Hotels near Cismigiu Gardens

Cismigiu Gardens are the oldest and most central public park in Bucharest, opened to the public in 1854 after being drained and landscaped by German master gardener Carl Meyer under a commission from Prince Bibescu. The 17-hectare park is laid out in the English style around a central boating lake, with two named walking axes - Aleea Marilor Scriitori (Avenue of Great Writers) lined with stone busts of Romanian literary figures, and the wooded Rondul Roman with a small classical rotunda.

In summer the lake fills with pedal-boats (15 RON for 30 minutes) and the terrace restaurant Monte Carlo runs an outdoor bar right on the water. In winter the same lake freezes and becomes a public ice-skating rink from December to February. The park is the shortcut of choice between the Athenaeum area and the Cismigiu neighbourhood, and free wifi covers the whole park.

Pro Tip: Come at 08:00 on a summer Sunday for open-air chess with Bucharest's veteran players - the concrete tables on the eastern edge of the lake fill up fast. The old men speak enough English to explain the local variants they play.