Start at the entrance portal on Nicolae Romanescu Park, where the alleys split around a lake and two islands, and you can hear the water before you see it. That first walk sets the tone for Craiova: a city of broad squares, heavy stone facades and long, unhurried afternoons.
Craiova suits travellers who prefer a compact city they can cross on foot, with a strong museum, a theatre with an international reputation and a park large enough to fill half a day. It rewards curiosity about Romanian art, church architecture and green space rather than nightlife or shopping.
1. Nicolae Romanescu Park
Nicolae Romanescu Park is the city's defining sight, a romantic park whose plans were displayed at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and received the Golden Medal. Work began in 1901 under the supervision of the project's author, assisted by the artists Jules Redont and Emil Pinard, and the park was inaugurated in May 1903. Its layout includes a lake and two islands, a river, bridges, small waterfalls, alleys, the Suspended Bridge with its two porticos, the Enchanted Castle, the Circular Hall, a deer's pen, a bears' cave, a pier and a restaurant on the bank of the lake, pavilions, greenhouses and imitations of rocks and tree trunks made of armoured concrete. In 1956 it was enclosed with a fence, and the monumental portal at the main entrance was built at the same time.
Set aside several hours rather than a quick loop: the park is conceived on a scale that rewards wandering, and the lake, the islands and the racecourse are separate areas worth reaching. Entry is free and the park is open around the clock, so an early morning or late afternoon visit is easy to arrange. Combine it with the Art Museum or the centre later in the day, since the park sits away from the museum quarter.
2. Craiova Art Museum
The Craiova Art Museum occupies the palace of the former magnate Jean Mihail, built between 1899 and 1907 to plans by the French architect Paul Gottereau and styled as a free interpretation of the late baroque. The setting is part of the visit: Venetian mirrors, candelabra of Murano crystal, Carrara marble staircases and walls hung with Lyon silk tapestry. The museum grew out of the "Alexandru and Aristia Aman" pinacoteca, founded in 1905, and was later enriched by acquisitions and donations, including those of Cornetti, Glogoveanu, N. Romanescu and Jean Mihail; it was taken over by the Museum of Oltenia in 1950 and moved to its present home in 1954.
Three sections are spread across the building. The European art gallery, covering the Dutch, Flemish, French and Italian schools, occupies five rooms on the ground floor; the Romanian art gallery, running from feudal to contemporary art, is on the first floor; and the Brancusi room holds masterpieces from the sculptor's youth, among them Vitellius, Vainglory, Head, Fragment of Torso, The Kiss and Melle Pogany. It sits on str. Unirii, close to Prefecturii Square, which makes it an easy pairing with Mihai Viteazu Square.
3. Mihai Viteazu Square
Mihai Viteazu Square is the central plaza, an ensemble of artesian wells, vases with verdure and decorative plants. The statue of Mihai Viteazu stands here, along with a musical fountain and a formal English garden to the east. The musical fountain is unique in the country in its design.
This is the natural place to pause between the museum and the theatre, and the English garden to the east gives you somewhere quieter to sit. Come in the evening if you want to see the fountain in operation, and treat the square as a meeting point rather than a destination in itself.
4. Craiova National Theater Marin Sorescu
The Craiova National Theater "Marin Sorescu" is an internationally renowned institution on str. Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Every two years, theatre troupes and theatre lovers from around the world come to Craiova for the International Shakespeare Festival.
If your dates coincide with the festival, plan the rest of your day around performances, as the city fills with visiting companies. Outside festival time, the building is still worth passing by on a walk through the centre, and it sits close enough to Mihai Viteazu Square to fold into the same outing.
5. The Museum of Oltenia
The Museum of Oltenia is spread across three buildings, each hosting a different exhibition. The building on str. Popa Şapcă nr. 8 holds the Nature Science Museum and a traditional pottery shop. The building on str. Madona Dudu nr. 14 holds the history and archaeology exhibition, in a space with a new build wing. The building on str. Matei Basarab nr. 16 is one of the oldest in the city, built in the 15th century, and houses the ethnography exhibition.
Because the collections are in separate locations, decide in advance which one interests you most rather than trying to see all three in one stretch. The ethnography building on str. Matei Basarab nr. 16 pairs naturally with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Demetrius on the same street.
6. Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Demetrius
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Demetrius is a Romanian Orthodox church on Strada Matei Basarab, described as a nice pinstriped church. Though constructed in 1933, it inhabits the former site of a church from 1651.
Visit it as part of a walk along Strada Matei Basarab, combining it with the ethnography exhibition of the Museum of Oltenia in the 15th-century building on the same street. Step inside for the interior rather than treating it as a quick photo stop.
7. Alexandru Buia Botanical Garden
The Alexandru Buia Botanical Garden on Str. Constantin Lecca nr. 26 is a park with many interesting plants representative of flora from across Romania. It is open from 06:00 to 23:00.
It is a short tram ride from the university, on the second tram station when travelling west, which makes it an easy addition if you are already heading that way. The long opening hours mean you can fit it in early before the museums open or late after they close.
8. Ion Oblemenco Stadium
U Craiova play soccer in Liga 1, the top tier, at the Ion Oblemenco Stadium, which is 1 km west of the city centre. A match is one of the liveliest ways to spend an evening in the city.
Check the fixture list before you travel, since the stadium is only in use on match days. Its position west of the centre makes it convenient to combine with a daytime visit to Nicolae Romanescu Park.
If you only have one day
Morning. Begin at Nicolae Romanescu Park, entering through the monumental portal and walking the alleys past the lake and the two islands, the Suspended Bridge and the Enchanted Castle. Entry is free and the park is open around the clock, so an early start avoids the busiest hours.
Afternoon. Move into the centre for the Craiova Art Museum on str. Unirii, close to Prefecturii Square, spending time in the European art gallery on the ground floor and the Romanian art gallery and Brancusi room upstairs. Continue to Mihai Viteazu Square to see the statue, the musical fountain and the formal English garden to the east, then walk to the Craiova National Theater Marin Sorescu on str. Alexandru Ioan Cuza.
Evening. Choose one building of the Museum of Oltenia, or walk Strada Matei Basarab to see the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Demetrius alongside the 15th-century building that holds the ethnography exhibition. If U Craiova are playing at the Ion Oblemenco Stadium, 1 km west of the centre, end the day there instead.
Is Nicolae Romanescu Park free to enter?
Yes. The park is free and open 24 hours, so you can visit at any point in the day without planning around opening times.
Where can you see works by Brancusi in Craiova?
The Brancusi room at the Craiova Art Museum holds masterpieces from the sculptor's youth, including Vitellius, Vainglory, Head, Fragment of Torso, The Kiss and Melle Pogany.
Why is the Museum of Oltenia spread over three addresses?
Its three buildings host three different exhibitions: the Nature Science Museum and a traditional pottery shop on str. Popa Şapcă nr. 8, the history and archaeology exhibition on str. Madona Dudu nr. 14, and the ethnography exhibition on str. Matei Basarab nr. 16.
When does the International Shakespeare Festival take place?
The festival is held at the Craiova National Theater "Marin Sorescu" every two years, bringing theatre troupes and theatre lovers from around the world to the city.
Decide which of these fits your dates, check the theatre and stadium schedules, and start building your days around the park and the centre.