Great Synagogue (Sinagoga Mare) Tours and Tickets

On this half-day private tour, you’ll learn about Bucharest’s rich Jewish history. Learn about the city’s flourishing Jewish community prior to World War II, and see where its first members settled in the 16th century. Tours include stops at the oldest Jewish cemetery in Bucharest and a stroll past off-the-beaten-track architectural landmarks in the Jewish quarter.

With only about 4,000 members of the Jewish community left in Bucharest today, it is rather difficult to imagine that in 1930 it represented up to 11% of the entire city’s population. The Jewish quarter was severely affected by the Fascist pogrom in the 40s, followed by the demolitions initiated in the 80s by the communists, with most streets simply wiped off the map and 6 synagogues and Jewish temples demolished. Nevertheless, some emblematic buildings like the Great Polish Synagogue and the legendary Barașeum Theatre have survived and are here to tell their stories. Take a trip down the history lane and learn about some of the most influential Jewish personalities, like the Dadaist and Modernist architect Marcel Iancu and his landmark buildings, discover the major sights and cultural icons of the former Jewish Quarter in Bucharest and find out about a darker period of Romanian history.

Explore Jewish heritage on a private walking tour in Bucharest! Your local guide will accompany you to the former Jewish quarter, an area of Bucharest so rich in monuments and history. The old Jewish neighborhood has beautiful 19th century temples and synagogues, hosting interesting museums that cover the history of the Jewish community in Romania. The tour starts and ends in the heart of the city (Old Town), right in front of the Starbucks from the Manuc Inn (Hanul lui Manuc).

An emotional journey revealing the centuries old history of the Jewish community, the stories behind each visited place that nowadays very few know and the cruel, unhuman Pogrom and killings of Jewish people of 1941, events that we must never forget. Some of the sites and true facts based on photo and written testimonies you will discover during our tour are: - The Jewish Quarter and Old Neighborhoods of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish. - The life of the earlier Jewish settlers in Bucharest and how their activities influenced Bucharest - The conflict surrounding the Choral Temple - The Holocaust Memorial and the Holocaust History Museum - The story of the oldest Jewish Cemetery - Important Jewish figures of Bucharest and their legacy - The miraculous and true story of Rabbi Guttman during the Pogrom

Discover stunning synagogues and learn about the fascinating Jewish History in Romania on a private tour -just for you and your party. I will provide plenty of insights regarding local Jewish history, the Holocaust in Romania and Jewish life during communism. At the end of the tour, we will have a sightseeing by car around the streets of what used to be the former Jewish area in Bucharest. I will pick you up from your hotel and drop you off back at the end of the tour.