The lake
Boats for hire and paths around it.
Mihai Petre — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Antimuonium — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alex Blăjan alexb — CC0 · NicolaeSfetcu — CC BY-SA 4.0
Tineretului — the park of youth — is among Bucharest's largest, running across about eighty hectares south of the centre around an artificial lake and low hills. The story of its making is not often told: the site was the **city's rubbish dump** until the 1960s, then filled, planted and turned into a park that opened in 1974. One of Bucharest's largest green spaces today, in other words, stands on its worst ground. What is in it: a lake with boats for hire, walking and running paths, large playgrounds, a small funfair and wide stretches of grass. At one end is the **Sala Polivalentă** sports arena. The park is thoroughly local — used daily by the surrounding neighbourhoods and rarely seen in a guidebook. That is the reason to go, if it matters to you to see the city as its people live it rather than as it is presented. **Free and always open**, with a metro station of the same name at its entrance.
Boats for hire and paths around it.
Among the largest in Bucharest.
Parcul Tineretului, southern Bucharest
The Dimitrie Leonida Technical MuseumThe national technical museum stands in Carol I Park south of the centre, founde16 minutes walk4.3
The Tudor Arghezi Memorial HouseThe house of the Romanian poet Tudor Arghezi in southern Bucharest, where he liv19 minutes walk4.8
Radu Vodă MonasteryRadu Vodă Monastery stands on a low hill above the Dâmbovița river, and is among22 minutes walk4.7Generally yes, and violent crime against foreigners is very rare. The care needed is practical rather than about safety: **pickpocketing** on crowded metros and trams and in tourist areas; **taxis** hailed in the street that may multiply the fare — use an app. **Stray dogs** were once a serious problem and have been greatly reduced but still exist on the outskirts. **Pavements** are broken in many places with cars parked on them, so watch your footing at night. Lipscani after midnight is loud and drunken — not dangerous, but not comfortable for a family.