Piata Unirii and Unirii Boulevard Fountains

Piata Unirii in Sector 3 of Bucharest is one of the city's busiest junctions and the eastern end of Unirii Boulevard, the broad avenue built in the 1980s as part of Nicolae Ceausescu's redevelopment of the centre. The boulevard runs westwards in a straight line to the Palace of the Parliament and was intended to rival the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Down its centre are rows of fountains, a landmark of the capital of Romania, that run in the warm season, usually May to September, with evening shows set to light and music. The square itself is surrounded by a shopping centre, banks, a large department store, the Dambovita River embankment and the junction of metro lines M1 and M3, which makes it a major transit point. Few buildings here are old, since the area was cleared by the regime, but the church of Sfantul Nicolae and fragments of older streets survive on side lanes. A visit usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. The best time to come is in the evening between May and September, when the fountains are lit in changing colours and the Parliament building glows at the western end, giving a classic photograph along the axis of the boulevard. Pedestrian walkways between the fountain basins allow a stroll towards the Palace of the Parliament, which takes about 25 minutes. The area is busiest at rush hour and on summer evenings, when families and photographers gather. Traffic is heavy around the square, so crossings should be made at marked underpasses and signals. Fountain operating hours change, so the show schedule is worth checking locally. In winter the fountains are switched off and the boulevard is much quieter.