National Geographic recently made a list of things to do and places to visit while in Bucharest. It includes the Palace of Parliament, some of the parks in Romania’s capital and the Romanian Peasant Museum.

The emblematic Palace of Parliament, also known as the House of People, is a must-visit on National Geographic‘s list. This is the largest parliamentary building in the world and one of the biggest buildings of any kind. Romania’s late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ordered its construction.

“Hour-long guided tours manage to take in just a fraction of the building’s three-million-plus square feet (there are more than a thousand rooms) and focus on the tons of marble, hardwood, and gold used in the building's construction in the 1980s, a time when Romania was straining to feed its own people,” writes National Geographic.

While in Bucharest, one should also take a walk in two of the most beautiful parks in Bucharest: Cismigiu and Herastrau. Cismigiu is located in the center of the city, close to Universitate Square, while Herastrau is in the north part of Bucharest.

The magazine also recommends Romanian traditional food such as sarmale – cabbage rolls stuffed with minced meat, or mamaliga ­ - cornmeal porridge usually served with sour cream or grated sheep's cheese.

The list also includes the Romanian Peasant Museum, a place that “shows off the elaborate woodworking, pottery-making, egg-painting, and weaving skills of the peasantry in a way that's both educational and amusing”. On February 5, the museum celebrated 25 years from its reestablishment.

Romania’s Vlad Tepes prince, who served as inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, is more commonly associated with Romania’s Transylvania region. However, visitors can also go to a monastery located in Snagov, near Bucharest, which houses the prince's purported final resting place.

“Even if it turns out he's not buried here, lovely Snagov makes for an ideal outing,” according to National Geographic.

The list also includes galleries, charming gardens where you can stop and have a drink, bars and clubs in Bucharest’s Old Town, as well as historic churches.  Find the entire article here.

Top 10 travel destinations in Romania in 2015.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com