Don your most comfortable walking shoes to explore Bucharest's highlights as many are conveniently located in the city centre. First stop has to be the sprawling Parliament Palace, second only in size to the Pentagon. Such Communist excess contrasts with the wealth of Belle Epoque buildings, the glorious old quarter, Lipscani, also the centre of the city's pulsating nightlife, and the green lung of the city, Cismigiu Gardens, whose lake you can row across in the summer and skate on in the winter. Browse designer shops, attend a concert at the Romanian Athenaeum and sample some down-to-earth Romanian fare.