The synagogue can be visited independently, with staff on hand inside the building to provide background information on its history, including its destruction in an 1866 pogrom and the damage inflicted upon it by far-right Legionnaires in 1941.
Visit as part of a guided tour of the Jewish Quarter to gain a better understanding of the troubled history of Romania’s Jewish community. Jewish-themed walking tours typically include stops at other relevant landmarks including the Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum.
Find the Choral Temple in the Jewish quarter of Bucharest, west of Lipscani. Piata Unirii metro station—served by the M1, M2, and M3 lines—is just a 5-minute walk from the synagogue. The Piata Sfanta Vineri tram stop (served by lines 14, 40, 55, and 56) is less than five minutes away on foot.
The best time to visit is in the morning, as the synagogue typically closes during the afternoon. Avoid visiting on the Sabbath (Saturday) or on Jewish holy days.
Outside the Choral Temple stands a large sculpture of a menorah, a 7-candle candle stand and an important Jewish symbol. Erected in 1991, this sculpture serves as a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, including the 400,000 Romanian Jews who perished—many of whom were deported to concentration camps in Transnistria where they were subsequently killed.
