as one of the best I have taken part in Romania.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for the review! We are happy to hear you had such a great experience on our tour with Vlad and we hope to meet you again, on another cultural experience, next time you'll come to Bucharest!
Catarina_C, Oct 2025
Pretty nice tour, the guide was wonderful. We loved the tour itself and her explanations and her food recommendations were also pretty nice. Extra points for stopping to feed the cats, 10/10
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for the review! It's great to hear you have enjoyed our experience and we hope to meet you again, on another tour, soon!
Panny_L, Oct 2025
The tour guide was very knowledgeable. Both thoughtful and a touch humourous even with the subjects. I learnt a lot about Romania and its dark past. Well recommended :)
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for the review, Panny! It was a pleasure having you on our tour and we're looking forward to meeting you again, on another cultural experience, soon!
Jennifer_P, Oct 2025
Our tour guide was wonderful and provided tons of history to the area. Loved all the sites and sounds of the city.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for the review, Jennifer! We are happy that you've enjoyed our experience and we hope to meet you again, on another tour, soon!
Filippo_D, Oct 2025
What a great tour! I was hoping to explore the other side of Bucharest and tour guide Vlad couldn’t better explain it. The enthusiasm in the stories truly allowed a unique touch. I am now a huge fan of the dark history side of Bucharest and its definitely also thanks to him! Thank you Vlad, definitely one of a kind tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for the review, Filippo! We are happy to hear you had such a great time on our tour with Vlad. Hope to see you again, on another tour, next time you'll come to Bucharest!
Valentina_L, Sep 2025
Andra was extremely knowledgeable about historical facts and kept the tour exciting! If you enjoy history this is the tour for you!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for the review, Valentina! We are happy to hear you have enjoyed our experience and we hope to meet you again, on another tour, soon!
Kathlene_L, Sep 2025
Thank you! to Alex, who shared his considerable historical expertise in an engaging and open dialogue.
We very much appreciated his candour, easy going manner and humour.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for the review! It was a pleasure having you on our tour and we are glad that you've enjoyed it. Hope to meet you again soon, on another cultural experience!
Cheri_B, Sep 2025
What a wonderful experience with Alex. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Romania and especially the Romanian Revolution. We very much appreciated his willingness to come to our location when the Viator pick up location directions were incorrect. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for the review! We are happy to hear you have enjoyed our experience with Alex and we hope to meet you again soon!
Charlotte_E, Sep 2025
Fantastic tour! Andra was so lovely, knowledgeable and passionate. Lots of interesting stories as well as historical information explained in a really clear way. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for the review, Charlotte! We are happy to hear that you had such a nice experience on our tour with Andra. Hope to meet you again, on another cultural experience, soon!
Rachael_G, Sep 2025
My partner and I had an absolutely fantastic time on the Darkside Tour of Bucharest! From start to finish, Elena was an outstanding guide. She's an engaging storyteller who weaves history, folklore, and her own insights together so beautifully. We especially appreciated the generosity she showed in sharing parts of her own life and family history, it made the stories feel alive and deeply personal, rather than just facts and dates.
Walking through Bellu Cemetery was a highlight, with Elena bringing each monument to life through vivid anecdotes and just the right dash of humour. And of course, the best grave is yet to come - the world is definitely owed Elena’s “lady eaten by her cats” memorial, haha!
If you’re looking for a tour that’s thoughtful, full of personality, and makes Bucharest’s past feel immediate and human, I can’t recommend this one enough. Thank you, Elena, for such a memorable and truly enjoyable experience!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for such a nice and detailed review! It was a pleasure having you on our tour and we're looking forward to meeting you again next time you'll be in town!
Charlene_K, Aug 2025
This was an excellent tour and Alex was an exceptional tour guide. We both feel like we have been left with a much better understanding of Romania and the history of it's people, and visited and seen places we would never have found on our own. Would 100% recommend
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for the review, Charlene! It's great to hear you have enjoyed our experience with Alex and we hope to meet you again, on another tour, soon!
sekarlson, Jul 2025
This tour was outstanding with a walk to several cemeteries and places of note where ‘dark side’ events occurred. I loved it. Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative, able to thoughtfully answer all of our questions. We came away all the more familiar with Bucharest and its people. Thanks for a great day.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for the review! It's great to hear you had such a great time on our tour and we hope to meet you again on another cultural experience soon!
Julia_C, Jul 2025
This was such a lovely tour! My husband and I really enjoyed it. So much important information for understanding how and why of Romania/Bucharest’s culture (which I think is essential for travel). Vlad was really great about answering all of our questions and was very nice! There was a 38 C heat index and he provided enough water for the entire trip & made sure no one got too hot. I highly suggest Vlad as a tour guide as he is extremely knowledgeable and very clearly passionate about “The Dark Side of Bucharest.” He also took some great pictures that we’ll cherish for years to come.
Also—the cemetery is beautiful and I would book the tour solely for that if you’re on the fence.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for this very nice and detailed review, Julia! We are happy to hear you have enjoyed our experience with Vlad and we're looking forward to meeting you again, on another tour, next time you will come to Bucharest!
Angela_B, Jul 2025
Our guide Alex was very informative he told us lots of dark tales with a spin of humour. He had a young gent with him who was shadowing him apologies I’ve forgotten his name but he also was very knowledgeable they bounced off one another. We met and went straight to the underground and caught a train to our destination a graveyard which holds some very interesting stories you then go back into the city and do a walk around Bucharest with again some very dark stories we would highly recommend. Ohh and Alex brought us a pretzel which was a lovely touch.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for the review, Angela! It's great to hear you've enjoyed the stories and the storytelling! We hope to see you again on another tour soon!
Kade_D, Jul 2025
This is a fascinating tour that delves into unique stories of historical Romanians as well as the bigger picture history of communism. It was fascinating to hear about how recent much of this history is and how much it impacts the present day. Our guide was friendly and happy to answer our questions about local superstitions and customs. Highly, highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for the review! It's great to hear you had such a great time on our tour and we hope to meet you again on another cultural adventure soon!
James_G, Jul 2025
Amazing experience, learned so much. My guide Bogdan was amazing and I learned more on this tour than any other tour I ever went on with Viator!!!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi, James! It's great to hear you've enjoyed our tour with Bogdan and we hope to meet you again on another cultural experience soon!
Tina_P, Jun 2025
Our well versed guide and Alex (guide by proxy, lol), were very knowledgeable and were able to educate us about lesser known facts related to Bucharest and Romania. My daughter and I really enjoyed the tour!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for the review, Tina! It's great to hear you've enjoyed our tour and we hope to see you again on another cultural experience, next time you'll come to Bucharest!
Jo_D, May 2025
Elena our guide was absolutely fantastic, she made the tour fun, informative and thought provoking. She was passionate about what she spoke about. We found her to be a fun guide with a caring nature towards all furry waifs and strays. Definitely worth booking this tour.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for the review, Jo! We are glad you've enjoyed our tour and we hope to see you again on another cultural experience soon!
Natalie_N, May 2025
This was a great way of learning about Romania's tumultuous history. Especially if this is your first time in Bucharest, this tour is well worth the money! Bellu cemetary is gorgeous!
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for the review, Natalie! We are happy to hear you've enjoyed the tour and we hope to see you again on another tour soon!
Timothy_C, Mar 2025
Very quirky unique tour. Guide Itina was informative and entertaining. Half of the tour takes place in a large unique cemetery where you hear about various individuals who met their demise. You take a subway to get there. The last part of the tour she describes the communist downfall and other atrocities. She was a great docent
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for the review! It is great to hear you've enjoyed the experience with Irina. We hope to see you again on another cultural tour soon!
Juan_S, Mar 2025
This tour was great. Bodgan is incredibly knowledgeable and provides an incredible insight into Bucharest and some of its dark stories. This is truly a city where many things have happened throughout history. I did ask a lot of questions and learnt a lot! Will be recommending this tour to everyone who comes to Bucharest.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for your kind review, Juan! It was great having you on our tour and we hope to see you again on a different cultural experience next time you'll come to Bucharest!
Caitlin_P, Mar 2025
This tour was absolutely wonderful. Elena was so knowledgeable about Bucharest and Romania's history, adding a dark twist which we loved. She also had loads of great recommendations for us all and her altruism towards animals was inspiring. Will definitely be recommending the tour to friends and family and would happily do it again.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for this nice review, Caitlin! We are happy to hear you've enjoyed our experience with Elena and we hope to see you again, on a different tour, soon.
Andrew_P, Feb 2025
A superb tour of places in Bucharest we would never have seen. The tour guide, Helena, was amazing and very knowledgeable. Recommend!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for the review, Andrew! It's great to hear you've enjoyed the experience and we hope to see you again on one of our other tours next time you'll be in town!
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