One of the newest additions to the list of things to do in Bucharest is the Football Museum Bucharest. And before I say anything, I will mention this: it is a museum showcasing items from Romanian football and international football. And it has a restaurant and interactive and fun things to do! Plus, all the exhibits have both Romanian and English explanations!

That is why I am recommending this museum not only to Romanians but also to people visiting Bucharest (who like football). You’ll spend some time exploring the Football Museum Bucharest because the items (many of them) are presented in detail – with a story (a t-shirt with a stain of blood, autographed t-shirts, memorabilia that remind of special football moments.).

Moreover, where there are videos available (on YouTube) connected to different t-shirts/items from the museum, there is a QR code included in the explanations under the item. When scanning that QR code, you will get the corresponding link to the video – seeing that moment live. Everything comes to life – in a way! (yes, we stopped and watched some videos related to items in the Experience Room.)

The Football Museum Bucharest is the place where football memorabilia, history, and fun meet: from collectible shirts of Maradona, Ronaldo, and Hagi, to exhibits related to Real Madrid and Barcelona, and landmarks from the history of the most famous Romanian clubs, Steaua, Dinamo or Universitatea Craiova.

I visited this museum with my family – husband and son – and we all loved it. Here is what you can expect when visiting this Bucharest museum dedicated to football.

Exploring the Football Museum Bucharest: The First Football Museum in Eastern Europe

Where is the Football Museum Bucharest located

The Football Museum Bucharest is straightforward to reach as it is located in the city’s Old Center. The exact address is Gabroveni Street, number 24.

You can get to Union Square (Piata Unirii) or University Square (Piata Universitatii) by metro, tram, or bus and then you have to take a short walk (a few minutes) until you reach Gabroveni Street. It is across Kilometer 0 of the city.

This is a private museum, certified by the Ministry of Culture. Inaugurated on November 1, 2022, the museum has over 1,500 square meters and it is located in a fully restored historic building in the Old Center. As mentioned, the Football Museum includes exhibition spaces, space dedicated to private events, a restaurant, a specialty cafe, and a fan shop permanently available to visitors.

Extra tip: If you are visiting this museum from May to September, on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, you should go see the singing fountains in the Union Square show after you visit the museum.

What can you see and do at the Football Museum Bucharest

The Football Museum Bucharest has several rooms, each focused on a specific aspect:

• Romanian Room
• Experience Room
• International Room
• Multimedia Room
• Practice Room

There is also a restaurant and a souvenir shop.

Let’s see them all.

The Romanian Room at the Football Museum Bucharest

The first room we visited (and everyone coming to this museum will visit) is the one dedicated to Romanian football.

Here you will see many t-shirts and items from various football players and Romanian clubs.

The oldest T-shirt in the collection is the one worn by Nicolae Lupescu in a friendly match from 1964, Romania – Algeria.

Another interesting T-shirt is the one with a blood stain. The t-shirt was worn by Nicolae Dobrin in the match Romania – Czechoslovakia (2-1) in 1971, in the preliminaries of the 1972 European Championship, and has a blood stain on the shoulder (Dobrin bled then after an injury).

There is a T-shirt that belonged to the famous Gheorghe Hagi football player.

An interesting part of the room is the Women’s football corner – a history of Romanian women’s football.

The Experience Room at the Football Museum Bucharest

The whole room is covered in LED screens so the first thing you will most likely do is watch the short movie presented. Don’t worry if you enter the room when the movie is already running – it is on a loop – with a few moments of pause. So you will definitely have the chance to see it from the beginning! (obviously, I missed the beginning:D but saw it when it was projected the second time).

There are multiple screens – not just one and not just a square/rectangular one (but vertical ones too). It is an interesting experience.

And wait, it gets better, as in this room you will also find the most valuable shirts of foreign players + some interesting details about the evolution of football footwear (football boots).

Among the t-shirts exhibited here are:

• the shirt worn by the double Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo, in the 2004 Brazil-Haiti friendly, a match nicknamed the “Peace Match” (immediately after the end of the war in Haiti). It has the autographs of all the components of the Brazilian national team;
• the shirt worn by Maradona in the 83/84 season in Barcelona;
• Paolo Maldini’s T-shirt, personal donation of Gică Popescu (after the Italy-Romania match, Euro 2000 quarterfinals)

Each t-shirt is presented with a brief story, which means that you are most likely to spend some time in this room!

Oh, and there is another cool thing here! A panel (interactive) where you can see how would great wins of Romanian sports been covered should they have benefited from the internet. It was really fun!

The International Room at the Football Museum Bucharest

This room surprised me as it is as much about t-shirts and about the evolution of football.

I discovered – with great interest – the football balls and trophies. It is very interesting how the first soccer balls looked! (the photos I took are not too good, so you will be pleasantly surprised when visiting the museum.)

The evolution of the soccer ball from the World Cup from 1930 until now can be seen in this room: there is a collection of all the balls from the final world championship tournaments, as well as the two life-size trophies.

When we visited the museum there was a special, temporary exhibition: the gloves worn by Helmut Duckadam in the match from the final of Steaua Bucuresti with FC Barcelona (Cup won by Steaua!).

The Multimedia Room at the Football Museum Bucharest

The Multimedia Room at the Football Museum Bucharest is a fun room for sure! Here you can watch some parts of some matches and be an official reporter – there is a booth, microphones, TVs, and everything needed! You’ll be able to shout “Gooool”! Don’t worry, people won’t hear you (maybe just a bit) as the room is soundproofed.

There are a few more fun things to do at the Football Museum Bucharest – I won’t tell you everything so that you can be pleasantly surprised!

The Practice Room at the Football Museum Bucharest

As you can see, the final rooms of the museum are interactive. There are a few challenges for the visitors – and a chance to play football. And Fusball (table soccer)! It’s time to see who is the best at fusball among your family/friends!

Needless to say that this will be a room all visitors will love!

As a side note, there is also a room that can be rented for events (the top-most floor).

The Bistro at the Football Museum Bucharest

Close to the end of this complete guide to visiting the Football Museum Bucharest is the bistro – on the ground floor. Here you can eat something, sit for a while, get a drink… A nice way to end the visit at the first football museum in Eastern Europe.

Fan shop

For me, no visit to a museum is complete without a stop at the museum’s shop. The football museum in Bucharest has a fan shop with many items – football-related, of course – so make sure you stop by.

From t-shirts to soccer balls, from insignia to pens, from gloves to caps and magnets, all from various teams!, there are plenty of items you can buy as a souvenir from here. (Needless to say that we bought quite a few things).

Ticket prices

The standard ticket price is 49 lei (around 10 euros). For kids – aged 6-14 – the price is 33 lei – (around 7 euros).

There are also days with lower ticket prices (Night of the Museums) or free entry for kids (June 1st).

Conclusion

As you probably realised from the post so far, I am recommending visiting the Football Museum Bucharest. It is totally worth it.

Prepare to spend a few hours here, at this football museum in Romania – if you want to learn more about the items exhibited! Obviously, you can go through the museum faster (but I admit I liked going slowly and discovering the story behind many of the items exhibited).