This year’s edition of the Night of Museums, a well-established event during which museums open their doors to visitors for free, will take place this year on Saturday, May 23, between 18:00 and 02:00, bringing together over 300 museums from all 39 counties of the country. The list may change and can be checked on the official website.

This year’s edition offers an extended program intended for all categories of visitors and reconfirms the scale of the cultural project dedicated to promoting heritage. The public will have access, mostly free of charge, to exhibitions, guided tours, and special activities organized simultaneously nationwide. 

Initiated in 2005 under the aegis of the Council of Europe and coordinated at the European level by the Network of European Museum Organisations, “Night of Museums” is now in its 22nd edition in Romania.

The offering of participating museums is richest in Bucharest, with 38 locations participating. 

National Cotroceni Museum

The National Cotroceni Museum will be open between 17:00 and 23:00, with free access upon presentation of an identity document at the entrance. The route includes the Royal Halls (the Hall of Honor, German Dining Room, Hunting Room, Flower Salon, and King Ferdinand’s Library), as well as the Medieval Spaces, such as the Great Cellar and the Kitchen. 

The program is complemented by several temporary exhibitions, offering visitors a broad perspective on the historical and cultural heritage of the Cotroceni complex, according to Digi24.

National Firefighters Museum – Foișorul de Foc

The museum will be open to the public from 17:00 to 23:00, and access will be free. Visitors will be able to discover the exhibition “Firefighters of Yesterday and Today,” presenting the history of professional rescuers through seven thematic rooms. The museum space, considered a landmark of Bucharest’s urban heritage, offers a perspective on the evolution of intervention activities and civil protection in Romania.

National Archives of Romania

The National Archives of Romania will open from 20:00 to 02:00, within the “Open Doors to the World of Historical Archives” program. Public access will be free. The program includes the exhibition “From the Treasury of the Archives,” bringing together documents illustrating the evolution of Wallachia and Moldavia from the 14th century to the modern era, as well as the temporary exhibition “Constantin Brâncuși Between Form and Spirit.” Visitors will also have access to the protocol room hosting furniture from Mihai Vodă Monastery, in an initiative that offers a rare perspective on Romania’s historical and administrative heritage.

Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry participates in this year’s edition of “Night of Museums,” offering free public access from 18:00 to 24:00. Visits to the CCIB Palace will take place through guided tours organized every 30 minutes. The route includes some of the building’s most representative spaces, such as Carol I Hall, George G. Assan Hall, the Ballroom, and Ștefan Burcuș Hall, in an initiative dedicated to valuing the building’s architectural and historical heritage.

Reptiland Bucharest

Reptiland Bucharest will be open on Saturday from 10:00 to 22:00, and public access will be by ticket, at the reduced price of 30 lei. Visitors will be able to explore modern terrariums hosting reptiles and exotic plants, on a route recreating diverse ecosystems, from tropical forests to arid zones. The experience offers the public the opportunity to discover how different species adapt to the environment in which they live.

National University of Arts Bucharest

The event organized by the National University of Arts in Bucharest will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2026, between 18:00 and 01:00, and public access will be free. The event offers an interactive experience meant to bring artistic education closer to the community. Visitors will be able to discover the creative process in the spaces where it takes place, through guided tours in the university’s workshops and departments, live artistic demonstrations, interdisciplinary performances, and dialogue sessions with students.

Casa Universitarilor Bucharest

Casa Universitarilor Bucharest hosts the exhibition “Night of Designers,” which can be visited free of charge between 16:00 and 24:00. The event highlights a collection of experimental fashion design made from recycled materials, in an artistic initiative focused on sustainability and contemporary expressions of art. Alongside the fashion creations, the public will be able to discover paintings, photography, and jewelry, brought together in an exhibition emphasizing creativity and environmental responsibility.

Little Paris Museum

The Little Paris Museum participates in the 2026 edition of “Night of Museums,” with visiting hours between 20:00 and 03:00. Public access is based on a ticket worth RON 15 (EUR 3), at a reduced rate compared with the usual price, and visits are organized in groups of 30 people every 20 minutes. The experience offers an immersion into the atmosphere of old Bucharest, in a bourgeois house lit by candles, combining French and Oriental influences. The route is complemented by fashion collections and decorative objects illustrating domestic life and the refinement specific to the era.

Șuțu Palace

Șuțu Palace can be visited within the “Night of Museums” event between 16:30 and 22:00, with free public access. The organizers specify that 04:00 represents the moment of the last entry, with the schedule adapted to the large flow of visitors throughout the night. The public will have the opportunity to discover the historical spaces of the palace and the exhibitions hosted there, in a nocturnal cultural experience dedicated to Bucharest’s heritage and history.

Museum of Communist Horrors in Romania

The Museum of Communist Horrors in Romania will open from 16:00 to 23:00, and visitor access will be free. The exhibition offers a documentary and artistic journey into the communist period in Romania, through installations and museum materials exploring the memory of repression, everyday life, and the social mechanisms specific to the era. The initiative aims to recover and understand a defining period in Romania’s recent history.

Triumphal Arch

The Triumphal Arch is a representative monument of the victory of the Romanian army in the First World War. It was inaugurated on December 1, 1936, in the presence of King Carol II and Queen Maria. Visitors can see the permanent exhibition “The Triumphal Arch”, which presents the history of the monument through documents and archival photographs.

Concert and visit to the Romanian Athenaeum

In the Great Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum there will be a chamber piano recital performed by Andrei Licareț starting at 22:00. The public will also be able to visit the temporary exhibition “George Enescu and Yehudi Menuhin — Landmarks of an Artistic Friendship”, located in the foyer. The event requires a reservation.

Aside from Bucharest, the counties of Mureş (35 museums), Cluj (26), and Galați (18) also have a strong showing. The complete list of institutions in each county can be consulted here.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: noapteamuzeelor.org)