Cișmigiu Gardens, Bucharest, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Cișmigiu Gardens is the oldest and best-loved public park in central Bucharest, Romania, laid out in the middle of the 19th century around a lake and a web of shaded paths. It is where Bucharest residents come to stroll, play chess, row a boat and escape the traffic of the surrounding boulevards.

The story behind it

The park was created between 1845 and 1860 to plans by the German landscape designer Carl Friedrich Meyer. It was designed in the fashionable English landscape style, with winding paths, a lake and varied planting rather than strict geometry. The name is usually traced to the Turkish word for a fountain keeper, a reminder of the water sources that once stood on the site.

Like most old parks, Cișmigiu has collected its share of stories. The best known is a Bucharest urban legend tied to the Hotel Cișmigiu, which can be seen from the park. It tells of a student named Neli Bejan who was trapped in a lift shaft and could not make anyone hear her. It is a legend rather than documented history, but locals still tell it, and it gives the park's edge an eerie reputation after dark.

What to look for

• The lake at the heart of the park, where rowing boats are a classic Bucharest pastime in the warmer months.
• The winding English-style paths, which open into small clearings, benches and old trees that give the park its calm.
• The Hotel Cișmigiu on the park's edge, the building at the centre of the lift-shaft legend.
• The monuments and busts along the alleys, including the circle of Romanian writers, which show how much the park is part of the city's cultural life.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 45 minutes to an hour for a relaxed loop around the lake, longer if you want to sit or take a boat out.
• Morning and late afternoon are the most pleasant times, when the light is soft and the paths are quieter.
• The park is a public garden and entry is free. Check current opening hours and seasonal boat rental before you go.
• It sits in the middle of the city, so it is easy to combine with a walk through the nearby boulevards and streets of the centre.

See it on a quest

The park is one stop on Bucureștiul Bântuit II: Noaptea vrăjitoarelor, a haunted-Bucharest themed walk. You reach the gardens on foot as part of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It suits a place with legends like Cișmigiu, and one ticket covers the whole group.